Bolt [Unabridged] [Paperback]

Dick Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 1998

Kit Fielding's patron, Princess Casilia, is in trouble. Her invalid husband is being threatened by a business partner. And to enforce the threat all the Princess' best runners are being wantonly destroyed - shot by a bolt. The only person she can turn to is Kit, but he has problems of his own. His fiance Danielle appears to have changed her mind. And the old Fielding-Allardeck feud has once again violently intensified. Wherever he goes, the champion jockey seems to attract bloodshed...'One of the finest writers of his genre' - "Good Housekeeping".

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his smashing sequel to Break In, Francis shows his old racing colors to advantage. Champion jockey Kit Fielding again proves his mettle when Henri Nanterre, the ruthless business partner of his fiancee's uncle, tries to convert their road construction company into an armaments enterprise. Nanterre threatens the life of Princess Casilia, his partner's wife, who also owns many of Kit's mounts. Nanterre is foiled, but then some of the princess's horses are found dead, killed, ironically, by captive-bullet bolt guns designed for "humane" deaths. Next come several near-lethal attacks against humans, including Kit's Danielle, and our Kit must devise a plan to thwart Nanterre for good. Soon Danielle has second thoughts about sharing the dangers of a steeplechaser's life. Maynard Allardeck, racing steward and hereditary enemy of the Fielding family, reappears and makes Kit's life even more difficult. The characterization isn't especially profound, but the plot races along wonderfully well, right up to a jolting twist at the end. BOMC featured alternate; Reader's Digest Condensed Books and Detective Book Club selections.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

"A novel that races along with all the alacrity of one of Kit's mounts at the Devon or Ascot race courses. A subtle twist at the end makes the jaunt all the more enjoyable."
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
In Kit Fielding's breakneck world of steeplechase racing, the ultimate catastrophe strikes: Someone is shooting horses. As Kit races to stop the murdering madness, everyone in his upper-crust circle becomes a suspect--the princely rival who's trying to woo his woman, the personal enemy bent on ruining his family, not to forget the black-market arms dealer whose plans could imperil the globe. Much as the civilized side of him hates to admit it, Kit wonders if he should steel himself to the use of force... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Pan Books (July 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330301381
• ISBN-13: 978-0330301381
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.9 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dick Francis was the author of more than forty acclaimed books. Among his numerous awards were three Edgar Awards, the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger, and the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. He died in February 2010.

Felix Francis has assisted with the research of many of the Dick Francis novels and is the coauthor of Dead Heat, Silks, and Even Money. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bolt - One of his best!, August 12, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bolt (Paperback)

With its companion volume, Break In, Bolt is one of Dick Francis' best! Kit Fielding, a hero with depth, who has recently become engaged to Danielle, is struggling to understand why her feelings for him seem to have cooled. At the same time, the Princess' horses are being killed, apparently by a bombastic and violent Frenchman who wants to take control of a business still half-owned by the Princess' husband. How Kit thwarts the evidoer, as well as the apricot-haired and very funny Beatrice, while re-winning his love and riding his races, is an involving and well-plotted story. I love Dick Francis' work anyway, but this book starts with a bang and doesn't slow down, unlike some others which are a bit slow to get going. Definitely read Bolt, but read Break In first. Wonderful!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bolt - A Humane Way to Die?, April 4, 2005

By 

Susie Morris "Book Junkie" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bolt (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to say that out of all of the Dick Francis books that I've read this one really made an impact on me. I enjoyed the plot so much in Break In, which featured Kit Fielding, that I immediately picked up a copy of this book which once again had him as the main character.

Kit Fielding is a steeplechase jockey, who's a little too tall and a little too old to continue racing, but he has his own agenda. Kit's friend, Princess Cassilia, has always been there for him and she's very much involved with the racing world as an owner of a very large horse farm. When she's threatened and her racehorses begin turning up dead, Kit takes it on himself to investigate, even with her personal life in turmoil. As he investigates, it seems as if everyone in the wealthy class of racing is a suspect and this puts Kit in danger himself.

Stretching the boundaries of his writing style, Francis has written a great "who dun it" and created a variety of possible villains along the way. There is the unknown enemy who is determined to ruin Kit's family, a rival in the romantic arena, a weapons dealer who is the King of the underworld black market, and then the horse murderer who uses a bolt to kill horses.

For those who have little knowledge of horses, a bolt is a weapon that is similar to a gun, but instead of a bullet being fired, it shoots a heavy metal slide (bolt) against the horse's head which immediately kills it. I'm told that this is a humane way to put down horses and usually administered by a veterinarian in extreme cases. Just the thought of such a weapon left chills up and down my spine, and leave it to Francis to use such a weapon in one of his books.

Bolt left me feeling uneasy about the method in which these horses were destroyed, but I guess murder of any kind should never be viewed with complacency! The character of Kit Fielding is one with which many can easily identify and the action is non-stop until the last page. There are even a few twists and turns along the way, just so you don't get over confident that you have figured out the murderer's true identity.

Bolt is definitely not for the faint of heart, but an excellent mystery with lots of adventure and wonderful descriptions of the English countryside.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bolt, April 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Bolt (Paperback)

I really did enjoy it - and I own all of Francis's books. They're like old friends to me - I visit all of them about every 5th year. The only disappointment I've ever had with Dick Francis is Shattered - his last novel. It seemed hurried and the characters not as well developed in comparison to his others.