In true mystery-writer fashion, Dick Francis kept me guessing as to "who done it" until the very end. On a human level, it's a story of a man who takes a stand and changes his life and as a result discovers a gift and love. There is some moral ambiguity surrounding the main character, Philip Nore, that is intriguing. It's informative on steeplechase racing in England and photograpy (although the technology has change dramatically since the book was published.