Dead Lucky is the 5th Harry Radcliffe mystery by Glenis Wilson. Released 3rd May 2022 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well written and engaging mystery set in and around the horse jump-racing milieu. Despite being set in the modern day, there's a pleasantly retro feel to the whole and although it's *not* derivative, it took me to the same place as some of the old Dick Francis novels. The author has clearly done a lot of background research and it's full of fascinating background tidbits. 

Spelling and vernacular are British English but will pose no problems in context for readers from other areas. The author does a superb job of characterization and description and many of the scenes were quite cinematic; it was easy to "see" them whilst reading. The pacing is less even, with a bit of halting in several places. The mystery is self-contained in this volume, so readers who choose to jump in mid-series will likely not encounter major problems keeping track of things. There are, however, many references to things which have occurred in the earlier books, so folks reading them out of order should expect minor spoilers. 

Three and a half stars. Aside from the obvious appeal for fans of the Francis dynasty, this series will also likely be of interest to fans of Nevada Barr and Lyndon Stacey (although the former is American). 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Too much repetition.

Harry Ratcliffe is a top jump jockey. He rides for Mike Grantley one of the top Midlands trainers. Harry is returning from a race when the driver, Keith Whellan was shot. Harry needs to find out if the bullet was meant for him or whether Keith was the real target.

The storyline is padded out with repeat mentions of Harry’s cat saving his life. His wife has left him but is still very much part of his career and keeping him safe with healing treatments and warm meals, and breakfast with his boss and his partner. Solving the mystery must fit in between these repeat scenes.

Rony

Elite Group received a copy of the book to review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy of Dead Lucky.
I just loved this book. I have read all the Dick and Felix Francis and this is up there with them. It just galloped along with just the right amount of everything characters, plot, violence and mystery.
Am off to read all it's predecessors now !

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It's the first book I read in this series and won't surely be the last as I thoroughly enjoyed.
It's well plotted, gripping, and I liked the description of the world of races and Harry, the MC.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing, good storytelling, well developed characters.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A day of celebration quickly turns into a nightmare for champion jockey Harry Radcliffe and his friend, horsebox driver Keith Whelan, when Keith is brutally shot in the head while driving the pair back from an engagement party. But was the bullet that smashed through the horsebox windscreen really meant for Keith, or for Harry himself? Harry escapes unscathed from the bloody scene, but Keith is left fighting for his life in hospital. It seems that Harry is dead lucky to be alive. Despite his recent vow to focus solely on his racing, Harry determines to find out who committed such a brutal act, and quickly finds himself drawn into horse racing's dark and dangerous underbelly.
This is the fifth outing for Harry & I’m thoroughly enjoying the series. It’s well written, it’s fast paced & it's got well portrayed characters. I really like Harry who can't help himself but be involved in tracking down why Keith was shot & by whom. The pages flew by & I found myself totally engrossed in the horse racing world with, doping, gambling & drugs. I was also left guessing as to who was responsible as there were plenty of twists & turns
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Someone is drugging horses and that's not something Harry can abide. It's not his pal Tal Hunter, who is the prime suspect, so he's off to the, um, races, A jump Jockey with lots of friends, an estranged wife who still has a soft spot for him, and some new mounts, he pokes just a little too much, leading to an attack. There are a few red herrings on the way to finding the villain, as can be expected. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the racing mystery will enjoy this for the racing sequences and despite being the fifth in a series, I found it fine as a standalone.

I always enjoy books by the author, set around the horse racing industry. I did enjoy this read in the Harry Radcliffe series, set around the horse racing industry. It's a quick and easy read, well written, with an interesting plot. Drugs, gambling, doping horses, if you like racing it's one for you. A bit of amateur sleuthing going on but still a good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Murky Dealings…
Murky dealings in the horse racing world in this traditional mystery with a credible cast and the fifth in the Harry Radcliffe series. When a friend of Harry’s is hit by a bullet, he begins investigating. Who was the bullet really meant for? What Harry does know is that he’s a lucky man and he’s now even more determined to get to the truth. Entertaining and engaging as always.

Good fun as always, in this entertaining horse racing series. The interplay between the regular characters has developed nicely from book to book, and the plot is always inventive. But each book stands on its own and you can join mid-series if you wish. Very easy page-turning reading.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Dead Lucky, the fifth novel to feature jockey Harry Radcliffe.

Harry is in a horse box with his friend Keith Whelan when they are shot at. Harry survives unscathed but Keith isn’t so lucky. Determined to discover if the bullet was for him or Keith he starts to investigate and soon finds himself in the darker side of horse racing.

I have read a previous novel in this series and enjoyed it, but Dead Lucky is more of a chore. It constantly refers to Harry’s past adventures without much explanation so I got quite frustrated with my lack of knowledge and understanding.

The novel is told entirely from Harry’s point of view and, as seems to be more often the case recently, is a novel of two halves. The first half is slow and spends its time setting up various scenarios, not just Keith’s shooting, while the second half has more action and information as Harry closes in on a solution.

There is an old fashioned feel to this novel, despite the nod to modern technology in a strange paranoia about mobile phones. It’s as if the author is aware of current technology but doesn’t understand how it works or when to use it, like jotting down numbers rather than photographing them. Again, the plot has the same feeling. I can’t elaborate on how without spoilers, but the plotters are very amateurish for what’s involved. It’s a bit strange.

Dead Lucky is full of interesting information about the racing world, but the plot gets lost in extraneities.