Books
by Dick Francis
|
Field of Thirteen |
Short stories come in two types - the crafted reflective stories that subtly explore emotions, situations and relationships and the stories that are condensed - or perhaps concise novels. Dick Francis delivers the latter in this vintage collection where the reader will find all kinds of racing shenanigans, criminal activity and a certain amount of sentimentality to help the reading experience. This is one to pick up and put down for that enjoyable coffee break.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 99 Winter 2021) |
|
|
Field of Thirteen |
Thirteen short stories of racing and crime by the master of racing thrillers, a fast-paced collection and every tale a gem of its kind, ideal read for these Corona-restricted days.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 100 Spring 2021) |
|
|
The Danger and Reflex |
Time to re-evaluate Francis? I picked these two up by chance and was surprised by how good they are (to my mind anyway). Gripping, well constructed plots, interesting insights into themes other than racing - kidnapping and photography in these cases - and above all entirely credible characters. When in need of an unproblematic and exciting read you probably can't do much better than these (and, no doubt, his others).
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 47 September 2008) |
|
|
The Edge |
While not one of his strongest, I still found myself gripped as Our Hero is given the task of exposing a smooth, ruthless villain trying to muscle in on the British racing scene. The action takes place on the Trans- Canadian railway, a train specially commissioned to advertise Canadian races. The pace may be slower than in many of Francis' thrillers - but he can still deliver a punch. Worth re-reading.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 75 Winter 2015) |
|
|
Wild Horses |
The Queen Mother's famous jockey - and even more famous author of detective stories featuring the horse-world - was 76 when he wrote this. Gaining insight and vigour as he wrote his many books, this is superb in its genre, vintage Francis, the thrills more chilling, the plot deceptively almost non-existant, the details of making a film professionally explicit. It's almost impossible to guess who did it, while the depth of human understanding and subtle characterisation lifts it to the level of Sayers and Tey.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 103 Winter 2022) |
|
|
|
