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Average Customer Rating:

Francis is back on form

Customer Rating:

Having avidly read everything Dick Francis has ever written, I was saddened although sympathetic when he retired from writing, as he always said he would, on the death of his wife. Then he produced Under Orders, and I was so disappointed in it that I was ready never to buy another of his books again. So when I saw this book on the shelf of my only supplier of English books for many miles I dithered about whether to shell out the euros and give him one more chance. To be honest, it was curiosity about what difference having his son as co-author would make - along with a limited choice of books on the shelf - that persuaded me to give the book a try. And very glad I am too that I did. The book is back to the old Francis formula - innocent narrator plunged into danger when involved unwittingly with nasty bad guys; love interest helps him outwit bad guys; good triumphs in the end. All fast-moving and unput-downable even if an undemanding read. I have to disagree with the critics who say Dick Francis is past his best: with the help of Felix Francis, he is back to exactly what he has done so well in the past. I look forward to buying the next book written by the pair of them and hope it is up to the standard of this one.

Long live Dick Francis and Son!

Customer Rating:

This is the gist of Dick Francis + Son's Dead Heat, about Max Moreton, a Gourmet Chef. The recipe: take a fillet of horseracing, add a poisoning, a bombing, polo, drugs, some nasty Russians, some dodgy Americans, and stir vigorously. Add orchestral music, murder, suspense, throw in some famous equine locations: Newmarket, Smiths Lawn, Tattersalls, fine dining, a good pinch of humour, together with a fluent and cohesive writing style. I picked it off the shelf based on the horsey cover and the name of the author. Championship storyteller was accurate as I enjoyed the story much more than some of his recent novels, but found the picture misleading, as the horseracing genre is not the main focus. The story is action packed and more graphic and detailed in ways you wish some of his earlier books had been. It does not compete with Jilly Cooper as a sexy horsey romp, or with the horseracing nitty gritty of John Francome's latest offerings, but will appeal to a broader thriller reading public, if the cover doesn't put them off. Overall, a very enjoyable page turner.

Very weak

Customer Rating:

As an avid fan of Dick Francis I couldn't escape to notice that his books did go somehow downhill since his wife has passed away. This book is co-written by Dick Francis'son, and I am afraid it does not get any better, in fact I feel this is the weakest work yet. The racing conncetion gets more and more unimportant (in fact the restaurant could have been anywhere, and just happens to be in Newmarket), there is no suspense whatsoever, even the dramatic scenes are "created" and fail to get you in a grip. Even the inevitable lovestory, that I used to enjoy in all the other books, is broing and forseeable. Its a real shame, but its not enough to just have the Dick Francis name on the cover.

Very disappointing

Customer Rating:

I agree with previous reviewers - this book doesn't read like a Dick Francis. The dialogue is simplistic and bland, plot very thin, racing link extremely tenuous. DF's characters have always been very likeable heroes - but this one was just plain boring! The book had none of the charm of most DF novels. The cover was misleading - I was expecting a racing mystery, not cooking calamity! I kept on reading hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I will re-read the original DF books and forget about Felix Francis.

Disappointing	Customer Rating:
I have read most of Dick Francis's books, and enjoyed them. This book, however, was a big disappointment. Under the big "Dick Francis" on the cover of the book, there is a smaller "Felix Francis" and in my opinion it should be the other way round. The book does not read like it has been written by Dick Francis, and I really struggled to finish it. Disappointing.