Dead Heat

Dick Francis novels are all much the same: a smart, interesting guy with a job somehow (however tangentially) related to the world of horses get in a spot or three of bother but through a combination of luck and street smarts gets out of difficulty and, usually, snares himself a nice girl in the process.

This time out the protagonist is chef Max Moreton who has a successful restaurant in the racing town of Newmarket. The book opens as Moreton, his staff and many of his clients are suffering the results of an inexplicable food poisoning episode. As Moreton is getting his business back on track the guest box in which he is catering at a local race meeting explodes. Mayhem and intrigue ensues.

I read Dick Francis books mostly because I have show more a sense of nostalgia about them as one of them was the first ‘adult’ mystery I read. They’re light and comfortably familiar while having likeable characters and plausible plots. This time out though, in a novel co-authored by Francis' son Felix, there’s either something missing or I have become more difficult to satisfy. The plot meanders fairly aimlessly and there are enormous, unsupportable leaps of logic in it. The ending may just as well have included an alien landing on the Newmarket Heath and a naked Prime Minister on a pogo stick for all the connection the resolution had to preceding events. Although Francis has clearly written to a formula over the years he’s still had to do a load of research into whatever new subject he’s writing about, create interesting characters, write snappy dialogue and plot a story that is consistent with itself (however unlikely). Here, those elements are largely missing (although to be fair the research is evident) and the book is like a shadow of one of its predecessors. I'd actually give this 2.5 stars if I could. show less

In terms of all Dick Francis books that I've read, this one holds up but is not in the top 10. The emphasis this time is on a caterer to the racing venues, and I wish he'd gone into the art of cooking with more detail, as he usually does in these books (lots of info on horse carriers in Driving Force, on investments in Hot Money, on Canada/acting in The Edge--these all sound boring when I describe them, and they're anything but!).

That said, very enjoyable, with plenty of excitement and a little bit of good relationship forming for once (usually, it's about the protagonist's relationship falling apart under some strain or other).

(review from first reading)
Pretty much a classic Francis. Which is excellent - I was very dubious about his son joining him, it hasn't worked well for several favorite authors. The hero is somewhat less tough - he thinks at one point about how his father, a jockey, would start taking the cast off a broken bone after a week or two; he is determined to keep his on for the full six weeks. Smart of him. Though he does tend to survive unexpectedly well. I figured out there was something fishy in his kitchen before he did, but had no clue that the friend who was betraying him wasn't on the up and up. Interesting, good in the general way of Francises - I don't think it will become a favorite, but I'll be keeping and re-reading it.
(second show more reading)
I'd forgotten that I'd read this one until I started it again - but I recognized the chef as soon as the story started. I still didn't remember exactly how it went, though I did remember what sort of person the bad guy was long before he figured it out. Not bad; pretty much standard Francis (aside from the hero _not_ being highly pain-resistant!), which is nice since this isn't pure Dick Francis. I've been extremely disappointed in other books/series where a child joins a parent in writing (Anne & Todd McCaffrey, among others), so it was good to see that Felix can write pretty much in Dick's style. I hope - wait and see when he's on his own. Not a favorite, but a perfectly good Francis. show less

Entertaining read, co-written with his son a few years before his death, the first of several co-athored books. The style and topic is very much in the Dick Francis "later years" style, so it's a good entry in the Dick Francis bibliography.

There is a bit of a (newfound) romance here, but it's not central as in the modern thriller-romance style. The lead character is a chef who gets pulled into criminal shenanigans as a victim more than once and he has to wriggle his way out. I like that (sorry, spoilers) he didn't rescue himself, but was rescued by his new lady love.

As usual, the horse related parts are quite interesting. The romance is really intrusive, and our protagonist is required to be really stupid in order to make sure the book doesn't get too long. Like another reviewer, I can't see any reason to hit someone with a viola when there is probably an excellent cast-iron frying pan nearby. The special language of the restaurant business was compelling but the observations by the protagonist were pseudo-insightful.

Oh, boy. Obviously Felix is being groomed to take over the Francis dynasty from his dad, but I think we should just let it end.

This had all the elements you expect in a DF book, but it was just missing...something. The thing I like about the other books is that they are perfectly comfortable--the writing never jolts you out of the story, and the characters behave in a way that makes sense while still being interesting. I never minded them being formulaic, because he always executed it so well.

With this one, I kept cringing at the writing, and wondering what the hell the people were thinking, and plus, the romance was just kind of creepy.

Don’t you just hate it when you’ve read the entire collection of your favorite author’s work at least twice, and you figure he’s so old that he may not be able to write another book? I love to read Dick Francis’ mysteries set in the English racing world; I’ve even read some of them thrice. Imagine my surprise and delight when, a few months ago I spied a novel in the new book section of the library---Under Orders by Dick Francis. I immediately checked it out and raced home to my cozy chair, a cup of tea, and a new book. Then imagine my extreme surprise and delight a couple of months later to discover yet another new work---Dead Heat. How lucky can one person be!
If you’re a Dick Francis fan, I can assure you that his latest show more two novels definitely lived up to my expectations. In Under Orders Francis brings back Sid Halley, the ex-jockey with the prosthetic arm. Halley must solve the murder of winning jockey Huw Walker while also investigating the strange losing streak that has jeopardized the stable of Lord Enstone. As usual, everything becomes clear in the end, but it is sure fun trying to figure it out before Sid does.
In the most recent Francis book Dead Heat, the protagonist is Max Moreton, a rising star in the world of cuisine, who grew up in the world of racing. Max owns the successful Hay Net restaurant in Newmarket, but his livelihood is threatened when several guests and employees, including Max himself, are stricken with food poisoning after an event that he catered. Then on the following day, Max is catering a luncheon at the racetrack when a bomb is detonated in the very Grandstand box where he was working. Max was injured, but survived. This was not the case with many of the other guests in the box. Was this a terrorist attack? Was it a person with a grudge? The police have no leads. Then our beleaguered chef is beset with several accidents. Or were they really attempts on his life? And to top it all off, he may be prosecuted for the food poisoning incident. Could all of this possibly be connected? Once again, the fun is in arriving at the solution before the hero does.
If you have read and re-read all of your favorite author’s work and don’t see any more in the near future, or if you are just looking for another writer to add to your favorites list, try Dick Francis. They don’t have to be read in any particular order. You can begin with the latest one or look in the stacks for his earlier novels. And, oh, how I envy you this new journey. Reviewed by Sherrill, Three Rivers Public Library. show less