Very disappointing
|
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
|
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.
|
|
|
Now we know who really wrote the books
|
|
Terrible. Not Dick Francis at all. DF was never big on characterisation but somehow managed, with a delightful economy of words, to convey and impression. Max Moreton is wooden and uninteresting and spends most of the book explaining about basic cooking methods. Other characters are undeveloped, dialogue is poor and the whole book boring. Oh dear. I've been a fan for so many years. Please dear Dick, rest on your laurels and don't destroy our illusions. This is not a good effort.
|
|
While the familiar racetrack milieu pervades the latest Francis novel
|
horses and the track play only a peripheral role. Center stage is the restaurant business, as one-star Michelin chef Max Moreton becomes embroiled in a mysterious series of events, including several attempts on his life.
Moreton is an owner and master chef at a country restaurant near the Newmarket racetrack. One Friday night, he cooks at a catered affair for a couple of hundred guests at the track, most of whom, including Max and his employees, suffer from food poisoning that night. The following day, he also is the chef at a luncheon in a private box at the track when a bomb goes off and kills many persons. Thus begins a tale.
Max's reputation obviously is at stake, as the authorities close the restaurant for inspection, despite the fact that the meal which caused the poisoning took place elsewhere. Determined to absolve himself and the restaurant of blame, Max has to find out who is responsible. The story is plausible and typical of a Francis effort--utterly charming and delightful, with twists and turns and nary a horse race (except for the one suspended by the bomb blast)!!! I would also like to recommend reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates--if you haven't yet...that is!
|
|
We can still count on Dick Francis
|
It's been a long while since I read a book by Dick Francis, having missed last year's UNDER ORDERS. For years I watched eagerly for his annual offering and many of them still hold a place on my shelves. I'm delighted that after the sad death of his wife Mary, a new collaboration with son Felix is producing such solid material.
In usual Francis fashion, the protagonist is a pleasant fellow with a connection to British horse racing; in this case, Max Moreton of Newmarket, a young Michelin-recognized chef. Moreton unknowingly caters a poisoned dinner on the eve of the prestigious 2,000 Guineas race, and on Guineas Day he is again catering when the site is blown up. Max's kitchen is closed and he's served with a notice of prosecution under the Food Safety Act.
To complete the tale of Max's woes, the brakes are cut on his car and his house is burned down. This is fairly standard for a Dick Francis protagonist, and Max withstands it all with the usual philosophical attitude. Max may be less edgy than some of Francis characters, and as a result less compelling.
DEAD HEAT varies in a few subtle ways from Formula Francis. For one thing, there's little of the racing world in evidence. No dawn rides in the misty Sussex training paddocks; no intrigue among the jockeys in their distinctive racing colors; no stables, spotless or otherwise, with the "lads" tending to the horses; no parade ring with the victorious horses steaming and tossing their heads while exultant owners brandish gaudy prize mugs. I never thought I loved Francis' books for the racing, but to my surprise, I missed it.
Another subtle difference in this book is that Max seems oddly devoid of friends and family. The story would have benefited from a few more characters to swell his progress. True, the point is made that a chef's working hours interfere with personal relationships; but a few more fully-drawn characters would have rounded the book out.
Ah, and the love interest. Charming, but possibly a bit too slick? The lovely Caroline fell into his lap a bit too easily.
But with those provisos, DEAD HEAT is well done and satisfying, with unexpected flashes of humor, and the good guy wins in the end. Definitely recommended if it's your kind of book, and let's cross our fingers that the Francis dynasty continues.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada