The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

My all-time favorite mystery author is Dick Francis. I can't seem to get my family interested in them since they think they are just "horse books," but they are so much more than that! Not only are they great mysteries set in the horse racing world, but you learn about all sorts of other interesting professions as well. Anyone else love Dick Francis as much as I do?

I do!! *jumping up and down* Ask me!!

My favorite all time was/is Reflex, and there was another about a wine merchant and for the life of me I can't remember the title!!

The one about the wine merchant is Proof. I love Proof, too, even though I don't drink alcohol and have no frame of reference for all of the details about wine, brandy, etc.

Other top favorites (I can never pick just one favorite Dick Francis!) are: The Danger, Break In, Smokescreen, Wild Horses, and Bonecrack.

You can vote for your favorites at Listopia:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/34...

I've been reading and enjoying Dick Francis since ... 1981? A good, very reliable read.

One of my favorites is a very early one, Nerve (Goodreads seems to think it was first published in 1975; its actual publication year is 1964.).

I also really like Break In, The Edge, Straight, Bolt, and Hot Money.

By the way, there is a new Dick Francis due out in the US on August 25 called Even Money! I can hardly wait!

Book Description:
The New York Times–bestselling authors return with a heart-stopping new novel.

On the first day of Royal Ascot, the world’s most famous horse race, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favorites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker— taking over the family business from his grandfather— so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and he his losses. He’s seen the ups and downs before—but, as the big gambling conglomerates muscle in on small concerns like his, Ned wonders if it’s worth it any more.

When a gray-haired man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Ned’s life is thrown into far deeper turmoil. He’d been told since he was a baby that his parents had died in a car crash.

Barely an hour later, his newly found father is stabbed by an unknown assailant in the Ascot parking lot. Blood oozing from his abdomen, his father warns Ned to "be very careful." But of whom? Of what? Ned finds himself in a race to solve his father’s riddle—a race where coming in second could cost him more than even money—it could cost him his life. . . .

Sounds promising!

Yes, I'm excited! He's never done much with bookmakers, so having a bookmaker main character will be very interesting. I want him to sometime write a book with a main character who is a valet.

wow! I didn't know he was still writing.

He's been writing a long time (early 60s, yes?) and is fairly prolific - nice for his fans.

I believe he is writing with his son now.

Hayes wrote: "wow! I didn't know he was still writing."

He stopped writing for awhile after the death of his wife, but started again a few years ago. He has co-written his last few books with his son, Felix.

Even Money is out now, although I haven't seen a copy yet. Mine is on its way and should arrive early next week!

I have read them all up to Silks which is on my TBR pile. I don't love them as much as I used to but still enjoyable. I liked the ones featuring Syd Halley best I think.

Another avid Francis fan here. I have pretty much read everything through Even Money. I still have some of the Felix/Dick ones to read.

As far as favorites, I still vote for Longshot. Always liked that one.

I've read Dick Francis ever since he first started writing, I think and have most of his books on my bookshelves to re-read quite often.

Most of my 'favorites' seem to be grouped in time frame after he got away from having the entire plot focused solely on racing stables/racing/jockeys up to the death of his wife. Twice Shy, Danger, Hot Money, Proof, Straight, Reflex, Banker.

Unfortunately, the Felix/Dick Francis books I did not care for nearly as much. A different 'tone' to the writing and different sorts of characters.

I do wonder if Felix Francis will attempt to write on his own now.

I think Felix will continue to write. Whether they'll keep Dick's name on the books (a la VC Andrews), I'm not sure.

I am very curious to see if I will end up continuing with him writing alone or not. I've read all of the 'co-authored' books they wrote together and I've only gone back to re-read one of those.

One was (for the first time ever for me) a DNF but I think that was me rather than the book, specifically. I seem to have developed a violent allergic reaction to any book with a lawyer as the main character, whether he's called an attorney or a barrister!

High Guys
I hate to inform you, that Dick Francis passed away.
He was a good age. Where he went is anybody's guess.

** NEW IDEA **
How about a game guessing where authors go when they die
EXAMPLE
Robert B Parker ===PROMISED LAND

Yes, he died early last year, almost 90 years old. I've been reading his books since the mid-60s I think and he is definitely one I will miss.

That's one of the issues of aging ... you keep outliving all your favorite authors.

Scanned through the list of the Francis' books and can't see one that would work for the title game.

I'm sure you know this Sharon, but perhaps others will be interested.
After flying Spits and Huricanes in the RAF in WWII, Dick Francis became a celebrated jockey and was selected to be The Queen's Jockey, about as great an honor as an equestrian can get. He didn't start writing until he retired from that post.
Why'd he retire? The most horrendous horse and rider accident I've ever seen (it was recorded on film).
A few years later he started writing, early 1960s. He obviously "wrote what he knew" and it pays off in richness of the settings in his books.

He certainly did write 'what he knew' and did it magnificently. As a lifetime horseperson myself, he is the only author who has written books with horse-related plots where I've never found an error.

Oh, wow, you're a horse woman. I've always had wonderful relationships with equestrian women. So physically and mentally strong, great legs (obviously) and that confidence than comes form years of pushing around 1,000 animals, making them obey (usually - with thoroughbreds it's always iffy). Seems to make women better with men, me anyway. Apparently I'm somewhat challenging in various ways. But horse women are just fine with me, it seems.

Sean wrote: "Oh, wow, you're a horse woman. I've always had wonderful relationships with equestrian women. So physically and mentally strong, great legs (obviously) and that confidence than comes form years o..."

I grew up on a ranch in Montana, so grew up on working ranch horses. We still did some work with a draft team as well. When I took early retirement in the early 90s I went back to breeding horses, specifically warmblood dressage horses, though I've now 'downsized' to ponies. There have been very few times in my life that I haven't had horses and dogs, particularly.

I have never read any of the Dick Frances books, however, I am going to start now after reading all of the comments here.

My father owns all of them. A huge Dick Francis fan :)

Hi, Pamela,
Really enjoyable mystery fiction from Mr. Francis. I think you'll be pleased. Oh, and I don't think there's any order to read in. He never (that I know of) wrote a series with on-going characters.

Hey, Sharon, I just go the rough equivalent of early retirement. Hired me back, too, part time.
I love it.

The "Sid Halley" books are not exactly a series, but they do progress. Can't remember now what the first title is, but those books go from when Sid is working in a new job as an investigator after a racing accident that lost him the use of one hand, through several 'cases'. The only other books with the same characters were the ones about adult twins, a jockey and his sister who is married to a horse trainer. First is "Break In" and the second is "Bolt". Francis didn't do 'series' in the sense most authors do and even these can be read as stand-alones except perhaps 'Bolt'.

Pamela, is your a fan of horse racing?

Sean, early retirement can definitely be fun, mine was/is although I went from a 40-hour a week job and a hobby showing dogs to 40 horses and I can guarantee I've not worked a 40-hour week since then.

I would really recommend reading Break In before Bolt, yeah.

FORTY horses?? Good gosh a'mighty, woman, ya type A or what?

Sean wrote: "FORTY horses?? Good gosh a'mighty, woman, ya type A or what?"

Well, now that you mention it ...

I relocated from Montana to Kentucky in the spring of 1999 with 40-some horses, doing 90% of the hauling myself. But that was after selling about 1/3 of what I had in Montana. I'm down to 18 though now.

The Queen's jockey survived many a trial... Dick Francis was, indeed, a winner who will be missed! Liam www.terminalpolicy.com

Dig you picture, Liam.

The Sid Halley books are:


* Odds Against
* Whip Hand
* Come to Grief
* Under Orders

If you can find them, there are some TV movies of some of the Dick Francis stories. Ian McShane plays the lead. I saw them in the early 90s and they were good then but I'm not sure how good they might be now.

I will be sorry to not have any more Francis novels. But hey, I can read them again. I have two bookshelves full of them.

I could spot a Dick Francis novel across a crowded room. That horse stretching to the finish (on the US releases) is unmistakable.

Though I'd seen his books around for ages, I didn't read my first Dick Francis until April of last year, Second Wind, which I really liked. This month he is the featured author in the Cozy Mysteries group, so I pulled a couple more off the TBR pile,
Longshot, which I devoured over the weekend, and Shattered, which I've only just started.

I've read all of the Francis books and have all but one or two on my bookshelf to re-read at times. Some of my personal favorites are Banker, Danger, Proof and Reflex. Some I do like better than others, of course, but I think there is only one I have never re-read, and that was an early book set in northern Europe, Finland? Sweden?

I am a bit surprised to find his books listed in cozies. True, they aren't bloody/gory and there is usually a reasonably comfortable ending, if not always particularly 'happy' ... but some of his books I think have a rather dark tone to them.

Sharon wrote: "I've read all of the Francis books and have all but one or two on my bookshelf to re-read at times. Some of my personal favorites are Banker, Danger, Proof and Reflex. Some I do like better than ot..."

I don't think of Francis' books as cozies. In every Francis book the main character ("sleuth") is beaten up very badly....not kosher for a cozy :)

True ... and some of his books have quite a 'dark' thread to them ... depression, unhappy marriages, etc.

I loved all the Dick Francis books and I think that compared to the more graphic books being written now they seem like cozies but when they were written they would not have been classified as cozies.

This is probably very true, I think the genre has gotten much more graphic and violent, which I don't particularly feel is an improvement. Realism/ real life is one thing but rubbing the reader's nose in the excrement tends to feel excessive to me. But again, that's me ... I read for entertainment and I'm not entertained by very graphic violence ... my own imagination can fill in the lines to my comfort level, thank you!

I hadn't read a Dick Francis novel for years, but recently read To the Hilt when I found it on a second hand shelf at my local co-op. As a horse owner (and before that a "wanna be horse owner"), his books have always appealed to me, but I was struck by how very well written it was.

No wonder the Queen mum loved his books!

(Yikes! I just discovered Goodreads earlier tonight and I can't believe it's after 1 a.m. and I'm still here!)

Ruth wrote: "I hadn't read a Dick Francis novel for years, but recently read To the Hilt when I found it on a second hand shelf at my local co-op. As a horse owner (and before that a "wanna be hors..."

Ruth, you seem yo be adapting nicely. It took me much longer to "take the plunge" and make comments.

Go to sleep now. We can talk in the morning!

I have read all the Dick Francis books, own them all, and have re-read them at least twice. I enjoy watching the racing on TV (National Hunt rather than flat) and of course I imagine that I know what's going on because I've read the books! Of course, I have to fight to avoid seeing conspiracies everywhere...

As well as being very good racing stories, the majority of the books also depict another profession or business very well, so that again one feels like an expert after reading them! Glass-making, painting, merchant banking - the list is endless. They're wonderful books, although pretty violent in places and often quite depressing. Good plotting and characterisation; although the main protaganist in each is pretty similar, the other characters in every book are very distinct and clearly drawn.

DF was also a racing journalist for years after he retired from racing. There's a very strong rumour (it may be accepted as fact now) that it was Mary Francis, Dick's wife, who did the actual writing of the books, although they were a collaboration with DF.

I've never been brave enough to try a Felix Francis book (I think it's the case that he wrote them even before DF's death). Can anyone who is a real fan of the "old" DF books give us a view on whether the new FF ones are as good? I can't imagaine they're the same, but would you read another if it didn't have the Francis name on the cover?

Hj wrote: "As well as being very good racing stories, the majority of the books also depict another profession or business very well, so that again one feels like an expert after reading them! Glass-making, painting, merchant banking - the list is endless..."

While writing my profile, I had Dick Francis in mind when I said; "I also like books with a backdrop of something that teaches me as I go along. I don’t generally want my learning delivered in textbook form; I need to be tricked into it.”

I often wondered how much research he had to do to become familiar with so many different professions. (or was I being gullible to believe him?) He sure was able to put flesh and bone on his characters and their livelihood.

I believe that I have read and own every Dick Francis novel, but haven’t tried any with his son, Felix, as co-author. Not because I won’t, but I just haven’t looked. Maybe the US iconic “horse, racing full out” is no longer on the cover to catch my eye. That is how I used o spot “a Francis” on display from across the store room floor.

Many members of my family were fans of Dick Francis and each new book was quickly passed from one to another. None of us have tried a book by Felix Francis so I'm interested in hearing from someone who has too.

Ruth wrote: "(Yikes! I just discovered Goodreads earlier tonight and I can't believe it's after 1 a.m. and I'm still here!) "

Hi Ruth, welcome to the club! We all spend too much time here.

I read quite a few Dick Francis thrillers. THE standout for me was Nerve -- a wonderful synthesis of action thriller and mystery with an usually rich psychological dimension. I'd recommend it strongly to anyone who wants to get a taste of the late Mr. Francis at his very best.

I started reading Dick Francis years ago because I have always had horses. Fell in love with Sid and Kit. Kept reading through the years because the quality was always great and I was always learning something new. I have recently started a reread and realized just how great his protagonist always are. I think the hard part about finishing a book is having to let go of that character.
"May I deal with honor.
May I act with courage.
May I achieve humility."
Makes it hard to step out into the real world.

I think Dick Francis was one of the greatest thriller writers out there. His particular strength is making his protagonist/hero immediately sympathetic to the reader. When I was writing my first thriller twenty years ago, whenever I was stuck I would think: "What would Dick Francis do here?" It nearly always worked. I once nearly met him but was too shy to talk to him. Pathetic!