The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Any fans of Dick Francis here ? I discovered his books a long time ago and kept them all these years.I was saddened to know about his death in 2010. Read several of his books again and still find them as interesting as ever.

I like Dick Francis

I am not familiar with him.

He writes mysteries connected to horse racing in Britain.

Hiya Wsm,

Absolutely! He's my all time favorite author! To be quite honest, I don't know why I don't come across more people who really like him. Maybe now that you've posted this thread, we'll find more out there. In short, Dick was a jockey and rode a horse for the Queen of England before becoming an author Now, after his passing in 2010, his son Felix Francis continues to write mysteries. He's a chip off the block and hasn't missed a beat. Have you read any of his? I have all their books in my library in paper and hard back. There are 47 of Dick's and 10 of Felix's. Some of the latest/earlist were coauthored. I've got specific shelves for them organized by dates published if anyone is interested. The books are the original ones sold long ago, and have snapped them up as soon as they are published, since the beginning. I've been reading them since I was in my teens. In fact, I wasn't fond of reading in the slightest back then until my mom gave me the first one, Dead Cert since I love horses. I've been hopelessly addicted to reading ever since, especially now that I have lots of time to read. Honestly, I'm not sure what I would have done without my books. If you're at all interested in mystery, suspense, you'd be missing out on some of the best books out there, if you haven't read them. I'd be here all day if I write out everything about the Francis's. So here is the link to them in Wikipedia. So yep! You could say I'm a fan!! =o)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_...

Hi Li'l Owl.I have most of his books,including some very early additions. Flying Finish was the first Francis book I read,that was way back in the 1980s.Right now "Twice Shy" is in front of me.There are at least 20 more which I still have to read.No I haven't read Felix Francis so far though I am aware that Dick and his wife Mary were a team. Thanks for the link.

Thomas,I have never been to the races,never gambled and never been interested in horses but such is the skill of Francis (and Mary) that I never tire of reading about these things.

Wsm, I have been to the races with my dad, many years ago, to see a horse race with a horse trained by a cousin race. I am not a gambler, but do enjoy Francis' books. There have been a few of his books adapted for tv and shown in the US on PBS, which I enjoyed.

Thomas wrote: "He writes mysteries connected to horse racing in Britain."

Thank you, Thomas; I love mysteries with the English setting ( horse racing is another issue, however). I used to belong to a riding academy, and I also met many breeders. mingled with racing people ( the horsey set) and I could write a book about the dark side of horse racing and thoroughbreds.

Skye wrote: "Thomas wrote: "He writes mysteries connected to horse racing in Britain."

Thank you, Thomas; I love mysteries with the English setting ( horse racing is another issue, however). I used to belong t..."
You're Welcome. While I have read many of his books, I only wrote a review for the last. See https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

Thank you so much.

Wsm wrote: "Hi Li'l Owl.I have most of his books,including some very early additions. Flying Finish was the first Francis book I read,that was way back in the 1980s.Right now "Twice Shy" is in front of me.Ther..."

No worries. =o)
Enjoy!

Wsm wrote: "Any fans of Dick Francis here ? I discovered his books a long time ago and kept them all these years.I was saddened to know about his death in 2010. Read several of his books again and still find t..."

There was a time when I was reading many of his books. Haven't read anything recently but see that The Edge is on sale at Amazon (Kindle) for $1.99. I bought it and may be getting back to him soon.

Just finished Banker,one of his best.Up next on my reading list,The Sport of Queens,his autobiography.

I used to like him. I think his books went downhill after his wife died, she had apparently "assisted" him in writing them. I guess his son took over afterwards. But I thought his early books were good, especially the Sid Halley books.

I almost always enjoy Dick Francis's books. I don't think I noticed that they went downhill.

I prefer his earlier books.Quite a few come to mind,Rat Race,Knock Down,Nerve,Risk,High Stakes etc.

And yes,after his wife Mary died,things were not the same. He continued to write with his son,Felix but those books have a different flavour.
Still,I enjoyed :
Crossfire

Silks

I am coming back to read the thread later (after coffee and chores) but wanted to jump in to say what I huge fan of his I have been. My former in-laws were Brits so, for years, I received a signed hardback copy of his latest every Christmas. When I moved from my big house to my current smaller house my complete DF collection was the only big set of books I brought with me and I still have them.

Based on your comments here, I may need to give Felix another try.

Glad to meet another Francis fan.I've also kept the Francis books for decades.I was saddened to know about his death in 2010,because each year there used to be a new Francis thriller and I used to read it. Same formula,but always satisfactory.
Yes,try Felix again.He's pretty good in his own right.

Particularly enjoyed :

High Stakes

Hot Money

10 lb. Penalty

Decider

Reflex
My first Francis book.

My faves were the Sid Halley ones and I also liked the Kit Fielding books. I see that Felix has written a 5th Sid Halley; anybody tried it yet??

Whip Hand
I liked this Sid Halley book.However,it was a bit difficult for me to read about a lead character with a deformity.
Haven't read Felix's Sid Halley book yet.

Well, Sid is down one hand from the beginning, makes up for it with charm, LOL.

I guess all the Francis heroes have charm,though they are virtually indistinguishable from one another.Sid Halley's deformed hand distinguishes him from the others.

But I would have liked to see James Tyrone,the reporter more than once. He only appears in :

Forfeit

It's very good.

Smokescreen

Very entertaining,set in South Africa.

My entire family were / are fans of the Dick Francis books. I remember we eagerly awaited Christmas when one person would get the latest as a gift and then everyone else took turns reading it. Same with the Tony Hillerman books.

Since the mid 80s till 2010,when he died,I used to wait eagerly for his new books. He is my ultimate comfort writer.

W wrote: "Glad to meet another Francis fan.I've also kept the Francis books for decades.I was saddened to know about his death in 2010,because each year there used to be a new Francis thriller and I used to ..."

Add me to the list of Dick Francis fans. When I was stationed in Sicily, we had a small library on base with many older books and I went through a number of authors that were new to me at that time. Francis was one.

Glad to meet you.

I'm another huge Dick Francis fan. I don't think Felix's books are quite as good but still very enjoyable.

One of my books, Missing in London, has been likened to Dick Francis' writing. I'm sure I'm not quite in his class but I was thrilled. I'd be interested to know what you think if you have read it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CYZTSZK/

Glad to meet you.Amazon does not operate in my country,so I can't offer an opinion.But it's great that you are inspired by him.

In the Frame

This was the one Francis book I hadn't read,in all those years.It was worth the wait,top-notch thriller.
4.5 / 5

As I have read all the Francis books,several more than once,I have to read the remaining half a dozen books by his son,Felix.

Currently reading :
Dick Francis's Damage

Pretty good start.

W wrote: "As I have read all the Francis books,several more than once,I have to read the remaining half a dozen books by his son,Felix.

Currently reading :
[book:Di..."

Felix does pretty well picking up the mantle. 🌞

Yes,Barbara.His writing has improved.There was one book by him,Dead Heat,which I didn't like.But Crossfire was good,as were Even Money and Silks.The rest,I have yet to read.He does use the odd expletive here and there,something which Dick Francis (and his wife Mary) never did.