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Product Description
South Wales Argus
This fresh angle on the tried-and-tested formula will ensure another winner for the Francis dynasty.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
‘I wondered if I was dying. I wasn’t afraid to die but, such was the pain in my gut, I wished it would happen soon.’
The night before the Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket sees the great and the good of the horse-racing community gathered for a prestigious black-tie Gala dinner. It is a fitting testament to the glamour of the occasion that Max Moreton is cooking the evening’s meal.
Max is something of a celebrity in Newmarket circles. He is the chef and founder of the racing town’s favourite Michelin-starred restaurant, the Hay Net. However, spending the night in the throes of agony with chronic food poisoning is the last thing Max expects – such things simply aren’t becoming of a professional chef. And the last thing he needs is to hear that his food is suspected of putting twenty-four of the guests in hospital.
Within hours, Max’s restaurant is being forcibly closed, his reputation is teetering on the brink of ruin, and a court case seems to be looming. But the day is far from over, and soon Max Moreton finds himself desperately fighting for more than just his livelihood…
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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.
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.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I didnt think that he could write a better book than "to the Hilt" but he has surpassed himself with Dead Heat as it kept me spellbound for the entire storyline much to my partners disgust.
If you are a DF fan or even just a fan of intrigue \ mystery then this is a definate must as it is truly captivating right up until the final few pages.
If you are a DF fan or even just a fan of intrigue \ mystery then this is a definate must as it is truly captivating right up until the final few pages.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When Dick Francis stopped writing for personal reasons, which need not be mentioned here. It left a huge void, that was never really filled, although there are many authors with a horse racing background, writing books today. Most of them are very good, but none of them have the magic touch of Dick Francis. This is Dick Francis's latest novel. Before that he had written in excess of 35 novels. Many short stories, his autobiography and the biography of arguably the greatest jockey that ever lived, Lester Piggott.
After a spell out of the `saddle' as far as his writing career goes, Dick Francis returned with Under Orders, which many critics claimed was not as good as his previous novel. I have no hesitation in saying I was not one of them. Bad authors do not begin best seller authors overnight and Dick Francis had not lost his writing ability when he wrote Under Orders.
Some people claim that you have to have an interest in horse racing to enjoy the books of Dick Francis. I think that this is nonsense. I have not interest whatsoever in gambling or horse racing, although I do have a love of horses. I think that Dick Francis has written one of his best ever books with Dead Heat. How he comes up with all these different plots I will n ever know.
After a spell out of the `saddle' as far as his writing career goes, Dick Francis returned with Under Orders, which many critics claimed was not as good as his previous novel. I have no hesitation in saying I was not one of them. Bad authors do not begin best seller authors overnight and Dick Francis had not lost his writing ability when he wrote Under Orders.
Some people claim that you have to have an interest in horse racing to enjoy the books of Dick Francis. I think that this is nonsense. I have not interest whatsoever in gambling or horse racing, although I do have a love of horses. I think that Dick Francis has written one of his best ever books with Dead Heat. How he comes up with all these different plots I will n ever know.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Francis cooks up a great plot
Max Moreton, a creative chef with his star on the rise, finds his prospects blunted when numerous people (including himself) fall violently ill after consuming a dinner he and his... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Asha Sahni
Not up to his usual standard
Have always been a fan of Dick Francis, but I have to say this doesn't come up to his usual standard. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Keith Sanderson
Typing errors
This is a really exciting book and all the characters are totally plausible. However my enjoyment of the book has been completely marred by the typing errors. Read more
Published 6 months ago by sally b
Needs a Proof Reader
The book is a fair read but was marred by the constant word errors in the copy downloaded to my kindle.Guess it was done when scanned in. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Steve M
Good read
Very good read couldn't put it down. Hope Felix carry's on even without his Dad.
Published 19 months ago by Lindilou
Great plotting as ever
Dead Heat opens with Max Moreton, professional chef, once youngest winner of his first Michelin star, facing ruin the morning after cooking a gala dinner at Newmarket racecourse... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by Jo Bennie
non-racing story
Have read all Dick Francis's early works and they had a strong racing theme with bags of suspense, this story was far removed from horses, the only connection being a bomb going... Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2010 by gefb
A Dick Francis Classic - almost.
A really good read.
This is a page turner. Yes, some of the characters are a little shallow. But there are twists and turns aplenty. Read more
This is a page turner. Yes, some of the characters are a little shallow. But there are twists and turns aplenty. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by P. Casimir-mrowczynski
dead heat
i have all dick francis books, this one is quite different to the usual ones,but it is a very good story
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by trebor
Much better than I expected
I picked up a couple of Dick Francis books because they were on special offer. One was For Kicks and the other Dead Heat. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Tryfan of Duncton
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