Reflex
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Product Description
Product Description
A reissued story which features Philip Nore, a steeplechase jockey with a passion for photography which helps him unravel a mysterious web of intrigue, blackmail and murder following the death of a ruthless racecourse photographer.
Book Description
Philip Nore is nearing the end as a jockey. George Millace is finished in photography. The difference is Millace is dead - and Nore has discvoered his secret: a set of files which would blow the top off the racing world. Hated by a dying grandmother he has never known, and abused by a trainer he knows only too well, Nore is no stranger to shabby morals. And when he begins to decipher the dead man's photographs, he uncovers corruption on a scale he had never imagined... 'Another winner' Spectator 'Dick Francis has excelled himself...' Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The 19th thriller from former Champion jockey (and Spitfire pilot) Dick Francis, first published in 1980.
Philip Nore is a not-very-succesful jockey, who might be beginning to nudge the end of his career. He is also a man without a family, having been 'parked' by his now-disappeared mother, from a young age, with ever-changing friends. But now his grandmother is making contact - though not for reasons Philip enjoys...
At the same time, he is caught up in horse-race cheating tricks; and a photographer has died, and various villains are after his photographic files, for reasons unclear.
Dick Francis is a brilliant writer, economical with words, very good on dialogue and characterization, very good on the background of the story - but the story is the main thing, dragging you along at a furious pace and keeping you guessing on various levels. While you are totally caught up in personalities and emotions. He also gives you some pretty nice philosophical musings on how to cope with life, with change, and with people; in an unobtrusive way that is very Francis, and very effective.
This might be classified as 'thriller' or even 'horse-racing fiction' but while both these are true, the books shine (and this one shines very well among them) by the writing style. Smart people, who don't need everything pre-chewed or explained in tedious detail, will enjoy them - a lot. And this is one of his top stories, I think!
Philip Nore is a not-very-succesful jockey, who might be beginning to nudge the end of his career. He is also a man without a family, having been 'parked' by his now-disappeared mother, from a young age, with ever-changing friends. But now his grandmother is making contact - though not for reasons Philip enjoys...
At the same time, he is caught up in horse-race cheating tricks; and a photographer has died, and various villains are after his photographic files, for reasons unclear.
Dick Francis is a brilliant writer, economical with words, very good on dialogue and characterization, very good on the background of the story - but the story is the main thing, dragging you along at a furious pace and keeping you guessing on various levels. While you are totally caught up in personalities and emotions. He also gives you some pretty nice philosophical musings on how to cope with life, with change, and with people; in an unobtrusive way that is very Francis, and very effective.
This might be classified as 'thriller' or even 'horse-racing fiction' but while both these are true, the books shine (and this one shines very well among them) by the writing style. Smart people, who don't need everything pre-chewed or explained in tedious detail, will enjoy them - a lot. And this is one of his top stories, I think!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Perhaps it's not up there with 'It is a truth universally acknowledged...' but as first lines go this is pretty good. Immediate, vivid, exciting, wry, and down-to-turf, it's Dick Francis in essence.
The appeal of his books -- especially to those of us who don't really like thrillers in general -- is his ability to keep it real. His novels may be filled with violence, blackmail, and murder, but what sets him apart is his convincing depiction of the day-to-day life of a jockey: the exhilaration, the pain, the humiliation, and the disappointment. His narrators are good, solid chaps: we would believe anything they told us. And Francis is so good at establishing his scenes -- racecourses, dressing-rooms, stables -- that we are ready to accept in its entirety all the skulduggery and evil lurking within.
Reflex is one of his best (not that they vary much.) It has a nice balance of racing and other activity (photography, in this case). There are plenty of decent villains, three story lines, and a saucy girl. Frankly, what more do you want?
The appeal of his books -- especially to those of us who don't really like thrillers in general -- is his ability to keep it real. His novels may be filled with violence, blackmail, and murder, but what sets him apart is his convincing depiction of the day-to-day life of a jockey: the exhilaration, the pain, the humiliation, and the disappointment. His narrators are good, solid chaps: we would believe anything they told us. And Francis is so good at establishing his scenes -- racecourses, dressing-rooms, stables -- that we are ready to accept in its entirety all the skulduggery and evil lurking within.
Reflex is one of his best (not that they vary much.) It has a nice balance of racing and other activity (photography, in this case). There are plenty of decent villains, three story lines, and a saucy girl. Frankly, what more do you want?
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
17 reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
A "picture perfet" suspense novel from a master of the genre
4 Mar 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Dick Francis novels generally follow a set formula: Seemingly random events ensnare a iconoclastic, intrepid protagonist into the vortex of a mysterious and dangerous situation that exposes the lad to various forms of mayhem and violence before he can get a handle on what's really going on and try to do something about it.
Although formulaic, Francis' work often comes across as fresh and innovative. This arises from his ability to develop strong, uniqe characters, his deft craftsmanship, a tremendous feel for suspense, and some sort of technical a subject background that provides a general focus for the whole story.
In this case, that background is photography.
Phillip Nore is a long time jockey who dabbles in amateur photography. When a well known but little liked professional racing photographer is killed in a car crash, Nore eventually, accidentally, comes into possession of the man's body of work and records. Suddenly Nore and those close to him a being subjected to break-in's in their home, apparently random attacks and so on. Nore comes to understand that the records and negatives he holds are the source of the trouble. He begins looking into the photographers past, and finds a nasty surprise indeed. The question is, can he get to the bottom of this mess before he gets killed?
This work is unusually strong for a Francis novel on several fronts. Phillip is a particularly strong character even for Francis-much more intellectual and introspective than is the norm. The technical aspects of photography needed to decipher the situation are expertly presented in an informative and non-intrusive way that takes nothing from the story-indeed, they add to it. And, the romantic aspect is unusually strong and well developed for a Francis novel as well.
On the whole, this is not only one of the best Francis novels I've read-it's pne of the best overall suspense novels as well.
Get yourself into the "picture': read this book!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Excellent, full of suspense
14 July 2003
Format:Paperback
This was the first Dick Francis book I read and it was fantastic. It was amazing how he tied so many, seemingly random, characters into the plot. Each time I guessed which character had done what infamous deed Francis turned the tables again. I finished the book on my second night of reading it at 4am becuase I simply could not put it down. The book was full of small, compelling puzzles and the interesting bits of information that solved them. After this book I began reading Francis's 'Come to Grief' and 'Nerve'.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Probably my Favorite Dick Francis thus far
3 Dec 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
With my first love of Sci Fi and Fantasy, little else ever seems to hit my reading list. But after being introduced to Francis a couple of years ago, I've made it a point to break things up with one of his books every once in a while.
The formula is predictable as follows: Single, solitary, but extremely honest 30-ish horse guy usually in a period of personal transition gets unwillingly drawn into a mystery far more sinister and dangerous than anticipated. Along the way he meets a girl who surprises him by becoming the woman of his dreams, gets beat up a couple of times, and threatens to give up, but eventually solves the mystery, brings the bad guys to justice (though not usually the police) and discovers that his life is far more worth living than he'd thought.
But unlike most authors, for Francis the forumla works in his favor because the predictability of the plot and the well established personality of his main character leaves him free to focus on the details, which are always vastly different from story to story. In this case, it's photography, which alone probably makes Reflex is one of my favorites thus far. I've never been into photography in the least, but Francis' vivid and detailed descriptions of different methods of developing and creating "hidden images" in a negative made me want to learn more. I also really enjoyed the character of Jeremy, who was much further developed than most of Francis' supporting cast.
As with all Francis' novels, this one is well worth the read.
The formula is predictable as follows: Single, solitary, but extremely honest 30-ish horse guy usually in a period of personal transition gets unwillingly drawn into a mystery far more sinister and dangerous than anticipated. Along the way he meets a girl who surprises him by becoming the woman of his dreams, gets beat up a couple of times, and threatens to give up, but eventually solves the mystery, brings the bad guys to justice (though not usually the police) and discovers that his life is far more worth living than he'd thought.
But unlike most authors, for Francis the forumla works in his favor because the predictability of the plot and the well established personality of his main character leaves him free to focus on the details, which are always vastly different from story to story. In this case, it's photography, which alone probably makes Reflex is one of my favorites thus far. I've never been into photography in the least, but Francis' vivid and detailed descriptions of different methods of developing and creating "hidden images" in a negative made me want to learn more. I also really enjoyed the character of Jeremy, who was much further developed than most of Francis' supporting cast.
As with all Francis' novels, this one is well worth the read.
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