A rejacketed classic Dick Francis backlist title
Reflex
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Product Description
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
About the Author
Dick Francis has written thirty-nine novels, a volume of short stories ( Field of 13), his autobiography (The Sport of Queens), and the biography of Lester Piggott. He is rightly acclaimed as one of greatest thriller writers in the world. He has received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and the Mystery Writers of America have given him three Edgar Allan Poe awards for the best novel of the year, and in 1996 mad him a Grand Master for a lifetime’s achievement. He was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2000. Dick Francis divides his time between England and an island in the Caribbean.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 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!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Winded and coughing, I lay on one elbow and spat out a mouthful of mud and grass...."
15 May 2010
By oldbillie
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?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well written by some one who knows his subject . Most enjoyable a book I couldn't put down until the end
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy it - and read it over and over again
This is one of Dick Francis's best. It's a real page-turner on first reading, but then you'll find it repays re-reading (more than once! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Katie C
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good fun entertainment
I got caught up in the book to the extent that I didn't want to put it down. The characters were interesting and I found myself wanting to know more about them. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard Hoare
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