'Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingedient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding tight to the very end' Sunday Telegraph
Shattered
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Few writers can lay claim to having made a genre entirely their own, but the racing thriller remains unassailably Dick Francis territory. And Shattered, as smoothly crafted a piece of entertainment as anything he has produced, is a reminder that despite various pretenders to the throne, he retains his crown--even the kafuffle regarding the authorship of his books (his wife apparently lent a hand at times) only increased his profile, with readers seemingly indifferent to this revelation. What is his secret? Primarily, of course, it's the author's finely honed narrative skills that immediately mark him out as a master entertainer--thrillers such as Rat Race, Smokescreen and Trial Run bristle with energy and momentum. The ace in the hole is that satisfying sense of insider knowledge in his plots, however implausible they are. Shattered once again conveys that the equestrian world is quite as dangerous as Colin Dexter's Groves of Academe: jockey Martin Stukely dies after a fall in a steeplechase at Cheltenham races, and his friend, artist Gerald Logan, finds that the dead man has a connection to a stolen videotape with mysterious (and highly valuable) contents. Logan is more familiar with the problems of glass-blowing than violence and extortion, but he is soon undergoing a crash course in survival techniques as some very malignant heavies target him.
The protagonist of Shattered is only peripherally connected with the racing world, and this broader palette has resulted in a signal recharging of the batteries. The lean, unfussy narrative has the customary race-to-the-tape motion, but Logan is a nicely judged semi-hero, convincingly at sea (as most of us would be) in very dangerous waters. And, as always, the prose makes its mark with a commendable directness:
The horse fell at the peak of his forward-to-win acceleration and crashed down at thirty or more miles an hour. Winded, he lay across the jockey for inert moments, then rocked back and forwards vigorously in his struggle to rise to his feet. The fall and its aftermath looked truly terrible from where I watched on the stands and the racecourse doctor, though instantly attending him from his following car, couldn't prevent the fast gathering group of paramedics and media people from realising that Martin Stukely, though semi-conscious, was dying before their eyes. They glimpsed the blood frothing out of the jockey's mouth, choking him as the sharp ends of broken ribs tore his lungs apart.--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
When jockey Martin Stukely dies following a fall at Cheltenham, his friend Gerard Logan becomes embroiled in a perilous search for a stolen videotape. Logan, half artist, half artisan, is a glass blower on the verge of widespread acclaim for the originality and ingenuity of his work. Long accustomed to the frightful dangers inherent in molten glass and in maintaining a glass-making furnace at never less than eighteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit, Logan is suddenly faced with a series of unexpected and terrifying new threats to his business, his courage and his life. Believing the missing video tape to hold some sort of key to a priceless treasure, and wrongly convinced that Logan knows where to find it, a group of villains sets out to force from him the information he doesn't have. Narrowly escaping these attacks, Logan reckons that to survive he must himself find out the truth. The journey is thorny, and the final race to the tape throws more hurdles and more hazards in Logan's way than his dead jockey friend could ever have imagined. Glass shatters. Logan doesn't . . . but it's a close run thing.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like Dead Cert, the first, (and best) of Dick Francis's novels, Shattered begins with the death of a jockey in a steeple chase. There the similarity end. While I know a lot about glassblowing now, I didn't really feel I got a good story! The extreme violence was not justified by the cause: I didn't believe it, or understand what the fuss was about. I have thought that Dick Francis was winding down for some time, (though I actually quite enjoyed Field of 13)and the more of the later books I read, the more convinced I am..
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By James Pratt
Format:Hardcover
After the disappointingly bad previous novel "Second Wind", Dick Francis has returned to his usual winning form with a first rate read. The plot centres around a glass blower, and Francis's interest in this fascinating skill is highly infectious. The characterisation is good, and the detail and pace are gripping. The plot is a fraction thin, and doesn't hang together quite as convincingly as it might. But that really doesn't seem to matter too much. It is a real 'page turner' in the traditional Dick Francis mould.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Ben Francis
Format:Hardcover
This is a pretty dull crime novel. Short, and very slow. The plot lacks a motor, and it is far too repetative. WE GET THAT THE TAPE IS MISSING!
If you are looking for a good read, look past this one.
If you are looking for a good read, look past this one.
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3.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sheer glass
A good read hard to put down another stroke of genius by Francis story telling it grips the imagination and takes you in to the events that unfurl.
Published 3 months ago by samuel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book
Excellent story line from a great author, once you start to read it it is very hard to put down
Published 14 months ago by Mr. D. Evans
3.0 out of 5 stars
didnt grip me as I thought it would
This is my second Dick Francis book, and to be honest I really struggled to enjoy this one. I couldn't seem to get into the characters, and the writing seemed to be all over the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. Gary R. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
dick francis book
BOUGHT FOR MY FATHER'S KINDLE - HE IS 84 - WHAT A GREAT THING FOR THE ELDERLY WHO CANNOT SEE THAT WELL.
Published 21 months ago by lyndyloo
5.0 out of 5 stars
dick francis
Typically excellent dick francis, good story,likeable characters, made me want to keep reading past my usual bedtime couple of chapters.
Published 23 months ago by pepsijock
2.0 out of 5 stars
Transparent
There is some pace to the narrative, enough to remind you that Dick Francis used to be good at what he does - straightforward, unchallenging thrillers based around... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by Mr. Stephen Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another interesting and complex story from Dick Francis
In "Shattered", Dick Francies takes us into the world of a master-craftsman specialising in working with molten glass, and winds a complex and intriguing mystery round his life and... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by sue k.
4.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 stars for glass-blowing Francis
Yes, this *is* a proper Dick Francis - but it is like there is some grit in the well-oiled machine that usually works so well and smoothly. Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2009 by H. Beentje
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad...
I could not describe myself as a horse-fan at all, or for that matter particularly knowledgeable about glass-blowing, but this book didn't lose me amongst all the details. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2007 by A. Lines
2.0 out of 5 stars
Weirdly Connected Story Near the Familiar Francis Turf
Review Summary: Only the most dedicated Dick Francis fans will find the story in Shattered to be one they enjoy. Read more
Published on 19 July 2004 by Donald Mitchell
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