(one in a series of Dick Francis reviews in which I try and separate all those rather similar titles, and in which I try not to give away plotlines)
Derek Franklin is a jockey, but recuperating from a nasty fall - when his brother dies (don't worry, this is on the first page!) and he has to take care of the brothers' gemstones business, search for missing items, solve several major problems - and find the culprit(s).
My opinion: excellent mid-period (1989) Francis thriller. Early Francis was all about horse racing, the middle period was when all kinds of interesting professions cropped up which sometimes (as in this one) were loosely connected to racing.
Francis is always very good at 'painting' people in a few lines (sometimes far apart, those lines!); he is brilliant at people interaction, too. He pares things down to the essential, whether it is people or life he talks about; in this book he is very good on loss, on friendship, duty and honour. Moral dilemmas, too, and the philosophy of life of a jockey; don't moan, deal with it. Which is a pretty good overall philosophy, I think!
A top Francis, and a satisfactorily long one. The end is not the strongest bit, but a great read overall. Five stars.
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