| Title | : | Dead Heat |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0399154760 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780399154768 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 342 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2007 |
Dead Heat Reviews
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A very interesting read, for one particular reason: this can't be Dick Francis. All the surface pieces are here that indicate a Francis novel: the the understated tone, the careful plot, the (yawn) quietly brilliant protagonist. And yet all of the essential elements that make Francis so GOOD, that extra layer of... substance, are absolutely missing. The wry, unassuming humor, the deft characterizations, the simple insights into people and situations. Nada. If you really like Dick Francis, you might want to avoid this novel; it will give you the willies. Kind of like meeting up with an old friend who's just had a lobotomy.
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I have said on several occasions that I have never read a bad Dick Francis novel. I am not sure that I have now. I suspect that there is more Felix than Dick Francis in this one. I gave it three stars because, compared to a mythical average mystery novel, this one is at least a little better.
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I'm not a horse racing fan, but I am a fan of good writing, and Dick Francis is one of my top all-time favorite fiction writers. He's a master of the cliffhanger chapter endings that keep me turning the pages until I've finished, to the detriment of sleep and chores getting done. This book is no exception. I'd heard he's retired from writing, but apparently his son persuaded him to keep it up; Dead Heat is a collaboration of the two of them. Excuse me, but I've got to get back to the book ...
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Easily the most boring book bearing the Francis name.It appears to be mostly the work of his son,Felix.The book hardly ever comes to life and the tedium stretches on for over 400 pages.
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Pretty good mystery thriller which starts with a bang - a mass food poisoning at a Newmarket event, followed by something even more deadly! Chef Max Moreton looks to investigate the evident mystery/conspiracy. What appears to be the start of handing over the reigns (pun intended) to his son, this Dick and Felix conspiracy thriller cum mystery set in the horse racing world, feels just like any other Dick Francis work, knowledgeable about the subject matter, but with limited characterisation. 5 out of 12
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Year before last I re-read all my Dick Francis books in order of publication because I was afraid he would stop writing after his wife's death. Last year he produced Under Orders, much to my gratification and pleasure, since Sid Haley is one of my favorite characters. But Dead Heat, written with his son Felix, is Dick Francis and better. I could hardly put the book down and was thrilled at the end to find an advertisement for the next book, Silks. Now I can stop worrying. Dick Francis will continue.
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What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.
But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.
Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.
You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).
There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.
Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death. -
5 stars if only for no other reason that I couldn't put this down. I have this nagging feeling I've read this before, but it turns out I only remembered one of the protagonists and not their motives, which gave me a nice surprise. The plot twists started from the beginning, and built into a delicious climax. I would have preferred slightly more resolution, but what there was made me smile.
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Rising chef Max Moreton is a rising star until his customers start coming down with food poisoning. He vows to clear and protect his name.
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I had never read a Dick Francis mystery and I was not disappointed. I was puzzled from the beginning. I began to have a suspect but not a motive. It was near the end when I was right about the motive but not much else. That is my kind of story, one that keeps me guessing.
It might have been just a bit slow getting to the mystery but there were so many other interesting facts and characters, it was not a problem.
Well written with well developed characters and interesting settings. -
The big puzzle here is why I continued listening to this CD set. While it purports to be by Dick Francis, it was most likely mostly by his son Felix who, sad to say, is no Dick Francis. The usual torture, frustration, blood, and flimsy romance, but it was about a restrateur rather than racing, although horses did have something do with the incredibly unlikely plot.
And there was a bit of esoteric horse information toward the end that "enabled" the plot.
Sheesh! -
Another good reliable Dick Francis book, this one written with the help of Felix Francis. Our hero is a chef, whose outside catering at Newmarket races ends in tragedy and mystery
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Not one of his/their better ones. Just not as well written as the older Dick Francis books. Missing that special humor & cleverness.
Actually, a second read, which I didn't realize for quite awhile. Tells you something about the book, I suppose. -
Back in the 80s and 90s I read every one of Dick Francis' novels. I loved them then and I still love them. This is how to write mysteries folks. You have believable and likeable characters set in an arena that the author is obviously familiar with and comes to a nice conclusion without a lot of bombast. In this instance Francis is writing with his son and it is still recognizable Francis fiction. (sometimes collaborations of authors don't go so well)
Max Moreton is a Michelin star chef in Newmarket, but somebody seems determined to kill him after an unfortunate poisoning during one of his dinner services. We've got the world of cookery with only an incidental connection to horse racing this time. No matter. I read it in three days. Good stuff. -
Oh, boy. Obviously Felix is being groomed to take over the Francis dynasty from his dad, but I think we should just let it end.
This had all the elements you expect in a DF book, but it was just missing...something. The thing I like about the other books is that they are perfectly comfortable--the writing never jolts you out of the story, and the characters behave in a way that makes sense while still being interesting. I never minded them being formulaic, because he always executed it so well.
With this one, I kept cringing at the writing, and wondering what the hell the people were thinking, and plus, the romance was just kind of creepy. -
This had a double appeal, with a restaurant owner as the main character with a musician angle thrown in. (I used to own a restaurant and I play French Horn.) I have been reading Dick Francis for many years and have an extensive collection of firsts of his. Although he is now old and fragile, this piece co-written with his son encourages all us fans that he has passed on his talents. There's some interesting info about this collaboration on his website - worth a visit.
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Cooking won't kill you but those who don't want you around will.
Great guide to the culinary skills of folks who cook in England.
Also great way for a jockey to stay close to the horses and the life of the track.
Dick Francis knows how to stay w/the changes of the Horse Industry and yet still proves that you have to know your subject to be good. -
Read it long ago when dick Francis was putting out a new book just in time for my birthday every year. I liked his own books better, before he got to the point of needing Felix to help. It was fun to re visit a Francis mystery and character, but I did miss the closer connection to racing prevelent in earlier books.
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the sense of humour evident in Bloodline has not returned. The plot twists and turns, but dragged slowly for many chapters and seemed unbelievable. The final few chapters brought it all together with an intensity as Max Moreton and Caroline fend off Komarov and a good customer/friend and an employee.
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Dick Francis books never fail. Same formula perhaps, same type of protagonist, but the settings and individual characters are so well researched that each one is a fresh adventure from which I always learn something new. They're not all about horses!
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Not as good the second time around. The romance was fine but the mystery made little sense.
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really enjoyed the book. Very interesting.
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Enjoyable enough, but certainly not great. The "crime" part of the plot was incredibly far-fetched, but the main character (Max Morton) was charming and likable (so I'm rounding 2.5 stars up to 3).
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Voor Nek aan nek ging Dick Francis, inmiddels 89, de samenwerking aan met zijn zoon Felix Francis, die voor zijn vader al voor eerdere boeken onderzoek deed. De samenwerking is uitstekend verlopen: Nek aan nek is een heerlijk boek.
Max Moreton is een jonge, succesvolle kok. Hij is met financiële hulp van een vriend The Hay Net begonnen, en het restaurant, gelegen in Newmarket, loopt verbazend goed. Op een boze vrijdagavond heeft Max een groot diner gekookt waar blijkbaar iets niet mee in orde was. Tenminste, hij ligt de hele nacht in de badkamer. Bijna alle andere gasten blijkbaar ook. De volgende dag is er echter een belangrijke race, en Max moet wéér koken. Daar komt hij nauwelijks aan toe, want een van de skyboxen wordt opgeblazen. Er vallen doden en gewonden. Dan begint voor Max een nachtmerrie: wie heeft het diner vergiftigd? Wie heeft de bom geplaatst? Is de actie gericht tegen Max zelf of tegen iemand anders?
Terwijl de gezondheidsinspectie hem op de hielen zit, en een van de gasten dreigt Max een proces aan te doen wegens voedselvergiftiging, worstelt Max ook nog met een groeiend wantrouwen tegen zijn eigen personeel.
Dick Francis heeft in Nek aan nek gekozen voor een verhaal waarin nu eens niet de paarden een hoofdrol spelen. Uiteraard hebben paarden en het hele racegebeuren wel iets te maken met de gebeurtenissen, maar de nadruk ligt toch vooral op de persoonlijke omstandigheden van Max. Max groeit in de loop van het verhaal uit tot een leuke, levendige man, een kok waarbij je best eens zou willen aanschuiven. Voorin het boek staat dat Gordon Ramsay (himself!) de heren Francis van advies heeft gediend en als dank daarvoor wordt hij op een speelse manier genoemd in het boek. Ook de romantiek speelt een aardige rol, maar met wie en hoe? Dat mag de lezer zelf lezen!
Als je een 'Dick Francis' koopt weet je dat je een lekker geschreven en goed lopend verhaal krijgt en hierop maakt Nek aan nek geen uitzondering. De plot mag dan een tikje vergezocht zijn, de wijze waarop de lezer kan meeleven met de belevenissen van Max staat als een huis en staat garant voor een paar uur puur leesplezier. -
3.5 stars. The first book I read that is a collaboration between Dick & Felix and while it was fine there was definitely a certain spark missing. Dick's protagonists have a certain flair, they are very suave and debonair. Our protagonist in this book, Max, is a bit edgier, bordering on crass when it comes to his observations of women. Not sure if they were trying to go with modern sex appeal or what but it sounded off for a Francis book. Not to say that his previous book never had romance, they did, but it was always a bit more subtle and implied rather than such in your face observations as commenting several times about a woman's legs. Anyway, the story itself centered on Max who is a chef who had many guests fall ill with food poisoning one night and a bomb go off at lunch the next day. This book is only loosely tied to horse racing as each event took place at a race track. When the tests come back showing that the food poisoning was due to undercooked kidney beans, Max knows that his food was sabotaged since he did not serve kidney beans in the meal. It is looking more likely that the food poisoning was tied to the bombing as several who became ill were unable to attend the lunch and were therefore spared. Then Max knows that he is onto something when his car brakes are tampered with, causing him to collide with a bus, and then his house is burned down. Things take a weird turn when he discovers that a man at the lunch is also involved in polo. He imports a large number of horses each year which Max figures out are being used to smuggle drugs. Long story short, the bombing was to teach the man a lesson from the ringleader of the operation because he discovered that he was skimming money from the drug operation. But he still wants to kill Max because he knows too much. But Max is saved by his new girlfriend, Caroline, who is a viola player suing him for the food poisoning incident. She uses her viola to knock out the bad guy, giving Max time to subdue him and call the cops. Why she had to use her instrument when she was in a restaurant kitchen that had frying pans and knives I do not know.
