Around the World With Horses: A Dick Francis SHARED READ

Hello, again! In 2019 we had our first shared read of Dick Francis' mystery novels set in and around the British horse-racing world, reading six of my favorites that hopefully gave a good overview of Francis and how his novels evolved over the years.

We're back in 2020 by popular demand (and my most sincere thanks to karenmarie and everyone else who asked that we do this again), and I thought we could spread our wings a bit within the Dick Francis universe. As most of you know, Francis was a champion steeplechase jockey in England before turning to writing mystery novels after retiring. (If you'd like to learn more, here's the introductory post I wrote last year about his life and writing.)

Unsurprisingly given his background, the majority of Francis' mysteries were set in and around the English horse racing scene. But a number of his books actually took his characters much farther afield, solving mysteries all over the world, each of them connected to horses and horse racing in some way. So we're going to do a bit of globe-trotting this year. Lace up your traveling shoes and join us:

Here's our tentative schedule for 2020:

January-February — In the Frame (Australia)
March-April — Blood Sport (USA)
May-June — The Danger (Italy)
July-August — Smokescreen (South Africa)
September-October — The Edge (Canada)
November-December — Second Wind (Florida/Caribbean)

As we get to each entry, I'll link the intro post here to make it easy to navigate through the thread as it grows. I'll provide an introductory non-spoilery post for each book to jump-start the discussion, but the rest is up to you. Chime in with any comments, questions, or quotes that come to mind as you read. Please use spoiler tags for anything that might be a spoiler — you create those by typing <spoiler>secrets go here</spoiler>. And it will look like this!

As I went through the list of Francis mysteries, I found eight books in total that were partly or mostly set outside the UK. Since we only have room for six in a year, I'll list the other two here in case some of you have the time and inclination to "collect them all":

* Slay Ride (Norway)
* Trial Run (Russia)

If you do read these as a supplement to our scheduled reading, please feel free to comment on this thread if you'd like. I'd only ask that you use spoiler tags for the benefit of those who have not yet read them.

Are we ready? All aboard!

January-February Read



In the Frame — Charles Todd is an artist who specializes in painting horses and the horse racing scene in his native England. When his cousin Donald suffers a devastating loss and comes under suspicion from the police, Charles begins to make connections between his cousin's predicament and the story told to him by a woman who recently commissioned a painting from him. The quest to uncover the mystery and clear his cousin's name takes Charles far afield, to the racetracks and art galleries of Australia.

I really love this one. It was written in 1978 and is one of the earliest examples of Francis stretching beyond the insular world of jockeys and trainers, while maintaining a connection to that world. I have approximately zero talent in visual arts, so I loved the insights into how a painter plans and executes his work, and how galleries go about selling said work. Charles isn't my favorite Francis protagonist; in fact, my fuzzy recall is that we don't get a lot of backstory for him, but I enjoyed that Charles didn't have to solve the mystery single-handedly, acquiring some very useful detecting assistants in Australia.

I hope you all enjoy this one!

I'll be reading In the Frame in February - I'm looking forward to it!

Perfect, I'm in! The Danger I've read in 2018 but the others are on my TBR pile.

I found a copy of In the Frame at my library. I'll join as soon as I get it (on hold). I've never read a Dick Francis before so I'll want to finish this one before I decide if I want to read any of the others.

Thanks for starting the group!

I bought an omnibus last year and it includes In the Frame so hooray! I'll be joining you!

Here's a 'horses and personalities' story.

I bought myself a new coat from the after Christmas sales to do horse chores - dark color, easily washable, warm, attached hood. The old one had a broken zipper, (even the velcro wasn't holding it closed) and several tears.

Unfortunately, one silly mare has decided she is afraid of me when I wear it. Not the right smell, the nylon rustles and the hood has eaten my head. She's in foal, so I catch her each day, pull her out and give her grain and vitamins.

So, you may or may not know I had a bad injury and can neither chase horses or brace myself if they are being silly.

First day - gave up after several tries - no grain for her.
Second day - first attempt, no go. She was racing around with her head and her tail in the air. I was so disgusted with her that I yelled at her and flipped my rope at her.While this probably should have made her even harder to catch, instead she put on the brakes, dropped her head and squeezed in between the horses surrounding me. Haltered her, fed her, no problems. We'll see what today brings.

Next time I buy a new coat, maybe I'll have to take her along. :) Of course then one of the others might object so maybe I'll have to take em all.

This one’s now on the group wiki!

I'm looking at February for In the Frame as well. I love mysteries with an art angle so I'm especially excited about this one!

>6 streamsong: What a great story! I hope she doesn't drive you crazy today. Er...do you still have the old coat?

Take care!

Haha. Animals are fun. I just got done reading a chapter of one of our books aloud to my wife, put down the book and it clattered lightly onto the shelf. This clatter set our puppy off barking for 5 minutes. I called her over and showed her what I did. She checked it out suspiciously, then ran to the window barked some more.

>4 Ameise1: Hooray! I'm really looking forward to reading The Danger again — it was one of my favorites, Barbara.

>6 streamsong: Oh my goodness, what a great story! But you have to come back and tell us if the new coat continues to be accepted. :-)

>10 jasonisbell: Welcome! I love dogs dearly, but they are not always the most reasonable critters. :-)

I’m in, Julia! Thanks for setting this all up and choosing the books. I love the around the world theme!

I was at my town library yesterday and was able to pick up a copy of In the Frame so I’m all set. (My usual library is a county branch and the county is not very good about keeping older books on any of their branch shelves. My town library, thankfully, is.) I’ll start it in a week or two!

>2 rosalita: I love that cover!

>6 streamsong: Lol, A real fashion critic!

Glad you all enjoyed the story. Yes, as soon as Ms Silly remembered the point was not to buck and play but to be caught and fed, she became 100% OK with the new coat.

I probably won't start In the Frame until the beginning of the month, since I need to finish the RLBC book and a few others.

>12 Copperskye: Hooray for libraries that don't throw out books once they are past the first flush of youth. I'm glad you're with us again, Joanne!

>13 streamsong: Whew! I'm glad Ms Silly came to her senses. At least until the next time you have to buy a new coat. I think quite a few people are starting in February, so you won't be behind at all.

I reserved the Dutch translation of In the Frame at the library. It is on loan now, so I have to wait until it is back.

>15 FAMeulstee: I guess we should be glad someone is still reading the old books, Anita! But surely the library could ring them up and explain that you need it for a LibraryThing shared read. :-)

>16 rosalita: Well it is better that my latest attempt, the Donna Leon I reserved had vanished and it was the only copy in the province (loans outside the province can be done, but you have to pay for those). So if the book is on loan it is not missing yet :-)

Oh, no! What a shame that the other book went missing. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you on the Francis book.

I see I've scrambled the order by not checking here or making up one of my what's next lists. I currently reading The Danger, because it was on my shelf when I looked for In the Frame, which I don't own, and forgot about Blood Sport altogether. Well, The Danger is pretty memorable, so I'll probably still remember plenty of it in June.

>19 quondame: Oh, well. The reading list is just a suggestion, after all.

In my library I have 4 out of the 6 Dick Francis books on the 2020 read/discuss list; alas, In the Frame is not one of them (nor is Smokescreen). To stay in the Dick Francis mood, I'm re-reading Straight, one of my favorites.

I just discovered this (directed here by someone over in the Crime, Mystery & Thriller group)! I own over 40 Dick Francis mysteries, all of which have been read at least twice but none in the past 10 years or so. This will be a great chance to revisit them :)

>21 rhinemaiden: I just re-read Straight last year — like you, it's one of my favorites. As I say so often with Francis, I love the in-depth look at the business of buying and selling precious gems.

>22 leslie.98: Welcome! I'm so pleased you're joining us! We did a similar shared read last year (you can find the link in the first post of this thread) if you'd like to look over what we read then. Feel free to chime in there or here as the spirit moves you. :-)

>23 rosalita: I love gemstones and also gadgets! After reading Straight for the first time, I bought a Sharp Wizard! LOL (that was before a Compaq Ipaq, and then a PocketMail, and now, of course, a smartphone which makes the earlier gadgets obsolete). Straight is not only a wonderful book, but a happy trip down gadget memory lane.

>24 rhinemaiden: I had a very early Palm Pilot, so I'm a bit of a gadget geek myself. I remember those Sharp Wizards, though — a friend of mine had one. It all seemed like such magic at the time, didn't it?

>25 rosalita: gadgets are our friends! next to books, of course! We wouldn't be here (in Library Thing) without them! I never had a Palm Pilot... you're right... magic in our hands!

>19 quondame: My review of The Danger. Linked, because I read it out of sequence.....

>18 rosalita: Today I got the message I can pick up my copy, I hope to get to the llibrary tomorrow.

Even though I suddenly remembered who the culprit was halfway through this reread of In the Frame, it was still entertaining to read about Charles Todd's adventures in Australia & New Zealand.

I just started In the Frame and although I’m only a few pages in (page 4 actually), it certainly did start with a bang! I don’t think I’ve read this one before.

>30 Copperskye: It really does, Joanne! You get dropped right into the heart of the story, don't you? Poor Donald! I always think this one is much more high-action than a lot of Francis' work. Old Charles is on the go constantly, poor man.

I spent yesterday sick in bed and In the Frame was the perfect companion. I'm maybe half way through.

The omnibus version that I'm reading has this introduction written by Francis.

"In the Frame was conceived in Czechoslovakia, incubated in Australia and New Zealand and written in England.

"We (my wife, Mary, and I) were with the remarkable lady burns-specialist doctor who translates my books in the Czech language in her spare time, when she had business to attend to with a painter friend of hers. She took us briefly to his studio, where our eyes and emotions were bombarded by massed canvases of extraordinary passion and vigorous jumbled colour, chiefly on the subject - if deciphering were possible - of the feeding of the multitude with the five fishes. As the painter spoke no English, nor we a word of Czech, asking for meaning was impracticable, especially as (according to my translator) he couldn't explain them to her either.

"We visited her apartment and found another of his paintings on her wall: again the fishes, the thick brilliant and dark colours, the unfathomable urgent mysterious message.

"I began unexpectedly to want to write about a painter, and I asked if we could go back and watch him work. To my translator's surprise he agreed, and for two fascinating silent hours the three of us watched him sticking paint onto canvas with a sort of violent divine energy, using brushes, fingers and even at one point his elbow to satisfy his vision.

"I came away shaken. I couldn't imagine being him. I needed a less driven artist for my protagonist. I thought I could manage a painter of horses.

"Later that year we went to Australia and New Zealand on a book-promotion tour, and there - arranged in advance - I met Michael Jeffrey, one of Australia's foremost horse painters. He, too, generously let me into his studio and gave great advice about the use and mixing of colours.

"Back home in England, Mary and I read books about the chemical composition of oil paints and how they adhere to wood and canvas, and we filled our sunroom with easels, linseed, turps and other tools of the trade. Primed by this knowlege, I put Charles Todd to paper as a painter of horses, alongside the flamboyant abstract genius of his long-time friend, Jik.

"Mary finally painted a horse. Its neck was too long. We both learned we were never destined to be artists, ourselves, but nevertheless, In the Frame taught us a lot about Art."

>32 streamsong: That’s great! Thank you for sharing!

I’m figuring out why it takes me so long to finish a book. With A Gentleman in Moscow, I was googling The Metropol Hotel and various Russian historical figures. Now with In the Frame, it’s art, specifically Munnings (early days though, I’m only on pg75). Thought I’d share one of Munnings’ race start paintings.



And another because I think it was mentioned in the story as “admiring the absolute mastery that set the two gray ponies in the shaft of pre-storm light at the head of a darker herd...” And also because I liked it.

>33 Copperskye: Thanks for providing those images. It certainly enhances the book to have some specific pictures.

>32 streamsong: Thanks for posting that - so interesting to hear not only about the inspiration for this book but also something about the process Francis used in his writing.

I am one of his fans who find the claims, now that he is dead, that he didn't really write his books but let his wife write them and took the credit offensive. I can see in that quote how important his wife Mary was to the process of his books and I am sure that she probably read his drafts, suggesting ideas and improvements. That still doesn't mean that he didn't write them.

Sorry, just had to get this grievance off my chest!

>32 streamsong: and >33 Copperskye: Thanks to both of you for sharing those extra tidbits for In the Frame.

>35 leslie.98: When I was younger I was obsessed with wanting to know "the truth" about who wrote the books. Now, I find it really doesn't matter to me in the slightest. Perhaps Dick did write them; perhaps Mary did; perhaps it was a much more entwined partnership process. However it was done, it was done very very well, and I'm happy that we have so many books to enjoy from their efforts.

>36 rosalita: Yeah, you are right.

I finished In the Frame this morning and, oh my goodness, that was fun! I was a little concerned about reading it so soon after I finished Bolt, but I actually liked it better. It didn’t bother me at all that there wasn’t much by way of horses or racing. And actually, the violence against the horses in Bolt really bothered me so maybe no horses was a good thing.

Not a spoiler to say that I think Hilton Hotels got some pretty positive plugs in this one!

I loved the "Marx Brothers" scene at the Hilton!

>39 leslie.98: That was a good bit! There was a lot of humor, or at least jokiness, in this story.

I agree with both of you — this one has quite a bit more "action" to it than what we've been reading, and much less "hero goes it alone". And since Jik and his wife were such engaging characters, the "buddy movie" aspect worked really well, I thought.

Come to think of it, I'd watch a movie of this one, for sure. The paintings would really lend themselves to a visual re-telling. What do you all think?

here's a link to an article of interest for this group: (if it hasn't been posted previously)

https://crimereads.com/dick-francis-a-crime-readers-guide-to-the-classics/

I'm glad people like the intro I posted.

And I love the paintings that Coppersky posted! As the story goes on, other painters are listed, so I will go look for their paintings, too.

Yes, this was a good one, and it would make a great movie. I wonder if they would leave it in the era it was written or do a bit of rewriting to get it into the cell-phone era.

>42 rhinemaiden: I'll check that out in a bit - thanks for the link.

>43 streamsong: Now that's an interesting question! Would updating the story to the modern cell-phone age make parts of the plot nonsensical? I haven't started my re-read yet so I'm working off 20-year-old memories. One of you who have read it more recently will know.

I completed my re-read of In the Frame today.

>45 quondame: And?! Don't leave us hanging, Susan! What did you think? :-)

>46 rosalita: I put a link to my comments in "re-read"

This novel differs from most of the others in that there is no actual romantic interest for the protagonist, and that the characters didn't come alive for me. Jik was too one note and Sarah's change of attitude seemed arbitrary. I liked Maisie, though.Though it starts of with a deliberate pace, it finishes in a flurry of action.

>47 quondame: Ooof, I didn't even notice the link, Susan — my apologies!

>41 rosalita: I was thinking it would make a great limited series TV show, maybe 6 episodes. I’d love to see all the scenery! They could probably work around the cell phone issues if they made it “modern” times. I love Masterpiece Mysteries - they’d do a great job with it!

>42 rhinemaiden: Thanks for the link! I see there has been a PBS adaptation! I’ll need to dig around and see if it’s streaming or check my libraries.

Well, Julia, it only took me 26 days to find this thread and only because quondame posted the link!

I'm so glad you saddled up for another year and thank you for doing this for us.

I'm thrilled with the international flavor of this year's shared read. It's a very good idea.

I've read 5 of the 6, only The Edge still showing up as 'tbr' on my shelves. I just spent an exciting 15 minutes confirming that my location tags worked, although a couple of the books were 3-deep behind other books in the Retreat and it took a stepladder in the Library to find The Edge tucked into a corner.

I'll be starting In the Frame in a day or so, I think.

>50 karenmarie: I'm so glad you found us, Karen! I didn't realize you hadn't made it here yet or I would have sent you a nudge, because it wouldn't be the same without you. I'm glad you like the international theme and you have such a treat waiting for you with The Edge. I keep saying of nearly every book "It's one of my favorites," and it makes sense because I'm choosing what I think are the best of Francis' work to share, but that one truly is. It ignited my passion for long-distance train travel, which has yet to abate.

Just received a box of 13 Dick Francis books... reading from oldest to newest, beginning with:

Slay Ride by Dick Francis (1973)

I don't have In the Frame in my collection, will be ready to join the chat for Blood Sport.

>52 rhinemaiden: What a great gift! And Slay Ride is one of the "alternates" in our international tour this year, so you are still on topic with our theme. Please feel free to post your comments about it here, using spoiler tags as necessary.

I've finished In The Frame yestereday and I was thrilled. What a gorgeous plot.

>53 rosalita: Thanks for the reminder! I forgot about the 2020 alternates! Will definitely post about Slay Ride here. (The box was a gift to myself.)

I finished In the Frame this evening. It made a great Sunday afternoon read. I love the setting and the art backdrop. What I didn't love was the withholding of information from the reader. I get annoyed when a character discovers something important and the specifics aren't shared with readers until several chapters later. By that time I've usually worked it out for myself, so they might as well have told me up front.

What a great re-read! I didn't remember a single thing about it, so couldn't second guess myself or the story. Although not a jockey, as are most of Francis's protagonists, Charles Todd is a strong, principled man willing to risk much to do the right thing once he realizes if he doesn't act, nobody will. An amazing coincidence which really isn't a coincidence sends him off to find the bad guys and save his cousin.

I finished Doodgeverfd, the Dutch translation of In the Frame, this morning. Again a well constructed and fascinating story, so good that I didn't mind the lack of horses ;-)

>56 cbl_tn: That doesn't bother me, but then I never work it out for myself, either, so it's probably less annoying that way.

>57 karenmarie: Sometimes friends ask me how i can re-read mysteries and I always explain that my memory is so lousy I never remember whodunnit!

>58 FAMeulstee: Ha! I did think of you, Anita, when I remembered the relative lack of horse action in this one. At least the horses we did meet all survived!

>42 rhinemaiden: Thanks for the link! I enjoyed reading that article. I'd forgotten there were tv adaptations.

I'll be starting In the Frame as soon as I finish Golden in Death, the new Eve Dallas mystery.

Slay Ride by Dick Francis (1973) (supplemental read for 2020)

Set primarily in Norway with brief returns of British Jockey Club Investigator David Cleveland to his home in England.

From the back cover:

"Champion jockey Robert Sherman has disappeared - right before he was to race in the National, which he was sure to win...and right before his wife was about to give birth. A coincidence? Perhaps. But British Investigator David Cleveland doesn't believe in coincidence - he believes someone made Sherman disappear for a reason. Unfortunately, with every answer he gets, the body count rises. And if he's not careful, the next body just might be his own."

This is book #5 for Francis, following The Sport of Queens (1957), Dead Cert (1962), Rat Race (1970), and Bonecrack (1971). Without having read the earlier four, but having read many Dick Francis books over the years, it's interesting to see in this 1973 book the formula that Francis would use in many future books:

-- male protagonist, age 30's, single - generally a loner, falls for an unavailable woman
-- violence becomes major plot point
-- lots of travel, by car, plane, train
-- and of course, horses/stables/racetracks

Although I enjoyed Slay Ride, I didn't get much of a feel for Norway other than it being cold. Would I re-read it? Probably not. BTW, the next book in my box was Risk (1977) that book was a DNF, I gave up after 75 pages.

I'm in for Slay Ride as an alternate. I want more Dick Francis and have never read this one before.

Rhinemaiden posted a link in >42 rhinemaiden: which mentioned movie adaptations of some of Francis’s books and I was able to find a dvd at the library. “Dick Francis Mysteries”, containing “three full-length features based on the best-selling author’s work”. One of them is “In the Frame” and the others, Blood Sport and Twice Shy.

The synopsis of In the Frame reads:

“A violent explosion leaves a woman dead and many questions unanswered as to why two businessmen are robbed of all their possessions. Investigator Cleveland heads for Germany and uncovers a million dollar con game.”

I too, have unanswered questions. Lol.

>63 Copperskye: Ummm...

>63 Copperskye: lol! And based upon that, will you be watching it?? I am curious whether it was the blurb writer or the TV adaptation which mangled the book!

>64 rosalita: >65 leslie.98: Well, I watched it. And wow. That. Was. Awful.
A house did explode (rather than a fire) and two houses were cleared out. There were fake Munnings, and wine, and a Big Race. There was even a Det. Frost. The action moved to Toronto and Germany. And the bad guy was the same bad guy but the three main characters from the book were replaced. Lots of artistic license and that’s ok. But I will say it was an excellent reminder of just how much better most TV adaptations have gotten in the last 25 years.

I tried to watch the Father Brown mysteries a few years ago - like this, there were elements that matched stories. But no show matched any story - bits from this and that, patched together into an entirely new story (did they steal the explosion from Hot Money, perhaps?)

>67 jjmcgaffey: Oh, I don’t really mind if they change things up a little bit. It was more the acting and the production values that were cringe worthy. And I’m not sure, now that I think about it, if the plot would have made sense if I hadn’t read the book. I love the Shetland and Bosch series and they differ a great deal from the books (which I also love). They are so well done, maybe I’m spoiled!

Anyway, I have Blood Sport ready to go but I’ll wait until March!

>67 jjmcgaffey: I think another issue is that apparently they wanted to create a true series, with a detective character (this David Cleveland fella) who would appear in all the episodes. So right away you are getting away from the true charm of the Francis books for me, which is the ordinary people caught up in solving extraordinary crimes.

>68 Copperskye: I need to get back to the Bosch series on Amazon, Joanne. I stopped watching at the end of Season 4 because Season 5 was getting to plots in books I hadn't read yet. Even though they aren't perfect matches, I prefer to read the book first.

I just finished reading Blood Sport by Dick Francis - the March/April read... was surprised to discover that it was a made for TV movie in 1989 starring Ian McShane in the lead role. Seems a lot of liberty was taken... including changing the name of the lead character from Gene Hawkins to David Cleveland.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097199/

>63 Copperskye: Ha! I also checked that out. I made it halfway through In the Frame and then returned it.

The story was bad, but the production itself was also bad. There was a strange 'talking in an empty room' vibe to the soundtrack.

They definitely missed the mark!

>70 rhinemaiden: Yes, it's another in the series of TV movies adapted (very loosely) from Dick Francis novels, and just as Joanne reported in >63 Copperskye: about In the Frame, the books were distorted to have a recurring detective character instead of Francis' one-off protagonists. It doesn't sound as though Blood Sport was any more successful than In the Frame.

>70 rhinemaiden: Ha! Blood Sport was the second episode on the DVD I picked up from the library. After watching the first one, In the Frame, I couldn’t stomach another. Don’t waste your time! :(

>71 streamsong: Well, you didn’t miss anything in the second half, so good for you! We kept saying “this is really bad”, but I wanted to see it through. It was so awful!

>69 rosalita: Read faster! :) ;)

>72 rosalita: >73 Copperskye:

Ah..... got it! Will look for the movies.... Ian McShane was certainly a busy actor at that time... as Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy and also a Dick Francis hero.

Found Blood Sport on youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0kOWkx7odQ

I watched Blood Sport on youtube -- my review: any similarities between the book and the movie are purely coincidental. LOL '

(I see that the movie versions of Dead Cert, In the Frame and Twice Shy are also on youtube. Will be watching. I watched... all of In the Frame, part of Dead Cert and Twice Shy. Never again.)

Just the book I needed right now - an enjoyable undemanding read. I just finished Blood Sport.

Anyone else reading Blood Sport? I’m nearly halfway through and enjoying it. As Karen stated, it’s undemanding so perfect for these times. I’m surprised though, that the main character is currently in Jackson, Wy. This is the first of Francis’s books I’ve read that takes place in the States.

>76 Copperskye: I read it earlier this month. It's one of my least favorites, though I did like the travel in the US. I don't like the "romance" angle, but then the earlier Dick Francis books more than once had something non-standard about that angle.

I finished it last night. I liked the investigation, hated the romance. I had a hard time buying Gene's depression and suicidal thoughts. It didn't quite ring true to me. By the middle of the book I was wondering if it didn't ring true because Francis had no personal experience of depression.

Argh, I've completely fallen off the wagon regarding writing a brief intro post for each book! I'm so sorry, everyone, life has kind of gone off the rails lately and it completely slipped my mind. I'm glad to see folks are still reading along.

>76 Copperskye: There are a couple of books where the main character spends a little time in Florida — Second Wind and Knockdown are the two that immediately come to mind, and there's a short story in Field of Thirteen that's set at the Kentucky Derby — but certainly Blood Sport is the most extensive American adventure for Francis. I did promise you an around-the-world trip with this year's shared read!

>77 quondame: Susan, one of my tags for this one is "to sad to re-read" although I did re-read it for this group. I remember when I first read it I was completely shattered by Walt's murder and that combined with Gene's generally morose outlook were almost too much, despite the usual high quality of writing and plotting from Francis.

>78 cbl_tn: Carrie, I found the portrayal of Gene's depression quite true to my own experiences, but I can understand that if it felt not realistic to you it would affect how you feel about the book. I can think of several Francis characters who displayed signs of depression in various books, so it apparently was something that he was drawn to or perhaps knew someone who had experienced it. Thanks for adding to the discussion!

I finished Blood Sport a few days ago. Lately I seem to say laughably little on my thread about the books I’ve finished but here’s a cut and paste:

I didn’t like this one as much as some other recent Dick Francis reads. Mostly because the crime seemed so improbable to me. Also, I found the main character really hard to like.

And then in response to Julia’s comment (I’d cut and paste yours too, Julia, but I feel funny doing that):

Yes, Yes, and yes! He was like a mystery man. It seemed he was suicidal because of a bad breakup and unless he was responsible for her death or something, come on, buck up already. Talk to a therapist and move on. It just didn’t seem realistic somehow, maybe because we know nothing of his backstory, and maybe could have been more understandable if we knew more. It didn’t ring true to me. And he never seemed to grow or change. And Walt was the one redeeming character that I liked (the women seemed like 1960s stereotypes of male desire) and he gets killed off! That’s on top of the stud switching and driving horses all over the country which just seemed ludicrous. Other than that, it was fine. I liked the action on the boat in The Thames. :)

And in addition, regarding his depression, certainly in real life, depression and suicidal thoughts don’t always have a reason associated with them, there’s not necessarily a concrete, yup, here’s why someone feels the way they do reason. But with a book character, if an author feels the need to have his protagonist suffering in such a way, I think he owes it to the reader to give us better insight as to why. Here it just seemed pointless, leading to a second question of not why is this character depressed but why have a depressed character in the first place? Just my two cents.

>80 Copperskye: His lover didn't die, she left him because her husband wouldn't divorce her. Should have gone to Vegas/Mexico, or doesn't England recognize foreign divorces.

>81 quondame: Right, I just meant that maybe if he had been responsible for something more tragic, I could understand him more.

>82 Copperskye: A major loss of any sort can devastate a person, and sometime responsibility for it at least gives the suffer a feeling of agency, but being helpless to do anything, and having run out, for whatever reason, of resiliency, leads to a lot of suicides. I think the near 40, under 21 thing is yucky, but in the earlier Dick Frances books there is often something off in the m-f connection.

Thanks for bringing your comments over here, Joanne! I think your comments hold up very well without mine. :-)

I think we just didn't get enough background information from Gene to make us care about his depression, whatever its cause. We never met the woman, not even in remembered conversations, so she's just a piece of cardboard propped up in the corner of the plot.

>83 quondame: Hi, Susan, Yes, there's often something just a bit odd about the romantic relationships in Francis' books, isn't there? I've known enough successful couples with large age gaps not to snag on that much, and at least she was a consenting adult. :-)

>80 Copperskye: I agree with all of your comments, particularly But with a book character, if an author feels the need to have his protagonist suffering in such a way, I think he owes it to the reader to give us better insight as to why. Here it just seemed pointless, leading to a second question of not why is this character depressed but why have a depressed character in the first place?

After thinking about it more, it seems that Gene's boss is aware of his suicidal tendency. If that's the case, why in the world would he be OK with his daughter being in a relationship with Gene when she reaches 21? It seems like he's in favor of the potential relationship. I can't imagine my father reacting like that! Maybe Francis would have written it differently if he'd had a daughter himself.

I am late to the party - just started my reread of Blood Sport today. But as someone who has suffered from clinical depression, I identified with Gene's struggle immediately. Often people with severe depression don't have a "reason". Sorry but I am finding the comments about this slightly offensive - and they illustrate why I (and others like me) don't generally tell even friends about my condition. If instead of depression, Gene had had diabetes, would you say the author owes it to the reader to explain why he had it?

Francis has created a realistic character with an illness. You can argue whether or not there is any value in that but my opinion is that the discussion here about depression shows that it has some worth.

I didn't put this in spoiler tags as I don't really see this as spoiler material but I can go back and add them if that is what others wish.

>86 leslie.98: It's never too late to join the conversation, Leslie. And I want to apologize for my critical comments about how Francis depicted Gene's depression. As much as I have come to realize that it is a disservice to treat mental ailments as somehow different than physical illness, I find myself falling back into old, bad habits and need to be reminded. The way society thinks and talks about depression and other ailments has advanced from where it was when I was younger but we still have a long way to go.

I hope you'll come back and let us know what you think of the rest of the book as you finish it.

>86 leslie.98: I am sorry for any offence I caused by my comments. I did not quote all of Copperskye's comment, and should have included from >80 Copperskye: certainly in real life, depression and suicidal thoughts don’t always have a reason associated with them, there’s not necessarily a concrete, yup, here’s why someone feels the way they do reason.. In the context of genre fiction, decades of reading has given me an expectation that there be a reason/necessity (rather than a reason/cause) for any character trait mentioned. I think I would feel the same way if Gene had been diabetic and Francis kept reminding readers of it without diabetes being important to the action, such as Gene being trapped somewhere and in desperate need of insulin that he didn't have with him. I think maybe "necessity" is a less ambiguous way to describe my reaction to the way the character was written than "reason". I never saw the necessity for Gene's depression in terms of the plot, given my expectations of this genre.

>86 leslie.98: Obviously it was my comments that caused offence and I can assure you that with my family's history of depression, no offence was intended. Had I been speaking about "real life", I could see your point. But, as >88 cbl_tn: stated, this is fiction, specifically genre fiction. And yup, if Gene had diabetes, I'd have expected some reason for it to be included in the narrative. It's the Chekhov's Gun trope - broadly, a detail, so finely noted, should come into play somewhere in the story. I think this is where Francis failed in his storytelling.

>88 cbl_tn:, >89 Copperskye: Okay, I can see where you are coming from now. I am not totally sure that I agree but I understand better. And now that I have read a bit more, I do agree that the depression stuff is pretty heavily emphasized which does tend to support your viewpoint.

>90 leslie.98: I’ll be interested in your thoughts when you finish!

I've finished the May-June book, The Danger. As with most of the Dick Francis mysteries, I read them prior to my joining LT in 2007. I have no memory of them and they are just like reading a book for the first time. Andrew Douglas is another strong and intelligent protagonist. Highly recommended.

>92 karenmarie: Of course I've read The Danger more than once before, but I found its details more easy to recall than most of the others.

I want to thank >88 cbl_tn: & >89 Copperskye: for explaining why they wanted a connection with Gene's state of mind to the plot. Personally, I am not sure that the author has to make such a connection but, having had that discussion, I was more aware of how Gene's state of mind is pretty much thrust to your attention over and over again. I guess that this didn't bother me the way it did others because I feel that Francis generally writes from a single character's point of view and the reader is usually immersed in that character's thoughts and emotions. It just happens that this particular character was centered about this blackness of depression. I just took it at that level and didn't look for a further reason.

As a result of our discussion, though, I do feel that it was "in your face" enough that it should have had some plot reason and have downgraded my rating of this book (from 4 to 3.5*).

Regarding the romance - I agree that the age difference is a bit icky though I suspect we are more sensitive about that nowadays - what was the age difference between Rochester and Jane Eyre? But I didn't really see it as a real romance. Gene was attracted to her and she had a crush on him but I doubt that it was going to develop into a full blown relationship. I think that is why her father is so calm about it.

>94 leslie.98: Although we arrived there differently, we ended up with the same rating for the book - 3.5.

>94 leslie.98: Good discussion! This is why I like group reads. I was relieved that the romance aspect didn’t go any further than it did. Definitely times have changed regarding what a reader will find acceptable when it comes to young girls and older men. As it was, I was ok with their mutual flirting and believe her father had some longstanding insight into Gene’s good character.

I gave it a 3.

Now that our library is open again for pickups, I've requested Smokescreen.

I have started my reread of The Danger - not unexpectedly, I got pulled in right away! The juxtaposition of kidnapping and racing is fascinating - at first thought, a strange mix but on further inspection, the world of racing does provide enticing targets for kidnappers.

I picked up Smokescreen yesterday and am enjoying it so far.

I finally received Smokescreen and have read the first few chapters. Unusual opening, for sure!

I haven't found a copy of the Dutch translation of Smokescreen and have't found The Edge either, so I will join again with the last book of the year.

Has anyone read The Edge yet? I notice that there has been little posting here lately.

I haven't started it, but should get to it soon.

I owe everyone a huge apology as I have completely abdicated my duties as the host of this shared read. This year has been challenging for me, as it has been for virtually everyone on the planet, and I have not had the extra bandwidth for stimulating discussion here of each of the books. I hope people are still reading, though, and I will try to be better here as we close out the year.

I'll try to make up for my lengthy absence by offering up some thoughts on the three books we've read since I last visited:

The Danger — I loved this book mainly for the insights into the security work that Andrew and his firm did, but also because the female jockey, Alessia, was a very appealing character to me. The depiction of Alessia's recovery from the trauma of kidnapping was really compelling and realistic (inasmuch as I can know what is realistic about such a terrible experience)

Smokescreen — As streamsong noted in >100 streamsong:, it was the opening chapters that sucked me into this one, and it didn't spit me back out until it was done. Surprisingly for me, as I have never been to South Africa, I thought Francis' descriptions of the landscape and the people made feel as though I had (though of course the dated references to clothing and personal attitudes toward women don't land well on a modern re-reading).

The Edge — I do believe this book has been 90 percent responsible for my love of train travel, and I would still love to take that VIA Rail journey across Canada someday. I may have to settle for the US equivalent, which is a Chicago-Seattle route (which could be easily extended to start back east in New York), but I'm determined to make that happen. As we've seen in other books, the capacity of Francis' heroes to withstand physical pain strains credulity, but the more psychological aspects of Tor's undercover work were terrifically entertaining for me.

That's enough from me. I'd love to hear other people's reactions to these books, even if you think my views are a bunch of baloney. :-)

The Edge is probably my favorite Francis book.

Hi Julia!

I can't think of a single book by Dick Francis that I've read and NOT liked or loved. The books you've chosen for this year are all excellent choices. I still have Second Wind and Trial Run to read to complete the year, but plenty of time left.

I think we're all a bit shell-shocked with 2020, and I am just glad that you picked an interesting sub-genre of Francis's books for us.

I completely agree with your comments in >104 rosalita:. This year in particular, I've found that I like reading about strong characters and people who kick butt and take names, feeling powerless and out of control in real life, as it were.

I've still never read two by Francis - Risk and Proof, and 3 by Dick and Felix. Perhaps my own personal challenge for next year will be to read those 5.

Take care of yourself. It's been nice to see you around the threads.

>106 karenmarie: I adore Proof - that one, Decider, and Hot Money are probably my favorites. Risk is fun too, but somehow the counterfeit whiskey in Proof, and the liquor shop owner protagonist, just work for me.

I like almost all of Dick Francis' work, and all of Felix's that I've read so far. But there are definitely favorites and less favored...

>107 jjmcgaffey: Oh those are all among my top Dick Francis reads - For Kicks being my all time favorite.

>107 jjmcgaffey: Proof is one of my favorites, too. And I also really like Straight, partly for the depiction of brothers who were affectionate but not close and mostly for all the fascinating information about precious stones. And the little puzzles, too.

>108 quondame: I remember For Kicks seeming somehow darker and more menacing than a lot of Francis' books. That one and Blood Sport don't get re-read by me nearly as often, even though I do like them both very much.

I loved both Smokescreen and The Edge. I have a friend who just moved into assisted living and I ended up with her Dick Francis novels. The Edge was one of them, but not Second Wind so I'll have to see if I can borrow that one from the public library.

I hope you're able to find it, Carrie!

I just borrowed Het oog van de orkaan (the Dutch translation of Second wind) from the e-library :-)

>112 FAMeulstee: Woo-hoo!

>113 rosalita: :-D
So glad I can join again, after missing out on both Smokescreen and The Edge.

The only one I really didn't like (and now want to read again to see if I can figure out why) was Slay Ride. The one about the Olympic doping wasn't a favorite (that is a different book, right? I can never keep Francis' titles straight, except for my few favorites), but Slay Ride is the only one I put down at the end wanting never to read again.

>115 jjmcgaffey: Slay Ride isn't one of my favorites, either. I think I've only read it a couple of times, compared to regular re-reads of favorites like Proof and The Edge.

The Olympics one is Trial Run and it's also not a favorite for me.

I finished Second Wind this morning, an thought it was one of the more uneven of his books. I didn't even really engage until page 125 out of 283 in my edition. Lots of very illogical actions taken by Perry early on. I did love the meteorological stuff, especially about hurricanes, which always figure into things here in North Carolina from May until November.

>117 karenmarie: I would agree with that, Karen. I loved the meteorological details, as I always love all of the "behind the scenes" looks at the various professions that Francis' protagonists practice, but the whole nuclear angle seemed a bit out of left field. If I'm remembering the timeline correctly, I believe this was one of the last books that Dick and Mary Francis collaborated on.

>117 karenmarie: Agreed. The plot was a bit far fetched, and not enough horses ;-)

I just pulled the last of this year's suggested reads, Trial Run. I'll be able to start it and definitely have it done by the end of the year.

Thank you in advance for such an interesting theme with so many good books, Julia.

>120 karenmarie: I'm glad to hear it, Karen. I've really enjoyed these past two years of shared reads of Dick Francis — I'm just sorry that the second year of our shared read went off the rails when the pandemic hit. I take all the blame, as my concentration went all to heck and I've gone through several periods where I hardly read at all. Hopefully next year will be better.

Discussion may have gone off the rails, Julia, but it is perfectly understandable. We've all had our lives disrupted or traumatized in one way or another this year.

I, however, get stubborn sometimes, have persevered, and finally finished the last alternative. I have now "collected them all", as you put it.

This is not a true review, but I always have a monthly Lightning Round for books I don't write extended reviews for.

This book felt … muffled… to me. Nobody seemed clear, and the main strength of the book is that Francis spent more time portraying the gray, controlled, miserable existence of Russians in 1978 than he portrayed any real action. Yes, Moscow in the winter is bitterly cold. Yes, our protagonist has poor eyesight and is subject to asthma and bronchitis. Lots of stereotypes and all in all probably my least favorite of the 8 book 2020 Shared Read.

Having said that, after about the first 100 pages or so I became more invested in it and am glad I read it.

Regardless of whether there's a Dick Francis Shared Read next year or not, I plan on re-reading Banker, my introduction to Dick Francis. My husband's mother introduced Dick Francis to me soon after I married her son, and I'm forever grateful.

>122 karenmarie: Karenmarie... I'll join you in re-reading Banker, it's one of my favorite Dick Francis books.. followed by Straight and The Edge. Happy reading in 2021.

>122 karenmarie: >123 rhinemaiden: I will join reading Banker, that one is available in Dutch translation.
I just got a copy from the e-library :-)

I have a copy of Banker so I will join too.

Banker is a good book; one of his best.

Yikes! Seems like there will have to be some kind of Dick Francis Shared Read for 2021.

>127 karenmarie: whee! what a great way to start the new year... karenmarie, your idea to re-read... will you start the discussion?

>127 karenmarie: I will happily bequeath the thread to you in 2021, Karen (and I will also be reading along with you on Banker, as it is one of my favorites as well.

Which one is Banker? Is that the dead brother? I love so many of Francis' novels, but I cannot keep the titles straight for most of them...

>130 jjmcgaffey: I think the surviving brother is a jockey in Straight, not the banker and inherits the jewel business.

Right, that's the one I meant - Our Hero has a dead brother with a _complicated_ business (and life). So which one is Banker? I'll have to go look. Huh - my review is utterly vague "I'd forgotten all the complicated subplots". Hmph. Well, I guess I'll just have to go read it again... (after the New Year, I'm trying to finish some things right now). So I guess I'm in on the new shared read...

>131 quondame: and the gadgets... don't forget the gadgets... I bought a Sharp Wizard because of that book!

>133 rhinemaiden: I did forget the gadgets, but that's probably why I'd confused it with High Stakes, tech gadgets and toys being equivalent in my world.

>130 jjmcgaffey: The Banker is the one where the protagonist works for a merchant bank and is responsible for his bank loaning millions to a horse breeder to acquire a famous stallion.

I'm about half way through Second Wind. I'll finish it before the first.

I've found my copy of Banker which is one of the first books I cataloged when I joined in 2006. Definitely time for a reread!

>129 rosalita: Thank you, I think, Julia! I'll take on the responsibility. I need to think about which 6 books might make some kind of theme or just cherry-pick 6 I remember as being particularly good. I may ask you for your opinion behind the scenes.

Warning to all. I do not do anything in the 2021 group until January first. I already have my first thread set up in Word with my 2021 tickers and photos and etc., so will be able to cut and paste right away for it.

I'll work up a Dick Francis Shared Read thread and have it ready for January 1st if possible; if not, let's just consider January - February's read to be Banker and I'll set up the shared read as soon as possible.

Sounds good. Once I see the new thread, I’ll add it to the group wiki.

Thank you, Jim! I'm working on the thread now, still expecting to have it ready January 1.

Hi Karen, I will buy Banker. It sounds like my cup of tea.

Hi Barbara! Glad you'll be able to join in.