September 2014 Book of the Month.
The late Dick Francis collaborated with his son Felix on several books before his death in 2010. This is now the fourth by Felix alone, and fans will not be disappointed. Felix was not involved directly in the racing world but the detail here seems convincingly authentic. It involves extortion as the British Horseracing Authority, a body that regulates the whole of the racing industry, is held to ransom by a cunning and ingenious villain. The hero, Jeff Hinkley, is an undercover investigator for the BHA and cleverly unravels the identity of the perpetrator in a thrilling chase. Jeff is, typically, a likeable, well-rounded character whom we instantly warm to. He is also given the task of clearing the name of his sister’s step son of peddling drugs and in this sub-plot we encounter jealousy and homophobia as well as an insight into cancer care as the sister, Faye, is a sufferer. I felt a little let down by the final few pages of the book but was gripped by the previous four hundred plus pages.
The stakes are higher than ever in Damage, the fourth solo novel from Top Ten bestseller Felix Francis. Jeff Hinkley, undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, is looking into the shady activities of a racehorse trainer. But as he's tailing his quarry through the Cheltenham Racing Festival, the last thing he expects to witness is a gruesome murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place - the administration of illegal drugs to his horses? Days later, it's discovered that many more horses test positive for prohibited stimulants, a scandal that could throw horse-racing into disrepute. It's no surprise when the BHA receives a demand - pay up or face the consequences. In order to limit the damage to the sport, it's critical that Jeff find the perpetrator ...but he'll soon learn he's up against someone who will stop at nothing to prevail...
Another Felix Francis novel that bears the sobriquet ‘A Dick Francis Novel’. Jeff Hinkley is a resourceful undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority and is used to double-dealing and crooked behaviour in the equestrian fraternity. Investigating the unorthodox activities of a racehorse trainer at the Cheltenham Racing Festival, he finds himself investigating a brutal murder – but is the death related to the initial reason for the banning of the trainer: the administering of illegal drugs to horses? As earlier Felix Francis outings such as Silks demonstrated, the Dick Francis franchise is doing well in the hands of his heir. Francis fils had been involved with his father’s novels in various capacities for over forty years and is notably adept at forging a simulacra of the familiar style. The original flavour is here, the plotting is sold and watertight, and Dick Francis fans won’t complain.
'The Francis flair is clear for all to see' Daily Mail
'From winning post to top of the bestseller list, time after time' Sunday Times
'The master of suspense and intrigue' Country Life
'A tremendous read' Woman's Own
ISBN: 9780718178826
Publication date: 11/09/2014
Publisher: Michael Joseph Ltd an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
| ISBN: | 9780718178826 |
| Publication date: | 11th September 2014 |
| Author: | Felix Francis |
| Publisher: | Michael Joseph Ltd an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Genres: | Books of the Month, Crime / Mystery, Thriller / Suspense, |
| Categories: |
Felix Francis is Dick Francis’s youngest son. Born in 1953, Felix studied Physics and Electronics at London University and then embarked upon a 17 year career teaching Advanced Level physics at three schools, the last seven as head of the science department at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire. Felix remembers conversations around the Francis breakfast table being somewhat unconventional. “The production of a Dick Francis novel has always been a mixture of inspiration, perspiration and teamwork. The first one was published when I was nine, and I grew up in a house where breakfast talk would be about the damage ...
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