Gamble

June 27, 2011
Francis, having coauthored four horse-racing thrillers (Crossfire, etc.) with dad Dick Francis (1920â2010), proves himself more than capable of carrying on the family legacy alone. Shortly before the start of the Grand National, "one of the world's greatest sporting events," Nicholas Foxton, a financial adviser and former jockey, is standing next to Herb Kovak, who works for the same London financial services firm, when a gunman executes Kovak and escapes into the crowd of spectators. The police, who cancel the race, are irked that Foxton can't meaningfully describe the assassin. Later, Foxton finds a threatening note in the pocket of Kovak's coat that may provide a clue to the crime's motive. Foxton, who retired from the turf after breaking his neck in a race, can't resist playing detective, especially after he discovers that Kovak designated him as executor of his estate. While the ending will strike many readers as predictable, Francis shares his father's gift for brisk storytellingâand for creating a sympathetic, wounded, but determined hero.

August 1, 2011

Nonpareil jockey/suspense writer Dick Francis's son Felix, who coauthored his late father's last four novels (Crossfire, 2010, etc.), turns in a solo performance fully worthy of the family name.

There's nothing like having a colleague murdered in front of you to turn an inoffensive financial advisor into a freelance investigator. Nicholas Foxton has both a more pressing incentive than most self-made heroes, since his friendship with Herb Kovak, of Lyall & Black, was just beginning to deepen when Herb was executed by three shots minutes before the Grand National was to be run, and better qualifications, since he has both the computer skills to follow the money and the physique of a former jockey sidelined when he broke his neck seven years ago. Doctors have forbidden Nick from riding again, but they can't stop him in his unexpected capacity as Herb's executor and sole heir from looking into his estate, and it's one unholy mess. Herb, a transplanted American, owed thousands of pounds on a dozen credit cards and had only a nominal savings account. With some help from Herb's twin sister Sherri, however, Nick realizes that Herb also had a large income stream he kept carefully off the books. Meantime, Col. Jolyon Roberts, a client at Lyall & Black, has asked Nick to look into a hospital the Roberts Family Trust had supposedly built in Bulgaria—a hospital the Colonel's nephew Ben claims doesn't exist. And Nick's artist girlfriend Claudia, who's been suspiciously distant lately, thoroughly alarms him when she tells him the reason why. As the plot unfolds, Nick will fall into the hands of his enemies, come to terms with a dark family secret and get one more chance to climb on a horse and ride him to glory.

If all this sounds familiar, Francis fans can be assured that, like Nick's climactic mount, they're in reassuringly expert hands.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011
The late Dick Francis' son, Felix, his father's longtime researcher and handpicked successor, is continuing the family business. Fans of Dick Francis' suspense masterpieces should rejoice: Felix has produced a mystery with a racing setting (the Grand National, no less); a retired but still yearning ex-jockey as the detective; and an intriguing mix of racing and another business, this time the world of finance. But longtime Francis readers will notice that the ride isn't quite as smooth as it used to be. Felix tends to overexplain background and overtelegraph danger. Dick Francis' voice, his indefinable but essential presence, is missing and probably will never be more than skillfully imitated. Still, this is a good novel on its own terms and showcases much of what was powerful in Francis' work: intriguing setting, nonstop action, and a hero caught in the cross fires of both danger and an ethical dilemma. Hero Nicholas Foxy Foxton was racing's darling until a bad fall broke his neck. Now he works as an independent financial advisor, and at the novel's opening, he witnesses the execution-style murder of a colleague standing next to him before the start of the Grand National. As usual with Francis' heroes, Foxton quickly learns that he is the killer's next target and must figure out what they're after before they get to him. Felix Francis needs to loosen up on the reins a bit, but this is still a promising and rewarding first solo effort. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Dick Francis' devoted fans, still grieving the demise of their favorite author, are likely to keep their money on the family stable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)