Damage

Michael Neilson is a newcomer to the Felix/Dick Francis world, but he narrates with perfect aplomb. Jeff Hinkley is an investigator and master of disguise for the British Horseracing Authority. He's busy with a murder at the racetrack; a nephew's arrest for possession of crystal meth, based on a lying witness; an extortionist called Leonardo, who is bent on destroying the horseracing industry; and his older sister, who has cancer. Neilson appropriately speeds up his pacing as the action intensifies. His understated performance matches Jeff's temperament: innately mild mannered yet steely enough to dig in his heels when threatened. Less low-key is Neilson's perfect over-the-top portrayal of Jeff's co-worker Crispin, an elderly former spy who hilariously utters the phrase "dear boy" while doling out information on a need-to-know basis. A.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from August 25, 2014
Francis’s fourth solo outing (after 2013’s Dick Francis’s Refusal) ranks with the best of his late father’s thrillers set in the British horse racing world. At the Cheltenham Racetrack in Gloucestershire, Jeff Hinkley, an investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, spots ex-trainer Matthew Unwin, who’s been barred from the track for horse doping. Unwin approaches a bookie and, without warning, slashes the man’s throat. The murder is open-and-shut, though Unwin’s motive is unclear. Meanwhile, an extortionist, who calls himself Leonardo, reveals that he was responsible for drugging almost all the horses who raced in the Gold Cup, and demands £5 million in exchange for not destroying the integrity of the sport. Jeff takes on the job of stopping Leonardo, but he must also deal with a family illness and a narcotics charge against his sister’s stepson. The compelling main storyline deserves high marks for originality—no mean feat given the almost 50 novels the author’s father wrote. Agent: Philippa Brophy, Sterling Lord Literistic.