A great combination of mystery and suspense - very hard to put down
Dick Frances mixes the wholesale gem business with horse racing in a fast-paced mystery with twists and turns. From the book cover: "As Derek Franklin, an injured steeplechase jockey, nears the end of his career, he is thrust into trouble and mayhem by the accidental death of his older brother, Greville. 'I inherited my brother's desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress,' Derek says. 'I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me.'" A great read!
The cover of my book is different.
Great British author easy read. One that could easily be overlooked, but very good book.
Death, muggings, a terrible car crash, the late brother's mistress, the gem trade, missing diamonds, as well as a day or two at the races; the intrigue goes on and on. An exciting, neatly written tale with believable, stimulating dialogue and lots of handy little gadgets. Mamalinde is going back to make sure she hasn't missed any of Mr. Francis' lovely books!
-Amazon.com
-Amazon.com
Loved the keep-you-guessing twists in this book!
This is great Mystery. 1991.
I always enjoy the stand-alone mysteries of Dick Francis. They always have a tie to the world of horse racing, the hero is a decent person, and the author plays fair with the reader. Straight was no exception.
In this novel, the jockey, at the end of his career, Derek Franklin is unexpectedly tossed into the deep end of the pool of the world of gemology when his brother Grenville dies unexpectedly. There are so many questions to be answered: did the brother really buy diamonds (not something he usually bought), is there something going on with the race horse the brother owned, is there something going on related to his brother's job as a magistrate, and just who is making the hero's life so difficult? The author plays absolutely fair in solving all of those questions. This quotation sums up the book nicely: "I inherited my brother's life. Inherited his desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me."
I always enjoy the stand-alone mysteries of Dick Francis. They always have a tie to the world of horse racing, the hero is a decent person, and the author plays fair with the reader. Straight was no exception.
In this novel, the jockey, at the end of his career, Derek Franklin is unexpectedly tossed into the deep end of the pool of the world of gemology when his brother Grenville dies unexpectedly. There are so many questions to be answered: did the brother really buy diamonds (not something he usually bought), is there something going on with the race horse the brother owned, is there something going on related to his brother's job as a magistrate, and just who is making the hero's life so difficult? The author plays absolutely fair in solving all of those questions. This quotation sums up the book nicely: "I inherited my brother's life. Inherited his desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me."
I'm a huge Dick Francis fan, so I really liked this book, I fact I read it twice!! ..."I inherited my brother's life, inherited his desk, his business, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me."
Another great book about horses and racing. Myself, I enjoy the stories and the information so easily shared about horse. Racing, no.
One of Dick Francis' best! Keeps you guessing until the very end. A very different plot, too, which makes it doubly fun to read.
