Dead Heat [Paperback]

Dick Francis (Author), Felix Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

On the heels of Under Orders, ?Francis once again proves himself a master. Wow.? (BOOKLIST)

Max Moreton is a rising culinary star?until his guests fall victim to severe food poisoning?and then a bomb blast rips through the luncheon he?s catering. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his name, and himself, before it?s too late.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

MWA Grand Master Francis's first collaboration with his son Felix, a former physics teacher who researched many of his father's previous bestsellers, introduces an engaging hero, though longtime fans may find certain plot elements, like an unlikely love interest and sinister figures somehow connected with shady racetrack doings, less than fresh. The reputation of Max Moreton, a young wunderkind chef with a restaurant in Newmarket, England, suffers after guests at an affair he caters fall ill with food poisoning. This calamity nearly jeopardizes another job—feeding several dozen attendees at a major horse race. While that meal goes off without a hitch, a terrorist's bomb decimates the crowd at the track. Despite the official theory that an unpopular Middle Eastern ruler at the event was responsible, the chef wonders whether the bombing is related to the earlier food poisoning and turns amateur sleuth. Crisp writing and well-paced action help offset the routine plotting. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

After a silence of six years, Francis made a triumphant return last year, bringing back the ever-intriguing series hero Sid Halley in Under Orders. Now, Francis introduces a new hero, chef Max Moreton, who runs a thriving restaurant near the Newmarket racetrack. Moreton has a complex background; he's afraid of horses yet fascinated by the world of horse racing (his father was a steeplechase jockey and racehorse trainer). Francis is, as always, completely convincing when it comes to the track, but his efforts at depicting the challenges and delights of cooking seem labored and secondhand (his son, Felix, is credited with the research for this book). Unfortunately, the cookery details often seem pasted on and unnecessary. The action, however, is first-rate Francis. It centers on Moreton's travails as chef. First, food poisoning hits his guests and staff at a racing gala. The next day, a bomb shatters the grandstand box where Moreton has catered a lunch. And as Moreton struggles to decipher the cause of the food poisoning and whether it was connected to the bombing, he suffers the prospect of financial ruin and emotional trauma from the bombing. Then he discovers that someone is out to kill him. This mix of cooking and racetrack isn't close enough to horse racing to be completely satisfying Francis, but the action and the hero's struggles deliver a solid punch. Fletcher, Connie --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425223191
• ISBN-13: 978-0425223192
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( F ) > Francis, Dick

More About the Author

Dick Francis was the author of more than forty acclaimed books. Among his numerous awards were three Edgar Awards, the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger, and the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. He died in February 2010.

Felix Francis has assisted with the research of many of the Dick Francis novels and is the coauthor of Dead Heat, Silks, and Even Money. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And it's a comeback for Dick Francis!, September 20, 2007

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dead Heat (Hardcover)

After I was "introduced" to Dick Francis a decade ago, I had a great time in the library, going through his many books. They are uniquely Dick Francis... he developed his own sub-genre of mystery writing. His last two, however, were, quite frankly, weak.

Was this the end?

Then came Dead Heat.

It's got that poor guy who gets beat up and in over his head. It's got that bulldog determination to right a wrong, and get the bad guys. And it's got horses and horse racing.

In other words, it is definitely Dick Francis. However, this time it is Dick Francis and son (Felix).

The plot line is intriguing and sharp. Culinary mastermind Max puts together a catered dinner for 200 and most become desperately ill with "food poisoning." To make matters worse (much worse), the very next day, a bomb goes off in Max's next meal event.

What is a restauranteur to do?

Find out "who dun-nit."

And that Max attempts to do, in typical Dick Francis style and grit.

You know, his novels aren't great literature. They are just plain fun. Max is a realistic character, with his own set of trials and tribulations. But he's pissed off that somebody is trying to wreak his restaurant and his good name.

He happens to also fall in love with something attached to a viola.

So, welcome back to Mr. Francis, and welcome forward to son Felix. I know that I speak for other Dick Francis fans in saying we look forward to your next installment!

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many cooks?, September 29, 2007

By 

H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Dead Heat (Hardcover)

Firstly, I'm so very glad that Dick Francis is back to writing, and I hope he's got a few (but preferably a lot more) mysteries left in him. In DEAD HEAT, his latest baffler, his normally can't-miss Dick Francis elements are in place: naturally the British horse racing backdrop, the first person narration, the sudden, unexpected bursts of violence set in serene surroundings, and a lead character cut from that reliable English cloth, who is unassuming, reserved, undeterred, and clever but not that clever.

A classic Francis page-turner calls for, among other things, the protagonist not only to be hellaciously roughed up and tossed about but to also stoically endure the doing so. Locally famous chef/restaurateur Max Moreton certainly fits that bill as the pages open with him spending a mortifying, pain-wracked night in the loo, victim to food poisoning ostensibly by his own hands. And that's only the start of Max's bad road. He promptly discovers that that evening's clientele had also suffered from food poisoning. The next day finds his restaurant being shut down awaiting a public health inspection. The day gets even worse as Max then survives a shocking bomb explosion at a privately catered race track event. Now, with allegations made against his livelihood and his life on the line, Max, stubborn cuss that he is, determines to get to the bottom of things. It's not a smart move.

DEAD HEAT is the second book written by Dick Francis after the passing of his beloved Mary and a 6 year hiatus. 2006's Under Orders was good enough and enjoyable enough that it was reasonable to think that the old master was indeed back and without having missed a beat. Now here's DEAD HEAT. And it sucks to say that this book didn't do it for me. Normally, I'm able to read a Dick Francis novel straight thru. With DEAD HEAT, it took me a couple of days, which is darn rare for me with a Francis mystery. Normally, Francis draws you so deeply into his story that you forget you're reading a book. But this one I just couldn't get into. Oh, it did at times evoke vintage Dick Francis, so the old master still did make his presence felt. With DEAD HEAT, he grants co-authorship to his son and now primary researcher Felix, and I can't help but wonder at the heft of younger Francis's contribution and its effect on the overall narrative feel.

Not to say that this isn't an acceptable read. It is. There are several thrilling sequences, which definitely includes the slam bang finale. And if one's any sort of a Dick Francis fan, then DEAD HEAT qualifies as a must read product. But I'm used to a higher standard when it comes to this author, who is one of my favorites. Some things that were a bit cockeyed to me? The romantic arc, I think, came on too sudden and felt so abrupt. I didn't buy into the love story. There's the lack of a noteworthy supporting cast. Usually, quirky and absorbing characters are a strength of Francis's. Not so much here. I initially kept getting Max's kitchen cohorts, Carl and Gary, mixed up. Too, I wish there'd been more focus on Max's relationship with his horse-training brother Toby and Toby's Sally, with whom Max doesn't get along. The dynamics there seemed promising.

In the past, when the protagonist wasn't a jockey or holding down a horse-related gig, Francis would endow him with a on-the-surface hohum vocation which would then become interesting by virtue of his writing skills. Some of his past heroes were a banker, a wine merchant, a physics teacher, a jewelry broker, and a diplomat. This time, I just wasn't drawn into Max's culinary universe and ended up not caring as much for his plight and personal relationships. Ultimately, DEAD HEAT is passable enough reading even if it's lacking that indelible Dick Francis stamp, the flavor a bit off. But I eagerly await Mr. Francis's next mystery in hopes that he dusts off his original recipe. I salivate at the thought.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but still, disappointing, September 23, 2007

By 

D. Boyken "Knitting Scholar .com" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Heat (Hardcover)

And another torch passes . . . this book, the newest in a long line of British horse-racing-related mysteries, is co-written by the author and his son, and while a decent-enough read, it doesn't quite have the feel of a "true" Dick Francis mystery. All the elements were there--the decent protagonist, the horse racing connection, the love interest, the unravelling of the hidden plot, the life-and-death confrontation . . . it's all there, and yet, it just didn't have the resonance that I wanted to be there, like his voice was being obscured by another voice--one that knew the tune but didn't have the depth of quality to give the story its due. A perfectly adequate book, and better than no new Dick Francis book at all, but still . . . it just wasn't the same.