Customer Reviews

Dead Heat

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Since the son of Dick Francis did much research with several of his father's books of the past, who better to help in constructing new ones.

Restaurants and race tracks, salmonella and bombs, a man afraid of hores yet loves race horses, what a great mixture for a Francis novel. I think Mr. Francis is a writer who in later years has branched out to write broader novels than at the beginning. Sadly many writers only have one book in them and continue to rewrite that book their entire careers. Not so Dick Francis, and I strongly disagree with any who say his books aren't as enjoyable today as in the past. True they are different, they have taken different paths to story telling, but all are very good, enjoyable fictional reads.

I am one who joined Francis years back for the horse racing, but the surrounding world of racing and its colorful characters is just as enjoyable. Keep writing them Mr. Francis anyway you see fit, they are afterall your books, we just read and enjoy them.

Semper Fi.

Dead Heat is a really enjoyable read - nearly equal to the best of Dick Francis' mysteries. Like others here, I've read and enjoyed them all. Yes, this book contains classic Francis aspects - and why shouldn't it? The various plots and intrigues are woven well and lead to a perfect ending.

A typical Francis page-turner, this book is unique in the fact that we never spend even a moment with an actual horse. Horses play their part in the book, though, and for someone like me who is around horses all of the time, that was enough.

Hopefully Team Francis has more to come our way.

I've been reading Dick Francis' books for a long time and always enjoy his style. But, as I'm not able to read as often as I would like, it may be years before I pick up one of his titles. 'Dead Heat' reminded me why I enjoy him so much! I was a bit leary of getting started on this novel as I was afraid I might get lost or distracted between sittings. Oh contrare! Although it was detailed and, I felt, had a fairly deep plot; it was easy to pick up where I left off. And once I got about half way through, I simply had to stay with it until I finished the book. And Mr. Francis gave us a happy ending, which I always enjoy.

I loved it. I loved 'Under Orders', and all the others for the last 25 or more years. Boy, did I miss you. Only a Dick Francis (and now a Felix Francis too) gets carried onto an airplane. Nothing else can make you forget the noise, smells, crowding, jitters...

I have a terrible memory, which adds to the enjoyment of rereading. Yet, most of what I know about wine is from a Dick Francis novel (I know, pathetic, but true). I can still picture the toy inventors workshop with the wide drive belts. Just try to forget that terrible murder at the vet's surgery. Did any of us know there was a special bolt action instrument fired with a shotgun shell? Flying horses, kidnapping, transcontinental trains, murder most foul, every time you read a Dick Francis you wonder how he will ever best that story.

A year passed, and then another and another, and finally I thought there would be no new ones to read. I am delighted that Felix Francis may be able to carry on writing a good book, should his Father decide to retire. Many Sons have successfully continued their Father's characters and style, and added their own.

Thanks for adding all the extra 'friends' to my life.

If you idn't see the name and the design of the cover you wouldn't think this had been written by Dick Francis. The book just drags on and on and on until it comes to a very predictable ending. Logic and reasonable behaviour which had always the hallmark of Francis novels is missing. You have a person that has been survived three attempted murders who doesn't report what is going on to the police. You have an international crime boss that tries to kill someone who is cheating him by staging a bombing at a racetrack instead of just shooting him - makes no sense. You have someone poisioning 250 people to keep his wife from attending the luncheon wher the bombing occurs. If the same chef hadn't been in charge of the dinner the night before and at the luncheon, the book's plot couldn't have happened. Too many coincidences, took much sloppy sex, too many slick comments. Surely not a Francis thriller.

Dick Francis is winding down his career and, following in Clive Cussler's footsteps, handing the keyboard over to his son. Since, however, Francis' books are not all part of a series, it seems a bit like an unfair plug for an up and coming writer. For a longtime Francis fan, it was obvious the writing was different. Felix has a decent sense of humor, but his writing lacks some of his father's charm, along with his intimacy with the horse racing industry.

Max Moreton is a chef and restaurateur in the racing community of Newmarket. His restaurant, the Hay Net, was closed the night Max cooked a gala dinner and many guests, including him, were hit with a bout of severe food poisoning. Despite the fact that dinner wasn't cooked at the Hay Net, the health inspectors shut it down. Max is grateful the Delafield Industries group that hired him to cook for their private box on 2000 Guineas day apparently hadn't heard about the poisoning, but that job nearly gets him killed when the private box blows up, killing several people and injuring many more. Then, when Max finds that the ingredient that made everyone sick wasn't supposed to be in the dinner he served, he sets out to find the culprit. He can't help but think the food poisoning incident occurred to keep certain individuals from attending the 2000 Guineas, so he starts an investigation into the dinner guests who were not at the race. He knows he must be onto something when attempts are made on his life, and it only serves to make him search more diligently for the poisoner, rather than scaring him away. Max also enters into romance when a viola player from a string quartet sues him for poisoning her, but chemistry erupts between them instead.

In all, this was a satisfying mystery in the tradition of Dick Francis, but not quite worthy of the name. Felix Francis will be a writer to watch, but he's got some awfully big shoes to fill, and a little way to go to get there.

Max Morton is sick. He thinks it's food poisoning and he's not the only one affected, so he's worried, because last night he was the chef at a black tie dinner event. He's the youngest chef to receive the "Michelin Star" which is a true chiefly honor. He not only owns a popular restaurant in New Market, but he also operates his own catering business. So when an environmental health office shows up to investigate the poisoning, he's got cause for concern. The inspector does too, so she shuts down his restaurant, despite the fact that the food had not been prepared at his restaurant and that all of the leftovers are gone.

Fortunately Max still has his catering business. He's catering a function held in the viewing box at the 2000 Guineas horse race when a bomb goes off. Several people are killed, but luckily for Max, he suffers only minor injuries, however the woman who put on the event is badly injured and one of Max's staff does not survive the blast.

Despite this tragic event, Max still has to try and save his restaurant. He discovers kidney beans caused the poisoning. However there were no kidney beans on the menu, nor were they used in anything served that night, so how could they have been in the food? Now Max has to wonder if he'd been set up. He also begins to wonder if the bombing was somehow connected to the food poisoning. Was the food poisoning an attempt to keep someone away from the bombing, if so who? And who was the bomb intended for? These are just a few of the questions you'll be asking yourself as you page through this satisfying mystery.

I've long been a fan of Dick Francis and missed him dearly when he stopped writing. Then when he came back after so long off with Under Orders, I bought it straightaway. Now a year later we have this story. It's good to have Dick Francis back and I hope he and Felix have many more mystery thrillers in them.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene