Customer Reviews

In the Frame

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dick Francis is one of those rare authors who can create a multitude of characters, changing characters from one novel to the next. This makes the stories stand-alone novels which can be read independently. That is a marked contrast to authors who write series of novels about the same character, a practice that often requires reading an entire series to understand the characters.

The present novel is not exactly a whodunit because you can identify the guilty parties (or most of them) early in the game. The main plot is how to track them down and bring them to justice. The chase runs from England to Australia to New Zealand then back to Australia. As usual with this author, there are horses and racing involved including, in this case, the Melbourne Cup. There is an interesting system for placing bets.

The main character, Charles Todd, is an artist who paints oil paintings of horses. There is some interesting side information about the chemical deterioration of oil paints on older paintings, an area where most people are probably not well informed. There is also considerable information about counterfeit paintings. Let the buyer beware. The death of his cousin Donald's wife during a burglary sets Todd on the chase. The main story is fast action over a couple weeks.

Another Francis: A quick, exciting read, with characters it is fun to envy, but probably not fun to be in real life, the right number of plot twists and turns, and a shocking set-up. The hero, called Charles Neil Todd here, though really the same character as in other Francises, walks in on his cousin just after the latter has called the police to a burglary and then discovered his wife battered to death. In order to rescue him from the clutches of the police, who consider him a suspect, Todd tracks a curious coincidence in his cousin's recent past. Led to Australia, to the company of a welcoming old friend ~ and his not so welcoming, new wife ~ Todd investigates and, after some beatings and other frights, resolves the coincidences, solving the burglary and, probably, the murder. The racing is only incidentally important ~ much action occurs on a racecourse, around a big race, but could be anywhere ~ the main importance is that Todd and Jik, his friend, are painters ~ Todd of horses, mainly, Jik of living, lasting abstracts ~ which aids them in the investigation of art fraud, galleries, copies and copiers. Just for the few hours a Francis takes to read, but completely for those hours, i am carried away into another world, other surroundings. And, as always with Francis, i come away wanting to know more about his particular interest ~ here the painting of Todd and Jik, but also Australia itself; can it be as fascinating as Francis paints it?

Dick Francis has written nearly 40 novels now, and In the Frame is in the top 7 or 8 as far as I'm concerned. The hero actually remains a bit of a cipher, but his friend Jik and his wife are two of Francis's really good characters. The information about painting and Australia is interesting, the ongoing joke about betting is pretty funny, and all kinds of images come to mind when I think back on this novel--a spot of breaking and entering while a famous race is detailed on the radio, Jik's wife and her purse, a handful of narrow escapes, the landscape down under. The mystery is good and the humor and wit are sharp.

I'm glad to see that this is being reprinted again--it's one of Dick Francis's best novels, and a good place to start for those who have never read a Francis novel before.

Dick Francis was the master of mystery. He always knew how to keep the reader interested until the end of his books. In The Frame is no exception. Charles Todd is an artist who tries to help his cousin. In so doing, this takes him on a trek around Australia to find a thief and killer. This puts his own life and the lives of his friends in peril as well.

This is a good read, and it is one of the Dick Francis books where you feel like you get a peep into a different world, in this case the worlds or art galleries and Australia. This one has good character and good action, and also has a poignant story of personal loss for the hero's cousin, whose wide is mysteriously murdered.

As Dick Francis is English and i am Australian, it was great hearing about Aus from a different point of view. As well as this, the story was thrilling with an excellent story line that slowly unravelled as you got further into the book. It is about paintings (mostly of horses) being forged and then stolen and so forth. This is truly an excellent book, and, in my eyes, one of his greatest triumphs. (I have read all of his books, liking 'The Edge', 'Bone Crack' and 'In The Frame' most of all.

Francis writes the kind of books that you just can't put down. This one is no exception!!

There's plenty of horseracing in this novel, but only as a background. No jockeys, owners or trainers hold center state. The hero, Charles Todd, is an artist - a painter of horses.

Todd visits his cousin Don only to find himself at a crime scene. Don's house has been stripped of its valuable antiques. Even the wine cellar has been emptied - a small fortune in wine vanished. Don's wife, who unexpectedly interrupted the burglars, has been murdered.

The police are determined to blame the husband. He must have hired the robbers in order to cash in on the insurance. Don is too devastated to defend himself.

And so his quiet, unassuming cousin Todd undertakes the daunting job of finding the real criminals. This involves an event-filled trip to Australia.

Every Dick Francis book seems to have a pivotal scene where the hero gets beat up. The reader almost looks forward to it, knowing that the hero will emerge messed up but totally fixable, and still determined to get the bad guys. Dick Francis heroes have marvelous recuperative powers.

Theft and fraud in the work world is an interesting subject, and Dick Francis has researched the technicalities of painting very conscientiously. Sometimes he can't resist showing off his knowledge a bit, but that's forgivable.

All in all, a very satisfying thriller.

This book is a great adventure, with a mystery and attempted murder to go with it.

Dick Francis is a huge hit in my house. "In The Frame" was the first of his books that my wife ever read. She loved it so much she started looking for more of his books. Now, several years later, our office houses every book in the Dick Francis catalog.

But, enough about my wife. I have never been a reader. Prior to 2005, I had never read a book for pleasure. My wife pushed me to give the Francis book "The Edge" a read because it is set on a train (and she knows I'm a sucker for trains). I gave it a try and haven't stopped reading the Francis catalog since.

To date, I have read about three quarters of the Francis collection. So far, I have only come across three kinds of books in his catalog, good ones, great ones, and incredible ones. "In The Frame" is one of the incredible ones.

If you'd had told me four years ago that I would become hooked on books set around English Steeplechasing in the coming years, I'd have considered you insane. But, here I am, and thanks to Dick Francis, I am completely hooked.