To the Hilt [Paperback]

Dick Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

The black sheep of a prominent family, Alexander Kinloch is content to paint pictures and play bagpipes at his ramshackle Scottish home--until a sudden call from his troubled and near-bankrupt family forces him to help protect the family's endangered treasures--and a savage beating forces him to brush up on his detection skills.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Twenty-nine year old Alexander Kinloch is an unusual chap. With a fervor for the bagpipes and a talent for painting "the passions of golf ... the conflict within the self," he's not what you'd expect as the fourth son of a Scottish earl. When his ailing stepfather seeks Alexander's help in reviving his bankrupt brewery, Alexander begrudgingly leaves his secluded highland cabin and enters a "race" to save his family's honor. The King Alfred Gold Cup, a two mile steeplechase that exemplifies the pride of the brewery, is his challenge, and his assignment is to secure the cup trophy, a valuable medieval chalice. As he emerges from his life as a near recluse, Alexander begins to understand the benefits and the costs of becoming a hero. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The "hilt" of Francis's delightful 35th thriller refers to the jewel-encrusted, solid gold handle of the ceremonial sword of Scotland's would-be king, Bonnie Prince Charlie. A descendant of the Scottish earl to whom the prince gave the hilt, narrator Alexander Kinloch lives in an unelectrified bothy in the Scottish mountains, supporting himself through his paintings. Al's keen visual sense allows him to draw the faces of the four thugs who beat him and tear apart his home in the opening chapter. "Where is it?" they demand, establishing the leitmotif of concealed objects that Francis weaves through the plot. Hard on the beating, Al must rush to London to comfort his mother in the aftermath of her husband's heart attack. Al learns that his stepfather's brewery is about to collapse because the finance director has absconded with millions of pounds. In desperation, the business affairs of the brewery are turned over to Al, though he pines for solitude, his easel and the mountains. A Francis novel wouldn't be complete without thoroughbred racing; in fact, Al's estranged wife is a race trainer, and one of the many things Al has to hide is Golden Malt, his stepfather's steeplechaser, slated to run in the King Alfred Gold Cup?unless Al's spiteful stepsister can steal the horse first. The diverse plot threads tie up neatly, but not before Al achieves an understated emotional breakthrough with his wife and with his undemonstrative mother, endures gruesome torture with hardly a murmur and wins his stepsister's trust. Likable characters abound: a PI who's a master of disguise; the earl, "Himself," who trusts Al to hide the ancestral hilt; a solvency practioner whose flowered dresses and soft hair help persuade bankers to give the brewery a second chance. Earlier this year, the Mystery Writers of America honored Francis as a Grand Master; this novel again shows why. BOMC featured alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jove (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515121487
• ISBN-13: 978-0515121483
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great Dick Francis novels, June 18, 2001

By 

Martha E. Nelson (Watertown, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Hilt (Paperback)

This is one of the first Dick Francis novels I read, and it remains one of the best for me. If I read it in the larger context of his work, it does seem to be something of an anomaly--not first and foremost about horses, and not concentrating on action and the understated heroics that many Francis heros find themselves forced into. ...there is a depth to the character of Alexander--a sort of simultaneous self-undertanding and also a oneliness that he wishes he could get past--that is touchingly human. I actually think this book has much more depth than some of the more action-packed stories. I would recommend it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An honorable, non-horsey protagonist, August 13, 2004

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Hilt (Hardcover)

Alexander Kinloch, the hero-narrator of Francis' 1996 thriller, is not a horseman. A painter, he enjoys a solitary life in a windswept hut on his aristocractic uncle's Scottish estate. But his solitude is disrupted first by news of his stepfather's heart attack and then by four thugs who attack him and ransack his hut.

Kinloch has never been close to his stepfather, Ivan, but quickly finds himself embroiled in his plight, up to his neck in bank officers and lawyers and entrusted with hiding a race horse and a jewel-encrusted trophy. All of which he accepts with stoic aplomb, despite the increasing risk to his own neck and the disruption of his life.

There's not much racing in this one, but Francis' hero does plenty of quick thinking and maneuvering and takes plenty of knocks as he defends the family's honor "to the hilt," ferreting out a murderer in the process.

Francis keeps things moving and invests his characters with complex and very British codes of honor. His fans will not be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dick Francis masterpiece!, May 13, 2002

By 

Priscilla Stafford (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Hilt (Mass Market Paperback)

The main character of Dick Francis' "To the Hilt" is twenty-nine year old Alexander Kinloch whose only desire is to spend time alone painting. Unfortunately for him, Alexander is thrust into a plot involving the theft of million from his stepfather's, Ivan Westering's, brewery. Alexander is asked for his help in hiding Ivan's two treasures, the King Alfred cup and Golden Malt, a valuable racing thoroughbred. But soon Alexander realizes that not only will he have to protect these two items at the same trying to find out where the embezzled money went, he must also watch out for himself as things turn from worse to deadly...

My second Dick Francis novel to read, I found "To the Hilt" a totally enjoyable read. Very exciting and suspenseful, there's a lot of mystery. Alexander is a delightfully fun character, you can't help but feel sorry for him as he gets more and more involved in helping his stepfather although the only thing he wants to do is paint. Dick Francis must also be applauded for his array of interesting characters. There's the jealous stepsister Patty who would do anything to discredit Alexander, Alexander's uncle Robert the Earl, Oliver Grantchester the lawyer, and more. But probably my most favorite characters is 'Young and Uttley', who is really just one person. I love how he has so many disguises. I cracked up laughing at one part where Alexander tries not to reveal that his 'lady-friend' is actually his 'Young and Uttley' bodyguard!...