Nerve [Mass Market Paperback]

Dick Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1987

Rob Finn was a bit of a misfit: a struggling young jockey in a family of accomplished musicians, a man in love with a beautiful woman who wouldn't have him -- he suddenly looked like a rider who had lost his nerve. Could it be, though, that the horses were unusually sluggish, and that there was something more sinister attempting to sabotage him...?
"The best thriller writer going."
ATLANTIC MONTHLY

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Rob Finn was a bit of a misfit: a struggling young jockey in a family of accomplished musicians, a man in love with a beautiful woman who wouldn't have him -- he suddenly looked like a rider who had lost his nerve. Could it be, though, that the horses were unusually sluggish, and that there was something more sinister attempting to sabotage him...?
"The best thriller writer going."
ATLANTIC MONTHLY

About the Author

Dick Francis (pictured with his son Felix Francis) was born in South Wales in 1920. He was a young rider of distinction winning awards and trophies at horse shows throughout the United Kingdom. At the outbreak of World War II he joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot, flying fighter and bomber aircraft including the Spitfire and Lancaster.

He became one of the most successful postwar steeplechase jockeys, winning more than 350 races and riding for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. After his retirement from the saddle in 1957, he published an autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write more than forty acclaimed books, including the New York Times bestsellers Even Money and Silks.

A three-time Edgar Award winner, he also received the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger, was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2000. He died in February 2010, at age eighty-nine, and remains among the greatest thriller writers of all time.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (February 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449212661
• ISBN-13: 978-0449212660
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,739,102 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

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rob Finn - one of my favorite Francis protagonists!, September 13, 2006

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
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This review is from: Nerve (Paperback)

Dick Francis has written so many bestselling mysteries, it's mindboggling. He excels in crafting enormously engaging, civilized whodunits, which go down smooth as cognac. Mr. Francis has a habit of introducing elements from the racing world into his novels (for those not in the know, Francis used to be a jockey). Yes, it's true that his heroes all come from the same mold and the stories do contain certain formulaic elements, but I think Francis's magic lies in the humanity and empathic nature with which he cloaks his protagonists. His heroes are all too human, all too flawed, and uniformly unassuming and Britishly reserved. Yet, without exception, they all have unexpected pluck, hidden strength, and the inner fortitude to do the right thing. In four decades, Mr. Francis has written some of my favorite mysteries: Forfeit, Rat Race, Reflex, Hot Money, The Edge, The Danger, Decider, and To the Hilt. And then there's Nerve.

Nerve holds a special place in my heart. I first stumbled across Dick Francis's mystery books years ago when I was a kid thumbing thru a Reader's Digest book. That book contained a condensed version of Nerve, which I went thru in a flash. As soon as I could, I went to the public library and borrowed the full-length version and tore thru that one, too. Since then, I've read everything that Dick Francis has ever written and I've enjoyed every one tremendously (even his anthology Field of Thirteen), but, thru the years, I've come back again and again to Nerve and its charismatic hero Rob Finn. It's just such a darn good story.

Nerve, published in 1964, was only Francis's third novel at the time. Yet, even back then, he had what it took to tell a captivating, suspenseful story. The quick plot breakdown of Nerve: Rob Finn has started to make a name for himself as a jockey when he is kidnapped, tortured, and left for dead. Torn up and bleeding, he manages to escape and get help. He then coldly plans his revenge on the bloke what did him wrong. Sounds like a simple plot, but Francis uses his narrative skills to lure the reader into following Rob Finn as he attempts to get back at his disturbed tormentor. It's gripping stuff. Francis's detailed breakdowns of Finn's pain-filled efforts to get back to racing form so soon after he was tortured will make you cringe, as you wholeheartedly pull for the fella. Our hero is very human, vulnerable, and very relatable. Yet, Francis is talented enough as a writer that, by the end of the book, you'll feel some sympathy towards the dastardly villain. And, as an added bonus, Francis throws in one of those unrequited love subplots, as Finn, who has been eternally in love with his beautiful, talented cousin, Joanna, bittersweetly continues to carry his torch. Joanna, alas, does not reciprocate.

I don't know how Dick Francis does it. I'm not into horses or horse racing. Yet, his books never get old for me, and the horse racing elements actually become interesting stuff. I really, really believe Dick Francis's gift, when it gets boiled to its essence, is how well he's able to make the reader relate to his lead character. Every one of 'em is immensely rootable. Before I read Nerve, I mostly read fantasy and sci-fi novels. Nerve introduced me to the world of mystery novels. So, for that reason and also because it's a crackling good tale, Nerve will always be one of my favorites.

Also, glad to hear that Dick Francis has a new book (Under Orders, starring Sid Halley) coming out in a few weeks. I cannot wait.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet again, another masterful book by Francis., September 12, 2006

By 

clifford "akitonmyers" (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nerve (Paperback)

This is one of Francis' very first books. Written in the early 1960's and set in England, 'Nerve' concerns the exploits of a young and aspiring top steeple-chase jockey. If you haven't read Francis before, you are in for a very nice and enjoyable low-key thriller. Its hard to point to another author and say that Dick Francis is like him or her, because his work is so unlike other writers. Every one of Francis' books has pretty much the same plot outline, but in a strange way, this is not at all bothersome. One reads a Francis book to enjoy the characters and the inordinant amount of plot laden tension that is somehow packed into such a mild mannered little book.

Every time I pick up one of Francis' books I think of the Jean Cocteau movie from the early 50's I think called Orphius. Its based on the old greek myth where some guy goes to hade's (the ancient greek underworld) to rescue his wife who was stolen from him by a god. He gains her freedom on the condition that he not look at her on the way back until they are out of Hade's. Only at the very last step, he does turn around and she is turned into a pillar of salt or something like that... Anyways, in Cocteaus version of the myth, he has the main characters cast as poets, and they drive around the French country side being flocked by admiring fans and lovely young women. The poets there are the rock stars of that fictional society. Well, Francis creates a world very similar to that with his horse racing books, where the entire country of England revolves around the going ons of different aspects of racing.

One interesting aspect of this book, discussed by other readers in this review forum, is that of the human condition known as 'Nerve.' Rob Finn is made to look as though he has lost it over the opening chapters of the book and the mystery revolves around why this was done and exactly who is behind it.

I would highly reccomend this story to anyone... Its a short novel that has with held the test of time though it is entering its fifth decade since publication. It's not the greatest mystery ever written if only because Francis never really took a risk as an author. But this is also one of Francis' very best efforts and will entertain you in a mild mannered way.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Dick Francis Mysteries, April 18, 2001

By 

APRICOT "ryoko" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nerve (Paperback)

I bet this is the best of Dick Francis mysteries. But I haven't been able to write a review for a long time. Because I can't describe why this book is so fascinating without destroying the mystery. This is a rather astonishing, extraordinary story, and I'd like you to read it without any preliminary knowledge if possible.

If you are not interested in horse-racing at all, don't worry. I am not interested in horse-racing either, but I can enjoy Francis novels heartily.