Silks (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Felix Francis (Author)
Key Phrases: witness summonses, equine hospital, parade ring, Julian Trent, Steve Mitchell, Scot Barlow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After collaborating on Dead Heat (2007), bestseller Francis and his son, Felix, deliver another gripping thriller with a thoroughbred racing backdrop. Soon after London barrister Geoffrey Mason, an amateur jockey by avocation, starts receiving a series of threatening messages from a former client, Julian Trent, whose conviction for assault was overturned on appeal, Mason reluctantly accepts the defense of a jockey, Steve Mitchell, accused of the pitch-fork murder of fellow rider Scot Barlow at a steeplechase event. Mitchell and Barlow had fallen out over Barlow's sister, a vet and Mitchell's former girlfriend, who took her own life just a short while before. When unknown parties order Mason to lose the case, he must balance his professional ethics and his sense of self-preservation. The solid writing and engaging lead will carry readers along at a brisk pace, though some may find the dramatic courtroom revelation of the murderer overly theatrical. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

The title to Francis’ second entry on the racetrack suspense circuit since his return from a long absence is shorthand for his new hero’s status as a British barrister and an amateur steeplechase rider (Francis fans will remember that the author was a champion professional steeplechase rider before too many collarbone breaks). The title also gives some insight into the hero’s frustrations: as a junior arguing for the defense (think Rumpole), he may never wear the silk of a leader. Also, his true passion, riding, is getting away from him as he gets older and heavier. The novel offers a stunning mix of thundering racetrack action, back-of-the-stables betrayal, criminal investigation, and Old Bailey courtroom drama, all brought together by hero Geoffrey Mason. Suspense breathes on just about every page. Mason is brought into a case involving the murder of a top jump jockey whom he knew, killed with a pitchfork, and a thug whom he put away for numerous assaults and attempted murder is back out—and out to get Mason and those he loves. Despite being coauthored by Francis’ son, Felix, Silks reads like early Francis (Nerve or Dead Cert, for example) in its tautness and concentration on racing. Even background on equine ailments and the British judicial system somehow adds to the novel’s momentum. Francis is, again, far in the lead. --Connie Fletcher

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 338 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399155333
• ISBN-13: 978-0399155338
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for Francis fans, OK for others , September 4, 2008

By	Jonathan A. Turner (Nashua, NH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

_Silks_ is a mid-range Dick Francis novel. It delivers the usual pleasures of Dick Francis novels: a racing background, a sympathetic protagonist, a scary villain, a little romance, and an interesting backdrop. As a long-time Francis fan, I was glad to get it and enjoyed reading it. Much as I'd like to, however, I can't give it more than three stars. It has an excellent start, and a good finish, but it lags in the middle.

It doesn't take long for Geoffrey Mason, our hero, to get into frighteningly credible hot water. That's good--but then he takes an awfully long time to do anything effective about it. The middle part of the book fails to build on itself. In a thriller/mystery tale like this one, the protagonist should always be getting more information, getting closer to the bad guys, using what he's learned to push one step further. The antagonist, meanwhile, should always be expanding the scope of his nefarious doings, upping the threat level, reacting to the hero.

Neither of those things happens very much in _Silks_. Mason goes down a lot of blind alleys, and fails to uncover many new facts during his rather desultory investigations. Ultimately, he gets the information he needs via a phone call from a third party. The villain, in turn, simply repeats his original threats over and over. (Part of the trouble is that the villain, when uncovered, turns out to be a somewhat peripheral character.)

Finally, because there's no chain of revelations, Francis & Francis have to rely on a gimmick to inject surprise. In a typical mystery, we readers know what the investigator has *seen*, but not what he *thinks*. Here, Mason explains everything to the other characters in the book--but not to us. Censoring the information given to the reader is one of the weakest of authorial tricks, and in this case it happens several times.

The best part of _Silks_ is Julian Trent, the brutal thug whose trial sparks the whole chain of events. Intimidation in the justice system is a very real problem, and it's all too easy to imagine ourselves in Geoffrey Mason's situation. _Silks_ is very effective in showing how fragile that system really is.

It also delivers a good courtroom drama sequence. This has been done so often that it's something of a cliche. The Francises make this old standard deliver by actually giving an insight into a trial lawyer's mind; we get some understanding of Mason's tactics, his strategies, his worries, his analysis. The effect is to make the legal proceedings less of a circus and more of a high-stakes chess game. (It's also an amusing contrast for anyone who's a fan of Rumpole of the Bailey!)

If you're a long-time Francis fan, you'll probably enjoy _Silks_. Spending time in Francis territory is rather like visiting an old and familiar place: even if things aren't quite the way you remember, it's a pleasure to be among friends. If you're relatively new to Francis, however, you might want to start with one of his top-notch classics--_Risk_ is a personal favorite--where the pacing isn't quite so lax.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth as Silk..., September 1, 2008

By	Linda Holman "L A Jewel" (Chatsworth, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I was very excited when I found that this book was coming out. Since Dick Francis seemed to have stopped writing for a time, before the release of his last book written with his son, Dead Heat, I made sure that this was not a reprint.

I also made sure that I had plenty of free time, because once I pick up one of his books, I can't put it down! This one did not disappoint me.

As with his other books, the setting takes place in London and little towns nearby that feature racetracks. This story centers around the English legal system, which is fascinating to me. It has the usual main character who is a nice bloke (Geoffrey Mason) but has had some bad things happen to him. He also finds a new love interest, and fights the good fight against the evil bad guy, and good wins out in the end.

When I read this book, I felt like I was there, in the little town that was described, and that I could feel the feelings that the characters were feeling.

Even though this book stuck to Dick Francis' typical plot, it felt fresh and entertaining to me. I was actually smiling at the end, and it takes a good book to do that for me.

If you are a Dick Francis fan, I would definitely purchase this book. And, I am very happy to report that Mr. Francis' son, Felix, seems to be fully capable of having the reigns turned over to him when it becomes necessary.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, That's a Francis!, September 4, 2008

By	R. Holly - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're not a fan of Dick Francis, then you really want to start with Straight (Dick Francis Library) or Reflex (Berkley Fiction), two of his very best. If you are a fan, this will will be another pleasant day out at the track, good weather, fine horses, and you'll win a few modest wagers on the Tote, but there won't be any stunning upsets.

This time, our protagonist (in Francis' trademark first person POV) is a barrister, a lawyer who argues cases in the British courts. We get interesting insights into his profession, and a very believable young thug as the First Villain of the piece.

The story proper starts with a murder (very traditional) and quickly spawns a complex web of witnesses, entangled lives and a great honkin' Clue. It is here that the story is weakest, as it bogs down a bit in the middle- there needed to be a bit more going on. We take a lengthy excursion into the character's personal life while not making progress on the mystery and waiting for something to happen in the rest of the plot.

However, after some slowness in the middle, it launches into a bang-up courtroom finish, with revelations and confrontations galore. This is considerably more polished and better paced than the first Francis and Francis outing, and if it's not first-rank, it's certainly enjoyable and recognizably part of Francis' greater body of work.