Silks (Large Print Press) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Dick Francis (Author), Felix Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2009 | Series: Large Print Press

Unabridged CDs • 9 CDs, 10 1?2 hours

The Grand Master returns in prizewinning form.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Geoffrey Mason, barrister and amateur steeplechase jockey, is called on to defend an arrogant and difficult fellow rider accused of brutally murdering another jockey. Despite overwhelming evidence, Mason believes his client is innocent—and in fact is being framed.  Threats and a vicious beating make Mason more determined to persevere in the defense. British trial-procedure arcana and steeplechase-racing information enrich this engaging story. Jarvis’ reading is impeccable. Not a syllable is lost in his British-accented rendition, and his recitation of events leading up to and during the trial is a model of controlled tension. Fans will be delighted to know that coauthor Felix (Dick Francis’ son) is clearly capable of carrying on the family tradition of top-notch horse-racing mysteries. --Karen Harris --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 515 pages
• Publisher: Large Print Press; Lrg edition (August 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594133492
• ISBN-13: 978-1594133497
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,963,388 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

25 of 26 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
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This review is from: Silks (Hardcover)

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.

40 of 45 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
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This review is from: Silks (Hardcover)

_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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth as Silk, but Brutal, September 23, 2008

By 

Miz Ellen "all the letters of my real name" (Bovine Universe) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silks (Hardcover)

In this book Dick Francis returns to his roots and to a type of hero who was featured in many of his early mysteries: the amateur jockey. Geoffrey Mason is a barrister who someday hopes to attain the silken robes of a Queen's Counsel. In the meantime, he represents thugs like Julian Trent and rides in races a few times a year on his own horse. Things take a dismaying turn when Trent gets out on appeal because someone tampered with a jury.

The racing scenes have all the pulse pounding appeal of vintage Francis. The intricacies of British law are clearly portrayed. Even the graphic violence is not new to Dick Francis mysteries. Actually there is less violence then some classic Francis mysteries such as BONE CRACK, but in this book they seem more shocking, partly because his hero seems "softer" than some of the tough guys of yore. As in the previous book co-authored by Dick Frances and his son Felix DEAD HEAT, the hero is not a jock who takes his licks and keeps on kicking. Geoffrey Mason is easily moved to tears since the death of his wife and at first, he seems intimidated by the violence that is meant to move him along a certain course. He grows as a character throughout the novel until he becomes capable of taking the climatic action in the final pages. Riveting! Remarkable! Perhaps not recommended for the cozy, tea-drinking set...