10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among the Best of Dick Francis, April 23, 2007
This is vintage Francis,a fine example of why Dick Francis' books are so very good. The hero is not a jockey, but an actor. As usual, Francis avoids stereotypes and gives his protagonist some complexity, best shown here in a poignant depiction of family life. Like all Francis protagonists, he's observant, wily, tough, determined, and a guy capable of thinking "outside the box." Technology and politics are dated, of course, but the plot can still hold me gripped from cover to cover, each time I reread it.
There are a handful or so of Francis books that are not set in England. Of those, SMOKESCREEN (set in South Africa) and BLOOD SPORT (in the US) rank among my favorites.
The torture section of this book is absolutely harrowing. You will never forget it.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a GREAT read!, May 22, 2006
This is one of Francis' best books - be prepared to stay up all night! I am a huge Francis fan and have read all of his books, and this definately qualifies among the top three. Hope you enjoy it as much as i did!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dick Francis is always good, but . . ., February 16, 2004
Smokescreen is one of those Dick Francis mysteries that take the reader to a country other than England. In this case, two countries, Spain and South Africa, are the sites of the action. The protagonist, Edward Lincoln, is an actor, in his thirties, and when the story opens, he's starring in a movie being made in Spain: Man in a Car. Talk about foreshadowing. But like most of Francis' heroes, "Linc" has lots of experience with horses. As a young man, he worked in a stable; in his early movie career he was a stuntman, specializing in horses.
Given his early experience, it is only natural that a good friend should ask Linc to go to South Africa and find out why her stable of horses is doing so badly in their races after promising beginnings. His friend, it turns out, is dying. The horses are to go to her nephew in her will. And she doesn't want to leave him the horses if they aren't any good.
Shortly after his arrival in Johannesburg, Linc is nearly injured in an accident. If it weren't for the fact that a female TV reporter was seriously injured, he could believe that the publicist for the movie distributor had staged it. The next accident proves that there's no joking around.
Francis' prose is always clean and direct. His characters are straight forward and believable. In the abridged edition, however, much is lost of the nuances of story that are always so enjoyable. If you like Francis, read or listen to the full version. It will be worth the extra time.
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