Shattered (Hardcover)

by Dick Francis (Author) "FOUR OF US drove together to Cheltenham races on the day that Martin Stukely died there from a fall in a steeplechase..." (more)
Key Phrases: marver table, punty iron, trophy horse, Adam Force, Pamela Jane, Doctor Force (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
After 41 novels, most writers run out of energy before the final gallop. But Dick Francis's latest thriller is as good as his earliest. Perhaps it's because this one is dedicated to the Queen Mother, who celebrated her centennial in 2000, and who, like her famously horsey daughter, shares Francis's passion for the races. Or maybe he's just found his stride again, after a few less-than-outstanding starts. Here he does one of his best tricks: lures you into a somewhat arcane area you might know little about and explicates it so brilliantly that you don't even realize how much you've learned (in this case, about glass blowing) while a mystery is unraveled, a crime is solved, and the hero gets the girl.

This time the mise en scène is the glass blowing studio owned by Gerard Logan, friend of the late Martin Stukely, a jockey who takes a fatal fall at the Cheltenham steeplechase during the last race of the century. Still mourning Martin, Gerard is savagely beaten, his workshop ransacked, and his life threatened by a gang of thugs. Investigating, Gerard discovers that the gang includes a domineering woman who's the daughter of Martin's valet and a scientist who's stolen valuable data from the laboratory that formerly employed him. They believe Gerard has possession of a videotape entrusted to him by Martin before his death and that the secrets on the tape are worth Gerard's life.

It's a good set up, with just enough of the usual horse lore and a pleasant love story involving Gerard and a pretty policewoman, neither of which overshadow the taut pacing and the well-worked-out plot. Francis's protagonists may be accidental heroes, but they're not antiheroes; they're usually eminently decent, likable men, and their sense of self is always interesting. Here's Gerard at home, in a break from the action, thinking about the new woman in his heart in a typical Francis love scene:

I walked deliberately through all the rooms, thinking about Catherine, wondering both if she would like the place, and whether the house would accept her in return. Once in the past the house had delivered a definite thumbs-down, and once I'd been given an ultimatum to smother the pale plain walls with brightly patterned paper as a condition of marriage, but to the horror of her family I'd backed out of the whole deal, and, as a result, I now used the house as arbiter and had disentangled myself from a later young woman who'd begun to refer to her and me as "an item" and to reply to questions as "we." We think. No, we don't think.

And, a few pages later,

The speed of development of strong feeling for one another didn't seem to me to be shocking but natural, and if I thought about the future it unequivocally included Catherine Dodd. "If you want to cover the pale plain walls with brightly patterned paper, go ahead," I said.

She laughed. "I like the peace of pale walls. Why should I want to change them?"

It may be Francis's English reticence that keeps him, mercifully, from spoiling a good mystery with what other writers consider the obligatory sex scene, or it just may be the mastery of his form that few of his peers approach. In every page of this terrific new book, he's at the top of it. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Francis's latest may be one of his less memorable rides, but even at 80, the old master proves he can still go all out in the final stretch. The hero here is Gerard Logan, a dashing English bachelor who owns and operates his own glassblowing shop in a charming village in the Cotswolds, popular with other artisans and tourists. Logan's problem is that his good friend, jockey Martin Stukely, gave him a videotape shortly before dying in a fall during a steeplechase at Cheltenham racetrack. That videotape is now missing, stolen by a tall, bearded gent who made off with it while Logan's back was turned. Now, a crew of thugs wants the tape. They are led by the cruel, aptly named Rose Payne, a ruthless bookmaker who knows what's on the tapeAmedical breakthrough secrets worth millionsAand will do anything to get it. Logan tries to reason with Payne, saying he no longer has the video, and besides, he doesn't even know what it contains. But Rose won't give up. She and her crew beat up Logan on several occasions, viciously trying to break his wrists so he can no longer practice his craft. Logan, no slouch when it comes to payback, finally mounts an all-out defense that includes not only physical reprisals, but also a crafty recovery of the missing object. Francis's 41st novel (To the Hilt; 10 Lb Penalty; etc.) lacks the pounding drive of his best efforts, and several elements of the plot are hard to swallow without cutting the author a lot of slack. Yet the spirited repartee, cleverly laid cues, infectiously likable characters and bang-up finale are all vintage Francis, and the fascinating glimpses the novel furnishes into the glassblowing trade are a bonus. 300,000 first printing. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 289 pages
• Publisher: Putnam; 1st First American Edition edition (September 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399146601
• ISBN-13: 978-1876590369
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,267,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A jolly good show, September 13, 2000

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Gerald Logan and Martin Stuckey met in a jury room and became immediate friends although they share little in common. Martin is a horse jockey who races at the elite English tracks. Logan, who owns and operates Logan Glass, is a gifted glassblower, beginning to earn a well deserved reputation.

Even after the trouble began, Logan never blamed Stuckey nor regretted their friendship. On New Year's Eve, Logan watches Stuckey race at Chelthenham. However, one of the horses Stuckey rides stumbles and falls on top of the jockey, killing him instantly. Before a stunned Logan can leave the track, he receives a videotape from Stuckey's valet, who says the deceased planned to give it to him after the races.

Logan leaves the tape and his store's receipt on the store counter to go outside and enjoy the new millennium. When he returns, the tape and his money are gone. A couple of days later, thugs accost Logan demanding the tape. They do not believe him when he tells the he no longer possesses the tape. He also knows he is in trouble unless he recovers the tape and gives it to the proper authorities.

True genius is rare, but with his track record Dick Francis has to be considered one. Each book he writes is unique, fresh, and entertaining. SHATTERED is no different due to a wonderful hero thrust in a situation not of his making. He not only blames no one, but also seeks vengeance for his buddy. Mr. Francis provides his fans with another stirring, believable mystery starring an ordinary guy as a sleuth investigating an extraordinary scenario.

Harriet Klausner

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid entry from Dick Francis, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

Dick Francis doesn't change much, and thank goodness.

His hero, though never the same name, is always the same person. He is always mid - thirties, quiet, competent, moral, and full of steely resolve. Gerard Logan is all of these, and one thing more - he blows glass for a living.

Of course, as always, there is a race track tie in. This story includes what Hitchcock used to call "The McGuffin" - the thing that everyone in the story wants but the audience doesn't much care what it is. In this case the McGuffin is a video cassette given to Logan by the valet of jockey who has just been killed in a race. The tape is therafter stolen from Logan's shop, but several nasty types don't believe it and want Logan to give the tape to them.

The plot is simple, as it usually is with Francis, but the smooth writing, well etched characters, and wonderful inner voice of the protagonist always make Francis a pleasure to read, and this is one is no exception. And details about glass blowing make this one extra fun.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another visit from an old friend, November 27, 2000

By	Stephen (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews

I have been a Francis fan for many years now, having read most of his books. While this one is not his best, it it still a far better effort than we see from other authors.

This book contains the familiar comforts we have come to expect from Francis-- a likeable accidental hero, a loathsome villan or two, a nice girl and the chance to learn something. Reading one of Francis' novels is like sitting down with an old, familiar friend. We know what to expect, and I think this lack of surprise is why so many reviewers have panned this book. It is exactly the reason I bought it. I knew what I would be in for and I didn't have to wonder if I had just wasted $20 and killed a few trees for nothing.

I have heard rumors that this may be Francis' last book. While I understand his desire to retire, I will miss the yearly visit with my old friend. But then, I have 40 other chances to become reacquainted with him.

Dick Francis at his worst is still better than other authors at their best!