Richard Stanley Francis or Dick Francis was born in Pembrokshire, Wales, England on October 20th 1920. His father was a renowned jockey and Francis was catapulted in to the world of Horses, Jockeys and racing. He dropped out of school to train as a Jockey and was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air-force during World War II. After the war Francis became a celebrity Champion Jockey winning over 350 races. He was the lead Jockey for the Queen Mother. But he had to drop out of Horse racing after a serious fall and became a racing correspondent for Sunday Express. Dick Francis churned out numerous best sellers and most of his books deal with the mysteries in the realm of Horse racing and Jockeys. He wrote more than 40 international best sellers and is the recipient of numerous awards. Being a three time recipient of Mystery writer of America's Edgar Award he was made the Grand master of MWA. He is also the recipient of Britain's Crime Writers Association's Gold Dagger Award for fiction in 1979 and the Cartier Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award. He also has the Gumshoe award to his credit. He was accorded a CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
Yet another fabulous novel from the master mystery writer and its all about horse racing again. One of the enduring traits about the Dick Francis book is that there is an endless variety of jobs and passions related to the racing fraternity. In The Frame has a horse painter as the protagonist.
Yes Charles Todd is a painter or an artist who paints horses. During the course of his book Dick Francis gives you the trivia or the interesting facets of painting a horse picture. Many are an event frozen in time by the artist. It is said that Mary, his wife used to help him undertake extensive research to help him get through the book. So she learned photography, parachute gliding and for this book she learned to paint. As Felix, Dick Francis's son put it “they were a team, a cottage industry with out a cottage”.
Charles Todd like all the Francis heroes, is an unassuming gentleman, albeit a cheeky one here. He comes down to Australia to check on a cousin. But as luck could have it he walks in to a crime scene. The cousin's house is burglarized, and the wife is murdered seemingly intercepting the thieves. The house is completely burned down ruining all the expensive paintings and a cellar full of wine. Charles stays back to help his cousin to deal with the police and the insurance. The investigation appears to be stalled and his cousin sinks deeper in to depression. To help the stagnant situation to move Charles takes matter in his own hands follows up the clues.
He meets another middle aged women whose house has been similarly burnt down and the common thread running between the two being a purchase of a painting done by the master. Soon patterns evolve and Charles finds that all the paintings bought were fake and to cover the trail of the phony paintings the fraudsters were trying to destroy them as soon they were purchased. Charles detective work takes him all over Australia and New Zealand where he is battered, bruised and almost killed. But he soon manages to uncover the gang's modus operandi and once again rescues the racing world.
Only Dick Francis can come up with a thriller like this and the simplicity is the major brownie point for this book. An incisive knowledge about the racing world and his vast experience helps Francis to mold a fantastic character like Charles Todd who may not be a jockey but paints horses. The language is engaging, simple and down to earth. Only jarring feature is the prevailing old British overtones through out and its still difficult to believe such chivalry exists in the real world.
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