In case you were wondering about the origin of the name of the book, Short term money flowing between financial markets is referred to as hot money. The equestrian loving Dick Francis makes an unexpected foray into the world of finance with his 1987 novel Hot Money. The Pembrooke family is as bizarre as you get ‘em - the patriarch Malcolm has raked in the moolah from trading gold, he is pleasant natured, supposedly lucky and much married (five wives!!). He has kids, they have kids and the kids have kids - so that makes for a huge extended family! In all there are NINE kids, and the ‘witches’ - as he calls his wives.
Wife no. four is Coochie, she seems the best of the lot, and no. five is Moira - deceased, rather murdered. The killer or killers seem to be after the money that Malcolm has amassed over the years, making both him and his series of spouses – easy targets. Aggravating the situation is the fact that Malcolm stubbornly resists increasing the allowances of his exes and seven kids - they are obviously heckled and are waiting in the wings for him to kick the bucket. The usual family drama ensues - mums poisoning the children’s impressionable minds given their vantage position of maternity.
The spouses and offspring are up in arms when Malcolm starts to donate his wealth to charity, and spends an alarming amount of millions on horseracing and buying colts! An attempt is made on Malcolm’s life as well - this sets alarm bells ringing as he is faced with the raw facts of his mortality. Whom can he trust and turn to for help in his brood of nine? Ian Pembrooke- assistant horse trainer and amateur jockey. He is also Malcolm’s weapon of choice against the unseen enemy, although estranged for three years, yet the father relies on his son’s solid principles and ethics to garner support in his hour of difficulty.
The father - son duo set about to track down all possible enemies (and there is a list, mind you!), amidst sorting out differences in their own relationship. Ian decides that the only way he can save his father is to find the enemy, agreeing to be his bodyguard. Ian advises his father to remain out of sight, and in the meanwhile, he interviews members of the Pembrooke family to try and find out the motive behind the killing of Moira, and the bomb blast in the mansion where both his father and Ian were present, that could have killed them instantly.
A story that highlights the crumbling relations of a family against the dark backdrop of avarice, conspiracy and ensuing violence. The surviving wives and their kids are suspect; the spouses of the kids aren’t to be let off the hook either, so they too are implicated in the conspiracy theory.
Ian Pembrooke is hallmark Francis - he is dependable, principled, high on values and ethics - making the stark contrast with the villains in the novel - he is clearly a favorite from the beginning. Although some critics believe that this constancy and homogeneity in most of his characters is also a cause for boredom of the reader - yet, the popularity of Francis has not waned in all the years that he had been known to churn out stories, even after his tragic passing in 2010, his son took upon himself the mantle to keep the legacy from dying out.
+-+Authored+by+Dick+Francis+-+Fighting+to+save+his+father.jpg "Hot Money (Published in 1987) - Authored by Dick Francis - Fighting to save his father")
Wife no. four is Coochie, she seems the best of the lot, and no. five is Moira - deceased, rather murdered. The killer or killers seem to be after the money that Malcolm has amassed over the years, making both him and his series of spouses – easy targets. Aggravating the situation is the fact that Malcolm stubbornly resists increasing the allowances of his exes and seven kids - they are obviously heckled and are waiting in the wings for him to kick the bucket. The usual family drama ensues - mums poisoning the children’s impressionable minds given their vantage position of maternity.
The spouses and offspring are up in arms when Malcolm starts to donate his wealth to charity, and spends an alarming amount of millions on horseracing and buying colts! An attempt is made on Malcolm’s life as well - this sets alarm bells ringing as he is faced with the raw facts of his mortality. Whom can he trust and turn to for help in his brood of nine? Ian Pembrooke- assistant horse trainer and amateur jockey. He is also Malcolm’s weapon of choice against the unseen enemy, although estranged for three years, yet the father relies on his son’s solid principles and ethics to garner support in his hour of difficulty.
The father - son duo set about to track down all possible enemies (and there is a list, mind you!), amidst sorting out differences in their own relationship. Ian decides that the only way he can save his father is to find the enemy, agreeing to be his bodyguard. Ian advises his father to remain out of sight, and in the meanwhile, he interviews members of the Pembrooke family to try and find out the motive behind the killing of Moira, and the bomb blast in the mansion where both his father and Ian were present, that could have killed them instantly.
A story that highlights the crumbling relations of a family against the dark backdrop of avarice, conspiracy and ensuing violence. The surviving wives and their kids are suspect; the spouses of the kids aren’t to be let off the hook either, so they too are implicated in the conspiracy theory.
Ian Pembrooke is hallmark Francis - he is dependable, principled, high on values and ethics - making the stark contrast with the villains in the novel - he is clearly a favorite from the beginning. Although some critics believe that this constancy and homogeneity in most of his characters is also a cause for boredom of the reader - yet, the popularity of Francis has not waned in all the years that he had been known to churn out stories, even after his tragic passing in 2010, his son took upon himself the mantle to keep the legacy from dying out.
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