Even Money (Published in 2009) - Sudden appearance of a father - Authored by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Ned Talbot has a clear perspective of who is, rather who he is perceived to be - a pariah. The sort of creature that makes for the underbelly of the racetrack - a bookie. The closet snobbery and class divide is obvious, stock broking is white collar, whereas punters socializing with bookies is strictly a ‘NO’. Ned and his assistant Luca are able to make decent profits and sizeable losses as they ply their trade at Royal Ascot and other small racecourses. A second generation bookie, he has seen the trade descend into depravity - from being an art form, almost where transactions were written in books, to the paper emitting computer – bookies are now less known for honor, better known for their sly, wily ways.
His mundane numbed existence is jolted out of its seasoned normality, when a man claiming to be his father, meets him at the parking lot at the Ascot. Ned is shocked, he grew up with his grandfather, who told him his parents had died in a car crash - so who is this man, really, claiming to be his father? Where had been all these years? Why had he chosen to show up now - seven years and two days after the old man’s death? His mind is a mess - he has never met his father for thirty seven years, has believed that the only family he has is now dead, yet here is this man, claiming to be his parent!
And so Edward ‘Ned’ Talbot is reunited with Peter James Talbot, his father. Peter tells him that he had panicked when Ned’s mother died in the crash, and in typical teenage fashion, had bolted in the opposite direction - to Australia. As Peter is filling the blanks in Ned’s life, telling him he has two half sisters, they walk down an alley. The sound of footsteps rings alarm bells, he’d had a bad day at the races - why would anyone follow him to steal from him?




The duo are mugged, and even though Ned throws an envelope with money towards the men - it simply lies untouched on the grass, so does his father - who has been stabbed in the stomach. Peter dies in the emergency room. Orphaned twice over, Ned is numb with shock, which deepens when the investigating officer tells him that contrary to the information the man has shared with them regarding his ‘father’ - the credentials the dead man has speak otherwise; his credit card and driver’s license have on them the name Alan  Charles Grady.
The police are mistrustful of Ned, shadowing him as he visits Sophie, his wife in hospital, who is being treated for bipolar disorder;  his mind is plagued with questions, as he wonders how and why his ‘father’ could’ve landed them all in such a mess? When he goes to the hotel where his father had rented a room, Ned finds thirty thousand pounds in cash, a device that resembles a remote control, counterfeit horse papers, and a polythene bag containing something that resembles grains of rice, but on closer look is frosted glass. Despite all the depressing events in his life, Ned is rewarded with a happy ending - where he is reunited with his sisters, and both he and Sophie look forward to parenthood!
Dick and Felix Francis have researched well, the Senior Francis is gifted with years of experience as a steeplechase jockey and Felix has almost effortlessly managed to melt into the style of writing adopted by his father - this seamless narration is the strength of Even Money. Excellent read!

Silks (Published in 2008) - Authored by Dick Francis and Felix Francis - Barrister under pressure

Strange that the very barrister defending the criminal, becomes turncoat and condemns the man. Or a little bit like that. The young criminal has been unsuccessful in defending himself against the allegations, rather it would seem as if Mason has failed to rescue the defendant - he however, speaks his mind out loud and contrary to what a defense counsel must do in court in keeping with his client’s image - he does the opposite. Geoffrey Mason tells the court that the only reason why he chose to defend Julian Trent was because he had to. And so, the charming, rich and violence loving Julian Trent is sentenced to eight years in prison - held guilty on eight counts, four of them for assault, three for inflicting serious injury and  one of attempted murder.
True, Mason would have rather been out of number 3 court at the Old Bailey, racing his twelve year old bay gelding in the Foxhunter Steeplechase, hailed by amateur riders as the Gold Cup. Flashback - Geoffrey had wanted to become a jockey, he had ‘fallen in love’ with steeplechasing as a teenager, and had thought he’d spend his life riding horses. His equine ambitions were dashed when his father suggested that he join the family law firm as a solicitor; his clever mind and brains become the undoing of his ambition, so, being a solicitor it is.
All that was in common amongst the two distinct professions was the presence of Silk - both jockeys and barristers wore the fabric to work! He does relive some of the passion at the racetrack at Sandown, where his barrister’s wig is set aside for racing silks! His father also suggested he remain single, he’d achieves that status seven years after his marriage is over - his pregnant wife dead.




Present day - His sense of accomplishment is short lived as the clerk informs him that Julian Trent’s sentencing has been overturned, the brat intimidated three jurors and they were coerced into changing their minds. Using his immense influence, Trent is able to pull the right strings to get out of the prison mess. Also, top jockey Steve Mitchell wants Mason to defend him, as he is now accused in the killing of another famous jockey Hamish ‘Scot’ Barlow.
Despite the evidence piled up against Trent, he is out, and gets his hands on Geoffrey the minute he is able to, beating him silly with a baseball bat. Threatening the solicitor that unless he aids in the conviction of Mitchell, his dad and girlfriend will both be killed! Also, Mitchell is in a real soup, he’s had an affair with Barlow’s sister Millie, a vet. She later committed suicide after a lethal intake of animal tranquilizer, not found in her clinic. His betting slips are stuck to the pitchfork with which Scot was murdered. Obviously, the circumstantial evidence is damning!
Silks is co - written by Dick’s son Felix; it is a well researched book, given the number of legal references in the story - from the Magna Carta to the present day legal system. The twenty one chapters are divided into three parts – Murder, Arrest, Remand (chapters 1-6), Disclosure (chapters 7-9), Trial and Punishment (chapters 10-21). A happy twist to the tale is that Mason actually gets the girl of his dreams, at the end of the story, unlike many of Francis’s heroes. Also the killer is one closer to home, yet well concealed enough to go unnoticed.

Crossfire (published in 2010) - A collaboration between Dick Francis and his son, Felix Francis

Talk about adding insult to injury, not only does Capt. Thomas Vincent Forsyth lose his foot in an IED blast in Afghanistan, he now has to share a roof with his mother and stepfather at their home in Lambourn, with whom he has been at odds for the past fifteen years. Choosing the army way, he ran away from home at the age of seventeen, slept on the stairs of the army recruiting office in Oxford and was commissioned as a private in the Grenadier Guards; today, he returns to the grim prospect of the future as a disabled war veteran of the British Army.
Although her son has been wounded, and has lost the use of his leg, yet Thomas’s mother - Josephine Kauri - is in an extremely foul mood. She is not known as the ‘first lady of British racing’ for nothing. Thomas finds out the reason for his mother’s rancor soon enough - her horses have been losing at the races, and what with taxes and debts mounting, the lady wonders how long it will be before she loses everything. To make matters worse, she has been defaulting on payment of her taxes, using the money to invest in fraudulent hedge funds, avoiding payment of the VAT as well.
Add to this the fact that she’s been caught - and now along with the other expenses has to also pay an anonymous blackmailer two thousand pounds to keep quiet. Her husband is listless and inert, a mute spectator as she tries to salvage her financial position in vain. Thomas has been fitted with a prosthetic leg, but since the injury is still so recent, he suffers from ghost limb, he is not able to get used to the artificial leg and is constantly obsessing about whether or not he will ever be able to join the army again.





He is embroiled, soon, in his parents’ woebegone finances, and takes it upon himself to trace the source of the blackmail. And so, our one man army prepares for a different sort of battle, well camouflaged and armed with his trusty ceremonial army sword. His quest leads him to the manor house of his childhood love Isabella. Everyone at the dinner in her home is under the scanner, as the Captain uses his skills from the battlefields to help him sniff out the blackmailer. As his independent investigation progresses, someone wants him dead or at least in the least interfering of positions. Thomas is kidnapped and imprisoned in an abandoned stable - reminiscent of Francis’s own physical discomforts such as the collarbone fractured twelve times - however, after a harrowing experience, Thomas manages to escape.
Francis retired from the races at 36, and wrote his first novel in 1962. He has to his credit almost forty books and has won accolades such as The Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1970 & 198o, to name a few. He was declared the Commander of the British Empire in 2000. The book is dedicated to the memory of Dick Francis; he died in the year 2010, also the year of Crossfire’s release, his final novel - the fourth written in collaboration with his physicist son Felix Francis.

Bloodline (Published in 2012) - Authored by Felix Francis, continuing with legacy of Dick Francis

In Bloodline, Mark Shillingford is a television commentator, and his twin sister Claire (the number of twins in Francis’ stories is mind boggling!) is a famous steeplechase jockey. Mark covers horse races, in most of which Claire is riding. On one such occasion, he brings to the notice of the audience that Claire deliberately lost a race, though this went unnoticed, supposedly, by many present. Angry that Mark should tell the world so, Claire and he have an angry exchange over a tension ridden meal later. Claire tells him that it isn’t such a grand deal, admitting that she has done so four or five times earlier. Leaving in a huff, the two return to their respective homes - when Mark arrives at his, the ID on the display of his phone tells him its Claire; anticipating more anger, he doesn’t answer her call. When he does choose to listen in - there is only silence from the other end, so he hangs up.
Several hours later, she is dead, plunging fifteen stories down to her death from the balcony of the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, central London. Mystery surrounds her death - did she jump or was she pushed? Why was she in a hotel in Park Lane, after having mentioned to Mark that she was, infact, heading for their home in Newmarket? The police support the suicide theory, insisting it makes sense after reading the note found in Claire’s room. Their father is cold and distant, sinking into the oblivion of gloom and anger after his daughter’s tragic demise. Only Mark seems hell bent on getting to the bottom of the conspiracy (if any) and wants to fight for justice for Claire.




Delving into the dark mystery, Mark uncovers a sinister plot dealing with fixing races; this supports his theory that Claire had no intention of killing herself. On the other hand, a yellow scribe writes a piece about Claire, being nasty and unkind to her to say the least, insinuating that Mark too has some murky skeletons in his closet. Later Toby Woodley, the rake writer, is found knifed to death; obviously, the police suspect Mark to have a hand. Later Mark discovers that Claire was a victim of blackmailing – her trainers and members of the equestrian fraternity seem involved.
The best aspect of the Francis duo is that the novels are simple narratives - not long winded and plagued with equine jargon. However one point to be made is that Felix has to learn to create male characters that respect women - Mark seems to bed them first, and as an afterthought enquire about their lives much later. The race fixing plot has been the discussed in Dick Francis’s other novels as well, but Felix Francis seems to rely heavily on it. Although Felix lacks his late father’s insight into the world of equestrian sport, yet has the requisite charm of storytelling given the fact that he co authored four novels with Dick, and of course, genes matter, too!
The book is the second solo attempt for Felix to keep the memory of his father alive - and although the Sr. Francis penned almost more than forty novels, his legacy seems to be in safe hands in the future!

Gamble (published in 2011) - Authored by Felix Francis, son of Dick Francis

Felix Francis goes solo in Gamble after his father Dick Francis’s death. He has co authored four novels with the stalwart. Nicholas Foxton, aka Foxy, is a former steeplechase jockey. Former because he was injured seven years ago, breaking his neck, and the doctors insist that he ought to stay away from any equine related activity in the saddle.
Foxy is now a financial adviser, a job he has little interest in, but one he pursues with equal commitment. His calm existence is about to once again be jolted; on a day when all was well with the riding world, Nick and his friend – Herb Kovak (who is employed with the firm Lyall & Black, a financial advising firm) are waiting to witness the Grand National, when the most heinous crime unfolds right before Nick’s eyes. Herb is killed mercilessly - three shots fired at close range.
Nick is plunged into sorrow over his friend’s untimely and cruel death, he is also dragged unwittingly into the handling of Herb’s worldly life - becoming executor and sole heir and beneficiary of his late friend’s earthy estate, leaving Nick both touched and surprised. No hallowed place this, it is a cesspool of poor management and intriguing business deals.




Herb was an expat American. And like most of his countrymen, plastic was his weakness - he left his earthy abode neck deep in debt and meager savings. Sherri, Herb’s twin sister, lends Nick a helping hand, and they unravel an alternative source of income that kept her brother afloat - an income source that was cleverly not recorded in any of his financial statements or books. It seems to Foxy that Herb was involved in gambling activities over the Internet which sustained his lifestyle, leaving Nick wondering how the authorities hadn’t caught up with Herb for as long!
As he delves deeper into Herb’s moonlighting activities, he becomes the target of enemies of his late friend, who had him murdered in cold blood. There seems to be no one he can trust, and he is plunged into isolation, knowing full well that he has only his insight and experience to fall back on in hard times. A client of the firm, Bobby Searle meets Nick and in desperation demands that his financial portfolio be sold, so that he can pay off a debt of a hundred thousand pounds; when Foxton is unable to liquidate Bobby’s funds soon, Searle is almost killed in a hit and run accident.
Meanwhile, a client of Lyall & Black – Col. Roberts - has asked Nick to advise him with regard to a trust fund set up by his family for the Roberts Family Trust Hospital, in Bulgaria. The Colonel’s nephew claims that the hospital is a hoax - it does not even exist. The man had visited the site where the buildings were supposed to have been constructed - nothing has come up as yet. When Nick investigates further, he discovers discrepancies in the Trust, conveying this to Roberts, who dies thereafter under mysterious circumstances.
On the personal front, Nick’s girlfriend, Claudia, who is an artist of some repute, is suddenly cold and seems distant. His world in turmoil, Nick is trying hard to balance his work, personal life and the sorting of his late friend’s affairs. In typical Francis style, there are a number of red herrings liberally strewn over the place, and the hero Nick, is the quintessential Francis character - upright, integral and hardy. Felix has taken on Dick’s mantel with grace and smoothness, perhaps lacking his late father’s ringside insight into the world of steeple-chases and horses, but nevertheless, keeping the reader enthralled!

Dead Heat (Published in 2007) - Authored by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Max Moreton is well known in the racing town of Newcastle, he owns a Michelin starred restaurant - the Hay Net. His connection to horses - both his brother and late father were horse trainers. The local community knows and respects him for his celebrity status as well as his success as a restaurateur, the youngest decorated chef etc. Unfortunately, this blissful state is short lived. After dining at the Hay Net, regrettably twenty four of his guest diners fall violently ill and are hospitalized. Their illness is linked to a possible case of food poisoning, the origins of which are further traced to Max’s restaurant. His business standing and goodwill take a direct hit when the Hay Net is forcibly closed by the Health Department; he faces a spate of ill luck and court cases.
Just hours later, Max is also seriously ill, so much so that he almost loses his life - could the poisoned food have found its way into his home as well? Despite the fact that he is so unwell, picking up the pieces, he sets about to cater at the Two Thousand Guineas one afternoon - the lunch is being hosted by an American company - Delafield Industries - which manufactures farming machinery. MaryLou Fordham, the lady in charge of the event is overly concerned that the function goes off well, even though a number of prominent faces will be missing after having taken ill. As his crew is serving lunch, a bomb blast rips through a boxed area seating (where a wealthy Arab prince and his entourage were to be seated), killing twenty people, and almost killing Max, too! MaryLou is critically injured and Max wonders whether she will survive. A young employee of his dies on the spot - the damage to life and property is colossal. The police think that the perpetrators of the crime have blown up the wrong box. Sadly, MaryLou loses both her legs in the blast and dies in hospital, part of the other fourteen dead.




Max is also being sued by a young violinist Caroline Aston, who is  part of a string quartet, who was at the Stakes; she holds him responsible for the loss of professional opportunity - their anger turns to strong attraction, though. The two fall in love and are engaged at the end of the novel. Amidst all the problems that’re piled up against him, Moreton is concerned and dogged in his determination about finding out who is responsible for this debacle?
His culinary reputation and business on the stake, Max Moreton sets out to clear his name - his findings lead him to the fact that kidney bean lectin, found in undercooked beans is responsible for the illness of his guests, including himself. However, there is one little detail that the Health and Police Departments need to be aware of - kidney beans weren’t on the menu the night the mishap took place.
After his wife Mary’s passing away in 2000, Dick’s son Felix worked with him to research on the next novels, co-writing with his father. Dead Heat is a refreshing look at the mystery genre the Francis duo are famous for, set in the world of hospitality, with the racetrack as a backdrop.