Longshot - Authored by Dick Francis - Published in 1990

John Kendall ‘accepted a commission’ that four writers before him had declined. The travel agent-turned- adventure-guide writer is in dire straits, who is asked to vacate the attic apartment he lives in, and from these circumstances, you can make out that he is desperately in need of a source of income. The first book he wrote was accepted by a publishing house - he took the advance and chose to write a second one – Long Way Home. Not easy, as the creative juices run dry, and writer’s block looms like an ugly cloud over his head. The money is all gone, so when his agent Ronnie Curzon offers him the opportunity to ghost write the memoir of a former horse trainer Tremayne Vickers, he jumps at it, tempted by the prospect of having a roof over his head and food in his belly.

Although he has the limited experience of a survival guide writer (Return Safe From The Wilderness  - six hardcover guides to help the traveler through jungles, deserts, at sea, on ice, or on a safari) - he is determined to take up the project, even though Ronnie advises him otherwise, with a dire warning ‘Impulse will kill you one of these days’ - he looks forward to earning a better living.

On arrival at Shellerton, Berkshire, he is received by Mackie Vickers, Tremayne’s daughter-in-law. In the jeep, he meets the rest of the four connected to the estate - Bob Watson and his wife Ingrid, Fiona and Harry Goodhaven. The air in the vehicle is laden with silence, this changes when suddenly the jeep lands up in a ditch, after skidding. The four travelers were thrown into the freezing water, as Mackie sits at the wheel in a semi conscious state, dazed. The hero saves the hour by transporting all five people back safely to the Estate.



Kendall settles into his new life, cooking meals, hobnobbing with the kids, socializing with the guests-enjoying his stay and turn of fortune. He is introduced to Fiona’s cousin, a jockey with a strange, violent streak - Nolan, who has in the been in deep trouble for strangling a girl in the past year, takes a dislike to John, threatening and publicly attacking the writer. To make things murkier, local Inspector – Doone-  discovers the remains of a stable girl with a colorful past - Angela Brickell, who was strangled.

Soon, John Kendall is drawn into the web of intrigue and corrupt practices, there are attempts made to harm the family - and from the above example, him not being one to be found wanting when danger calls - Kendall wards off the evil eye by fighting to keep the Vickers from unforeseen harm. Why read Dick Francis? Is it for the horses, the stoic heroes who ride off into the sunset…alone or the villains who meet their just desserts? Maybe it is out of a sense of loyalty and admiration for the honest appeal of Francis’s own charm and quiet manner, or even for pretty phrases like still mornings "as rare as honest beggars"!

Knowing his connection with horses, it is somewhat difficult to envision a novel without the beloved equestrians. The narrative, though interesting, is long winded towards the end, and yes, the end is a little maudlin and sad.

Flesh and Blood (published in 2001) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Flesh and Blood is a first person account by Dr. Alex Delaware about Lauren Teague whom he treated as a child, before her father intervened and stopped the treatment. Lauren was a typical fifteen year old; trouble being her middle name, her tantrums, misdemeanors and attitude are what got her to therapy (she tried her damndest to worm her way out of it) - although two sessions hardly amount to that!
Ten years later, Alex receives a call from Jane Abbot - Lauren’s mother. Alex is a little wary and cautious as he remembers how much Lauren hated his interference in her life (he however finds out that the kid actually admired him a lot, and wanted to be a therapist like him when she grew up - surprising that he made such an impact in just two visits!). He is also aware that the young woman is stripping for a living, he saw her at a bachelor’s party six years after she left therapy. Lauren even visited Alex at his office, and told him she is happy with how things are, and that she’s doing well for herself - another four years have passed since they met last.
A riot of thoughts runs through his mind as he wonders why Jane is calling about her daughter. The frantic mother tells the doctor that Lauren is missing; she seems to have just vanished into thin air - the police seem distanced and uncooperative, and she seeks his help to locate her daughter. Milo Sturgis, Delaware’s friend and LAPD detective helps Alex find Lauren - sadly her body is in a dumpster, hogtied and shot. Who could’ve wanted the girl dead - a list that is possibly hundreds of names long-crops up. Lauren’s high-end services as an escort and prostitute could have earned her some jealous peers or even obsessive clients. Her own father Lyle Teague is a negative and dark presence in her life, she never wanted anything to do with him - but could he have detested her enough to have murdered her?



Andy, Lauren’s homosexual roommate is also questioned, but he seems to know next to nothing about her life. Then there’s Gene Dalby (her friend and professor at college). Finally what does Dr. Benjamin Drugger, director of the women’s motivational facility have to do with Lauren - were they lovers? On further investigation, it appears that one Shawna Yager, another student of the same college where Lauren was, had also disappeared a year ago - could this be related?
Even though Sturgis has told Delaware that Lauren had a record for prostitution, Alex is not willing to accept that her life as a sex worker had anything to do with her death. Although prostitution sounds like a dirty and dark business (and it is, beyond doubt) - Lauren was not really part of the cesspool, yet there must be more to her life, she was a great student, with good grades, studying to be a psychologist. Neck-deep in brothel madams and porn - Alex is set to redeem the dead woman’s honor.
The story is slow paced yet riveting, the cast of characters is interesting, including a Hugh Heffner type porn tycoon! The uninteresting bit is about Alex and Robin’s blow-hot-blow-cold relationship which seems to interest no one, not even them - so much so that Robin chooses to take a holiday without Alex. Kellerman’s fifteenth Delaware novel, and he manages to get it bang on every time - the narrative flows easy, blending in with the much loved Detective Delaware’s tenacity and talent.

Dr. Death (Published in 2000) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

The Humanitron had taken fifty lives. And now, its final victim was the inventor of the pieced together death machine - Dr. Eldon Mate aka Dr. Death, but the IV bottles with potassium chloride and thiopental hooked to his arms are just a cloak behind which the actual cause of death is hidden. Injury to the head, castration - in fact, the doctor was bled through eight cuts. Macabre.
No secret that many would’ve kicked their heels up in joy at the news of Mate’s death, actually, there were many you’d suspect wouldn’t mind murdering the man or getting someone else to do it for them - the Church, supremacists, proponents of religious & moral conservatism - the list is endless. For his part, Eldon has many shades to his character - his surname for instance , could vulgarly be translated to mean the obvious, however, ‘mate’ in Spanish also means ‘to kill’ (he is survived by his widow, who being of Latin origin may have given him this useful insight into the nomenclature of his name!). All said and done, Eldon is far from likeable, as his post-life profiling reveals - he willingly assists anyone for any reason, walking the tight rope between morality, ethics and just pure thrill for kill.
The man of the hour is Alex Delaware, who makes his fourteenth appearance with Sturgis - the two team up to create a profile of the killer as well as set out to map the road taken by him or her that led to the horrific death of Eldon Mate. However, the two friends experience a slight turbulence, as Milo is offended that Alex should invoke doctor-patient secrecy and sanctity, by not giving him details of his dealings with one of the ‘travelers’ (as the incumbents awaiting death were referred to) relatives. Joanna Doss, the late wife of Richard Doss, a real estate developer, was one such traveler who was brought on board by her daughter Stacy. Joanna was being suffered immensely before she sought Eldon’s help - unbeknownst to Richard. The impropriety of discussing his patient’s revelations weighs heavily on the relationship which Milo and Delaware have shared for years.



The other suspect is an obsessive FBI Agent, Leimart Fusco, who has been trailing the suspect of many euthanasia-related deaths in healthcare facilities, and several other ‘mercy killers’, one of whom has a taste for psychopathic geometrical carving of corpses, who would vie for Eldon’s shoes are also suspect. Even his own son - who was abandoned, and lives on the fringes of society is on the list. The interesting aspect of the story is the network Kellerman creates while building up to the climax, while many readers have found it somewhat disappointing, one appreciates the effort taken to build the crescendo.
Kellerman brings in Detective Petra Connor who has a cameo appearance (her own novels being Survival of the Fittest, Billy Straight). His writing is short and layered at the same time - the average person has no difficulty understanding the shades, without any intellectual maneuvering to do. Implied inspiration from the real life Dr. Death - Dr. Jack Kevorkian – this thriller is a must, great weekend read, difficult to put down!

The Clinic (published in 1997) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Heart, groin, back, cold rage, class snobbery, sexual intimacy, criminal confidence - just some of the dirt that gruesome knife slashes can throw up. As Alex Delaware tries to unravel the motive behind Hope Devane’s murder, he is intrigued that someone would want to kill the feminist-badge totting hardliner in so gruesome a manner. No doubt Hope has rankled a number of men with her extreme take on suffragists and their role in making society what it is today, that men were responsible for the martyrdom of femdom featured regularly in her talks and writings.
Delaware is able to make a connection that it has to be someone close to Hope who has killed her; a random murder wouldn’t have been so suggestive and message-rendering as hers. Her husband Phillip seems to have accepted her fame and popularity with studied ease, could he have a motive? Could the nameless, faceless person, who read her bestseller “Wolves and Sheep”- about how women are victimized by men, have had a motive? Could someone from the date-rape panel at her college been responsible? Could the suspicious character at the ob/gynae clinic be a killer?
But despite the male basher attitude that Hope had, she actually enjoyed the company of men and was friendly to quite a few of them - a fact that Delaware discovers along the way. And in doing so, has a couple of red herrings he has to deal with - the relationship Hope shared with her doctoral supervisee Casey Locking, the specialist in fertility from whom she received a huge amount of money for consultation, her private life, and the links she may have had with a mafia boss and Vegas showgirl. From one positive break to a claustrophobic dead end, Alex and Milo begin to understand why the case has been classified as cold.




Hope Devane’s list of enemies which seemed nonexistent at first is now peppered with suspects, after all the tough lady had rubbed so many people the wrong way; its almost as if she wished to master the whole control through psychology strategy - right from setting up inquisition style interpersonal conduct committees to extreme male bashing - could the lady have had it coming - obviously?
The Delaware - Sturgis friendships have been a regular feature over the past ten books, and it is refreshing to note that the two are given yet another opportunity to bond with each other. We witness the LAPD detective gently persuading college girls and arm twisting lawyers, undercover role as a soap producer or cruising in his Porsche: Milo-a-plenty. We would have liked to see Robin feature more often, her presence humanizes Delaware, and he seems a believable creation!
The novel is signature Kellerman, written in the typically and intentionally face paced, short sentenced style that the author is know by; the element of surprise in the book is the fact that this time, there isn’t really a sub plot to throws you off scent - he gets straight to the murder in the very first chapter, and all forty one chapters are racy, heart thumping and adrenalin pumping windows into clues that get you closer to nabbing the killer.

The Web (published in 1996) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Dr. Woodrow Wilson Moreland: philanthropist and saint. This is probably why he invited Alex and Robin over for three months to his heavenly abode in Micronesia, where Delaware could work with him and play with Robin. (Alex is like Kellerman’s alter ego - so while he does his ‘daddy day care’ bit in real life at 43, Delaware gets to holiday!)
Moreland had come across an article that Alex had written about group trauma, and is impressed by the practical and informed perspective the forensic –cum-child psychologist has; Woodrow himself has been studying patients for years, and seeks Alex’s help in organizing the large data base of the medical records he has, while he would’ve preferred an anthropologist, he changes his preference, and would rather, that Alex, with his background in clinical psychology, helps out. He even offers a joint collaboration as far as authorship of his book is concerned, with equal stakes.
This is just the break Delaware needs, for both he and Robin have been through hell - their home in Malibu was burnt down, and a spate of jinxes follow. So, Woodrow’s offer is heaven-sent! Thus far, the setting is idyllic, blue waters, warm sands, polite cohabitants- but these waters have been known to harbor sharks, who knows what secret lies buried beneath the sands, and ‘there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face’.

The island of Aruk is divided, for convenience as per the windward and leeward sides, the former being close to town is where Moreland resides, and the latter is Stanton, a US naval base. The exits from the base along the southern beach have been blocked after there were rumors that sailors murdered a local girl. It seems, though, unfortunately, that there will be more deaths in days to come.

Woodrow Moreland has spent almost more than four decades on the seven hundred acre island, which he bought from the US government in 1963, himself having served in the army. He enjoys the patronage of the locals, who hold him in high esteem - he’s vaccinated kids on the island, cleaned up the water supply - and is everyone’s obvious favorite. But Alex’s sleuthing-gut tells him there’s more to Moreland than meets the eye - including strange house guests which don’t include his collection of giant centipedes, spiders and roaches. A husband-wife sub alto pair of doctors, Moreland’s daughter who is getting over a divorce, a misread local – all add to the dense and dark mystery of Aruk.

What is even more bizarre is that the eccentric Moreland chooses the most outlandish cases to palm off to Alex - a demented guy who has witnessed something horrific, a victim who succumbed to radiation after a nuclear mishap, the washed up and mutilated body of a woman. But those readers who are Delaware fans would know that he is at ease and at home amongst the bizarre, in fact any semblance of normalcy in his world, would entail the above!

Let’s just say that the book is well ensconced between horror and crime - causing many a frisson of fear and thrills to run down the reader’s spine. How Alex always manages to get embroiled in a mystery with dead bodies cropping up effortlessly - is something Robin would wonder, no doubt. She might even think twice before packing her bags for the next holiday destination Delaware suggests!

Self-Defense (published in 1995) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

We meet Alex Delaware in his ninth adventure - along with Milo Sturgis, LAPD detective and friend. Although Dr. Delaware does not see private clients anymore, he has made an exception for Ms. Lucy Lowell, at the behest of Milo, a juror on a case involving a brutal serial killer that he was assigned to. Lucy has a history of being tormented by nightmare with a recurrent theme - a young child of four alone in a dark forest, privy to a strange act - a sleeping woman being carried away by three men. She has a past that is marred by abandonment and emotional abuse, as a twenty five year old, she lives with these scars, that have resurfaced and are beginning to cloud her ability to remain lucid.
Her father, once a celebrated author - Mr. Bayard Lowell is now a cripple, discontented with life. He’d enjoyed his laurels while they lasted, once the novelty of popularity faded, Bayard chose to open ‘Sanctum’- a retreat for artists and writers, who lived off ‘free love’ in the 1970s. The retreat is now an abandoned and rundown, ramshackle structure.
Although Lucy seems to have no memory of her time spent there, her half brother Ken recalls the summer when Bayard’s kids from both his marriages, came over to the Sanctum. On further investigation, it is revealed that a young woman called Karen Best had gone missing from the retreat; she was a waitress at a restaurant not far from Sanctum. Lucy’s dream may have its roots in that she had witnessed her father and two other men carrying Karen’s body into the woods.

Relief for the reader is at hand, though, for amidst all this chaotic investigating and gore - Lucy becomes infatuated with our suave Detective Sturgis, creating a few blushing moments - not for her, but him! As for Alex and Robin, the two are house hunting, and find a nook in Malibu, affordable, thanks to the recession, with the French bulldog, who was rescued by Delaware in ‘Bad Love.’

The sub plot is interesting as well - the trial of Job Shwandt has captured the attention of everyone, including Gothic-types who think he’s god; the man is on trial for a series of killings in which he brutally ripped his victims to shreds. The worst had been the case of Carrie Fielding, a ten year old girl from Brentwood. She was kidnapped, raped, strangled and mutilated. Milo stepped in and took over the case thereafter, bringing the perpetrator to book. He is picked up by the police, who find a mummified hand (not Carrie’s) in the glove compartment.

As Shwandt’s trial progresses, so does Lucy’s nightmare, which is now taking over reality, she starts to believe that she has an insight into the details of the crime scene: how he defecated into holes that he bore into the victim’s body, lacerating them and dishonoring the once live person in the most horrific manner imaginable. The book is longish, compared to Kellerman’s other works, with fifty chapters in all; in spite of the time travelling, it makes an interesting read, and gives an in depth view of the ‘70s. 

Bad Love (published in 1994) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Kellerman has a knack for throwing the reader off scent with riveting sub plots - Bad Love, the eighth in the Delaware series, is no exception. The two Wallace sisters, Tiffany and Chondra, traumatized by the brutal murder of their mother, Ruthanne, by none other than their father, Donald Wallace - are Delaware’s patients. Four months after his incarceration in Folsom prison, the Court rules that Donald can see his daughters, twice a month at the prison, which is a plane ride away for the girls, currently in the care of their maternal grandmother - Evelyn Rodriguez.
Stephen Huff, an LA court judge is against granting Wallace paternal rights, considering history, and asks Alex to draw up a profile with the help of the children, to stall the procedure, stating that the visitation would further harm their already fragile psyches. Whilst Delaware is contemplating just how to break the ice with the girls, he ignores the package that arrived for him that morning. When he retrieves the brown package later, he finds an audio cassette inside, he plays it to find out what the message in it is; Alex is sickened and shocked - a blood curdling scream of a male, panting like an animal, howling in torturous pain. So loud an disturbing are these maniacal sounds, that Alex moves to lower the volume, and just as he is about to - silence ensues from the tape.
A new, almost cherubic, ethereal voice, a child’s - starts a low, stomach-turning, ghostly chant: ‘Bad love, bad love…Don’t give me that bad love…’ It is repeated four or five times, creepier and more onerous than earlier, Alex could almost see in his mind’s eye, the child who was chanting - ghostly, grey and emaciated.
As he delved into his ‘Black Museum’ aka the bottom drawer where he kept his files, all the while his mind is overwhelmed and replaying sounds of the chant. He decides against retrieving the Ruthanne files, and instead tries to find the meaning of the phrase ‘bad love’ - ransacking the corners of his mind – past and present- lifting  and opening recesses - still no clue. Could it be a client from the past, giving in to his/ her schizoid fantasies, or was it Wallace come to haunt him from behind prison walls?




Delaware decides to reach out to Milo Sturgis, the LAPD detective and friend. However, Sturgis is especially busy since all the efforts the Department made to ensure he retires early - are stalled by the rock willed officer. Meanwhile, as Delaware comes home, he is greeted by a bulldog, which he waters and takes to a vet. On his way back, he chats up with Milo, who tells him that sometime earlier a social worker called Rebecca Basille was murdered, and the killer had screamed the phrase out loud enough for a clinic director to have heard it but he wasn’t able to save her, as the psycho hacked her to bits.
In the evening, when Milo pays him a visit, he also christens the dog – Rover. They try and find clues about the origin of the tape - but are helpless. Meanwhile, as the days progress, Alex is sent chilling reminders – a creepy laugh on the phone, vandalism and trespassing. He seems to be the target of a sick psycho, out to get him. But who is it?
An intricate plot weaves its way into Delaware’s past when he worked at the LA’s Western Pediatric Medical Centre as a child psychologist. He comes across a file/paper with ‘Good love/Bad love’ (a term for mothering gone bad) written on it; the year was 1979, Alex was left in charge as interim chief as his bosses are on sabbatical. The above phrase was the title of a conference proposal sent by Katherine De Bosch, daughter, on behalf of  Andres B. De Bosch, PhD, to the WPMC. Delaware had rejected the proposal, the subject matter was uninteresting, and Bosch was ill known for originality.
The reader is now introduced to the plot - and lest this review should contain spoilers, suffice it to say - the read is exciting and intriguing! Kellerman at his best! And he even threw in Rover for good measure - takes the pressure off the reader!

Private Eyes (published in 1992) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

The sixth in the Delaware Series, Private Eyes expresses the sense of accomplishment that our favorite Kellerman creation - Alex Delaware feels, when his patient of many years - Melissa Dickinson, a then seven year old traumatized by an anxiety disorder - walks out of his LA surgery two years thence; healed. He views the girl’s case as one of his greatest achievements, happy to have transformed the phobic, fearful child into a confident and happy kid.
Eleven years have passed, and now Melissa is an eighteen year old Harvard aspirant and wealthy heiress to her actor mother’s estate and riches. She calls Delaware, seeking help for her reclusive mother. Before she was born - Gina, Melissa’s mother, was touted to be a budding star with a promising future. Promising, until Melvin Louis Findlay, 28, (Black-American, on March 3 1969, posing as a Western Union messenger), attacked her with acid - she suffered from third degree facial burns to the left side of her face, but her eyes, thankfully, were safe. Three days later, a former lover and employer of Gina - Joel McCloskey, is arrested as a prime suspect.
 Two decades later, she spends her days in a cavernous mansion, too scared and emotionally scarred to face the world. So affected is she by the assault, that she suffers from agoraphobia. The news that her assailant is free and roaming the streets of LA, only makes matters worse. Gina, who was widowed years ago, is remarried and undergoing intensive therapy with a husband-wife duo of behavioral psychologists. The only other support the mother and daughter seem to have is the stolid Mr. Jacob Dutchy, the family retainer and their Man Friday.




When Alex arrives at the mansion, he learns that Gina has driven away, and no one knows where - amazing feat for someone who wasn’t confident enough to even peep out of her front door! Along with his loyal sidekick – Milo, the two take on the case, the latter only too happy to get a break from an enforced sabbatical aka disciplinary leave, from the LAPD for having whacked a  homophobic superior, that too on TV.
On the personal front, Alex gets back with Robin, after his brief fling with Linda in Time Bomb - though the details are sketchy and unsatisfying. His character is credible and rock solid, considering this is his sixth appearance since Kellerman created him in 1985.
Kellerman is well known for his prolific writing based on psychopathology, and is an Edgar and Anthony Award winning author. Jonathan was offended by “the moron reviewing for the New York Times detested the book and savaged it as “thin gruel.”
He shouldn’t be, for the story does get predictable, tending to drag a bit; despite ingesting temporal relief through twisted and sometimes hilariously nefarious characters, the story is at best, a travel-read, a bus/train journey and its over - you may deal with the temptation of skimming a few pages hurriedly to get to the end- which, although the book sales were modestly significant,  is somewhat disappointing, as the villain in the piece is someone who hardly surfaced anywhere in the book- a real dampener in a mystery novel!

Time Bomb (published in 1990) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

The nineties were still untouched by the then sad prospect of what the world has become today; what may have seemed like noirish fiction then, is reality now. School shoot-outs, random killings by teens are not matters of great surprise anymore. Kellerman’s own admission that this was his attempt to write a ‘quasi-political’ novel, and that he feels it unfortunate that most of what was part of his ‘warped imagination’- is now true.
Alex Delaware - maverick, genial, empathetic and insightful – a memorable Kellerman creation, receives a call on a rainy November morning from LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis, commanding him to turn on the TV (in true Alex D - style, he expects dead nuns and pets with ESP) - on doing so, he is rudely awakened to the sea of innocent children’s faces that flood the screen, all visibly shaken and understandably traumatized by the shooting. Nathan Hale Elementary School, in the west side community of Ocean Heights is the scene for what would have been a cold blooded killing spree, had not our protagonist - Holly Lyn Burden, been gunned down by the aide of a local politician.
Conspiracy theories abound, including one about an assassination attempt gone awry, fuelled by the presence of State Assemblyman Samuel Massengil and City Councilman Gordon Latch, who were participants – to-be in a televised debate. Milo then asks Alex to come over to the School, so that he can use his experience with children to help ease the stress and trauma they may face post the incident. He meets the leggy Linda, principal, and the two fall into comfortable steps with each other - discussing her apprehensions with regard to the safety of the kids and his concern about whether they are displaying signs of post-traumatic stress.




She shares with him how distressed she feels that the children (ninety percent of whom are Latino, the rest Asians,) who are already in the middle of racial discrimination and busing wars should be subject to violence at school, considering that most of them come from already troubled families and neighborhoods. She reminds Alex against using the phrase “melting pot”- citing a memo that suggests the use of ‘salad bowl’, “Every ingredient maintains its integrity, no matter how much you toss it around.”
Alex Delaware assures Principal Linda Overstreet that the best way to deal with the kids would be to tell them that the sniper was already dead (he does not know, as of now, that the gunned down body is that of a teenage girl), letting the children know that evil is destructible. As he helps the kids overcome the horrors of that morning, Alex D soon becomes involved with the over-sensitive yet devoted principal. Meanwhile, he receives a strange request from Mahlon Burden, the slain sniper’s father, to perform a ``psychological autopsy'' to clear his daughter's name.
Incidents of race - aggravated sabotage and violence increase in number at the school, Sturgis finds out that a black friend of Holly's was gunned down by the police followed political assassinations. Delaware himself is part of a conspiracy that involves a plan of killing him, since he unearths a revivalist plot of the German American Bund. The devious connivance has in tow Neo-Nazi and White Supremacists, and Anti-Semitic elements thrown in for good measure.
A racy read from the master of crime-Jonathan Kellerman. The incidents cited may have been isolated in the ’90s, but, for a reader today, they are more commonplace, and therefore, despite the book having been written over a decade ago, it rings true today , when race-induced violence is more commonplace, if not more disturbing.

Devil's Waltz (published in 1993) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Munchausen by Proxy Disorder is a mental disorder in which parents or guardians abuse a child in order to gain sympathy for themselves - typically, they ensure the child suffers from a factitious medical affliction, rendering the person in hospice-care sometimes for prolonged periods that may stretch into the child’s youth. The Devil’s Waltz is Kellerman’s unconditional offering to such parents, children and providers of medical care - it is an in depth account of what happens to families who suffer from this Disorder, and how society needs to understand and support people who have been traumatized by it. According to Kellerman, the act of writing the book was ‘altruistic’ and ‘extremely gratifying’.
Perhaps this underlying altruism is what has made The Devil’s Waltz such a sensitive and touching read. For once the reader ignores the loop holes which may have plagued previous works, and concentrate on the greater good the book seeks out to achieve - that of the act of spreading awareness and sensitizing people.
Another gauntlet is thrown Alex Delaware’s way - ''What we've got is a whodunit, howdunit — a did-anyone-do-it. Only this is no Agatha Christie thing... This is a real-life mess.''
21-month old baby Cassie has a host of problems with no apparent cause – she seems fine each time she is admitted , (and that has been countless times over the past fifteen months) - with signs of ‘false positives’, respiratory problems, croup, membrane problems, reasons that could be idiopathic, could be an enzyme disorder - the list of diseases seems to peter off, as Dr. Stephanie Eves resorts to her obvious choice – Alex Delaware, forensic psychologist.




As he walks into General Pediatrics, he learns that the child’s mother has a background in medicine, she was a  respiratory tech. Stephanie, since she scheduled an appointment, learns that Baby Cassie has missed her annual medical examination. When she meets the child, she observes that Cassie is vocally and verbally slow. Four days later, Cassie is back in ER, with 105 temperature, the sickness saga goes on and now includes seizures - all this while, her lab tests etc are normal.
Before we can say Jack Robinson, our man Alex reaches the premise that what they are encountering is MBP, a disorder names after Baron von Munchausen, the famous fabricator of tall stories. Mothers have been known to especially abuse their daughters in MBP, the children suffer pain and torture at the maternal hand. Could Baby Cassie be a sufferer of the same fate, could her older sibling, who died of respiratory disorders, have been a victim as well?
The child is also famously the only grandchild of the hospital’s dictatorial chairman of the board, Charles L. Junior, infamous for his firing and lay-off policies; the latest casualty being the members of the Psych Department. A murder is linked to the hospital, a beefy head of security to contend with - seemingly unrelated events which keep Alex and the affable Milo on their toes till the very end, and the reader is kept on tenterhooks. Jonathan Kellerman, himself a psychologist, has a hands on approach to all matters of the mind, and this book in particular is one of them.

Silent Partner (published in 1989) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

The fourth in the Delaware series, we meet the affable Alex Delaware, resolute that he should be “…focusing on my patients, determined not to let my own garbage get in the way of work.” Alex D is faced with his most challenging case as yet (couple this with the recent emotional upheaval Delaware is facing, what with his long term girl friend Robin Castagna having left him) - when he is invited to a party he’s reluctant to go to (given the fact that the host is a man he detests - Dr. Paul Kruse, the new head of the University’s Psychology Department and sexologist who believes pornography is a legitimate sexual aid) - where he meets an ex-flame Sharon Ransom (leggy and buxom), who tells him she is seeking his help. Alex evades her, even though she tells him she is bothered by something and needs to confide in him. When he does make up his mind to meet her - he changes it again, leaving her a voice message, wishing her luck.
This is where things take a turn for the worse - Sharon is found dead the next morning, the prima facie evidence declaring it to be a case of suicide. Guilt–ridden, Delaware finds it hard to accept that she could’ve been driven to kill herself because of him. On digging further, he sees a side to Sharon he never thought existed. As he is caught in the web of investigations, he unearths aspects of her life he could not believe-illegal abortion networks, megalomania, doctors and their sexual exploits, academic pretense - just a whole lot of muck, too many sub-plots boggle the reader and a host of “now you see them, now you don’t” characters dot the horizon.


Delaware uncovers an unsavory sex tape of Sharon’s mum, triplets,(or the ‘three twins’ as they are referred to in the book) a journey that shows him the excesses of the rich and the lowdown on a family with some really sordid secrets. Schizophrenic flashbacks spaced over forty years, cold hearted business tycoons, ultra rich and immoral capitalists - boggle the mind. The underlying themes of depravity and sexual violence, murders and abuse unfold a little too frequently for the reader’s liking - making the story more bleak and cynical, and very noirish in approach, the extended plot can be especially trying for the reader.
In defense of the story-line, though, to be fair, the sexual improprieties mentioned – professor and student, then student and clients - have a realistic background. Kenneth Pope (renowned psychologist) in a 1979 survey came to the conclusion that 25% female graduates (then) had sexual contact/relations with their academic supervisors (professors, in most cases). Ofcourse the kind described in the book, lack believability only because they are so far-fetched.
Another big disappointment is the ‘lack of Milo’ in the book, he’s in and out of scenes only to raid the fridge and drop one liners. Missed him in this one! In fact the book is more about AD and his life - before his years of active sleuthing got the better of him! We get an insight into the man, as opposed to Delaware, forensic psychologist. The book has also been adapted as a graphic novel in 2012, scripted by Ande Parks (Union Station & Capote in Kansas), illustrated by Michael Gaydos, whose repertoire precedes him - Marvel and DC Comics. Not Kellerman’s best, yet.

Over the edge (published in 1987) - A psychological thriller written by Jonathan Kellerman

Two books old, Alex Delaware, former practicing child psychologist, currently forensic big wig with the LAPD – has another sticky case to solve. Although he needn’t work, considering that Lou Cestare, his ‘money handler’ makes sure he’s raking in the moolah through sound investments, he lends his expertise to the Department. However, he makes sure he has time to sit by his very own Koi pond and de-stress after a hard day’s work solving  less than savory  cases.
Revenge, money, power - the underlying motives for murders, and the recurring themes in mystery novel, set the pace of the story beginning with the very first chapter, and as the story progresses, one is sucked into the past - when two buddies, Black Jack and Souza fell for the same girl -Antoinette. Swept off her feet by Black Jack’s winning charm and charismatic persona, the lady makes her choice clear from the start, leaving Souza out in the cold.
Although he plays the best buddy to the T, Souza burns with jealousy and anger – from jilted lover to a face in the crowd at the wedding, from best pal to silent spectator of Jack's successes after another - he chooses to hit low and destroy his friend’s entire life. When Jack and Antoinette die tragically young, their three year old – Jamey Cadmus, scion and heir- is left in the care of his uncle and aunt.
An intelligent and exceptionally gifted child, Jamey was part of a UCLA study - Project 160, since he had a brilliant IQ of over 160. The aim of the study was to prove that there is no ‘streak of madness’ in geniuses, however, Jamey started to display troubled behavioral traits - a possibility that the psychosis that plagued his family, has come to haunt him as well.



This disapproves the premise the study is founded on; and Jamey seeks treatment with Alex Delaware - but drop out of it at sixteen, without any explanation. The doctor tries to get in touch with the child’s guardian, his uncle, but hears nothing from either of them. And then five years later, in the mid of night, Alex receives a frantic call from Jamey, obviously psychotic, begging for help. As the boy jabbers incoherently and rambles, Alex learns he is at the Canyon Oaks Mental Hospital; when Delaware drives to meet him - the boy goes missing again.
Milo Sturgis, Delaware’s friend and LAPD detective is, on the other hand, investigating a series of killings, called the Lavender Slasher Murders - he has been assigned the case based on the fact that involves the murder of young male prostitutes; the consequence of  bias he has to face since he  himself is homosexual.
Milo enquires whether Alex has heard of Jamey, this the doctor confirms. Later, he is informed by Souza (who is incidentally the Cadmus’ family lawyer ) that the boy has been found, in an extremely compromising situation - smeared with blood, clutching a knife midst two mutilated corpses. Charged with murder, Jamey is sent to the County Jail, where Alex is given access to the boy.
In all studies, psychologists agree that schizophrenics are harmless, and there is hardly any evidence to prove that they may become serial killers, and even though two of the kids on Project 160, went off it (the other being a boy called Gary, whom Jamey befriends) - there is no reason to link there psychosis to the murders.
In Kellerman’s own words, “As a psychologist, I’ve always been intrigued by the genius/insanity myth. The truth is most highly gifted individuals are pretty well-adjusted. But what if…it’s all about the what-if.” A great read, touching and sentimental, ruthless and coldblooded, thrilling and frightening, another masterpiece, much like When the Bough Breaks.

Blood Test (published in 1986) - Psychological drama written by Jonathan Kellerman

Kellerman’s second novel after When the Bough Breaks in the Delaware series, written in 1986, opens with Alex at the courtroom listening to the final judgment being delivered against one Richard Moody - who has been declared unfit by Delaware – due to which he is not allowed custody of his children. Moody approaches Alex, pleading with him to tell the judge otherwise, when the latter refuses, Richard assaults him, but is over powered by Delaware.
Meanwhile, Alex is approached by a friend, a pediatric oncologist - Dr. Raoul Melendez-Lynch to speak to the Swopes, a family whose five year old son Woody, is suffering from leukemia. Alex must try and convince the parents not to discontinue the child’s chemotherapy sessions, who are certain that the best way to deal with the disease is to administer non chemical, holistic medication. The Book follows these two families, the sub plot and the plot- the Moodys and the Swopes - and how Delaware is intrinsically involved with both, the shades that layer his dealings with both are different, yet the aim is the same - to ascertain that the children involved remain unscathed as far as possible.
When Alex arrives at the hospital, he learns that the child has been kidnapped by his own parents, his mother posed as a lab technician and on the pretext of running some tests, spirited him away, leaving only a portentous blood stain in their wake.

The Swopes are horticulturists who lost most of what they had after they tried their hand at cherimoya farming - the South American fruit, believed to protect against cancer and Parkinson’s disease. So confident is Mr. Swopes of his future success, that he asks buyers to pledge that they would purchase only his fruit for the first year. He slogs for a decade, pampering the soil and the buyers, unfortunately, the crop fails due to bad weather conditions, and the couple end up losing most of their assets - the father, loses more than that- for he takes to sexually abusing his daughter, an understandably sullen and gloomy teenager, who, unbeknownst to Delaware, is actually Woody’s mother, not his sister. To make matters worse, the parents are found dead, whilst the girl, Nona, is part of a drug dealing, holistic-meditative cult called The Touch.
Alex uncovers the dark life at the commune, including details of drug abuse and group sex. He just about manages to escape harrowing attempts on his life, but eventually saves Woody.
Alex, with a penchant for walking into trouble, a fall out of snooping around all by himself as Milo is out of town (although knowing Alex, one is certain he’d  go digging, partner in tow, as well!), he seems indestructible - a fact which readers would find hard to accept!
The characters of Alex and Milo are really well defined and impact-ridden, but what with every person having dark shades that lend them an air of foreboding; child molesters, drug dealers, murderers - the extreme of ugly, therefore, the other characters are lacking in credibility! The story is intriguing and gripping, however, the deviant nature of most of the characters – makes it unbelievable and too dark, it’s almost as if the reader is pushed into a tunnel of endless darkness with no hope of a light at the end of it! Thankfully, real life isn’t half as dreary as the book.

When the Bough Breaks (published in 1985) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Jonathan Kellerman’s background in psychology makes him a formidable authority on not just the psychological practice, but also the psychosocial and legal aspects of his work. ‘When the Bough Breaks’ is Kellerman’s debut crime–mystery novel, written in 1985, and the first Delaware book. The novel could not have been written at a more harrowing time in America, when many cases of sexual abuse were being unearthed in child care facilities in the ‘80s; the Kern County child abuses, the Country Walk Babysitting Service abuse cases, Fell Acres Day Care Center case etc were only the tip of the iceberg, as more than 9 such criminal cases were brought to light.
Kellerman’s debut gave birth to the fictional character of Alex Delaware, a forensic psychologist with the LAPD, with a background in child psychology. His partner is Milo Sturgis, a detective with the Department.
We are introduced to a stressed out and highly strung Delaware, who would like to take a break - he had been working on a case of child abuse and molestation, and wants nothing more than to put it all behind and move on. However, Milo, urges Alex to put an end to his self imposed exile, for there is a case that needs his attention and expertise.
Dr. Morton Handler and his girlfriend Elena are found brutally murdered in the former’s apartment. The sole eye witness, a seven year old gives a confused and incoherent statement, and Milo is certain that with his expertise, Delaware would be able to help the child provide a more concrete and comprehensible account of what happened to the deceased couple, in the matter of just one interview. The child, whose name is Melody Quinn, was under Handler’s care for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), she is also undergoing strong medication which includes the drug Ritalin - known to cause serious side effects such as disturbed sleep, changes in weight and suppressed appetite.

To complicate matters further, Dr. Lionel Towle, the child’s pediatrician, refuses to alter the dosage of medication. Forming a bond with the girl and her mother Bonita, Alex reduces her dosage, without Towle’s knowledge, and thus gains access to their trust and vital information. Unfortunately, Melody begins to have nightmares, this gives her pediatrician an excuse to blame Delaware; both the doctor and Bonita Quinn forbid Alex to meet Melody. Genuinely concerned about the child, Alex and Milo start to piece together the mysterious circumstances under which Handler and his friend were murdered - the trail leads them to La Casa de los Niños, a home for special children.

Not wanting to spoil the plot, let’s just say that the Handler double murder is a drop in the murky, gory waters of homicidal history; the roots an links of which reach far back into Delaware’s own past. Kellerman skillfully weaves in secondary characters with unique, multi-layered personalities that intrigue, repel and fascinate - all at once, a treat for the senses. The characters of Delaware and Milo are peppered with human foibles that any reader could identify with. The ‘80s were a troubled time, with people coming to terms with

 changing social orders and demographics that were shifting - this included a sizeable workforce in varied arenas who had alternative sexual identities. Sturgis faces scrutiny and scorn for being homosexual, but handles it with surprising aplomb, a sign that he is comfortable and respectful of his identity.

The most comforting aspect has to be Kellerman’s conscious effort not to beleaguer the reader with psycho-medical babble; the narrative is simple, hard hitting and impact-ridden. However, it is best avoided due to the disturbing and graphic detailing of child abuse, especially for those sensitive readers who are disconcerted when faced with even fictional instances of violence meted out towards children.

Neverwhere: A Novel (written by Neil Gaiman) - published in 1996

“The trouble with girls is they’re a mystery,
Something about ‘em puzzles me
Spend my whole life tryin’ to figure out
Just what them girls are all about…”
What man doesn’t wish to be the knight in shining armor - saving the damsel in distress? Exactly what Richard Mayhew does, except that his fiancée Jessica is in tow as well, warning him not to; and to make matters worse, the rescued damsel-Door, bloodied and wounded implores him to extend to her another favor - find her friend Marquis de Carabas, who would help her escape the fate that awaits her in the guise of two ruthless assassins - Mr. Croup and Mr.Vandemar.
So precisely why is Door in trouble? Her parents were killed in London Below, and her bid to escape brings her to London Above. She possesses the inherent gift of opening other things, besides just doors. The fox-like Croup and the animal devouring wolfish Vandemar are on her heels, to subject her to the same fate as her family.
Richard is paid a visit by Messrs. Croup & Vandemar, showing him a  picture of their ‘sister’ Door, whom they would like to take back to mother; sensible Richard denies her presence, and on their way, the duo hear Jessica break Richard’s heart and their engagement. As if it couldn’t be more infernal - Richard is now invisible, homeless and jobless.
In search of Door (who, by the by, has disappeared in smoke), Richard travels to London Below, to the kingdom of the Rat Speakers, and the Floating Market, where he finally finds Door, who is conducting a recruitment drive for prospective bodyguards. Finally, the position goes to Hunter, and the three (Door, the Marquis and Hunter) get Richard to join them on their journey to the Earl’s Court-the Earl would direct them to the Angel of Islington - guardian  angel of London Below.


The Marquis, a swashbuckling, suave, smooth Puss in Boots type of chap has been a loyal friend of Door’s deceased family. Along with him, they all travel to the Court, although he has to leave mid way owing to irreconcilable differences with the Earl. Meanwhile, the Earl directs them to the British Museum, to find the Angelus statue, which paves the way to the Angel. Once they meet, the Angel promises to reveal the identity of the killers of Door’s family. However, she must first salvage the inimitable key from the Black Friars, the other residents of London Below.
On the other hand, the Marquis strikes a deal with Messrs. Croup & Vandemar – that in exchange for a priceless T’ang Dynasty figurine, they would disclose the mystery of the murder of Door’s family. While the Marquis lives up to his word, unfortunately, the wolves in sheep’s clothing- Croup & Vandemar- don’t; ending in the tragic end of the brave Marquis.
On the other hand, Door, Richard and Hunter are on their way to the Black Friars, where the three face a test each-Door wins the test of intellect, Richard- the test of character and Hunter, the test of strength. This success results in them getting the key.
The Devil in the plot is the Angel, closely following on his devious trail, Hunter. Both of them want to use Door’s powers for their own gain - he to have dominion over all the angels, and Hunter to slay the Beast. But all’s well that ends well - everything evil is carefully dispensed, and Richard returns to London Above-more confident, yet longing for London Below.
Neil Gaiman’s penchant for fantasy has yet again drawn readers, young and old alike, to enjoy yet another spiraling and thrilling story about worlds unknown. The Book is also a drama series on TV, starring Clive Russell and Laura Fraser. Gaiman has outdone himself with the Book- a modern day fairy tale of opulent magnitude, is what the reader should expect. He is also the author of the Graveyard Book, American Gods and the comic series The Sandman. Gaiman is the first writer to win both the Carnegie and Newberry medals for The Graveyard Book (2008).

Slayride (published in 1973) - By Dick Francis, investigating a disappearing English Jockey in Norway

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 the CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
SlayRide is a racing novel amidst the Norwegian back drop. Dick Francis sets the whole cast in Norway where the racing community is very small and therefore invite British Jockeys to give a fillip for their fortunes. Bob Sherman is an English Jockey who disappears with a large sum of the earnings, like sixteen thousand kroner. Embarrassed by the turn of events, the British Jockey Clubs send in an investigator, David Cleveland who tries to understand the case. As he digs deeper he finds many clues where he finds the robbery and escape theory implausible. Bob Sherman leaves behind a pregnant wife and a good career which makes a case for his innocence.



As David goes through the case his life is also in peril. He survives a vicious boating accident and numerous attempts on his life. But slowly and steadily he keeps on the path of the killer and he is flushed out. This book is not one of the finest of Dick Francis books but still holds on its own. Sometimes you might feel a little unfulfilled as the thriller element takes a back seat as Francis rambles about the horse racing scenes in Norway. His prodigious knowledge about Jockeying and the racing scenes around the world with respect to the English racing is great, but its only for the racing fans. Well much of the English Gentlemen thing is also a tad over done especially in this day and age. David has lot of lady friends about whom he thinks polite amoral thoughts is a funny element.
I felt a little let down by this book when compared to his Smokescreen and Rat Race. This may not be a hard to put down kind of book but enjoyable all the same. It is a recommended read at-least a first time read.

Smokescreen (published in 1972) - A movie actor trying to break a mystery related to horses

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 the CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
Smokescreen slightly deviates from the usual text of Dick Francis where the protagonist is a swash buckling movie star, happily married and much touted family man. Edward “linc” Lincoln is a handsome movie star happily married to Charlotte with three children. Though English, Francis shifts the action away from the English shores to Spain and South Africa. Linc happens to be the star of a Spanish film, “man in the Car” and which while shooting in Spain comes across a draining scene. He is handcuffed and left to die for the shoot which proves to be for real. After this nerve racking experience Linc craves for something akin to a vacation. His godmother, Nerissa asks him to visit her and Linc on meeting her is taken aback by her condition. Nerissa suffering from a kind of cancer has few days to live. She asks Linc to check out her ranch in South Africa where her prized stallions are going bust in all the races.



She wants to leave her stallions to her nephew upon her death and also to Linc. Nerissa in her simplicity feels that the inheritance she leaves should not be a burden to her nephew. Linc agrees to go to South Africa and sort out the issue.
Linc, apart from being a movie star, in his earlier days was actually a prized jockey, whose only fault was to grow very tall. So he knows quite a bit about the horses and meets Nerissa's nephew, Danillo. At first Danillo seems to be a innocent young man, but soon Linc's suspicion shifts to him. Danillo seems to lead a double life and intends to usurp Linc's inheritance as well. As soon as Linc lands in South Africa, continuous attempts on his life takes place and he is compelled to play a game of cat and mouse with a tough assailant. As all the Dick Francis stars, Edward Linc is left battered, but he doggedly pursues the case and helps to get the knots untied.
As usual Dick Francis has come up trumps with a great book of the day and I can assure you that you cannot keep it down even for a second. If you are planning to read through the night get the lights properly checked for you ain't gonna let this go half way. Linc as a hero is superbly sketched and each encounters with the villain brings in goosebumps. South African scenery is well exploited in this book and mind you these are the dark apartheid days. In-spite of little craziness Smokescreen works wonders and is one of the best thriller you can put your money on.

Rat Race (published in 1970) - Famous jockey, bomb explosions, and insurance

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 in CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
For a change the main hero of Rat Race is not directly connected with racing, but Matt Shore is a pilot who pilots an air taxi service. But still it is a Dick Francis story and there will be a racing angle. So Matt Shore is a pilot, down on his luck and who flies a light aircraft ferrying horses and jockeys to different racing locations. This book is heavily drawn from Francis's experience as a pilot and when he and his wife did run an air taxi service.



Matt Shore is a pilot whose life has taken a beating with some incidents, and an acrimonious divorce. His successful career as an pilot ends, retreats into flying for an air taxi, and is forced to live in a trailer. He gets the job at an Air taxi Service, Derrydowns as their pilot when one of the regulars go abroad. Other pilots do look down upon him and the competition for customers are tough. On his first day he ferries a couple of passengers who do not get along and among them is Colin Ross, a moody but a prize winning jockey. During the flight due to faulty wiring Matt undertakes an emergency landing and the plane explodes as soon as the passengers disembark. Even though no one was injured Matt is reprimanded and left searching for answers.
During his investigations he finds that one of his passengers was an explosive expert and deduces that the scheme was to eliminate Colin Ross. Because of the lack of evidence, the investigation is a bit slow, and the police are not so sure of what Matt is finding out. Matt soon finds the girl of his dreams, Nancy who turns out to be Colin Ross's sister. Soon they are romantically involved and things move on the leisurely plane. But then Nancy's plane is hot wired while piloting her brother and Matt guides their plane to safety. Matt restarts his investigations and unearths the syndicate which eliminates jockeys. Soon the villains smell the rat and start pursuing Matt and in a tense standoff he outwits them all, in a thriller that goes to the right page. Matt gets the girl and also Colin Ross's gratitude.
Dick Francis never disappoints with his taut narration of a mystery. But thats the only saving grace, otherwise the idea is a much used one. The villains are also etched well and does not glorify the violence to survive. A good book if you have lot of time to kill.

Enquiry (published in 1969) - A jockey in search of justice, find out who framed him

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 in CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield are suspended for life by the Oxford Stewards for deliberately throwing racing matches. Dexter goes in to a depression and numbs his grief with the help of the bottle. But Hughes, made of sterner stuff channelizes his anger in finding out who framed him and planted the evidence. His journey takes him in to a murkier world of murder, deceit and blackmail.



This book is extremely interesting because Hughes is not a detective or even a snoopy curious guy. He is just a person in search of justice and so he does not even know where to begin. He just starts with the obvious, investigating all the people who gave evidence against him during the hearing. So the chipping away of the layers happens where shady characters who do away non conforming jockeys are unveiled.
Hughes gets his help from an unexpected quarter, Roberta - his employer's daughter helps him in his quest. Hughes and Roberta are poles apart with a yawning class divide between them. Roberta's dad treats jockeys as third class citizens and would be horrified to find his daughter consorting with such men. Hughes initially does not like this snooty, spoilt rich girl, but soon they become allies and then love blossoms. To my extreme relief Dick Francis let Hughes to get the girl which is pretty unusual. This is one of the characteristic of Dick Francis's novels, that the good guys never surely get the girl, the only thing he assures is that the good guy survives even romantic failures.
The book is amazing with a great pace. Each actions and even simple happenings are for some reason and Francis ties all the loose ends admirably. When Hughes clears his name I just said a hurrah for that man's indomitable spirit even though he was just a character. A real feel good book, but beware of being sucked into the vortex. You can never stop at anytime till you have reached the end.

Flying Finish (published in 1966) - By Dick Francis, a heir to an earldom becomes a horse groom

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 in CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
Henry Grey in real life is a viscount and a very poor one too. A dwindling family fortune does not allow him any luxury to engage in his passions of racing and flying. Sleepwalking through his depressingly dreary desk job, he keeps his passions a secret. So just as any hero in the Dick Francis novels, Henry is sick of his life, struggling, but has great abilities with horses, mental toughness and determination. To compound his miseries, his family expect him to find a loaded wife who could bring in the money.



But Henry, tired of this life throws caution to the winds and takes up the job with a company which transports horses. He is the groom to the horses and this job albeit low in money and prestige takes care of his twin loves i.e flying and horse racing. But the company is not what it seems and Henry with his curiosity soon gets suspicious with the going-ons. As he goes on with his life he meets Gabriella in picturesque Milan with whom he feels a connection. But as he investigates the mysterious disappearances of colleagues and killing of horses he understands that, what he is transporting is more than equine cargo. This realization brings him face to face with a cold blooded ruthless killer. So Henry fights for his life, the horses and his love all while hanging precariously up in the air. After the fight sequences, the novel stops rather abruptly especially not resolving the romantic conflicts. These hanging loose threads may cause insomnia for a while.
On the whole the book is quite satisfactory with a great pace and action sequences. It also serves as a time machine which gives peek in to the past where the iron curtain ruled the political landscape. The villains are more blood thirsty and violence more graphic. The only disappointment is the ending, but many readers might wonder the fate of Gabriella. But a good book for all those who crave a mystery.