Dick Francis has died. He was a champion jockey who began writing mystery novels when he retired from racing. We own them all and have read and re-read them many times. In most of the books, the "bad guy" shows his face early on. The thrill is the beating the hero is going to take bringing the bad guy to justice. There is also the education you get. Dick rarely re-used a character (Sid Halley and Kit what's-his-name are the only ones I can think of). Instead he wrote his books with a horse-racing connection and something else. Accountancy, art, photography, toy making, trucking, catering, computers, piloting, bookmaking, etc.
One of my favorites is Nerve. The scene where the hero is hanging by his bound wrists from a hook in a deserted structure in the dead of night and the bad guy throws a bucket of cold water on him is really unforgettable. My No. 1 favorite is Risk. A taut, nerve-racking, unpadded book. I remember recommending it to a library user who'd never read his stuff. She was looking for a new author. She brought it back and said, "I couldn't get into it." In the future, I stalled when she asked for a recommendation.
There have been a few TV movies made based on his work. They're lame but we have watched them anyway. One batch stars Ian McShane, who has done a lot of high-quality TV work. Another featured the Sid Halley character. As I said, they are mostly lame. The worst thing was the Tony Richardson version of "Dead Cert," the very first Dick Francis novel. Every single human being in that movie was basically hateful.
Honor Dick Francis and entertain yourself by reading his books.
One of my favorites is Nerve. The scene where the hero is hanging by his bound wrists from a hook in a deserted structure in the dead of night and the bad guy throws a bucket of cold water on him is really unforgettable. My No. 1 favorite is Risk. A taut, nerve-racking, unpadded book. I remember recommending it to a library user who'd never read his stuff. She was looking for a new author. She brought it back and said, "I couldn't get into it." In the future, I stalled when she asked for a recommendation.
There have been a few TV movies made based on his work. They're lame but we have watched them anyway. One batch stars Ian McShane, who has done a lot of high-quality TV work. Another featured the Sid Halley character. As I said, they are mostly lame. The worst thing was the Tony Richardson version of "Dead Cert," the very first Dick Francis novel. Every single human being in that movie was basically hateful.
Honor Dick Francis and entertain yourself by reading his books.