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Title: Reflex by Dick Francis ISBN: 0-515-13509-7 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.88 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent, full of suspense
Comment: This was the first Dick Francis book I read and it was fantastic. It was amazing how he tied so many, seemingly random, characters into the plot. Each time I guessed which character had done what infamous deed Francis turned the tables again. I finished the book on my second night of reading it at 4am becuase I simply could not put it down. The book was full of small, compelling puzzles and the interesting bits of information that solved them. After this book I began reading Francis's 'Come to Grief' and 'Nerve'.
Rating: 5
Summary: A "picture perfet" suspense novel from a master of the genre
Comment: Dick Francis novels generally follow a set formula: Seemingly random events ensnare a iconoclastic, intrepid protagonist into the vortex of a mysterious and dangerous situation that exposes the lad to various forms of mayhem and violence before he can get a handle on what's really going on and try to do something about it.
Although formulaic, Francis' work often comes across as fresh and innovative. This arises from his ability to develop strong, uniqe characters, his deft craftsmanship, a tremendous feel for suspense, and some sort of technical a subject background that provides a general focus for the whole story.
In this case, that background is photography.
Phillip Nore is a long time jockey who dabbles in amateur photography. When a well known but little liked professional racing photographer is killed in a car crash, Nore eventually, accidentally, comes into possession of the man's body of work and records. Suddenly Nore and those close to him a being subjected to break-in's in their home, apparently random attacks and so on. Nore comes to understand that the records and negatives he holds are the source of the trouble. He begins looking into the photographers past, and finds a nasty surprise indeed. The question is, can he get to the bottom of this mess before he gets killed?
This work is unusually strong for a Francis novel on several fronts. Phillip is a particularly strong character even for Francis-much more intellectual and introspective than is the norm. The technical aspects of photography needed to decipher the situation are expertly presented in an informative and non-intrusive way that takes nothing from the story-indeed, they add to it. And, the romantic aspect is unusually strong and well developed for a Francis novel as well.
On the whole, this is not only one of the best Francis novels I've read-it's pne of the best overall suspense novels as well.
Get yourself into the "picture': read this book!
Rating: 4
Summary: Probably my Favorite Dick Francis thus far
Comment: With my first love of Sci Fi and Fantasy, little else ever seems to hit my reading list. But after being introduced to Francis a couple of years ago, I've made it a point to break things up with one of his books every once in a while.
The formula is predictable as follows: Single, solitary, but extremely honest 30-ish horse guy usually in a period of personal transition gets unwillingly drawn into a mystery far more sinister and dangerous than anticipated. Along the way he meets a girl who surprises him by becoming the woman of his dreams, gets beat up a couple of times, and threatens to give up, but eventually solves the mystery, brings the bad guys to justice (though not usually the police) and discovers that his life is far more worth living than he'd thought.
But unlike most authors, for Francis the forumla works in his favor because the predictability of the plot and the well established personality of his main character leaves him free to focus on the details, which are always vastly different from story to story. In this case, it's photography, which alone probably makes Reflex is one of my favorites thus far. I've never been into photography in the least, but Francis' vivid and detailed descriptions of different methods of developing and creating "hidden images" in a negative made me want to learn more. I also really enjoyed the character of Jeremy, who was much further developed than most of Francis' supporting cast.
As with all Francis' novels, this one is well worth the read.
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Title: Twice Shy by Dick Francis ISBN: 0515134880 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: 25 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Straight by Dick Francis ISBN: 0515134651 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: 28 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Smokescreen by Dick Francis ISBN: 0449221113 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 22 February, 1993 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Enquiry by Dick Francis ISBN: 0515128678 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: 30 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: In the Frame by Dick Francis ISBN: 0449221164 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 22 February, 1993 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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