Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Fawcett (1990), 348 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:A high-class, transcontinental horse-racing junket should be an idyllic getaway for the super-rich. But one passenger on this train is a sociopath, a genius at blackmail and criminal corruption�??and he plans to take everyone for everything they've got.
Media reviews
Tor Kelsey is assigned to protect both the horses and the passengers. Kelsey joins the staff, using the invisibility of his waiter's uniform, to keep an eye on Filmer, hoping to prevent any acts of sabotage. No easy task. A series of near misses keeps the story moving, along with the shenanigans of
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a ''murder mystery'' being enacted en route, which are cleverly incorporated into the plot. He not only evokes the seduction of traveling by train but, as usual, he manages to convey his abiding affection for the racing game itself. Show Less
Once upon a time there was an ex-jockey named Dick Francis who wrote taut, fresh action-mysteries about racing (Dead Cert, Nerve, Forfeit, Bonecrack, etc.). For the past ten years or so, however, his fame has grown while his work has gotten ragged, strained, unreliable. And this new adventure--a
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formula train-thriller that's short on races, and virtually devoid of mystery--may well be Francis' weakest book yet. Bland narrator-hero Tor Kelsey is a millionaire but, for fun, works as a security-agent for the British Jockey Club. Most recently, he's been on the trail of sleek villain Julius Filmer, who's guilty of extortion and murder--but always manages to walk away scot-free. Then the Jockey Club learns that Filmer has booked passage on "The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train," a Canadian PR event that combines a posh rail-ride with special races and a silly "murder game" (complete with hired actors) along the way. What dastardly evil does Filmer have in mind? No one is sure. But young Tor goes undercover--just in case--as a waiter/actor. From Toronto to Vancouver, he watches as Filmer cozies up to a matronly (but shady) Thoroughbred-owner, and to the super-wealthy Lorrimore family. Blackmail, it would seem, is in the air--as is sabotage: all the familiar railroad cliffhangers are played out, halfheartedly. Some of the horses on board may also be in danger. And eventually, after some minor derring-do, Tor foils the foul Filmer at last--and uncovers the truth about the Lorrimore clan's truly ludicrous Deep Dark Secret. Lumpily padded, thinly plotted: a thoroughgoing disappointment for Francis fans--and not much fun even for fanciers of the luxury-train-in-jeopardy genre. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Murder on board the Mystery Train. I really enjoyed this one.
LibraryThing member LA12Hernandez
Loved the way this crime was worked out. Made me wish I could have been there.
LibraryThing member auntieknickers
Another great read by Dick Francis. This one involves a transcontinental train trip across Canada which combines horse-racing and a "murder game." But of course, there's a real murder and Tor Kelsey, undercover security agent for the British Jockey Club, must find the culprit.
LibraryThing member SalemAthenaeum
A high-class, transcontinental horse-racing junket should be an idyllic getaway for the super-rich.
But one passenger on this train is a sociopath, a genius at blackmail and criminal corruption--and he plans to take everyone for everything they've got.
But one passenger on this train is a sociopath, a genius at blackmail and criminal corruption--and he plans to take everyone for everything they've got.
LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
In a recent court case against English racing identity Julius Filmer for conspiracy to murder all the prosecution witnesses mysteriously disappeared or ‘forgot’ their evidence and he was acquitted. When he gets himself on board the The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train which will take a
This is a re-read for me as I bought a bunch of Dick Francis audio books on sale recently and happily it is as good as I remember. What I like most about it is the really thoughtful characterisations. Tor Kelsey, who is independently wealthy but works anyway ‘to avoid the temptation of being able to have every sweet in the sweet shop’ is a typical Francis protagonist: intelligent, self-reliant, morally sound without being self-righteous and also has a sense of humour. It’s easy to dismiss this kind of character as unrealistic but apart from liking to think there are good people in the world I was struck by the credibility of Tor’s thoughts and actions all the way along. At one point in the story for example things are set up for two trains to crash and when Tor, given the task of stopping one of the trains before it rams the other, believes he has failed his emotional response is very real indeed. He not only worries about the possible injuries and damage but can also see into his own future and predict how terrible it will be to have to live with his failure every day. That combination of self-interest and concern for others felt very realistic to me.
Among the passengers on the train is the Lorimer family who are very wealthy and well-known but are happy to ‘do their bit for the good of Canadian racing’. Mercer, his wife Bambi and their two teenage children appear to have it all but as the story progresses the pain that the family is experiencing is teased out in a very touching way. The character of Filmer in some ways is very under-developed because we actually don’t see much of him until the end but it seems to me that he is explored via his impact on those around him as he sets out to exploit people’s fears over the possibility of having their personal secrets revealed.
As always with a Dick Francis novel there is lots of great detail about his chosen subjects, this time train trivia features prominently as do wonderful descriptions of Canada that made me want to get my passport out immediately. The plot is, of course, resolved very satisfactorily though there is some sadness too and overall I think this is one of Francis’ best yarns.
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week to cross Canada from Toronto to Vancouver full of international race horse owners and their horses people in authority are worried about what he plans. They ask Tor Kelsey, who works for the British Jockey Club’s security services to go on the train undercover to prevent Filmer from doing anything to disrupt the train or the events planned in towns across the country.This is a re-read for me as I bought a bunch of Dick Francis audio books on sale recently and happily it is as good as I remember. What I like most about it is the really thoughtful characterisations. Tor Kelsey, who is independently wealthy but works anyway ‘to avoid the temptation of being able to have every sweet in the sweet shop’ is a typical Francis protagonist: intelligent, self-reliant, morally sound without being self-righteous and also has a sense of humour. It’s easy to dismiss this kind of character as unrealistic but apart from liking to think there are good people in the world I was struck by the credibility of Tor’s thoughts and actions all the way along. At one point in the story for example things are set up for two trains to crash and when Tor, given the task of stopping one of the trains before it rams the other, believes he has failed his emotional response is very real indeed. He not only worries about the possible injuries and damage but can also see into his own future and predict how terrible it will be to have to live with his failure every day. That combination of self-interest and concern for others felt very realistic to me.
Among the passengers on the train is the Lorimer family who are very wealthy and well-known but are happy to ‘do their bit for the good of Canadian racing’. Mercer, his wife Bambi and their two teenage children appear to have it all but as the story progresses the pain that the family is experiencing is teased out in a very touching way. The character of Filmer in some ways is very under-developed because we actually don’t see much of him until the end but it seems to me that he is explored via his impact on those around him as he sets out to exploit people’s fears over the possibility of having their personal secrets revealed.
As always with a Dick Francis novel there is lots of great detail about his chosen subjects, this time train trivia features prominently as do wonderful descriptions of Canada that made me want to get my passport out immediately. The plot is, of course, resolved very satisfactorily though there is some sadness too and overall I think this is one of Francis’ best yarns.
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LibraryThing member AliceAnna
I just really like this guy. Good solid plots, interesting characters. Not too long. Not too short. I'm going to have to read more of his stuff.
LibraryThing member thesmellofbooks
Very fun. Richard and Mary keep all their balls in the air. Great to be back on the train in late 1970s Canada, as well.
LibraryThing member polywogg
PLOT OR PREMISE:
An arrogant horse-owner in England joins The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train across Canada, with the train stopping at several sites along the way for horseraces, with an actors troupe on the train posing as real passengers.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
Francis is a master at moving
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The overall feel of the book is that similar to a play or film with an ensemble cast -- no one is really well done, but most are sufficiently interesting to hold our attention for awhile. Some characters are still left hiding in the background as mere caricatures. As for the villain and the protagonist, both needed to be better developed, and I never felt the villain was particularly evil nor the protagonist particularly interesting -- too much on actions and not enough of his own thoughts to reveal his true character. Unfortunately, I also figured out the plot fairly early, although there was one character at the end who was slightly different than expected. I also saw three or four points in the story where Francis could have easily taken the reader down a darker or more interesting path, yet the opportunities were left abandoned alongside the tracks in the story.
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
Another good mystery from Francis
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him / her on social media.
An arrogant horse-owner in England joins The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train across Canada, with the train stopping at several sites along the way for horseraces, with an actors troupe on the train posing as real passengers.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
Francis is a master at moving
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players around in the story and having them interact in interesting ways. His descriptive prose, and his keep-it-simple style, make it easy to both imagine the scene and understand the characters. The sports element is there, as it is in all of Francis' books, but he again shows his mastery in leaving it as the backdrop against all the other characters' interactions..
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The overall feel of the book is that similar to a play or film with an ensemble cast -- no one is really well done, but most are sufficiently interesting to hold our attention for awhile. Some characters are still left hiding in the background as mere caricatures. As for the villain and the protagonist, both needed to be better developed, and I never felt the villain was particularly evil nor the protagonist particularly interesting -- too much on actions and not enough of his own thoughts to reveal his true character. Unfortunately, I also figured out the plot fairly early, although there was one character at the end who was slightly different than expected. I also saw three or four points in the story where Francis could have easily taken the reader down a darker or more interesting path, yet the opportunities were left abandoned alongside the tracks in the story.
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
Another good mystery from Francis
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him / her on social media.
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LibraryThing member 400mom
I enjoy all of the books by Dick Francis and have read almost all of them. This one involves a cross-Canadian train ride and there is so much interesting information about the "downstairs" part of train travel.
LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
The Edge doesn't have as much action along the tracks and courses as many of the books Francis writes. Most of it isn't set in England, but in Canada on a special racing excursion train that is also a train running one of the mystery adventures with actors. I found it interesting to see behind the
In some ways, the theme in this book is summed up in this quotation: What made one man good, I wondered, and another man bad: one man to seek to build, the other to frighten and destroy. The acid irony was that the bad might feel more satisfied and fulfilled than the good.
If you like mysteries that have horse racing as an integral part of the story, Dick Francis should be right up your avenue. If you also like mysteries that take place on trains, then The Edge should be your cup of tea.
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scenes for both the train crew (mostly the wait staff) and the actors. And of course there is a real-life mystery -- just what foul deed is rich sociopath Filmer planning. Can our hero Tor Kelsey thwart that plan? I read the book quickly as I wanted to know the answers.In some ways, the theme in this book is summed up in this quotation: What made one man good, I wondered, and another man bad: one man to seek to build, the other to frighten and destroy. The acid irony was that the bad might feel more satisfied and fulfilled than the good.
If you like mysteries that have horse racing as an integral part of the story, Dick Francis should be right up your avenue. If you also like mysteries that take place on trains, then The Edge should be your cup of tea.
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LibraryThing member Dorothy2012
Set on cross-country train in Canada
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1988
Physical description
348 p.; 2.25 x 0.75 inches
ISBN
0449217191 / 9780449217191