Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
London, ca 1970
Ian Pembroke bliver kontaktet af sin far Malcolm Pembroke, fordi faderens nuværende hustru Moira er blevet myrdet. Ian forsøgte at advare Malcolm mod Moira, men han fik en knytnæve i synet til tak. Siden er der gået tre år, men nu har Malcolm brug for hjælp. Malcolm har haft 5
Malcolm er 68 år og vil hellere skændes end være alene, så Ian gætter på at kone nr 6 er en realitet, hvis denne affære bliver overstået bare nogenlunde heldigt for Malcolm.
Malcolm er blevet forsøgt myrdet to gange, så nu vil han gerne Ian til at passe på sig. De hyrer en privatdetektiv Norman West.
Listen over mulige mistænkte er alenlang: Den første kone, Vivien med børnene Donald (44) gift med Helen og med tre børn, Lucy gift med Edwin Bugg og med en teenagesøn, Thomas gift med Berenice og med to piger. Den anden kone, Joyce med Ian som eneste barn. Den tredje kone, Alice Sandways med to sønner Gervase (35) gift med Ursula med to små piger og Ferdinand gift med Deborah (32), en datter Serena. Den fjerde kone, Coochie, død, to sønner, en død og en hjerneskadet. Den femte kone, Moira, myrdet og barnløs.
Ian finder stille og roligt ud af at det er Serena, der er blevet sindssyg og dels har myrdet Moira og dels har forsøgt at myrde Malcolm. Hun forsøger to gange at sprænge Malcolms residens i luften, hvilket lykkes ret godt, men uden at hun får ram på ham. I det sidste forsøg bliver hun selv sprængt i stumper og stykker.
Bortset fra denne lille detalje ender bogen i fryd og gammen. Malcolm deler lidt penge ud til alle og offentliggør sit testamente, hvor Ian arver det samme som resten plus en stump ståltråd.
Ståltråden kan åbne et hemmeligt kammer, hvor Malcolm måske/måske ikke har en ladning guld til at ligge den dag, han dør.
En udmærket analyse af en dysfunktionel familie, der er forgiftet af Malcolms penge.
Ian Pembroke bliver kontaktet af sin far Malcolm Pembroke, fordi faderens nuværende hustru Moira er blevet myrdet. Ian forsøgte at advare Malcolm mod Moira, men han fik en knytnæve i synet til tak. Siden er der gået tre år, men nu har Malcolm brug for hjælp. Malcolm har haft 5
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koner, hvoraf de to er døde og han har fået 9 børn, hvoraf 1 er død og 1 hjerneskadet i en trafikulykke.Malcolm er 68 år og vil hellere skændes end være alene, så Ian gætter på at kone nr 6 er en realitet, hvis denne affære bliver overstået bare nogenlunde heldigt for Malcolm.
Malcolm er blevet forsøgt myrdet to gange, så nu vil han gerne Ian til at passe på sig. De hyrer en privatdetektiv Norman West.
Listen over mulige mistænkte er alenlang: Den første kone, Vivien med børnene Donald (44) gift med Helen og med tre børn, Lucy gift med Edwin Bugg og med en teenagesøn, Thomas gift med Berenice og med to piger. Den anden kone, Joyce med Ian som eneste barn. Den tredje kone, Alice Sandways med to sønner Gervase (35) gift med Ursula med to små piger og Ferdinand gift med Deborah (32), en datter Serena. Den fjerde kone, Coochie, død, to sønner, en død og en hjerneskadet. Den femte kone, Moira, myrdet og barnløs.
Ian finder stille og roligt ud af at det er Serena, der er blevet sindssyg og dels har myrdet Moira og dels har forsøgt at myrde Malcolm. Hun forsøger to gange at sprænge Malcolms residens i luften, hvilket lykkes ret godt, men uden at hun får ram på ham. I det sidste forsøg bliver hun selv sprængt i stumper og stykker.
Bortset fra denne lille detalje ender bogen i fryd og gammen. Malcolm deler lidt penge ud til alle og offentliggør sit testamente, hvor Ian arver det samme som resten plus en stump ståltråd.
Ståltråden kan åbne et hemmeligt kammer, hvor Malcolm måske/måske ikke har en ladning guld til at ligge den dag, han dør.
En udmærket analyse af en dysfunktionel familie, der er forgiftet af Malcolms penge.
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Genres
Publication
[Kbh.] : Asschenfeldt, [1988].
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:"Francis, an ex-jockey, has a sense of pace that would be the envy of most of his former colleagues....He throws in a doozy of a bonus surprise." PEOPLE Wealthy gold trader Malcolm Pembroke has five ex-wives and nine chidren between them, all fighting among themselves. But when violent death strikes the least likable of his former spouses, Malcolm himself feels threatened, and he calls on his most capable son, Ian, the family jockey, to protect him from his nearest and dearest. While he's at it, Ian is also commissioned to delve for the final, critical clue in the darkly buried Pembroke past, simmering with the greed, hate, and vengefulness that could motivate blood to strike against blood.
User reviews
LibraryThing member reading_fox
One of Dick's better books, marking the transition from his earlier jockey based works to the later, horses sometimes just about feature, stage. Set in the times much easier for a crime writer where there's no high technology to worry about and the general security background levels are all less
Ian Pembroke is the estranged fourth child of nine from the third of five wives of Malcom Pembroke, bullion made multi-millionaire. He is estranged by reason of an acrimonious row three years ago - regarding the character of Malcom's then current fifth wife, who has recently been killed supposedly by an intruder. Hence no-one is more surprised than Ian when Malcom phones him and asks him to come and stay and be a bodyguard for a while, as Malcom believes his life in danger, and the police aren't taking it seriously - Malcolm was chief suspect in Moira's murder for a while. Ian accepts, only to find the rest of his family deeply resentful of his closeness to their father's money.
It's a fairly typical Dick Francis, fast paced, loosely connected to horse racing - Ian is an amateur jockey - and fun to read. The various characters are well detailed although the drab reports from Mr West can be a bit dull. Ultimately the plot hinges on the time its set - with the UK barely aware of the IRA, our heroes can travel without the restrictions today's societies impose on us; but also the villains have access to materials that would now be tightly regulated. The pressures facing late 70s couple - golf club, and children's education, the casual out of marriage relationships are all well described in a few lines and careful character portraits - and still resonate these few decades later, even though Malcom's wealth seems somewhat unlikely.
Its fun, a product of it's times, and none the worse for that.
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If you would like to comment on or discuss this review, there is a thread on Review Discussions
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invasive. Hence booking a hotel under an assumed name is commonplace, explosives and detonators can be left lying around, and no-one has access to a mobile phone to keep constantly in touch.Ian Pembroke is the estranged fourth child of nine from the third of five wives of Malcom Pembroke, bullion made multi-millionaire. He is estranged by reason of an acrimonious row three years ago - regarding the character of Malcom's then current fifth wife, who has recently been killed supposedly by an intruder. Hence no-one is more surprised than Ian when Malcom phones him and asks him to come and stay and be a bodyguard for a while, as Malcom believes his life in danger, and the police aren't taking it seriously - Malcolm was chief suspect in Moira's murder for a while. Ian accepts, only to find the rest of his family deeply resentful of his closeness to their father's money.
It's a fairly typical Dick Francis, fast paced, loosely connected to horse racing - Ian is an amateur jockey - and fun to read. The various characters are well detailed although the drab reports from Mr West can be a bit dull. Ultimately the plot hinges on the time its set - with the UK barely aware of the IRA, our heroes can travel without the restrictions today's societies impose on us; but also the villains have access to materials that would now be tightly regulated. The pressures facing late 70s couple - golf club, and children's education, the casual out of marriage relationships are all well described in a few lines and careful character portraits - and still resonate these few decades later, even though Malcom's wealth seems somewhat unlikely.
Its fun, a product of it's times, and none the worse for that.
................................................................................
If you would like to comment on or discuss this review, there is a thread on Review Discussions
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LibraryThing member tripleblessings
Banker Ian Pembroke investigates the murder of his step-mother, and danger threatens his father. Is the killer one of the 4 wives or 9 children in this disfunctional family? One of my favourites by Francis: interesting characters, great suspense.
LibraryThing member janoorani24
I started listening to this audio book version only a few days before the death of Dick Francis, so it was a bittersweet listen. I re-read Dick Francis novels on a fairly regular basis, and believe I own most of them. They are always great "escape" books for me -- they are easy to breeze through,
Ian's estranged and extremely wealthy father reconnects with him one day. It turns out someone is trying to kill him, and he thinks it's possibly one of his many other children, or one of his three ex-wives. Ian sets out to protect his father and discover who the potential murderer is. There are lots of details of horse-racing and race horse buying, bomb-making, and the usual great research that goes into a Dick Francis book. This is one of my favorites.
A note on the audio book -- absolutely fantastic reading by Tony Britton. I would highly recommend any other audio book read by him.
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have engaging plots and characters, and there are so many of them, that I rarely remember the endings, so usually have fun figuring out the mystery. This book is a little different from most. It's much more of a character study and doesn't include the extreme survival conditions that some of Francis' characters often find themselves in.Ian's estranged and extremely wealthy father reconnects with him one day. It turns out someone is trying to kill him, and he thinks it's possibly one of his many other children, or one of his three ex-wives. Ian sets out to protect his father and discover who the potential murderer is. There are lots of details of horse-racing and race horse buying, bomb-making, and the usual great research that goes into a Dick Francis book. This is one of my favorites.
A note on the audio book -- absolutely fantastic reading by Tony Britton. I would highly recommend any other audio book read by him.
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LibraryThing member katekf
This is a Dick Francis I would recommend to a new reader as it showcases his writing as its best. The story is told by Ian Pembroke, one of the many sons of Malcolm Pembroke, a man who's made a huge amount of money in the gold market who is now afraid for his life. Ian is the child he trusts to
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help him figure out what's going on. At the start of the story, its been three years since Ian and Malcolm spoke and part of what makes this book such a good read is meeting Ian's family through his eyes and his father's as they consider who would wish to hurt him. The mystery is clever and suspenseful and all of the characters feel real and three dimensional. As a lover of mysteries, this one stood out to me and is one I will probably reread. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
One of my favorites - I think this was the first Francis I read (or the second). I like Malcolm, despite his inability to make a stable family, and I really like Ian. And most of the family do end up somewhat better and better off than when they started...I remembered who was the villain, including
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the final reveal, but the first time I read it I had exactly no clue. Even when Ian says why, it's not obvious to me - but this one depends so entirely on reading people and understanding their reactions, I'm not surprised. I don't think writing can convey what would be needed to really understand someone - at best you get an accurate sketch, and this one you have to understand deeper to know the whys. But it's still a great story. Show Less
LibraryThing member SalemAthenaeum
When you are saddled with relatives like those of jockey Ian Pembroke, you've got valid cause for concern. For starters, there's Ian's father, Malcolm, a gold arbitraguer with a Midas touch in everything but wives (he's had five). Then there are the ex-wives themselves: Ian's grudge-bearing mother;
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a vicious pair called "the witches"; a fourth wife? dead in a tragic accident; and now the last and most detestable, a murder victim. Show Less
LibraryThing member skraft001
Way to many characters to keep track of and a most unlikely villain selected in the end.
LibraryThing member atreic
Well, I wasn't sure what I was expecting with this. I had Dick Francis in my head under 'crime' or maybe 'thriller' - definitely 'popular books for men in the 1980's, page turning' - but had never felt any great interest in them. What it actually is is remarkably similar to Jilly Cooper (well,
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without all the sex). Lots of colourfully drawn characters, lots of money being splashed about, and lots of horses. Just with an added murder mystery. As Jilly Cooper was one of my favourite dirty secrets when I was a teenager, it is unsurprising that I enjoyed this. I have a feeling if I'd read lots of 1980's crime I might think it was formulaic and following all the tropes - but I hadn't. Something happened in the book that actually really surprised me, which I think is a sign I should read outside my favourite genres more often. Show Less
LibraryThing member clue
The plot revolves around a family in which the father of grown children is extraordinarily wealthy. Unfortunately for them, he wants them to provide for themselves with only a small trust from him until his death. When it becomes clear someone is trying to kill him, naturally his children come
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under suspicion. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
The usual well paced well crafted mystery, though this time the family is about as dysfunctional as it gets and in resolution one one of Francis' novels is more tragic as far as I recall. Ian isn't my favorite viewpoint character, though Malcolm is a magnificent creation.
LibraryThing member ritaer
millionaire threatened by family
LibraryThing member streamsong
Wealthy gold investor Malcom Pembroke has had five wives (including one dead and one recently murdered). He has seven live children (about half with spouses and children of their own). He also has a son who is institutionalized for brain damage. This son was the sole survivor of an automobile
Now someone is trying to kill Malcom.
Recently, he has been spending millions of pounds on frivolous pursuits while his offspring are all scrambling for money.
Could it be that someone in the family wants to inherit Malcom’s money before he spends it all? Would a family member be willing to kill him?
Malcom settles on his estranged son Ian, an amateur race jockey, to help him solve the puzzle and keep him alive.
The horses are almost a secondary story in this novel. The complicated family relationships are what make this story shine – and moves it into the pole position as one of my favorite Dick Francis reads.
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accident that killed his mother and brother.Now someone is trying to kill Malcom.
Recently, he has been spending millions of pounds on frivolous pursuits while his offspring are all scrambling for money.
Could it be that someone in the family wants to inherit Malcom’s money before he spends it all? Would a family member be willing to kill him?
Malcom settles on his estranged son Ian, an amateur race jockey, to help him solve the puzzle and keep him alive.
The horses are almost a secondary story in this novel. The complicated family relationships are what make this story shine – and moves it into the pole position as one of my favorite Dick Francis reads.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Malcolm Pembroke had nine children with four of his five wives. His fifth wife, Moira, has just been murdered, and Malcolm seems to be the prime suspect in the eyes of the police. When someone makes an attempt on Malcolm's life, he turns to his middle son, Ian, for protection and assistance in
This book isn't as well-paced as Francis's best work, and it wasn't a page-turner like most of Francis's novels have been for me. However, I very much enjoyed the relationship between Ian and Malcolm. Ian's amateur jockey status added a new twist to this story, and Malcolm's initiation into the world of horse racing and the joy it brought him was infectious.
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finding Moira's murderer and his attempted murderer. Despite not having spoken to Ian in the three years since Moira came into his life, Ian is the only one of his adult children that Malcolm trusts.This book isn't as well-paced as Francis's best work, and it wasn't a page-turner like most of Francis's novels have been for me. However, I very much enjoyed the relationship between Ian and Malcolm. Ian's amateur jockey status added a new twist to this story, and Malcolm's initiation into the world of horse racing and the joy it brought him was infectious.
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Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1987
Physical description
251 p.; 19.9 cm
ISBN
8759710519 / 9788759710517
Local notes
Omslag: Lis Hansen
Omslagsfoto: J. Bennett/IFOT
Omslaget viser en overtændt bygning
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Hot Money" af Ib Christensen
Side 220: Den viden, den samlede familie råder over, er til at blive gal af. ... Alle kan lave en tidsindstilling, og næsten alle har et motiv.
Side 222: "Man former selv sin skæbne" "Måske".
Side 222: "Jeg vil tro, at han er gift. Det er sådan, hun helst vil have det, ikke?" "Du er lidt for god til at ramme plet."
Side 226: I træernes skygge, omgivet af øldåser, lyttende til det stærke australske sprog, sad jeg og ledte efter den løsning, der ville volde os mindst sorg.
Side 227: De nyomvendte er altid de stærkeste i troen.
Omslagsfoto: J. Bennett/IFOT
Omslaget viser en overtændt bygning
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Hot Money" af Ib Christensen
Side 220: Den viden, den samlede familie råder over, er til at blive gal af. ... Alle kan lave en tidsindstilling, og næsten alle har et motiv.
Side 222: "Man former selv sin skæbne" "Måske".
Side 222: "Jeg vil tro, at han er gift. Det er sådan, hun helst vil have det, ikke?" "Du er lidt for god til at ramme plet."
Side 226: I træernes skygge, omgivet af øldåser, lyttende til det stærke australske sprog, sad jeg og ledte efter den løsning, der ville volde os mindst sorg.
Side 227: De nyomvendte er altid de stærkeste i troen.
Similar in this library
Pages
251
DDC/MDS
| 823.914 |