Status
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Hard on the heels of the triumph Under Orders comes Dead Heat, set against the backdrop of Britain�s famed 2,000 Guineas stakes. Max Moreton is a rising culinary star, and his Newmarket restaurant, the Hay Net, has brought him great acclaim and a widening circle of admirers. But when nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning, his kitchen is shuttered and his reputation takes a hit. Scrambling to meet his next obligation, an exclusive luncheon for forty in the glass-fronted private boxes at the 2,000 Guineas, Max must overcome the previous evening�s disaster and provide the new American sponsors of the year�s first Classic race with a day to remember. Then a bomb blast rips through the private boxes, killing some of Max�s trusted staff and many of the guests. As survivors are rushed to the hospital, he is left to survey the ruins of the grandstand�and of his career. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his name, and himself, before it�s too late.… (more)
Media reviews
User reviews
Max sets out to clear his reputation of the mysterious food poisoning incident and finds his life turned upside in numerous ways before successful resolving the issues.
I am definitely gong to have to find more of the Dick Francis books. 4 stars!
Max Moreton is the Michelin chef whose reputation is in tatters after the
DEAD HEAT is good reading, a page turner with a credible chain of events, and background details that tell you it is written by authors who know their stuff: this time long acknowledged master Dick Francis together with his son Felix. Felix's role as researcher and in writing this and other recent novels is acknowledged in the blurb.
I've been reading Dick Francis for decades. He has written forty-one international bestsellers and is widely acclaimed as one of the world's finest thriller writers. His awards include the Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the crime genre, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Tufts University of Boston. In 1996 Dick Francis was made a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement and in 2000 he received a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Another interesting addition to the Felix Francis group of books.
Has anyone else noticed that the Dick Francis series started out being quite localised and very much focused on
His objective was always to entertain the reader and to have horses
For the research for “Rat Race,” which involves an air taxi service for jockeys, Mary Francis started taking flying lessons. She continued them when the research was complete and got her license and for eleven years was part owner of a similar air taxi service.
Many of Francis’ titles just touch on horses and focus on other occupations. In “Straight” jockey Derek Franklin suddenly inherits his brother’s semiprecious stone importing business and must keep the business running and find one hundred missing diamonds. The information on how diamonds are bought and sold is most interesting.
He also deals with social problems like alcoholism. In “Knockdown” Jonah Dereham’s brother is an alcoholic. The understanding of alcoholism as a disease and the necessary strength to overcome it is part of the background of this mystery about bloodstock agents.
It is interesting to note how many of his characters are loners e.g., Gene Hawkins in"Blood Sport," Sid Halley, Matt Shore in "Rat Race," without families. Another theme, which runs through his books, is that children are good observers ("Shattered," "Decider," "Blood Sport") and more should be made of asking them what they saw. Francis is also a romantic and although in his autobiography “The Sport of Queens” he says he doesn’t believe in love at first sight it happened to him when he was introduced to Mary. “Mary and I smiled at each other and to my astonishment, before we had even spoken, I found myself thinking, ‘This is my wife.’”
At one time Francis wanted to have Mary’s name added to his as author of the books but she demurred at the suggestion. However there is no doubt that the work was a partnership. His last three titles were written with his son Felix.
All in all Dick Francis provides a good read, interesting characters against a variety of backgrounds and a problem to be solved and, in many cases. something for the reader to learn.
I usually
This had all the elements you expect in a DF book, but it was just missing...something. The thing I like about the other books is that they are perfectly comfortable--the
With this one, I kept cringing at the writing, and wondering what the hell the people were thinking, and plus, the romance was just kind of creepy.
This time out the protagonist is chef Max Moreton who has a successful restaurant in the racing town of Newmarket. The book opens as Moreton, his staff and many of his clients are suffering the results of an inexplicable food poisoning episode. As Moreton is getting his business back on track the guest box in which he is catering at a local race meeting explodes. Mayhem and intrigue ensues.
I read Dick Francis books mostly because I have a sense of nostalgia about them as one of them was the first ‘adult’ mystery I read. They’re light and comfortably familiar while having likeable characters and plausible plots. This time out though, in a novel co-authored by Francis' son Felix, there’s either something missing or I have become more difficult to satisfy. The plot meanders fairly aimlessly and there are enormous, unsupportable leaps of logic in it. The ending may just as well have included an alien landing on the Newmarket Heath and a naked Prime Minister on a pogo stick for all the connection the resolution had to preceding events. Although Francis has clearly written to a formula over the years he’s still had to do a load of research into whatever new subject he’s writing about, create interesting characters, write snappy dialogue and plot a story that is consistent with itself (however unlikely). Here, those elements are largely missing (although to be fair the research is evident) and the book is like a shadow of one of its predecessors. I'd actually give this 2.5 stars if I could.
Orchestra.
Language
Original publication date
Physical description
ISBN
DDC/MDS
Fic Mystery Francis |