My Reading Nook

Dick Francis has been a favorite of mine for many, many years so it would stand to reason that even a co-authored book would delight. I have to confess to being disappointed in this one.

Oh the plot is a great Dick Francis plot and the story line brings all of his humor and crime writing expertise to bear, but someone influenced Mr. Francis to “tone down” the British flavor of his writings and this is what is so disappointing. It’s missing that flavor and like a dish with too little seasoning, it’s bland. Please PLEASE don’t do that on your next novel kind sir!

In Dead Heat we are introduced to a new character who is not a jockey and not a trainer, but rather a chef. A Michelin Star-winning chef to be sure! Of course our beloved horses and racing isn’t left out as Chef Moreton’s restaurant caters to all of the who-is-es of the racing world and it’s as someone poisons the food he’s prepared for the gala dinner on the eve of the  2000 Guineas that gets us pulled into this nefarious plot that involves smuggling, drugs, murder and mayhem.

Max isn’t going to take having his food so maligned and sets out to discover who poisoned the food and why. That poisoning of some 20 guests and a subsequent bombing of the luncheon he serves the next day to guests at the racetrack proper gets Max’s blood in a boil, but he’s waylaid by health officials who first close down his restaurant despite it not having been where the tainted food was prepared, then he must answer a law suit and a criminal investigation.

It’s not enough but during the course of finding the poisoners, he manages to fall in love, escape being killed outright three times and figures out the who, what and how.

Dead Heat by Dick Francis and Felix Frances
Published by GP Putnam Sons 2007
ISBN: 978-0-399-15476-8

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