Quote:
Originally Posted by bar49
"I've never read Dick Francis--I'm not a fan of the horse-racing milieu."
Like you, I also am not a big fan of horse-racing so avoided reading his books. However, some of his books do not concern themselves with horse-racing or only to a very minimal degree. I have found him to be a wonderful writer and it seems that most of his books are stand-alones.
You might want to try To the Hilt. It has nothing to do with horse-racing:
"Home for Alexander, an artist, is a small bothy on a remote mountain in Scotland. One day, his peace is shattered when he returns home to find some strangers waiting for him. After a scuffle, he is left for dead with only the wind and the words, "Where is it?" ringing in his ears."
and also The Edge which does have horse racing as a backdrop:
"A story of drama and intrigue set on the sinister side of the international racing circuit. Tor Kelsey, an undercover agent for the Jockey Club's Security Service trails Julius Apollo Filmer, a blackmailer and murderer, onto a luxury train carrying several racehorse owners across Canada."
|
I'm with bar49. I dislike horse-racing and positively hate watching it on TV, and this kept me away from Francis for a long time. However, I am extremely glad I decided to give one of his books a go in the end (after we reviewed some of his work on a creative writing course). I have since read every one of his novels and really enjoyed all of them.