Review: To The Hilt by Dick Francis

Book info: 

Form: pdf

Genre: crime mystery, contemporary fiction

Target audience: more or less everyone who likes the genre

Synopsis

“Some are born weird, some achieve it, others have weirdness thrust upon them.” 

Alexander Kinloch, despite being a nephew of a Scottish earl, prefers living alone in a very modest hut in the middle of the mountains. He doesn't appreciate civilisation, just peace and quiet which allow him to paint. Unfortunately all good things come to an end. One day four backpackers find a way to his stony  lair. These are not normal tourists, though - shouting viciously "where is it?" they attack Al, beat him black and blue, demolish his abode and depart, leaving poor man barely alive. Who sent them? What were they really looking for? How could they be found again and brought to justice?

This event drags Al back to the 'normal' world - to his mother, a posh lady living comfortably in London, his ailing step-father, an owner of a local brewery who's recovering from a heart attack, his wife, Emily, left by Al after barely six months of marriage, and the hustle and bustle of everyday's business.

Each of these people have some serious troubles which seem to be connected to Alexander's unpleasant beating. Millions of pounds are missing from his stepfather's business. The earl struggles to protect his family's famous heirlooms. A valuable racehorse is under threat and Emily is the only person who can help and save it. When his stepfather names Alexander to be his power of attorney during the convalescence (instead of his daughter), an all-out family feud begins to boil over. Then comes the first ugly death and the end of all Alexander's doubts whether he actually should get mixed into all of this. For the honour of the Kinlochs he will face the strangers again ... up to the hilt...

What I liked:

The main character is another of Dick Francis's painters who has to find a solution to a crime before the baddies get him and his folk. Once again the characteristic was done splendidly. Al is a solitary excentric with a great sense of humour but rather poor social skills whose intelligence make him even more solitary among 'normal', ordinary people. His stolid, sometimes unexpectedly funny narration is the best part of the book and the more you find about Al the more you want to know.

Of course there was a racing event in the background and an embezzlement involved - two features so characteristic for Francis novels. Here also one of baddies, Al's step-sister, Patsy, drew my attention. It was a delightful woman, full of vices, greedy and rather beautiful who thrived organizing things. I loved the way the author developed her character from a vicious, overly jealous witch, hovering constantly over her weak daddy like a harpy, into...well, if I told you I would have to spoil you. :) Let me just say that Patsy, contrary to other baddies, will surprise you at the end. Personally I love such twists.

I loved the references to the legends of King Arthur: the golden 'chalice' which plenty of people desire to find, the sword (or rather its hilt) which needs protection, the 'damsel in distress' who needs rescuing and those women who are more like Morgan le Fay - independent, agressive, dangerous and cunning. It was all very well done, perfectly mixed with contemporary reality, and the main character served like a kind of 'adapter' for all the sides involved and, of course, a perfect knight. :) A feature to notice: Al doesn't have to be freakishly strong/gifted at martial arts or excessivelly agressive to be a formidable opponent.

What I didn't like:

I admit the mystery was a bit predictable and the main hero, despite some beatings and broken ribs, still a tad too lucky (and indeed, Mr. Francis likes having his heroes beaten up rather often ;P how very sadistic of him)... The ending I found overly sweet: a perfect fairy tale HEA for almost every 'white hat' around. Especially a certain scene made me laugh: when an elderly and very educated lady called Zoe found her portrait and was so taken with it that she abandoned instantly her 'sacred' quest for a rare and precious, historical artifact...well, undeniably some portraits can make a great effect on people but every infatuation has its limits.

Final verdict:

An author you can get addicted to. I would compare Francis novels to very comfortable slippers you love wearing when, after encountering all those wrong books in unexpected places, you are dead tired and sad. They are comfort reads. I will revisit these stories for sure and I might dig for some new ones to read soon.

Review: In the Frame by Dick Francis

Book info:
Form: pdf e-book
Genre: crime mystery, thriller
Target audience: adults

I was encouraged to read this one by an excellent review of Heidenkind - thank you very much for the inspiration!

Synopsis

When Charles Todd visits his cousin, Donald, he lands unexpectedly right in the middle of a major crisis: a burgled house, Donald's young wife, Regina, brutally murdered, Donald himself prostrated by grief, almost at his wit's end. What's even worse the police inspector instead of looking for a murderer starts accusing Donald of orchestrating the whole burglary to profit financially from it and help his ailing firm. Charles is outraged by their approach but what can be done? Especially that shocked Donald doesn't even think of defending himself efficiently.

Returning to London Todd, who earns his living as a painter specialising in horses, is hired by Maisie to immortalize her burned house on canvass (not a horse, I know, but still an income). Chatting with that lady he almost has a sense of déjà vu: Maisie, like his cousin, has visited Australia recently, she, like his cousin, brought back a Munnings painting bought for a very reasonable price in an obscure, little art gallery and now she lost her house and almost all her belongings. Just a coincidence? Or maybe those two tragedies are somehow connected? Also in the case of Maisie the insurers are giving the victim a lot of grief, suspecting foul play.  When Todd decides to investigate, Maisie is only too willing to assist him financially.

With her money, Charles is able to go to Australia and start sniffing around. He is helped by Jik, his old university friend, also a painter, and his wife, Sarah who live in Melbourne. Soon enough they trail a set of clues only to realize that someone is trailing them. What will they discover?

What I liked

I liked the characterization in this novel, I really liked it a lot. It was done in really great way (and yes, I felt like repeating myself). Charles (or rather Todd, he hated being called Charles in fact)  is a painter and he talks, thinks and breathes his passion. If he watches somebody he can describe them very accurately afterwards, he can tell you what ingredients are in particular paint colours, he can distinguish between a fake and an original just looking at the paint brushes; you don't doubt for one second that he is the real thing. The same can be said about his friend Jik - although he is a man of a completely different temperament and style, he and Todd understand each other perfectly well mainly because they share the same way of thinking.

It was a nice change that Todd wasn't made to fall in love during his investigation. Well, he kind of fell for Sarah but he controlled his feelings like an adult, responsible person. No insta-love or insta-lust - it made the novel even better. At least I got the feeling that the relationships between Jik, Sarah and Charles were natural and real.

What's more, I loved the narration style - smooth, elegant, unaffected, peppered with funny dialogues and situations in the right moments, teaching you a thing or two about art as well. In fact I was surprised when I found out that Francis was not a painter but a retired jockey; the man definitely knew a lot about painting and must have had an artisitc soul.

It is a crime story and I am glad to say that the whole mystery was nicely done, not very difficult but also not so easy to solve. Sometimes Todd reminded me of Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street - they shared the same passion in pursuing the justice. It is a compliment of a kind I suppose ;).

What I didn't like

I admit that Charles Todd was a bit too lucky from time to time, especially for a total rookie of a private investigator who encoutered very ruthless and agressive criminals on his path. It was his first case, after all! I was also surprised a bit that such a big, efficient criminal organization like the one he discovered didn't have a plant inside the police forces. However, those are minor quibbles.

Final verdict

One of better murder mysteries I've read for a long time even if it felt a bit dated. I will gladly take another Francis book.