Iced

Product Information

The characterizations are very well rendered, with believable three dimensional characters and dialogue which is never clunky or overwrought. The descriptions of the very disparate sports of tobogganing and horse racing on the flat ice, are well written and rich in small details. The climax, denouement, and resolution were well written and satisfying. Barely an hour later, his newly found father is stabbed by an unknown assailant in the Ascot parking lot. Blood oozing from his abdomen, his father warns Ned to 'be very careful.' But of whom? Of what? Ned finds himself in a race to solve his father's riddle - a race where coming in second could cost him more than even money - it could cost him his life... Finding himself in St Moritz during the same weekend as White Turf, when high-class horseracing takes place on the frozen lake, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. Against his better judgement, he decides to assist, but things aren’t as innocent as they seemed. Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of Thoroughbred racing where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them. Finding himself in St Moritz during the same weekend as White Turf, when high-class horseracing takes place on the frozen lake, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. Against his better judgement, he decides to assist, but things aren't as innocent as they seemed.

So far, Felix Francis is yet to be nominated or receive any awards. Nonetheless, many of his novels have been well received throughout the world. Best Felix Francis Books

Publication Order of Dick Francis Books

Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while the hero's actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice. Francis devises a subtle, clever scheme for the heart of the mystery, and he excels at making his broken lead credible and sympathetic.” Sid Halley retired from being a private investigator and is now living near his ex-father-in-law with his wife and six-year-old daughter. He is working as an investor and telling himself that his life if satisfying. When someone high in command of British horse racing asks Sid to investigate what looks like race fixing, Sid refuses. When that person is found dead of an apparent suicide the next day, Sid is interested but still unwilling to be involved. Also in this story, Sid learns of hand and arm transplants and sees an opportunity to finally get rid of the prosthesis that has been a part of his life for fourteen years. He has always hated it and is willing to take the risk of the surgery for the possibility of having a flesh and blood left arm.

You, the potential reader, will likely read the books, devouring one after the other. The Francis family has a lot of novels for your reading pleasure and the world is a better place for it. I found this very disappointing, and almost gave up reading it. About half-way through the pace increased somewhat, and I kept going simply to find out what happened in the end. So far, none of Felix Francis’ novels has television adaptations. However, a number of his father’s books had television adaptations. Among the adopted books included Twice Shy, starring Ian McShane alongside protagonist, David Cleveland. Felix Francis assisted his father in the research when he was writing Twice Shy before he began writing himself.

Diaries & Calendars

I disliked everything about this book including the characters, the storyline, the flipping around time frames, the boring descriptions of tobogganing and mental illness and on and on. The whole thing was tedious in the extreme and I pushed myself to get through it. It was wonderful to see Sid Halley return - he has been a favourite character of mine ever since that first Francis book. But I only wish that this novel had done this wonderfully steadfast and clever character more justice. There's a lot going on in the book, but sadly it came across as rather flat. I really didn't like his wife. Instead of being sympathetic, she is beyond bitchy and one-dimensional. The villain was more thug than mastermind.

Gamble, Felix's only previous novel written solo, displays a slight anxiety at being handed the reins to a horse previously ridden only by his father. The prose was slightly more formulaic than his father's prose, not as velvety smooth. Gamble did not yet display the best years of Felix's life. Refusal on the other hand has rapidly accelerated the horse, has circumvented difficult turns on the steeple chase run, and shows Felix's confidence building, growing towards the ideal set by his father. The slight difference in style (remembering this is a family business) is near invisible; the story as true as any returning hero's story should be. When he discovers something suspicious is going on in the races, something that may have a profound impact on his future life, Miles begins a search for answers. But someone is adamant to stop - and they'll go to any lengths to do it . . . On the plus side, there was fascinating information on the technological advancements in limb replacement, both with mechanical, and now, actual limb transplants. The plot did have some very good twists. Even when you think Francis has made an error, it’s lovely to discover he hasn’t. While Sid Halley was not my favourite of Francis's characters ever, I really think that the continuation of his story through Felix Francis's pen has made the character stronger and more interesting. The mystery in this novel is multi-layered and complex and yet the book was still fun and made me laugh numerous times. I liked the voice of Halley. His internal thoughts often matched my own on the various situations

Christmas Gifts

As a young child he survived a horrific car crash in which his father was killed. His father had maneuvered the car so that he caught the full force of the collision on his side of the car. His father’s body laid on his before the police came. Later, his mother commits suicide and leaves no note. The resolution at the end of the book to all of the various questions was handled neatly, leaving me satisfied. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book relating to the missing dogs. I thought I would give this one a go because with the sad passing of Mr Francis Sr a few years ago this novel would not be co-written and might be better. Finding himself in St Moritz during the same weekend as White Turf, when high-class horseracing takes place on the frozen lake, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. It is against his better judgement. Seven years before, Miles left horseracing behind and swore he would never return. When Sid starts to investigate, the villain throws more trouble Sid's way. This time Sid is accused of abusing his child and taking pornographic pictures which were found in his garden shed. While that does cause a lot of trouble including the loss of his computer and cell phone and the necessity of moving to the Admiral's house, Sid perseveres. He feels that the only way his family will ever be safe is for him to get rid of the villain who is causing all the trouble.

Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story. The hero is personable, likable, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would otherwise think of normal persons living in British society. When his friend’s stable yard is torched, horses killed, and the friend is found dead, Sid can only blame himself for not helping sooner. The police think it’s suicide, but Sid is not convinced after his friend’s terrified phone calls. Heavy with a guilty heart, Sid starts to investigate and soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that cuts to the very heart of the integrity of British horse racing. I did like this - it was an entertaining and unchallenging read. It was also really great to see Sid again but overall I am not sure I will continue with Felix as the author.When a gray-haired man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Ned's life is thrown into far deeper turmoil. He'd been told since he was a baby that his parents had died in a car crash. Although there's been some improvement in Felix Francis's writing, he is still a pale shadow of his famous father. Which is ironic, given the theme of this book, in which our hero longs to be recognized and honored in the the same way, Champion Steeplechaser, as HIS father! Needless to say, both author and rider fail to outshine their dads in either profession! I don’t know, maybe I’ll try the next Felix Francis novel, and maybe not. Something is missing in his novels lately, and it’s really beginning to show…. I hope he finds it soon, and gets things together. This is so depressing…..! 😩 In the tradition of Clive Cussler and James Lee Burke, Iced, the latest in Francis's fictional world, is a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you racing forward.