Fri 9 Apr 2021
DICK FRANCIS – Twice Shy. Putnam’s, hardcover, 1982. Fawcett Crest, paperback, 1983.
Over the years Dick Francis has become a very good writer. He’s always been an exceptional story-teller. Ever since he turned to writing mysteries, at the end of his career as a well-known steeple-chase jockey, his strength has been the inside knowledge he has of the world of championship racing, In one way or another, he’s displayed it to good advantage in every one of his books, all of them involving horses.
Studying and absorbing a collection of the complete Dick Francis, over twenty volumes at present count, would constitute a sure-fire education in picking and producing the next Derby winner, redeemable at any track in the United Kingdom. Thrown in at no extra charge would be a full blow-by-blow description of all the pitfalls the unwary horseman may encounter along the way.
Horses are in Dick Francis’ blood, and in that of every one of his heroes. It is also contagious. Even confirmed city-dwellers who have ridden a horse but once – like myself, or was it that the horse condescended to let me ride him? – or those who abominate all horsey stories from Black Beauty on up will find. themselves caught up in the excitement and the mystique and the thrill of the pounding final stretch. And that’s no mean accomplishment!
In Twice Shy we get two stories for the price of one. A pair of brothers, both innocent victims, find themselves threatened in turn by one of Francis’s patented and typically brutal villains – one in the first half, the other in the second.
Angelo Gilbert is certainly as bloodthirsty and despicably cruel an opponent as we’ve come to expect, but he’s also far less clever, and he proves much less of a challenge to be disposed of than that faced by most of Francis’s heroes. The fray is not without casualties – don’t be mistaken – but in spite of the tenseness of the various situations brothers Jonathan and William Derry unwittingly find themselves in, neither seems as overly taxed as they might have been.
At stake is a computerized betting system that, if it really existed, would be worth millions. For the most part, however, keep in mind that gambling is strictly a mugs’ game. William Derry’s book-making friend Taff is a fine example. Gambling is a way of life in which only the good mathematicians survive. As far as a successful system for betting on the horses is concerned, well, if anyone has one, and it works, it’s like the perfect crime – nobody’s telling anybody else about it.
From off-the-cuff handicapping, to the expertise of modern-day computer technology, Dick Francis’s name under the title of a book still means there’s plenty of excitement in store, from start to finish. This outing’s certainly no exception, but all in all I think Francis was coasting more than he usually does.
Rating: B plus.
April 9th, 2021 at 9:44 pm
In his later bestselling books Francis turned to more serious themes and yet still managed the same mix of action and suspense as his earlier leaner thrillers. I recall the last chapter of Julian Symons MORTAL CONSEQUENCES correctly predicted that Francis would supplant the traditional Agatha Christie style mystery and be the future of the genre.
Today sadly he isn’t as remembered as he might be largely because there was very little in terms of successful film adaptations of his work. One season on MYSTERY! of Sid Halley, a couple of David Cleveland films with Ian McShane, and not much else, a pity because he is a cinematic writer who deserved better than just made for television low budget exposure.
Almost any of his books would make a potentially great suspense adventure thriller.
April 10th, 2021 at 12:26 am
Excellent writer, enjoyable stories. I read a few a long time ago and if i remember correctly, mostly everyman heroes thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
To David’s point, that everyman hero stuff might not play well in today’s Hollywood where most of the heroes look like, well, well-built statues and are usually about as expressive as said statues. Not everyman by a long shot.
April 10th, 2021 at 6:48 am
I’ve only read three novels by Dick Francis, but I’ve never read one I didn’t enjoy.
April 10th, 2021 at 5:29 pm
In comment #1, David suggests that Dick Francis is now not as well remembered as he might be. This may be true, but his younger of two sons Felix has continued writing books in the same vein (not quite the same series, of course, without a continuing character) and with some success. He may have done as many as nine or ten now on his own.
Of course people may be buying them without having any idea who Dick Francis is.
April 11th, 2021 at 7:49 pm
Felix has been successful enough that he no longer has his father’s name on the book, and he did do at least one Sid Halley book. I think with his Dad.
Francis most agree always wrote in collaboration with his wife so it was no real stretch to work with Felix later. There have been a few father son collaborations, notably Dirk Cussler and his father and Elleston Trevor’s son who worked with his dying father and notes left after his death to finish the last Adam Hall Quiller novel. Barry Perowne, Philip Atkey, was the nephew of Betram Atkey who penned the Smiler Bunn series which Perowne later took over.
Both Berkley Gray (E.S. Brooks) and Jean Bruce had wives (and ex wives) complete their last novels with their sons, and in Bruce’s case the OSS 117 series became a family business including grandchildren. Meanwhile I think John Creasey’s grandson has written a continuation of the Dr. Palfrey series about a descendant of the original. Ian Fleming’s nephew wrote a couple of well received thrillers, and of course is brother Peter was a bestselling writer before Ian ever thought of Bond and of course Lee Child has passed Jack Reacher on to his brother.
I can’t think off hand of any daughters taking over the mother or father’s work, but I’m sure there have been some.
The most famous father writer son combination, Alexandre Dumas pere and fils kept their work well separated, fils better known for his plays in particularly La Dame Aux Camillas aka Camille.
April 11th, 2021 at 9:36 pm
A fairly comprehensive list, I think, David. Thanks!
But you asked about mother-daughter combos. There are a couple that I can think of. Mary Higgins Clark’s daughter Carol Higgins Clark wrote a few mysteries in the same romantic suspense vein that she did.
And Helen Reilly had two daughters who wrote mysteries, Ursula Curtiss and Mary McMullen.
What I’m not sure about is whether these qualify as children taking over their parents’ work
April 12th, 2021 at 1:27 pm
Anne Hillerman has continued her father’s series, hasn’t she? I haven’t read any by either Hillerman.
April 12th, 2021 at 1:51 pm
Yes! She’s done six so far in her father’s Leaphorn and Chee series.