Rating: 
Summary: Poor effort by a great writer
Review: Very poor work by a great writer. Francis's work falls into two categories, the early, rather short novels tied closely to racing (Bonecrack is an outstanding example) and his later work, much longer novels, many dealing with the details of professions (banking, diplomat, architect) with some connection to horse racing. With his wife's death, who researched (and, let's face it, probably more or less wrote) the later books, this should be it for this writer. The hero here is your standard plucky, competent Francis hero. People talk to him to an incredible extent--in fact, when we meet someone who won't talk to him, that person is almost per se villianous. Like many another Francis hero, he meets his lady love in the course of the book, a one dimensional woman cop. If you don't see the words "f--k the police" in this book, don't worry about it. It happens a lot. No need to say it. I don't want to go too deeply into the plot, such as it is. Like any other Francis hero, this hero refuses to get the police involved--particularly strange since our hero is in bed with the police, literally. If you think about the book (I don't advise it) after reading it, this refusal has tragic consequences. Oddly, the hero never seems to realize that. A strained premise, unrealistic villians (including one who you would have no way of knowing was a villian until Francis reveals it in the last twenty pages), and a paper hero. On top of that, Francis uses the unworthy tactic of having his hero know things, and tell the reader he knows things, that he does not reveal to the reader. Thus, you cannot solve the mystery until all is revealed. Great mystery writers give you all the clues and the opportunity to put it all together. Francis was once a great mystery writer. He isn't now.
Rating: 
Summary: Top Shelf As Per Usual
Review: We all have friends, families, aquaintances and coworkers and they are all tied intricately together in this thing called life. Dick Francis does his usual superb job in bringing it all together, showing some of the ugly along with the lovely while he exposes his newest choice of topics in this book about a glass blower. He grabs your attention from the first page and using the back drop of English Steeple Chase he carries you over the treacherous ditches and jumps and leads you round the final bend toward the winning post. I have read every novel that Mr. Francis has penned and have yet to turn the final page and be dissappointed. Finished this one in 2 nights. Couldn't put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: A Star at Twilight
Review: Even in its twilight, a star can give off lovely light. So it is with Dick Francis. As Shattered clearly shows, the powers of a super-nova of the thriller genre are continuing on the wane. All the familiar Francis elements his fans -- and I am one of them -- have long loved are here. The eminently likeable hero. The mystery with a racetrack tie-in. The beatings the hero must endure. The softly sweet romance. And an offbeat field of interest, in this case glass-blowing. The glass blowing stuff is fascinating. Unfortunately, it is more fascinating than the slow-moving, improbable plot, spelled out with greater detail than the characters of the mystery. I guess we care about Gerard Logan, our virtuoso glass-blower and hero, but not with the depth of heroes of former Francis novels. And the romance with his policewoman is stated rather than felt. Even Francis' deft little touches which subtly show two people developing a love for each other are muted. This is Francis lite.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't finish the 'race'.
Review: I have read all of Dick Francis' books and was so eager to read his latest but was shattered by the dull pacing, the even duller characters and the unbelievable villans - especially the female character! It was such a poor read, especially the conclusion, that I threw the book down without reading the last few pages - Francis never reaches the finish line in this book - if he were a horse, someone would need to put him down.
Rating:
Summary: Bring back Sid!
Review: Ok, but nowhere near as good as some of his earlier novels: The Danger, Banker, Proof, et al... Nowhere near as gripping, the plot and characters in Shattered seemed forced and unrealistic in comparison.
Rating:
Summary: Wait til it comes to the library
Review: Definitely not his best book. Very loose weave on the plot. A who-are-these-people throughout. John Grisham is loosing it; why not Dick Francis? Readable, but don't pay for it.
Rating:
Summary: A Shattered Francis Fan
Review: I have been a Dick Francis fan for 15 years, have read all of his books at least twice, and have enthusiastically defended him as my favorite mystery author. But "Shattered" was, for me, a disappointment. The storyline was typical of Francis' work, but it moved with such agonizing slowness that I became frustrated. The oft-repeated question, "who was black-mask number 4?" became annoying. And when the answer was revealed, it was a character about which the reader knew so little as to make the revelation a decided anti-climax. The characters in this story were hard to empathize with. Sweet Eddie the valet turns out to be merely a thug under the control of his daughter - how likely is that? The hero, Gerard, is never physically described and hard to visualize. Gerard's attempted kindness toward an unhappy teenager falls short when he takes the child home for a weekend, only to dump him on a friend while Gerard takes a new girlfriend to bed. This story lacked the depth and excitement Franics readers have come to expect. In the past I have said that Francis at his worst is still far above average, but I must say with sadness that this latest offering falls short of the mark.
Rating: 
Summary: A Day AWAY from the Races!
Review: SHATTERED is different from the "horsey" books in that its main character is an artist in glass, who just happened to befriend a jockey. Martin, the jockey, is dead in the first chapter or so, but Gerard, his glassblowing friend is left with a mystery, new enemies, and a potential new love. If you are looking for a book that has characters that will hook you, then reel you in...this is your book! It is so easy to like Garard, root for his new love Catherine, enjoy the "rough" characters who are out to get information from Gerard that he doesn't have! Great characters! Great read!
Rating:
Summary: Not his best work by a long shot.
Review: Unimaginative in places and very plodding at times. I started to give up on it a couple of times.
Rating:
Summary: Still Got It.
Review: IMHO, Dick Francis books fall into "just ok," "good," and "Great" categories. I could not put this one down. Great!
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