Rating: 
Summary: Unexpectedly Terrible
Review: I love Dick Francis books; this is the only one I have read that was really awful. It held none of the charm of his other works, and was confusing to boot. My wife was equally astonished.
Rating: 
Summary: So So
Review: This work is good but not as good as his earlier work.But his legion of admirers can relax: his year off from writing since the 1998 publication of Field of Thirteen is over, and a new vigor has entered his style. Longtime readers will be happy to find the customary racetrack skullduggery, galvanized by some fascinating new elements. The very opening of Second Wind signals something new, with Francis's protagonist, meteorologist Perry Stuart, fighting for his life as he flies through the eye of storm on Trox Island, a blighted place steeped in guano and harboring a nasty secret. "But now, as near dead as dammit, I tumbled like a rag-doll piece of flotsam in towering gale-driven seas that sucked unimaginable tons of water from the deeps ...." When the reader encountered details of the racing world in Francis's earlier thrillers such as Whip Hand and Reflex, they had the satisfying ring of authenticity. The same is true in Second Wind--Stuart's character was developed with the help of BBC weatherman John Kettley. Although this is a new venue for Francis, he still has a knack for quickening the reader's pulse with a few carefully chosen words: "Despair was too strong a word for it. Perhaps despondency was better. When they came for me, they came with guns."
Rating: 
Summary: Dull. Read his earlier Work
Review: Sorry to be "boring" (you know, it seems odd to be bored by something but then reply at great length...), but this one is sluggish and poorly written as compared to his earlier work. What little is understandable in the plot is mundane and lacking grit.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine story by a skilled writer
Review: I find myself bored by those who find fault with stories by a fine writer, comparing his stories with others he has written, and pontificating on how he has improved or conversely failed to meet their high standards and sophisticated expectations. This is a novel, designed for light reading. I found it entertaining, well written, and a pleasant way to spend a few hours. So, shoot me! British television meteorologist cum physicist Perry Stuart goes off with his friend and co-weatherman Kim to fly through a hurricane in the Caribbean as a vacation diversion, and they barely escape with their lives, and that's only the beginning. Dick Francis, former jockey to the queen of England, is a great yarn-spinner. His tales always involve horse-racing, but they typically have another central theme as well. Murder is usually, if not always, involved, and frequently international espionage as well, as in this one. This book is a quick read. I read it in a few hours, over a weekend. Francis writes very well, and his plots are plausible and his characters well fleshed out. This is a good story, and up to his usual standard of excellence. I don't know if he was a winning jockey, but he is certainly a winning story-teller. Joseph Pierre
Rating:
Summary: Francis' Caribbean Fling...
Review: Another refreshing Dick Francis novel playing outside familiar English and race horse surroundings. In "Second Wind", Francis makes Perry Stuart a lofty man who, along with a fellow meteorologist, take an invitation of a affluent American to visit Miami to witness a hurricane. Yet stuart and friend really want to fly through the "Eye of the Hurricane". In doing so, calamity and disaster ensue. Stranded on an island, the protagonist finds cows, an electronic safe, radiation, and unwelcomed visitors.
Dick Francis is opening his writing outside the racing arena to give a wonderful and very enlightening "Second Wind". This book may not satisfy readers familiar with Francis' equine books. Yet it was a refreshing break from Cheltenham Downs. Now, onto his latest book!
Rating:
Summary: Readable and enjoyable though chaotic and confused
Review: Its faults are evident, but I liked it. Those who are Dick Francis fans will enjoy it, those who have not read Dick Francis before should not start here... try the earlier books. But I do recommend it as a good read. One scene in particular sticks in my mind. I don't want to spoil it by describing in detail, but it involves a surprising moment of beauty in a situation of great peril where nobody would even think of seeing beauty... and I am NOT referring to the eye of the hurricane. Of the dozen or so loose ends, one that intrigues me is the relation between the two meteorologists Perry (the first-person narrator) and Kris. Kris is a manic-depressive, and it is implied that for some reason Perry feels an obligation to take care of Kris and try to prevent him from being suicidal in his down phases. Later on, when an (equally baffling) combination government-spymaster-and -ghost-writer asks Perry whether he'd like to author a book on meteorology, Perry's throwaway answer, is what he'd most like to do is write a book on (!) depression! This is never followed up... the ghostwriter does help him write a book on meteorology, however. I seem to recall another Dick Francis book--can anyone else remember the title?--in which the first-person narrator is one of Dick Francis's horse-racing-detective-types, and throughout the entire book is in a state of depression, functioning brilliantly, tracking down bad guys, solving mysteries, running around getting things done, and constantly feeling lousy...
Rating: 
Summary: Quite Poor from a usually great writer
Review: I am a big Dick Francis fan, but I did not care for this book. The plot was a bit too fantastic for me, and I had difficulty following it. Maybe it was because Mr. Francis deviated from his forte which as everyone knows is the horse world and everything in it. I hope that he decides to go back to that world in his next book.
Rating:
Summary: I thought something was wrong with me!
Review: I had a cold while I was reading this book and I thought it was me. I usually love Dick Francis, but I was so confused. The plot did not make any sense and the dialog was terrible. I had to make myself keep reading the book. I hope the next is better.
Rating:
Summary: Good writing, poor plot
Review: "Second Wind" is clearly written by a master of language. Dick Francis is able to evoke vivid word pictures and draw fine characters with a minimum of strong, well-chosen words. And as usual, he weaves a tale which is intricately involved in a specialized background. For Francis fans, these observations aren't a surprise. What is a surprise is the setting: weather forcasting! Airplanes. Biology. Radioactivity. What is a further surprise is that the novel was actually dull. The plot itself strained credibility: a group of 'average' people who were brokering radioactive materials, spying, murdering each other, and breeding mushrooms and diseased cattle. More than I could follow, or care about. Keep your writing skills polished, Dick, but go back to the stables. I liked you better on the racetrack.
Rating:
Summary: Murky unbelievable plot
Review: I am an avid Francis fan. He, along with Clancy and Hillerman, are the only authors whose books I will buy as soon as they hit the shelves. He writes interesting stories, wonderfully developed characters, and makes you care about the people in his books. His evil twin must have written this book. I was so disappointed. The plot made not sense, and I did not care one bit about his characters. There was even a point where I hoped the two protagonists would die in the hurricane and put me out of my misery. One other note, as a private pilot I know that no sane pilot would do nor be allowed to do what the pilot in the story did. It would have been suicide in a light plane. Here is hoping that the real Dick Francis returns.
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