Rating: 
Summary: Classic Francis, quite up to speed
Review: The lastest (please, not "last") Francis. Once again, Francis delivers a story within his regular boundaries ~ vaguely related to horse-racing, well researched in at least one new area, an enviable character who suffers physically and emotionally, a beautiful and competant female minor character to provide some sexual interest/relief ~ a story this time about meteorology, more specifically, about weather, hurricanes, along with secrets, fear, death and life. In short, a typcal, and typically well written, Francis. The research that Francis appears to put in for each of his novels is impressive; so is the ease with which he allows it to be used: One leaves his books having learnt, but never feeling taught. In fact, the only quibble i have with him is a quirk i've noticed in every book he's written: In describing how something is, he uses the imperfect (a past) tense ("There were well over two hundred weather stations covering the British Isles..." one assumes there still are) when the present would be preferable. This quibble, however, other than noting itself in my mind, does not matter; it may even be simply a matter of personal English usage, anyway. "Second Wind" tells the story of Dr. Perry Stuart, a physicist turned meteorologist, who is led, gradually, by his web of friends, into a world of violence both natural and human (the interior of a hurricane and a conspiracy of dealers in death).
Rating: 
Summary: Confused, convoluted, confounding
Review: I bought this book because I have all the others, and have reread many of them with immense pleasure. The only reason to buy or own this book is to complete a collection, but that doesn't mean you should read it. There are holes in the plot through which you could ride a pack of hurdlers, jockeys and all. What was once an effective style is now an annoying set of cliched writing mannerisms. One might blame the editor, for not demanding extensive revisions. Or this might be the best that Mr. Francis can do nowadays. In the latter case I celebrate his lifetime of accomplishments that are second to none, and mourn his deteriorated skills.
Rating: 
Summary: One of his best
Review: Maybe it's the lack of horseracing as a central plot element that makes some reviewers pan this book. I found the character development, storyline, tempo, suspense, action, and presentation of the mystery to be at least on par with the best of Francis' other works.Perry Stuart is a thoroughly believable and likeable character. The manner in which he becomes entangled in the mystery, his methods of surviving his brushes with death, and his ultimate unraveling the mystery made perfect sense and were wonderfully entertaining. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I have to agree with most of the others. Did Dick Francis actually write this book? If so, what happened? I kept reading in hopes that the uninteresting, convoluted plot would get better if I just gave it a few more pages. It never did. Don't waste your time with this one. Go get one of your old Dick Francis favorites and re-read it instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the usual Dick Francis
Review: In general, I was not thrilled with this book. I found the plot complicated to follow, still can't quite figure out what happened. I would give this book a miss in hardcover. Die hard francis fans should wait for the paperback
Rating:
Summary: Second Wind-Comes in trailing the field
Review: I am a die hard Dick Francis fan - I have reread most of his books several times. This one I won't. It's disjointed and extremely slow to get to the plot ( which is so convoluted that even at the end it didn't make sense). I had to force myself to finish it in the hopes that it would get better, it didn't. There was very little character developement, far too many of the pages were taken up by descriptions rather than plot enhancement or better yet - plot explanation. It reminded me of the later Louis L'Amour books that were pages and pages of the same thought (who am I, why am I here, etc.) I really hope that Mr. Francis goes back to the good basic story and characters that have won him so many fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Second Wind
Review: I was disappointed also. I like the horseracing backdrop. Having the weather as the main backdrop was ok and thank goodness I watch the weather channel. I didn't understand or see it explained why the horse was feed the radioactive material. I don't feel Robin was the up to up kinda guy he made him out to be in the end. Also, what was it with the trains and the friend. too many loose ends for me. I would like to see him be challenged and write a sleuthing couple. He a retired jock and she a trainer or vet, etc. Or do another Sid.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrible Book - Read Something Else
Review: I read this because "I love Dick Francis novels" but this one was just terrible. I finished it only out of mild curiousity of the outcome. He has written so many wonderful books - read those, and skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Confusion
Review: I find myself still confused with what seem events lacking credibility. Also, the characters just didn't come to life. I'm sure the technical details were researched, but I was just left with the feeling that the main character just wasn't that fired up with his occupation. Although my experience is dated, I am a little familiar with flying and with the size of the ocean... Is the story really possible? Perhaps my problem is that I haad just re-read "Hot Money" and enjoyed the reunion with the real characters in that book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I have all Mr Francis' production on my shelves, and each one of his books has been for me continuous reading to its end. This happened with this new novel, too, but this time it was just out of deference for past merits. Mr Francis has apparently come short of ideas for the plots of his books, and has made in this one a partial change of scenario: meteorology, hurricanes, shady deals on the market of fixionable material. His classical grounds (the turf, National Hunt, steeplechasing, point-to-point, etc.), where he used to couple an undoubtable ability to write with an intimate knowledge of that world, are marginal here. And the spinning of the story, the writer's way of telling it, is somewhat circumvoluted. Regrettable: I preferred the old form. Nevertheless, it is for sure I will keep snapping up any of Mr Francis's books to come (and I do hope they will keep coming) as soon as I find them in the bookstore.
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