Straight

Rating:
Summary: Superb.
Review: Dick Francis's Straight is a great read. The mystery in this book is very gripping. The characters are realistic. Derek the jockey was the hero. He suffered several physical and mental setbacks. But in the end he saved himself and his brother's gem trading business. Even though Francis's heroes are always in one way or another noble, the villains are not always as real as the heroes. In Straight, the cocaine drug dealer was almost a stereotypically bad guy. He wasn't therefore very real.
Dick Francis did an excellent job of research for this book. The details of the gem trade are astonishingly believable. In fact, I learned many interesting tidbits, for example, cubic zirconium is 1.7 times the weight of diamond. It's a really good book. I recommend it to readers who like mysteries or detective stories.


Rating:
Summary: Touched me
Review: Death, muggings, a terrible car crash, the late brother's mistress, the gem trade, missing diamonds, as well as a day or two at the races; the intrigue goes on and on. An exciting, neatly written tale with believable, stimulating dialogue and lots of handy little gadgets. Mamalinde is going back to make sure she hasn't missed any of Mr. Francis' lovely books!

Rating:
Summary: Anything but a straight path to solve the mystery...
Review: Dick Francis does it once again, delivering a solid mystery with a hero who is an honest, intelligent, basically a good guy who tries to solve the mysteries that arise after the death of the hero's considerably older brother, robberies, muggings, and car wreck, and to do so must veer from the straight and narrow path.
Derek is a steeplechase jockey who has broken his ankle when he receives word that his older brother (19 years his senior) has been seriously injured in a freak accident. Derek has to make a hard decision, then, when he learns that he is his brother's heir, he realizes that he got far more than he bargained for. Not only has he inherited his brother's house, car, and gem business (something Derek has no knowledge of nor any interest in), but also all of the troubles as well, including thefts, missing diamonds, secret passwords, troubled friendships and his brother's mistress!
Derek rises to the challenges, hindered physically by his broken ankle but more so by his inability to discover who is behind the subsequent break-ins, assaults, missing diamonds, and a nasty car wreck. All the while, Derek grieves for his brother, copes with his brother's mistress, and uncovers a second criminal element involving horses and horse racing.
The usual humor that I associate with Francis is in this novel, but what I liked most was the greater attention paid to the relationships between the characters (Greville, Derek, Prospero, Brad and Clarissa in particular) and gave more emotional development as well. It is nicely illustrated by Derek's reflection on what his brother meant to him, the closeness of their relationship despite the difference in their ages, and the regret that the relationship ended far too soon and too suddenly without having the chance to say how much he meant to him nor a chance to say goodbye.
Like other Dick Francis mysteries, this one has plenty to keep the reader interested, has the usual connection to horse racing, and enough suspense and action without becoming an ordinary mystery.
Straight may refer to Derek's general moral core (no reference to his sexuality, though), but the path Derek takes to solve the mysteries thrown in his way is anything but straight. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I just discovered the world of Dick Francis novels with To the Hilt and was impressed enough to try some more. Straight is another well written, fast-paced novel with great characters and plenty of suspense. The book goes fast so if you are a quick reader have another book handy because you will cruise through this. I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: To Walk in My Brother's Shoes . . . .
Review: Straight builds on a very neat piece of psychology. Derek Franklin, injured steeplechase jockey, unexpectedly has to carry on for his much older brother (18 years to be exact) after the brother dies from an accident. I am sure we all have wondered what it would be like to be one of our siblings. The experience for Derek is very literal.

Derek's brother is in the diamond trade, and a fortune in diamonds are missing. That sounds like the source of the mystery, but that is actually launched by getting mugged in the parking lot after leaving his brother's bed in the hospital as the beginning of a nonstop tale of intrigue. In the course of unraveling the mystery and fighting for his life, Derek also learns a lot about his brother . . . and himself. This is a great novel for anyone who likes to think about "what if?".

The only quibble some will have is that this book has relatively little about horse raising in it, compared to the other Dick Francis novels. Be open minded though, for the change is good for you, the reader.

Get Straight to it!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful
Review: This is my favorite Dick Francis novel, given to me by a good friend who also loves Francis. It is a book that sticks with me always. Wonderful story, action when you need it (which is a hallmark of Franics novels) but not overshadowing the relationships in this story. The hero is put in a situation where he has to feel his way along and learn his brother's business and life while simultaneously dealing with the loss of his brother and an emptiness in his life. I found it very moving. It is one of the few books that I have read where I have wondered what happens to the characters afterwords--as if they are real people. (Actually, Dick Francis is one of the few authors who has that effect on me. I also have that reaction to the three novels about Sid Halley.)

I strongly recommend this book, even to those who are not primarily mystery readers.

Rating:
Summary: This was the first of Many !!!!
Review: This was the first Dick Francis book I ever read and I am very glad it was. I have read this one over and over and I have yet to pick up a D.F. book that I didn't like.