Wild Horses

Rating:
Summary: Another professional, another good one
Review: Although Dick Francis always manages to get horse racing into nearly every mystery he writes, he also brings the reader a lot of information on other professions, into which he puts his protagonists. In this case, Thomsas Lyon is a movie director, young, ambitious, very good at what he does. In his current film "Unstable Times," he may also be arousing old passions over a nearly forgotten mystery. Thomas first realizes there may be repercussions when an old trainer, and his friend, dies of cancer, leaving him all of his collection of books. Shortly afterward, the man's sister is attacked and nearly killed by a man wielding a wicked knife.

Although the movie script, and the book it is taken from, uses none of the original names, the story is clearly one of a young woman found hanging in a horse stall nearly thirty years earlier. The book's author is constantly appalled at the liberties Lyon takes with his work and causes no end of complications. Her husband, accused of her murder, was never convicted. He and many others involved at the time threaten, cajole, beg, and whine, trying to keep the movie from being finished. Clearly, someone fears that the truth may come out.

In the end, Lyon does solve the decades old mystery, but not without taking a few licks himself. The movie is finished and we are told quite successfully, as it wins several Academy Awards. On the journey, Lyon has proven himself a good director, has made friends of many of the participants, and is himself quite satisfied with the result.

Rating:
Summary: One of Francis' best.
Review: Dick Francis, Wild Horses (Jove, 1994)

Wild Horses is Dick Francis on top of his game. It stands as one of the highlights of the long and somewhat distinguished career of one of Britain's best-known mystery novelists.

The tale is that of Thomas Lyon, ex-jumps jockey and presently filmmaker. He's been signed on to make a movie based on a novel based on a twenty-six- year-old police case regarding the alleged suicide of a trainer's wife. In the small British racing world, Lyon and the trainer are connected through various channels, and Lyon, along with the film's reluctant producer O'Hara, idly speculate that maybe, in the making of the film, they might actually solve the case. As all this is going on, an old friend of Lyon's dies, leaving Lyon all of his racing-related books and ephemera. A number of others want to get their hands on this material, and will stop at nothing to do so, including viciously beating the man's elderly sister. Lyon realizes that everything's tied in a lot closer than it seems, and the chase is on.

Wild Horses has a readability factor that some of Francis' less consistent books lack. He puts everything in front of the reader in a non-nonsense fashion, adding enough deception to keep the reader wondering what's a clue and what's a falsity, throws in suspects by the score, and lets Lyon go on about making his movie. (Perhaps the fact that the sleuth not only has another job, but actually pays attention to it as the mystery is going on, is one of the book's strongest points; too often it seems amateur detectives suddenly find themselves with more than enough hours in the day when things get underway.) Them's good reads, folks!

A must for any fan of Francis (or any other writer of racing mysteries), and a good intro to him for other mystery readers who haven't yet discovered his work. ****

Rating:
Summary: Dick Francis Remains Excellent 30 Years On
Review: Great nostalgia for me here as I recall hearing Dick Francis novels serialized on BBC Radio 4 back in the 1970s. Evidently he remains master of his unique genre of mysteries set to a horse-racing background. And what a career--this is his 33rd novel!
"Wild Horses" satisfyingly has no loose ends. The pacing is excellent. At no point was I bored. The characters of Thomas Lyon, the director; O'Hara, the producer; Nash, the star, and Valentine, Lyon's old friend are all nicely developed (one gets a good feel for Valentine even though he dies early in the book as we continue to see him through Lyon's memory). The movie-making is well done. The one race scene is great.
Thoroughly entertaining. Good, clean fun.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Experiment
Review: I just finished my second time through this book and am making my thespian daughter read it. The characters and insight into directing are excellent. The mystery and action are outstanding. You really can't go wrong with Dick Francis!

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Summary: great service
Review: I received the audio book in approx 3 days and in excellent shape

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Summary: Horse Racing and Filmmaking
Review: The author's descriptions of horse racing are as vivid and exciting as ever. The reader gets an added bonus of an in-depth look at filmmaking.

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Summary: Is Thomas Lyon Really A Priest ?
Review: While visiting a dying racing columnist named Valentine Clark, Thomas Lyon is mistaken for a priest by the confused old man and forced to hear his confession. Since the names mentioned by Valentine are totally unfamiliar to Tom, he disregards the confession as merely the product of Valentine's delirium.

Tom is directing a movie nearby which is inspired by a famous unsolved murder case from the past. Sonia Wells, the wife of trainer Jackson Wells, had died mysteriously of asphyxiation. Sonia was the sister-in-law of Rupert Visborough, a prominent member of the Jockey Club. The careers of both Wells and Visborough were ruined by the suspicion of murder. Valentine had known these two men as well as Sonia and several of her friends.

As the filming progresses numerous attempts are made to stop Tom from completing the project and perhaps solving the mystery of the killing.One of the actors is slashed while riding on the heath by an unknown horseman. Valentine's sister is attacked and her house is ransacked. Tom is stabbed in a crowd. By the time Valentine's nephew is killed it is very clear that the murderer is after Valentine's books and notes which are now in Tom's possession.

I consider WILD HORSES to be one of the better crime novels written by Dick Francis. In addition, the reader can also expect to enjoy some interesting subplots.

Rating:
Summary: Wild Women
Review: WILD HORSES by Dick Francis

This is not a new book, but to me it was I just read it. Dick Francis is not a new writer. He has many books to his credit. This one is an excellent effort as was all of his books. Of course he was writing about something he is very good at, horse jump racing. His prime character in this story is a 16-hour a day working director of a movie about steeple jump racing.

Thomas Lyon is the director of 'Unstable Times', who solves two murders and several 26-year-old mysteries while director of the movie. He almost had his life ended when the writer, of 'UNSTABLE TIMES', and other people involved who didn't like what the movie implicated and took it very serious.

This is a good story of the work and people involved in making a movie. Just a good book for the information about the nitty gritty work involved in making a movie and how much work and how dangerous it can be.

Rating:
Summary: Wild Women
Review: WILD HORSES by Dick Francis

This is not a new book, but to me it was I just read it. Dick Francis is not a new writer. He has many books to his credit. This one is an excellent effort as was all of his books. Of course he was writing about something he is very good at, horse jump racing. His prime character in this story is a 16-hour a day working director of a movie about steeple jump racing.

Thomas Lyon is the director of 'Unstable Times', who solves two murders and several 26-year-old mysteries while director of the movie. He almost had his life ended when the writer, of 'UNSTABLE TIMES', and other people involved who didn't like what the movie implicated and took it very serious.

This is a good story of the work and people involved in making a movie. Just a good book for the information about the nitty gritty work involved in making a movie and how much work and how dangerous it can be.