Trial Run, by Dick Francis (1978)

Trial Run, by Dick Francis (1978)

TOPICS: Amateur male detective. Location: Moscow, Russia Time: The Present (1978)

How can you say 'no' to a Prince? You can't. Randall Drew found out quite quickly, though the last place he wanted to go was Moscow, even if it was on a missin for the Royal Family. But the Prince's brother-in-law had his heart set on riding in the Olympics, and it seemed some jealous Russian had her heart set on killing him if he did.

So leaving behind his well-bred horses and high-born girlfriend, Randall went to Moscow, little expecting that the sabotage and murder he'd find would pale in comparison to the unspeakable terror that followed...

Dick Francis
TITLE YEAR MAIN CHARACTER OCCUPATION
Dead Cert 1962 Alan York Amateur jockey, Company representative
Nerve 1964 Rob Finn Professional jockey
For Kicks 1965 Daniel Roke Australian horse breeder,
undercover investigator
Odds Against 1965 Sid Halley Investigator, former champion jockey
Flying Finish 1966 Henry Grey Amateur jockey, semi-professional pilot, in-
flight horse-transport supervisor
Blood Sport 1967 Gene Hawkins Civil service screener
Forfeit 1968 James Tyrone Racing journalist
Enquiry 1969 Kelly Hughes Professional jockey
Bonecrack 1971 Neil Griffon Business consultant
Rat Race 1972 Matt Shore Air taxi pilot
Smokescreen 1972 Edward Lincoln Actor
Slay Ride 1973 David Cleveland Jockey Club Director of Security
Knockdown 1974 Jonah Dereham Bloodstock agent
High Stakes 1975 Steven Scott Inventor, racehorse owner
In the Frame 1976 Charles Todd Artist
Risk 1977 Roland Britten Accountant, amateur jockey
Trial Run 1978 Randall Drew Gentleman farmer, former jockey
Whip Hand 1979 Sid Halley Investigator, former champion jockey
Reflex 1980 Philip Nore Professional jockey, amateur photographer
Twice Shy 1981 Jonathan Derry Teacher, Olympic marksman
William Derry Owner’s representative
Banker 1982 Tim Ekaterin Merchant banker
The Danger 1983 Andrew Douglas Kidnapping investigator
Proof 1984 Tony Beach Wine merchant
Break In 1985 Kit Fielding Champion jockey
Bolt 1987 Kit Fielding Champion jockey
Hot Money 1987 Ian Pembroke Amateur jockey
The Edge 1988 Tor Kelsey Jockey Club undercover investigator
Straight 1989 Derek Franklin Professional jockey
Longshot 1990 John Kendall Writer
Comeback 1991 Peter Darwin Diplomat
Driving Force 1992 Freddy Croft Former jockey, owner of horse tranport business
Decider 1993 Lee Morris Architect/builder
Wild Horses 1994 Thomas Lyon Film director
Come to Grief 1995 Sid Halley Investigator, former champion jockey.
To the Hilt 1996 Alexander Kinloch Artist
10-lb. Penalty 1997 Benedict Juliard Student, amateur jockey, insurance
investigator
Second Wind 1999 Perry Stuart TV meteorologist
Shattered 2000 Gerard Logan Glass blower and sculptor
Under Orders 2006 Sid Halley Investigator, former champion jockey
Dead Heat 2007 Max Moreton Chef and restaurateur (written with son Felix)
Silks 2008 Geoffrey Mason Barrister (written with son Felix)
Even Money 2009 Ned Talbot Bookmaker (written with son Felix)

Nerve, by Dick Francis

The key element of a Dick Francis book is that it will have something to do with horses and horse-racing. His early books featured mostly jockeys and racing, later books dealt with lead characters in other professions, who were only tangentially connected to the horse racing world.

Another element of a Dick Francis novel is that the hero always - always - will be either beaten up or in some way tortured in the last few chapters of the book, to show how tough they are, presumably.

Truth to tell, Nerve isn't one of my favorites, but it is an interesting psychological story. (My favorite Franis is Reflex, the very first one I read, in which the hero is a jockey and also an amateur photographer, the reflex of the title speaking both of a person's reflexes, and also a reflex lens), followed by In the Frameand then Forfeit.

Interestingly, having just checked Wikipedia, it looks like Nerve was Francis' second novel, written in 1964. I was surprised by that - it is very accomplished, for someone's second novel.

Robb Finn is a beginning jockey, just starting out in his career. Things are starting to look up - he's just been offered steady rides by a trainer, James Axminster. He's ecstatic...he's on his way. Then...things start to go wrong. His horses start to give up on him...is he losing his nerve?

This is a novel of psychological suspense...as several jockeys whom Rob knows are also finding their lives in turmoil...losing their jobs, losing their nerve, nad so on... what is going on?

Here are the first few paragraphs of the book:

Art Mathews shot himself, loudly and messily, in the center of the parade ring at Dunstable races.

I was standing only six feet away from him, but he did it so quickly that had it been only six inches I would not have had time to stop him.

He had walked out of the changing room ahead of me, his narrow shoulders hunched inside the khaki jerkin he had put on over his racing colors, and his head down on his chest as if he were deep in thought. I noticed him stumble slightly down the two stepos from the weighing room to the path; and when someone spoke to him on the short walk to the parade ring, he gave absolutely no sign of having heard. But it was just another walk from the weighing room to the parade ring, just another race like a hundred others. There was nothing to suggest that when he had stood talking for two or three minutes with the owner and the trainer of the horse he was due to ride, he would take off his kerkin, produce from under it as he dropped it to the ground a large automatic pistol, place the barrel against his temple and squeeze the trigger.

If you haven't read Dick Francis before - and he's so popular that you probably have, I'd suggest starting chronologically, from Dead Cert (his first novel, 1962), to Straight. He wrote more after that but they are disappointments (either written by a ghost writer or by his son), without the same flair.

Books by Dick Francis. Note that he has only one "series", that of Sid Halley, and Halley is only in a couple of books.
Dead Cert 1962
Nerve 1964
For Kicks 1965
Odds Against 1965
Flying Finish 1966
Blood Sport 1967
Forfeit 1968
Enquiry 1969
Rat Race 1970
Bonecrack 1971
Smokescreen 1972
Slayride 1973
Knockdown 1974
High Stakes 1975
In the Frame 1976
Risk 1977
Trial Run 1978
Whip Hand 1979
Reflex 1980
Twice Shy 1981
Banker 1982
The Danger 1983
Proof 1984
Break In 1985
Bolt 1986
Hot Money 1987
The Edge 1988
Straight 1989
Longshot 1990
Comeback 1991
Driving Force 1992
Decider 1993
Wild Horses 1994
Come to Grief 1995
To the Hilt 1996
10 LB. Penalty 1997
Second Wind 1999
Shattered 2000
Under Orders 2006
Dead Heat 2007 with Felix Francis
Silks 2008 with Felix Francis
Even Money 2009 with Felix Francis

Smokescreen, by Dick Francis

Edward Lincoln is an actor, and a successful one. But he's the rugged kind, like Clint Eastwood (so he can handle the trials and tribulations that author Dick Francis is about to throw at him!). Before becoming an actor, he had ridden horses for a living, so when a family friend, who is dying, asks him to travel to Australia to discover why her horses aren't running well, he can hardly refuse.
But Lincoln, who likes to maintain a low profile, finds more than he bargained for in Australia, from paperazzi yearning to get some dirt on him (whether or not they have to invent it themselves doesn't matter), to the people behind the poorly-performing race horses, who don't want to see their scheme interfered with.
Francis handles the characters in this book with sureness...we get an insight into the actor's life that is fascinating (in particular the feud with the director/auteur), and of course there are the inevitable racing scenes that are also fun. And then of course there are the trials and tribulations that Francis heroes are known to be subjected to.




Recommended.