Book Review

FIELD of 13 by Dick Francis Cassette: Penguin Ł8.99 Hardback: Michael Joseph - usually Ł16.95 but at Tindalls Ł11.95
Review of the Cassette I must admit that I have never been a fanatical admirer of Dick Francis novels but I do feel that his style of writing and the nature of the stories he tells are well suited by the short story idiom and I wonder why he has nor written them in the past. I was pleasantly surprised by the cassettes which feature 4 of the stories from a total collection of 13, as suggested by the title of the book . Although the link with horse racing is sometimes quite tenuous, the plots are original and varied and the characters well observed. I really enjoyed listening to these and they benefit from being read by Martin Jarvis , an excellent actor who is able to convey the various characters with conviction. At times the plots are of course rather far fetched (but the author s faithful fans will not mind that in the least!) and I preferred those that I could believe in more readily at the time. For instance the first story, Haigh s Death raises an interesting question . I wonder has a race ever been declared void owing to a misadventure to the judge? I do like the fact that the wrongdoers invariably pay the price of their transgressions - it leads to reader satisfaction! One such character in these stories meets fate in a very unexpected way since Dick Francis incorporates an actual disaster into the story .. one everyone will recall. I cannot say much more without spoiling your pleasure, but certainly Dick Francis spins a good yarn and the cassettes represent good value and easy listening. Ideal for coping with lengthy traffic jams for example! Having listened to the cassette you will almost certainly want to read the book Both would be excellent stocking fillers for Christmas.