Silks by Dick Francis | A Book Review

This is another book I read last month. I got this from a second-hand bookstore. I have always loved Dick Francis. Every time I see a book of his, it is automatic that I buy it. I have a list of authors that I look for first, every time I go inside a bookstore. If I can't find any of their works, then the digging and reading the back covers start.  

Silks mean two things. One is to mean a QC - Queen's Counsel. An English (British) term for senior lawyers. Informally or commonly referred to as a silk. Silks also refer to the clothes worn by jockeys. The lead character in this book, Geoffrey Mason, is both of those things. He's a lawyer and an amateur jockey who rides his own Thoroughbred in races.

If you are familiar with Dick Francis, you already know that his novels always have jockeys, steeplechase racing, horses and feature a different profession each time. As mentioned earlier, this book talked of lawyers. And if there are lawyers, a crime or a case is surely in the midst. In this story, an alleged murder of the number one jockey by another top jockey. The accused begged for Mason to represent him in court.

Every time I read a Dick Francis novel, I always ask myself if I can spot the antagonist or if I can see the way the story is going. It is a game. I try to pay attention to the writing to get clues that might help me. Sometimes I was successful and sometimes, I was not. It's not an absolute science. It always ends up that the author is more clever than I am. In this story, I had no clue. I have no idea how to connect the people to the suspect. And again, Francis has done it in a very unsuspecting way. It is always a delight every time he stumps me with his unusual ways of thinking.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. Of course, there is no question. I don't think I have read one from him that disappointed me. That is why he is one of my favorite authors. His novels are always a treat. They are like guilty pleasures for me. My only expectation each time is to be surprised with the twists. I have read a number of his books and it is still a wonder to me how he comes up with these unique stories. I thought, by now, he should have run out of ideas but it seems as if there is always a book that I have not read.

Just like all his other novels, I have enjoyed my presence in the courtroom as Mason tries his damnedest to put doubt on the accused. And I cheered when he and his horse finally won in the last run of their racing careers.

I could remember feeling like I was living in  a time warp. There had been so much rushing around going on by others while I had sat still and alone in my grief and the hours and days had dragged by.

- Dick and Felix Francis, Silks - 

I have featured Dick Francis in my three-of-a-kind posts. Three of a kind showcases three books from my favorite authors. I have not done one lately but will make one again as soon as I have caught up with all my reviews. I came up with this in the earlier stages of my blog to tell everyone about the books and stories I love. Here are three of his books and they are my favorites. I hope you too will love them.

Straight

To the Hilt

Hot Money

Three of A Kind - Dick Francis (Part 3/3): Hot Money

The third and  last installment of this current feature of Three of A Kind by Dick Francis is Hot Money. Hot money refers to the bets made by people who have inside information. 

Hot Money is the author's ninth novel to appear in condensed books. The Francises love to travel. In this novel, they have traced the route followed by our main characters - Malcolm and Ian Pembroke of Lambourn, England - from England to America to Australia.

Who are the Pembrokes?

Malcolm Pembroke is the father of Ian Pembroke. Ian is an amateur horse jockey. Malcolm earned his fortune as a gold speculator. He is dubbed to be with a Midas touch. Malcolm has been married five times. His fourth wife died in a car accident, along with their son. The other son survived with a brain damage. Ian is his only son by his third wife, Joyce. Malcolm's fifth wife, Moira, just died. She did not produce any children with Malcolm. The rest of Malcolm's brood is relieved that Moira is gone. They won't have to worry about getting less of Malcolm's wealth. Each offspring from the three divorced wives, except for Ian, have their own problems with life and money. They wanted Ian to patch up his relationship with their father and convince Malcolm to not squander his money in various donations, charities and frivolous expenses. They wanted Ian to convince their father that he needs to give them the money instead of going to those charities. Before Ian could actually make up with his father, Malcolm called him and asked him to accompany him in his appointments. Ian, realizing that his father was indeed serious in his offer of peace, accepted. Only to find out that someone has been trying to kill his father. One of the attempts was thwarted by Ian. Now, Ian has to protect his father and he has to make sure that his half-siblings, their respective other halves and his ex-step-mothers are not involved.

Like all families of multiple marriages, there is always this one person who serves as a keeper of peace. Ian is that sort of person in this story. His father listens to him, so it is just logical that his half-siblings will request him to intercede for them to their father. The story circles on Ian's efforts to keep his father alive and to find out who is trying to kill him. And like in real life, Ian realizes that it's not always money that drives people to madness. Some deep need and lacking would drive some to desperation and do the unthinkable. I reveled in the process on how Ian was able to get to know more of his family's lives, of their wishes and dreams, their frustrations and drives. 

My guess on who the murderer of the story wasn't close. I did not expect it. I thought the attempt to kill Malcolm was all because of money but it wasn't. It wasn't so obvious and you have to have really amazing powers of deduction to figure it out. Like Malcolm, I have to see the culprit in the act to believe. This is a well-written story. I don't like it as much as the two previous books - Straight and To the Hilt, but I still enjoyed it. A Dick Francis is always a wonderful read. This one though wasn't as superb as the two but still worth the time. 

And if you want to know how to create a secret room or storage, read this book. It will tell you how to make a room with a magic door, where to hide your treasures. You won't need a door knob, only a length of wire.




1/3 Straight
2/3 To the Hilt


Here are the rest of my books of Dick Francis.

Paperbacks (from left to right):

Wild Horses 

Slayride

Blood Sport

Bolt

Odds Against

Whip Hand

Comeback

Enquiry

Condensed books (top to bottom)

Second Wind

Hot Money

Straight

To the Hilt

Driving Force

Banker

Three of A Kind - Dick Francis (Part 2/3): To the Hilt

Second book feature on three of a kind by Dick Francis is To the Hilt. According to Merriam Webster, this idiomatic expression means to the very limit or completely or with nothing lacking. 

Again, as with the other posts, you would need to read the book to judge if the title is really fit for the story. If I may lay my opinion, it is. Alexander Kinloch, has protected the Kinloch's honor and has fulfilled his promise to the dying step-father, Ivan George Westering, to the hilt. 

Well, here's the story. Alexander, he prefers to be called Al,  is the only son of the fourth dead son of an earl. He is often called the weirdo of the family - Mad Alexander and his acrylic and brushes. Alexander is a very talented painter of golf scenes. Some of his paintings were sold in New York galleries. If you think about it, he is not so mad after all, as his art is actually appreciated and bought by people. One art critic even said that he does not paint golf but the perseverance of the human spirit. 

Ivan, Alexander's step-father and his mother's second husband, had a heart attack. Alexander being the only and dutiful son, came to London to support his mother. Ivan, owns a brewery and is in the brink of bankruptcy because the Finance Director ran off with the money. Ivan and Alexander's Uncle, the current Lord of Kinloch, whom they call Himself, are tight friends. Himself have mentioned to Ivan that Alexander can be trusted with the earl's life. That's how trustworthy Al is. So with this, Ivan gave Alexander a special power of attorney to act on his behalf to save the brewery while it's still possible. Also, according to Himself, Alexander is good in hiding things. As Himself had asked Al to hide the Kinloch family's legacy, the often subject of debate among historians and citizens - commonly known as the Kinloch Honor or the Prince Charles Edward Stuart's sword. It is often questioned if the hilt rightfully belongs to the Kinlochs as the castle and surrounding estates has been turned over to the government. As to Al's talent in hiding things, another of his assignment is to hide Golden Malt, Ivan's race horse, to stop the bank from taking it and to hide the famed and historic King Alfred golden cup. Will Al save the brewery? Will he be able to make sure that the golden  cup and the race horse are safe from the creditors and other greedy hands? Will the hilt stay hidden and not be taken by the state as property?

Arg... Alexander is faced with a Herculean feat and all these tasks are dizzying, to say the least. He is a painter. What does he know about running a business, much less saving it from running into the drain? Aside from that, he has to hide two very important things. Well, as I said, he is not so mad at all. There is a method to his madness. You will be surprised to know how he was able to amazingly perform the three impossible jobs. You have to find out for yourself. I don't want to ruin the thrill and the mystery. I think, of all the main characters of Francis, Mad Alexander Kinloch, is my favorite. He may appear extrinsic but he is actually very gifted and sharp. So sharp, he is in danger of cutting himself. I love his character, very adorable and would take him any day as company. 

Aside from being amused with Mad Alexander's personality, one awesome character of the book is its abundance of witty phrases like the one I highlighted in the previous paragraph. These phrases are so amusing and catchy, just like the title is. I think, to the hilt, is one of my favorite idioms. Just as I would say, I will protect my family, especially my nephews and niece, to the hilt. 

Reading about the disturbance to Mad Alexander's quiet and uneventful life has been really really pleasing. I can't help but be astounded at his antics. Knowing Mad Alexander, the queer one, has outsmarted his adversaries and done his duty, to the hilt!

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if you hate horses, I am sure, you will love Mad Alexander, the master in hiding things. 

**Tip: He hides them in the last places you will look.

1/3 Straight

3/3 Hot Money

Three of A Kind - Dick Francis (Part 1/3): Straight

Another one of my favorite authors on three of a kind - Dick Francis. I came to know him via the Reader's Digest Condensed books. As you may have seen on in my previous posts, this is how I met most of my favorite authors. 

Let's meet Dick Francis...

Francis is a former British professional horse jockey. He is not just any jockey, he is Britain's champion steeplechase jockey. A steeplechase is a race for thoroughbred horses over fences. And true to his old profession, his novels are about or involve horse racing, horses and jockeys. Since 1957, Francis started writing and he has over 40 published crime novels. He collaborated with his son Felix on four of his novels. Even after his death in 2010, Felix still published the books with his father's name on them. Francis novels used different male heroes in his stories though he had two protagonists that appeared more than once in few of his novels - Sid Halley, an injured ex-jockey and the other is Kit Fielding.  Though his novels are centered on the subject of horses, they also opened doors to other fascinating professions such as a chef, private investigator, painter or artist, wine merchant, pilot and many others. People seem to enjoy his books because they learn about a trade they know little or nothing about. 

Most of the research for his novels are a family affair. His wife, Mary, is the main researcher and their children help too. Their eldest son, Merrick, is a horse trainer in Lambourn, England and their younger son, Felix, is the head of the Physics Department in an English school and is also a  skilled marksman. His research for his works takes him to places around the globe. Most of his novels are featured on Reader's Digest Condensed Editions.

Francis is the only three-time recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best Novel for Forfeit in 1970, Whip hand in 1981 and Come to Grief in 1996. He also received various awards from various British writers association. 

The first Dick Francis book feature is Straight. This novel is about gemstones and precious stones trading. The hero is Derek Saxony Franklin, a steeplechase jockey who got injured in one of his races. Derek was shuffling on a broken ankle when he received a call that his older brother Greville died. Greville was not married and Derek was listed as his next of kin. Derek has to take over Greville's affairs and that includes handling his precious stones trading business until Greville's estate is put to order. What would an injured jockey know about precious stones? Derek is as sharp and as smart as his dead brother. But will he be able to keep Saxony Franklin afloat or lead it to bankruptcy? Not to mention, someone is trying to kill him for reasons still unknown to Derek.

Straight is the first Dick Francis novel that I read and I was hooked. It was through this that I learned that Cubic Zirconia could pass as Diamonds for those untrained eyes. A tip for all the ladies, a karat of diamond equals  1.7k of CZ. I think this should come handy if you are looking to buy diamonds so don't be fooled. This book also introduced me to horse racing. All its hazards and malice, the money and the greed.

Well, this won't be a crime novel without vicious attempts on the life of our hero. Aside from that, there are other sinister things on the work also. This is a truly wonderful journey. I have become a believer of Francis right after reading this novel. This is an amazing exercise of the senses and you will definitely enjoy it. You will keep wanting for more, as I do.

Truly, Dick Francis is a master storyteller and I am glad I knew him through his very entertaining works. Every time I go to a bookstore, it never fails, Dick Francis' works are one of the first things I look for.

If you want to know what Straight means in this novel, better read it. I don't want to spoil it for you. It would be a very interesting ride. Believe me. I have been there twice over.

If you love horses, you will definitely love Dick Francis' novels. And even if you don't, you will still want to read more. His works are addictive. Consider yourself warned!


2/3 To the Hilt
3/3 Hot Money


Information sources: Wikipedia and the About the Author page at the end of the story.