For decades I read Dick Francis novels, mysteries all with some kind of horse connection. They were great and then near the end of his life some were not so good. I read an article that said his wife had been his editor and she had died. But then his son started editing them (with credit unlike the wife) and they got better again. Then the elder Francis died and his son Felix started writing on his own. Like his dad his novels had horse connections but they tended to be grittier than his dad’s. It was all good though – I enjoyed them all.
Felix’ latest is Guilty Not Guilty about a man whose wife has died and he’s accused of her murder. She’s had a long struggle with depression and has attempted suicide. He has a connection to horse racing. It was okay. It wasn’t particularly memorable and the horse connection was really very peripheral to the story. It’s a good airplane/beach/before bed kind of story but it will fade from memory quickly unlike some of his others.
60 Before 60 