Banker

BANKER by Dick Francis is one of our all time favorites, maybe because we have a New Zealand friend who is an investment banker under the British term, which is very different from the American concept. A more unlikely hero than Tim Ekaterin seldom exists in mystery/suspense/thriller fiction, but Mr. Francis carries the character through many trials to a surprising finish. Now that is class or the style of a master storyteller. Financing the purchase of a champion horse is Tim's first step outside the box of his world, which is the only safe move he makes in this rapid pace story. Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Dick Francis is a formulaic writer, which is to say that one has a pretty good idea of the shape of the novel before one even cracks open the cover. While this would be a death knell for longevity for many, it hasn't been for Francis. This arises from the fact that his characters are so memorable and the milieu in which he casts his tales so rich and well defined that we totally forget that some of the plot mechanisms feel familiar.Banker is a tale of a young British investment banker involved in a syndicate financing the stud career of a well know champion race horse. After the deal is sealed there arises a problem--it appears the horse is genetically defective. Our Banker suspects this is not entirely a natural phenomenon and starts investigating. As always with Francis, this leads to intrigue, violence and murder.Francis' ability to skillfully enter into a wide array of worlds in his novels is another strength--the world of investment banking is brought into sharp focus in a way that makes it interesting--not terminally boring, as one would imagine.Banker is one of Francis' very best works--the characters are vivid and compelling, the mystery here is more refined than usual, the suspense builds very nicely.If you haven't yet tried Francis, this would be a great book to start with. It will set you on the path to a lot of great reading!

Dick Francis has a winning formula: take a youngish man of about 30, who holds a job that most people would think is boring; have him solve a mystery and prove that he is far more observant, more intelligent, and cleverer than anybody expected. Along the way, have his family, who doesn't appreciate him and takes him for granted, find out that he is more important to them than they to him. And an intelligent, middle-aged woman who recognizes his value and will help him in his future career. Stated in a formula like this, it doesn't sound like that much, but the details Francis gives in each book make it fascinating.Some people might hesitate to read a Francis book, as I did for years- I thought they were just about horse racing and jockeys, and as that wasn't a particular interest of mine, I didn't bother. However, in most of his books written in the last 25 years, although horse-racing is always a part of the plot, the main characters are in all walks and fields of life, and one does not have to love horses and jockeys to read these books.In this case, our hero's career is investment banking. Some people would start to doze off at the thought of banking, but Francis provides us with details of the job that show the exciting parts of it, the skills required, and the variety that can enter into it.When the banking firm finds itself asked to invest in a race horse, Tim Ekaterin, the poor relation of the family, turns out to have the knowledge needed for this risk. He also knows enough to recognize that when something goes wrong, it may not be due to natural causes. We meet veterinarians, chemists, and other researchers, all of whose work is described accurately enough to make one suspect that Francis has a friend or relative in every field mentioned and has pried every detail of their daily lives out of them.The ending is good; the bad guys get their come-uppance, and greed is punished, while our hero is finally rewarded with some recognition in both his personal and work lives.

"Banker" was the first book I read by Dick Francis. I knew he had legions of fans, and after reading "Banker" I understand why. He seamlessly weaves the diverse worlds of investment banking, horse breeding, and holistic horse practitioners to paint a realistic, believable and compelling story. Dick infuses this with minute details that make each of these worlds and characters come alive. His skill as a mystery writer comes through in the story's perfect pace. Dick is patient in developing the plot, which covers a few years, and each episode is carefully calculated to build a tightly-knit, exciting conclusion. None of the episodes seem unnatural. His deliberate speed in developing the story does not make for portions of slow reading at all. Rather, the opposite happens, and the book is hard to put down. The characters convincingly grow and develop along the way; even the minor ones are not hollow or contrived. His plotting and character development, as showcased here, occur at such a sophisticated level that any Francis imitators have a tough road ahead of them.Shame on the publisher for allowing egregious typographical errors such as "burt" instead of "but," "of of" instead of "of," "what so" instead of "what's so, " or "males" instead of "mares". Dick's work deserved better.

"Banker" is a wonderfully ingenious mixture of horse-breeding, investment banking, and gene-altering drugs. The thoroughness of Francis' research into his storyline left me breathless. A definite "must-have" for his fans! One can almost feel the grief for the hapless victims, and the villian (as true to Francis form) comes straight out of nowhere to shock and surprise the reader. Malicious greed is the motive behind the villian's actions; the reader is motivated to keep reading!