In the Frame

This is not the first time I have read this book but first time in large print. I remember many of the twists and turns of this fast moving plot but not always major plot points. His descriptive writing makes one wish to visit the places he writes about. I had not visited Alice Springs, Melbourne or Wellington prior to reading but have since done so and recognised several of the places he describes easily One being Melbourne and it's Arts Centre. The Characters especially the two artists and wife and the master mind are wonderful portraits. Just waiting for my next Dick Francis/ Felix Francis to arrive--have you got the next1 Francis in line yo take over.

This book is a great adventure, with a mystery and attempted murder to go with it.

Dick Francis is a huge hit in my house. "In The Frame" was the first of his books that my wife ever read. She loved it so much she started looking for more of his books. Now, several years later, our office houses every book in the Dick Francis catalog. But, enough about my wife. I have never been a reader. Prior to 2005, I had never read a book for pleasure. My wife pushed me to give the Francis book "The Edge" a read because it is set on a train (and she knows I'm a sucker for trains). I gave it a try and haven't stopped reading the Francis catalog since. To date, I have read about three quarters of the Francis collection. So far, I have only come across three kinds of books in his catalog, good ones, great ones, and incredible ones. "In The Frame" is one of the incredible ones. If you'd had told me four years ago that I would become hooked on books set around English Steeplechasing in the coming years, I'd have considered you insane. But, here I am, and thanks to Dick Francis, I am completely hooked.

Dick Francis has written nearly 40 novels now, and In the Frame is in the top 7 or 8 as far as I'm concerned. The hero actually remains a bit of a cipher, but his friend Jik and his wife are two of Francis's really good characters. The information about painting and Australia is interesting, the ongoing joke about betting is pretty funny, and all kinds of images come to mind when I think back on this novel--a spot of breaking and entering while a famous race is detailed on the radio, Jik's wife and her purse, a handful of narrow escapes, the landscape down under. The mystery is good and the humor and wit are sharp. I'm glad to see that this is being reprinted again--it's one of Dick Francis's best novels, and a good place to start for those who have never read a Francis novel before.

Dick Francis was the master of mystery. He always knew how to keep the reader interested until the end of his books. In The Frame is no exception. Charles Todd is an artist who tries to help his cousin. In so doing, this takes him on a trek around Australia to find a thief and killer. This puts his own life and the lives of his friends in peril as well.

As Dick Francis is English and i am Australian, it was great hearing about Aus from a different point of view. As well as this, the story was thrilling with an excellent story line that slowly unravelled as you got further into the book. It is about paintings (mostly of horses) being forged and then stolen and so forth. This is truly an excellent book, and, in my eyes, one of his greatest triumphs. (I have read all of his books, liking 'The Edge', 'Bone Crack' and 'In The Frame' most of all.