Shattered

Master glassblower/artisan Gerard Logan is at the Cheltenham races when his jockey friend Martin Stukely is killed in a riding accident. He discovers that Martin has left him a videotape for safekeeping, but the tape immediately disappears in a robbery. Various people appear demanding the tape, all disclaiming any knowledge of its whereabouts, and Gerard finds himself caught in the middle. He finds himself between an ugly man-hating woman who wants to physically hurt him, a widow who seems to have a romantic interest, and a woman police constable who ends up in his bed.The plot provides considerable side information on the art of working with hot glass. The author, as usual, has done extensive research on a subject. The main character, Gerard, seems to have considerable financial resources as he has no hesitation about hiring cars and drivers, and seems to have only secondary concerns about money stolen from him. Gerard seems a bit careless about charging into danger, and does not seem to consider the possibility of collateral damage. He finds an assortment of allies ranging from young children to street smart toughs.Overall, it is a good mystery with some surprises. It seems suitable for teenage readers.

Gerard Logan is a glass artisan, more generally called a glass-blower. He has what you might call a normal life. But things are just about to get hot when his jockey friend, Martin Stukely, dies in steeplechase accident. From then on, Gerard finds himself involved in a deadly search for a valuable videotape. Martin was the last person who had the tape, now the bad guys think that Gerard have it. And they would do anything to get it. The thing is, Gerard has no idea what the videotape contains, let alone understand the priceless information it contains. Gerard must try to solve the mystery of the videotape, while at the same time trying to survive...I was very surprised to see the low ratings this book was getting from other reviewers. For my part, I enjoyed this book immensely! It might have something to do with this being only my third book to read of Dick Francis' while others have read many of his books. But still, I just thoroughly enjoy the flavor of Dick Francis' books. Especially when you read the first line of his book: "Four of us drove together to Cheltenham races on the day that Martin Stukely died there from a fall in a steeplechase."Francis just cuts right to the point and begins the story right off, which for me, immediately grabs my attention. From then on, he plunges you into a story worth the read with intrigue, mystery, romance, action, and wit.Gerard Logan is the usual Francis character; young, bright, likable, and clearly a very nice chap. He also is as curious as anyone can be. There is also the usual love interest, in this book the detective constable Catherine Dodd. Beautiful and also very smart, she too is incredibly likable. In "Shattered", there is one magical moment where Gerard is captivated and inspired by Catherine's beauty to make a dynamic glass sculpture. I thought that Francis wrote that part very well.And of course there are the bad guys, whom I won't reveal except that 'beware of Blackmask 4'! But the few of the most enjoyable characters whom I liked were Gerard's bodyguards. There's Worthington a chauffeur who watches over Gerard, the actual 'bodyguard' Tom Pigeon with his three Dobermans, and Gerard's taxi driver, Jim.My only complaint of the book is the bit disappointing ending, I wish it was a bit different. But "Shattered" is still satisfying. As usual, Dick Francis cleverly weaves into the tale a bit of horse racing, steeple chasing. And adding glass blowing into the plot was pretty cool. I must admit that I now find glass making a bit more interesting and fascinating than, I was at first skeptical as to whether you can actual put glass blowing into a mystery thriller.So if you've never read any of Dick Francis' books, I suggest you to pick up "Shattered" if you get a chance. But if you've read any of Francis' other books, I can't honestly tell you how good it is compared to them. You'll just have to see. "Shattered" is mostly for older teenagers and adults, due to some violence, some language, and some i

As a mystery writer with my first novel in its initial release, I am literally amazed by every new mystery from Dick Francis. Even though SHATTERED may be his last book, Mr. Francis has not lost his touch in over forty full-length works. All of his standard elements are here. There is the horse racing backdrop. There is a decent man who finds himself forced into reluctant heroism. There is evil that must be defeated. In SHATTERED, Mr. Francis introduces us to glass-blowing. Gerard Logan is a close friend of Martin Stukely, a jockey who died in a bad fall a Cheltenham. Gerard is beaten terribly in his glass-blowing studio. A gang is responsible. The gang includes the daughter of the late Martin's valet, and they are convinced that Gerard has in his possession a video tape. The gang is willing to kill Gerard to get the tape. The story flows from there, and it features a fine romance between Gerard and a policewoman. SHATTERED is a winner. I hope Mr. Francis writes forty more novels, though we all doubt if he now will. If SHATTERED is the end of his career, he has ended on top.

Gerald Logan and Martin Stuckey met in a jury room and became immediate friends although they share little in common. Martin is a horse jockey who races at the elite English tracks. Logan, who owns and operates Logan Glass, is a gifted glassblower, beginning to earn a well deserved reputation.Even after the trouble began, Logan never blamed Stuckey nor regretted their friendship. On New Year's Eve, Logan watches Stuckey race at Chelthenham. However, one of the horses Stuckey rides stumbles and falls on top of the jockey, killing him instantly. Before a stunned Logan can leave the track, he receives a videotape from Stuckey's valet, who says the deceased planned to give it to him after the races.Logan leaves the tape and his store's receipt on the store counter to go outside and enjoy the new millennium. When he returns, the tape and his money are gone. A couple of days later, thugs accost Logan demanding the tape. They do not believe him when he tells the he no longer possesses the tape. He also knows he is in trouble unless he recovers the tape and gives it to the proper authorities.True genius is rare, but with his track record Dick Francis has to be considered one. Each book he writes is unique, fresh, and entertaining. SHATTERED is no different due to a wonderful hero thrust in a situation not of his making. He not only blames no one, but also seeks vengeance for his buddy. Mr. Francis provides his fans with another stirring, believable mystery starring an ordinary guy as a sleuth investigating an extraordinary scenario.Harriet Klausner

I first discovered Dick Francis's mysteries with "Reflex" (about halfway through his now extensive current series). One of the joys of discovering a mystery writer who already has an extensive backlist of books is being able to read all those older books immediately; I must have taken no more than two weeks to devour Francis's entire backlist. One of the even greater joys is when that writer keeps on creating and publishing a new book every year. The greatest joy of all is when the one published in 2000 is as exciting and strongly written as the ones he wrote in the 1960s. I often joke to my friends that Dick Francis writes the same book year after year after year, but if you're reading this, Mr. Francis, I mean that as the highest compliment: there is no one as dependable and consistent to turn our a strong mystery adventure with every new book. As in previous books, "Shattered" features a likeable first-person male protagonist caught up in a mystery involving the horse racing world, a mystery that threatens him with physical danger but which is never a deterrent to our hero to see justice done and the mystery solved.Francis continues to impress me as one of the best researchers in the mystery world: many of his novels shows off his detailed knowledge of not only the racing field but also an additional expertise. In "Shattered" hero Gerard Logan is a glass-blower; I've learned more about the intricacies of the craft from this book than I ever imagined. Better yet, Francis makes learned about it interesting and vital to the plot. In previous books he's focused on such diverse subjects as meteorology, wine and spirits, flying, filmmaking, diamonds, delivery trucking, and much more--all with a detailed expertise that's vital to the plot and a light touch that never hammers you over the head. The search for a valuable videotape leads Logan in conflict with a ruthless woman and a murderous doctor...threatening his livelihood, his friends, and his life. Still, my favorite aspect of a Dick Francis novel is that his heroes--from jockeys to breeders, investigators and painters, film stars and glassblowers--are likeable, immensely personable, and always determined to do what's right. They come off as ordinary men caught in extraordinary situations that would have most of us hiding behind the sofa. I've never had to face a band of murderous thugs or face physical threats, but if I did, I'd hope I'd be able to deal with it as forthrightly and matter-of-factly as Francis's regular-joe heroes. (Now, Mr. Francis, how about a novel about a guy who works for a publishing company, writes reviews for an online bookseller, and gets caught up in horse-racing mystery...?)