Reviews

• 喪失と再生の物語

  元花形ジョッキーのSid Halleyが主人公の第2作だ。前作のOdds Againstでは片腕を失ったSidが調査事務所のパートナーとして第2の人生に踏み出す姿が描かれていたが、本作は時間的にはそれほど間もないところから始まる。 今回は前妻のJennyが巻き込まれた詐欺事件、同一厩舎の有力馬の不審な敗北などの調査を立て続けに依頼されるところから始まり、サスペンス・スリラー小説としても十分楽しめるが、個人的には事件解決を通じて再び出合ったSidと前妻のJennyが共に不幸な結婚生活で負った心の傷を乗り越えて行く姿や、捜査の過程で暴力と脅迫に一旦は屈したSidが深い喪失感から立ち直っていく姿により感銘を受けた。 自己の苦しみや悩みを妻にさえ打ち明けない自己抑制のきいた主人公が、内面では深い喪失感や劣等感を抱いてもがいている心理描写がすばらしい傑作だ。

• おなじみSid Halley

  Dick Francis でもっとも登場が多い主人公。 事故で義手になり、探偵をしている。 一本しかない自分の腕をこわされる脅しに 耐えながら立ち向かう。気球に乗って空中を 飛ぶところがさすがパイロットライセンスを持つ 作家だけにリアルな描写だ。妻とは別れてもその父親 Charlesと付き合い続ける。元妻の友達とベッドをともに するなど女性関係も複線となっている。相棒Chicoとの やり取りも面白い。フランシスの脂がのっている頃の作品。

• Riveting

  A Dick Francis classic featuring the phlegmatic Sid Halley. Good development of characters and plot that gives you a feel good ending.

• recensione di Whip HAnd

  un libro eccellente, uno dei migliori dell'autore

• never disappoints

  All his books are variations of the same theme, but he’s a master nonetheless. They really stand the test of time

• Engaging and extremely well written

  This is the first Dick Francis book I've read. I first noticed his books somewhere back in the 1980s, when I was reading every new mystery writer I came across. I skipped his because I'm not much interested in horseracing, and every book had a horse on the cover. What a mistake! Dick Francis was a fantastic writer, and would have engaged any reader, no matter what category he'd chosen. I tend to read cozy mysteries, and I would call Francis's work hard-boiled (but not too hard - Raymond Chandler, not Mickey Spillane). There are beat-down scenes you don't get with Christie, but they aren't a large percentage of the book. In Whip Hand, Sid Halley is a former jockey, now a professional PI investigating several cases at the same time, and all are interesting. In multi-plot books, there always seems to be a subplot that I'm just not interested in, and I'm disappointed when the action goes there. Not so here. Even the pop-in scene about the balloon race is something you wouldn't want to miss. All of the cases Sid investigates come to logical, satisfying conclusions that feel real. I will definitely be reading more of Francis's books. I chose this one first because it won an Edgar Award, even though it's the second in a 5-book series. I didn't feel that I was missing anything, reading them out of order.

• Great read, lots of action.

  As usual a brilliant read from Dick Francis . Great plot, believable action and characters. Top rate. Top marks. Good.

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