Dick Francis's Damage (A Dick Francis Novel)

Jeff Hinkley is an investigator for the British Horseracing Authority who is thirty, has a photographic memory for faces, and is a master of disguises. He is also the concerned younger brother of a sister battling cancer and live-in boyfriend who is wondering if he should marry his long-time girlfriend.He is surprised when following a banned racehorse trainer around a race meeting to see him casually walk up to a bookmaker and slit his throat. The trainer had claimed that he was not responsible for the doping of the horses in his yard but was convicted anyway.It doesn't take long for problems to escalate. Someone is blackmailing the BHA. Either they pay or the blackmailer will destroy the credibility of the organization and the public's confidence in horse racing. Jeff has a short period of time to figure out who the blackmailer is and figure out a way to stop him.The book was filled with investigations. Jeff was a great character who determined to use the skills he gained as a military intelligence officer in Iraq to solve the mystery. I also liked seeing his relationship with his sister and with his girlfriend.Fans of mysteries will enjoy getting to know Jeff Hinkley.

Good fun, a fast pace, and genuinely unputdownable. The 50th Francis book is both an homage to the father and a tribute to the son's great writing talent. What an incredible book. The main storyline, which delves deep into the world of the British Horseracing Authority, could have stumbled into the realm of boring under another author's reins, but not so here. Even the internal politics and board meetings are suspenseful and move the story along at a nice, crisp pace. Like every Francis book, the story simply flows. And so much action! No less than four sub-stories ride along with the main plot, all interesting and not always easy to address, and the author handles each one with great sympathy and sensitivity. (I'd say more but it would be a spoiler.) Felix Francis again demonstrates a true, empathetic understanding of what motivates people to act as they do. I rather liked being inside Jeff Hinkley's head as he thinks through his personal relationship while thinking his way through to the ultimate villainous conclusion. As an added bit of fun, long-time Dick and Felix Francis readers should watch for a little inside baseball humor in a conversation Jeff has with his colleague Crispin about watching out for all the possible things that can go wrong at a race meet.Felix Francis continues to surpass himself with each book which makes it hard to pick a favorite, but this is certainly on the short list and one I already look forward to reading again. Like I do all Francis books. A bit earthier than I am used to with this author, some welcome humor, compassion, interesting bits of trivia and history woven throughout, and a heck of a yarn to boot. As my British friends have taught me to say, I'm chuffed! The 50th book is a splendid addition to the Francis library, and my own. Bravo, Felix.

The best Dick &/or Felix Francis mystery novel since Felix's father, Dick, wrote "In The Frame". It goes into great detail about how our hero figures out how to catch a saboteur of thoroughbred race courses during well attended classic racing days. It is a long journey with lots of setbacks and never a boring moment. In addition, there is a very interesting sub-plot involving our hero's efforts to clear the good name of a family member. There seems to be a third story in the opening, but this incident comes back in a surprising way to help our hero solve the main crime.Even if you are not interested in thoroughbred racing, don't worry. In this one, racecourses and classic racing events are only window dressing to propel the main plot, catching an urban saboteur.But you should also try "Dead Heat" by Dick & Felix Francis. It is about poisoning on 2,000 Guineas Day at Newmarket, a crime which our hero, a Professional Caterer, eventually solves. There are lots of very interesting details about the very complex Catering Business. And, without peeping ahead towards the end of the book, you could never guess what made everybody sick, a regular food item that requires surprisingly special care. Until I read "Damage", I thought that "Dead Heat" was the best since "In The Frame". But the idea behind the much simpler "In The Frame" is so tantalizing that I would still place it first!

A really good story any one who enjoys stories about horses and racing !

Keep these stories coming.

brilliant

Very good really enjoyed this book

As a lifelong Francis fan, I was rather disappointed wih Damage: the story was good, well told, in classic Francis style, with a satisfying conclusion. BUT I was continually irritated by typos, eg horse slaughter came out as horseslaughter, which I read as horses' laughter! This is a not uncommon problem with Kindle versions of books, but given the ease of correcting errors, is unforgiveable.My main irritation is the Americanisation of British English terms eg the constant use of "cell" for mobile phone or mobile; "freeway" for motorway, "ramp" for slip road If I am reading a book by an American author, published in America, I understand the terms perfectly, but in a quintessentially British book by an English author, the terms jar on the consciousness, and cause a break in the train of thought. I had the same grumble with the previous Francis book, Refusal. It's time to protest!It occurred to me that the book might have been edited to appeal to the US market, which makes no sense, given the setting of the story