Dead Heat [Hardcover]

MWA Grand Master Francis's first collaboration with his son Felix, a former physics teacher who researched many of his father's previous bestsellers, introduces an engaging hero, though longtime fans may find certain plot elements, like an unlikely love interest and sinister figures somehow connected with shady racetrack doings, less than fresh. The reputation of Max Moreton, a young wunderkind chef with a restaurant in Newmarket, England, suffers after guests at an affair he caters fall ill with food poisoning. This calamity nearly jeopardizes another job—feeding several dozen attendees at a major horse race. While that meal goes off without a hitch, a terrorist's bomb decimates the crowd at the track. Despite the official theory that an unpopular Middle Eastern ruler at the event was responsible, the chef wonders whether the bombing is related to the earlier food poisoning and turns amateur sleuth. Crisp writing and well-paced action help offset the routine plotting. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

After a silence of six years, Francis made a triumphant return last year, bringing back the ever-intriguing series hero Sid Halley in Under Orders. Now, Francis introduces a new hero, chef Max Moreton, who runs a thriving restaurant near the Newmarket racetrack. Moreton has a complex background; he's afraid of horses yet fascinated by the world of horse racing (his father was a steeplechase jockey and racehorse trainer). Francis is, as always, completely convincing when it comes to the track, but his efforts at depicting the challenges and delights of cooking seem labored and secondhand (his son, Felix, is credited with the research for this book). Unfortunately, the cookery details often seem pasted on and unnecessary. The action, however, is first-rate Francis. It centers on Moreton's travails as chef. First, food poisoning hits his guests and staff at a racing gala. The next day, a bomb shatters the grandstand box where Moreton has catered a lunch. And as Moreton struggles to decipher the cause of the food poisoning and whether it was connected to the bombing, he suffers the prospect of financial ruin and emotional trauma from the bombing. Then he discovers that someone is out to kill him. This mix of cooking and racetrack isn't close enough to horse racing to be completely satisfying Francis, but the action and the hero's struggles deliver a solid punch. Fletcher, Connie --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

'I wondered if I was dying. I wasn't afraid to die but, such was the pain in my gut, I wished it would happen soon.' The night before the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket sees the great and the good of the horse-racing community gathered for a prestigious black-tie Gala dinner. It is a fitting testament to the glamour of the occasion that top chef Max Moreton is cooking the evening's meal. Max is something of a celebrity in Newmarket circles. He is founder of the racing town's favourite Michelin-starred restaurant, the Hay Net.However, spending the night retching in the throes of agony is the last thing Max expects. But much worse is to come ...his food is suspected of putting twenty-four of the dinner guests in hospital. Max's pride and professionalism tells him all is not as it seems. Within hours, Max's restaurant is forcibly closed, his reputation teeters on the brink of ruin, and a court case looms. But the day is far from over, and soon Max Moreton finds himself desperately fighting for more than just his livelihood..."Dead Heat" is the latest searing, intrigue-filled blockbuster from the Grand Master of thriller writing.

Dick Francis has written forty novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), his autobiography (The Sport of Queens) and the biography of Lester Piggott. He is rightly acclaimed as one of the greatest thriller writers in the world. Felix Francis is the younger of Dick's two sons. Having spent 17 years teaching A-level Physics he took on the role of managing his father's affairs in 1991. With Dead Heat, Felix takes on a more significant role in the writing, assisting his father with the production of the latest instalment of the Dick Francis catalogue.

Surprisingly, for a Dick Francis novel, horses feature here only peripherally. Max Moreton is a superstar chef whose life gets complicated when more than 200 people get sick after eating a dinner he catered at a racetrack. The next day, while hes serving lunch at another race, the glass-fronted box of the grandstand explodes. Max turns sleuth to save his reputation and his restaurant. Martin Jarvis perfectly depicts Max--young, determined, and newly in love. Jarviss flexibility is remarkable. He creates different voices and accents for supporting characters ranging from Maxs girlfriend, Caroline, to an elderly neighbor, a Wisconsin concierge, and a Russian importer. A.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.