To the Hilt: Amazon.ca: Dick Francis: Books

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18 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
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4.3 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Always dependable, always enjoyable, Mar 20 2004

By

hrladyship (Las Cruces, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Hilt (School & Library Binding)

Usually if one said that an author and his novels were dependable that would be synonymous with dull and boring. Not so with Dick Francis. He always manages to create stories and characters that grab the reader and hold on until the end.

In "To the Hilt," we have Alexander Kinloch, a painter whose specialty is golf and the places and people that involves. He lives in a bothy in the Scottish highlands where the solitude makes his work not only possible, but extraordinarily wonderful. However, the world intrudes in the shape of four burly men who beat the pulp out of him. They want to know where "it" is, and when they realize he has no idea what they mean they throw him down the mountain to his fate.

Over the next few weeks, he finds out what they were seeking and why. When Ivan, his step-father, has a heart attack, the authority to protect the older man's empire is given to him, a responsibility he is both willing and loath to accept. His step-sister, who resents his interference, begins intruding on his life and that of their parents. As she struggles to wrest power from him her father dies, leaving Alexander with total authority. Part of that responsibility is a string of race horses, bringing into the story the one absolute certainty of a Francis story.

However, he really shines in this tale when describing the artist's passion and obsession. Alexander meets an older woman, an antiquities expert, bent on "saving" a precious heirloom, and becomes haunted by her face, to the point that he feels compelled to paint her portrait. The reader gets the brush strokes and the feelings as the work forms under his hands. Even a non-artist has to say, "Yes, that's how it is." When she sees the finished work, she says, "You have made me immortal."

Anyone who likes mysteries will enjoy the clean writing in a Dick Francis novel. For the most part both story and characters are unambiguous. This is a quick read and totally enjoyable.

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5.0 out of 5 stars How to improve this book: Making the pages of chocolate, Aug 31 2003

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Marion Ravenwood (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Hilt (Paperback)

All of Dick Francis' stuff is great, and here's no exception. It's a quick read and nobody at a university is going to assign it as fine literature. Yet, Francis deftly involves issues of personal character in the presence of money and titles, not unlike Shakespeare's greatest hits.
Continually underscoring the two human races: the decent and the indecent (good and evil are too pure of terms for true-to-life characters), the author always emphasizes through his first-person account the stiff-upper-lip culture and maturity of England's ideal man.
Inventing tasteful ways to present sex and gore both, Dick Francis shows off good writing skills for even a jaded modern audience.
This tale combines all of the above and spices it with Scottish landscape, royal jewels, treachery, jealousy, castles, a National Trust busy-body, and of course...horses.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A good read for all, Jan 24 2003

By

The Lizard Queen (Topeka, KS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Hilt (Paperback)

This is only the second Dick Francis book I've read, but I think I'm hooked. To the Hilt had just the right combination of suspense, intrigue, familial strife, and general pathos to keep me engrossed from start to finish. The plot centers less around who did what than *why* they did it, and what the results will be. I identified with and rather liked the main character, Alexander, and I appreciated the humanity Francis gave to all the characters, even the antagonists. I particularly appreciated the eccentric relationship between Al and Emily. Even if you're not a huge Dick Francis fan, or a mystery buff, I think you would enjoy this book.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dick Francis masterpiece!
The main character of Dick Francis' "To the Hilt" is twenty-nine year old Alexander Kinloch whose only desire is to spend time alone painting. Read more

Published on May 13 2002 by Priscilla Stafford

4.0 out of 5 stars A delightful mystery
Although I've read a few of his mysteries, Francis's books have never really captured me. To the Hilt has made me re-think my opinion. Read more

Published on May 7 2002 by J. Carroll