To The Hilt [Mass Market Paperback]

Twenty-nine year old Alexander Kinloch is an unusual chap. With a fervor for the bagpipes and a talent for painting "the passions of golf ... the conflict within the self," he's not what you'd expect as the fourth son of a Scottish earl. When his ailing stepfather seeks Alexander's help in reviving his bankrupt brewery, Alexander begrudgingly leaves his secluded highland cabin and enters a "race" to save his family's honor. The King Alfred Gold Cup, a two mile steeplechase that exemplifies the pride of the brewery, is his challenge, and his assignment is to secure the cup trophy, a valuable medieval chalice. As he emerges from his life as a near recluse, Alexander begins to understand the benefits and the costs of becoming a hero.

The "hilt" of Francis's delightful 35th thriller refers to the jewel-encrusted, solid gold handle of the ceremonial sword of Scotland's would-be king, Bonnie Prince Charlie. A descendant of the Scottish earl to whom the prince gave the hilt, narrator Alexander Kinloch lives in an unelectrified bothy in the Scottish mountains, supporting himself through his paintings. Al's keen visual sense allows him to draw the faces of the four thugs who beat him and tear apart his home in the opening chapter. "Where is it?" they demand, establishing the leitmotif of concealed objects that Francis weaves through the plot. Hard on the beating, Al must rush to London to comfort his mother in the aftermath of her husband's heart attack. Al learns that his stepfather's brewery is about to collapse because the finance director has absconded with millions of pounds. In desperation, the business affairs of the brewery are turned over to Al, though he pines for solitude, his easel and the mountains. A Francis novel wouldn't be complete without thoroughbred racing; in fact, Al's estranged wife is a race trainer, and one of the many things Al has to hide is Golden Malt, his stepfather's steeplechaser, slated to run in the King Alfred Gold Cup?unless Al's spiteful stepsister can steal the horse first. The diverse plot threads tie up neatly, but not before Al achieves an understated emotional breakthrough with his wife and with his undemonstrative mother, endures gruesome torture with hardly a murmur and wins his stepsister's trust. Likable characters abound: a PI who's a master of disguise; the earl, "Himself," who trusts Al to hide the ancestral hilt; a solvency practioner whose flowered dresses and soft hair help persuade bankers to give the brewery a second chance. Earlier this year, the Mystery Writers of America honored Francis as a Grand Master; this novel again shows why. BOMC featured alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

YA. Alexander, a reclusive young painter living in the Scottish Highlands, returns to London to oversee his stepfather's business when the older man has a heart attack. Both the chief financial officer and the firm's money have disappeared. Many twists occur before the conclusion of the story. Many teens will identify with Al as he doesn't quite fit in with the rest of his elite family. They will laugh at his assistant, a delightful private eye whose personality and unique methods of operation are efficient and entertaining. The plot moves quickly and there is abundant white space per page. Explanations of Scottish history are provided within the narrative. Although horses and a race are involved, their role is not as important as in other novels by this author.?Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Francis, a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and author of such works as Wild Horses (Audio Reviews, LJ 3/1/96), shows how he earned that title with To the Hilt, his 35th novel. This mystery begins in Scotland where we meet "Mad Al" Kinloch, nephew to the Earl of Kinloch and guardian of the "honor of the Kinlochs," the hilt of the ceremonial sword of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. Al has chosen a different way of life, preferring the solitude of a deserted shepherd's hut in the wild Monadhiliath Mountains on his uncle's estate. Known to the rest of his family as weird and eccentric, Al secretly prospers through the sale of his paintings. He has also gained a reputation as someone who knows how to keep treasures hidden, a talent that will cost him dearly. Superbly narrated by Simon Prebble, To the Hilt is another fast-paced mystery from a master of the form; highly recommended for all public libraries.?Theresa Connors, Arkansas Technological Univ., Russellville
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Remarkably, after more than 35 novels, Dick Francis is still getting better. His latest has the horsey element that Francis fans have grown to expect and love, but it also has more depth and substance, more emotion and humanity, and a more compelling story than his last few efforts. Alexander Kinloch, product of a privileged upbringing, has opted out of the family brewing business to take up painting in Scotland. But things change when his stepfather, Sir Ivan Westering, suffers a heart attack after learning that his trusted assistant has absconded with millions of dollars in profits. Against the wishes of his advisers, Sir Ivan asks Alexander to save the brewery, which in turn presents an opportunity for Alexander to reexamine not only the family business but his own philosophy about life. Like the trickiest jigsaw puzzle, the plot of this superbly crafted story contains many enigmatic pieces that at first seem to have no connection. But by the final page, all the pieces have not only been snugly slotted into place, they have also formed a charming and cohesive whole. Emily Melton --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Horses finish well back in the field in Francis's dependable 36th thriller. Like the heroes of the first 35, Alexander Kinloch is a loner--a painter who lives without mod. cons. in the Scottish Highlands--pulled reluctantly into action by a summons from one of the few people who knows he's alive. His unemotional mother cables him to let him know that his stepfather, Sir Ivan Westering, has been stricken by a heart attack. Even before he can pack for London, Al is attacked by four thugs who demand to know where it is (they don't say what it is, and Al doesn't ask), leave him barely alive when he won't talk, and make him much more interested in Ivan's messy affairs. An embezzling finance director has toppled Ivan's brewery into bankruptcy, and Ivan's rapacious daughter Patsy Benchmark is hot to seize his assets, including Golden Malt, a steeplechase hopeful for the brewery's King Alfred Gold Cup, and an actual gold cup linked to Alfred the Great, and only Al, who knows precious little about either horses or antiquities, can help. There'll be insolvency consultants to meet, creditors to persuade, an elderly nationalistic evaluator to outwit (she wants not the gold cup but the 1740 hilt from Prince Charles's ceremonial sword, a gift from Charles to Al's family, returned by his titled uncle to Scotland), Patsy and her unsavory husband to foil, Al's long-estranged wife to come to terms with, and an unexpected manslaughter to solve. Al pulls off these commissions with panache, and with the help of an uncommonly versatile private eye. Far from Francis's best work (Come to Grief, 1995, etc.), but among his most generously plotted books, by turns unexpectedly humorous and moving in its rooting of stoicism in personal loyalty. It's a fine moral code for a jockey, but Al shows that you don't have to be a jockey to be true to your friends. (Book-of-the-Month Club featured alternate selection) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Alexander Kinloch found solitude and a steady income painting in a bothy on a remote Scottish mountain. Until the morning the strangers arrived to rough him up, and Alexander was dragged reluctantly back into the real and violent world he thought he had left behind.

Millions of pounds are missing from his stepfather`s business. A valuable racehorse is under threat. Then comes the first ugly death and the end of all Alexander`s doubts. For the honour of the Kinlochs he will face the strangers... up to the hilt...

Dick Francis has written forty-one international bestsellers and is widely acclaimed as one of the world's finest thriller writers. His awards include the Crime Writer's Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the crime genre, and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Tufts University of Boston. In 1996 Dick Francis was made a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement and in 2000 he recieved a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Reclusive painter Alexander Kinloch comes out of the Scottish Highlands to assist his family in London. He's drawn into the world of horse racing and gets involved hiding a jeweled trophy cup and other treasures, including Bonnie Prince Charlie's ceremonial sword, "the hilt." Dick Francis has crafted another splendid mystery filled with lively and intriguing characters. Master narrator Tony Britton, a veteran of many audiobooks by Francis, does full justice to the array of gentry, horse trainers, accountants and attorneys. Women play a stronger role than they do in many of Francis's novels, and Britton catches their voices with flair. Making each character distinct, Britton brings listeners into the midst of the intrigue. R.F.W. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.