In the Frame

Rating:
Summary: Artists, art thieves, and counterfeiters
Review: Dick Francis is one of those rare authors who can create a multitude of characters, changing characters from one novel to the next. This makes the stories stand-alone novels which can be read independently. That is a marked contrast to authors who write series of novels about the same character, a practice that often requires reading an entire series to understand the characters.

The present novel is not exactly a whodunit because you can identify the guilty parties (or most of them) early in the game. The main plot is how to track them down and bring them to justice. The chase runs from England to Australia to New Zealand then back to Australia. As usual with this author, there are horses and racing involved including, in this case, the Melbourne Cup. There is an interesting system for placing bets.

The main character, Charles Todd, is an artist who paints oil paintings of horses. There is some interesting side information about the chemical deterioration of oil paints on older paintings, an area where most people are probably not well informed. There is also considerable information about counterfeit paintings. Let the buyer beware. The death of his cousin Donald's wife during a burglary sets Todd on the chase. The main story is fast action over a couple weeks.

Rating:
Summary: always a good read
Review: Francis writes the kind of books that you just can't put down. This one is no exception!!

Rating:
Summary: Good story
Review: This is a good read, and it is one of the Dick Francis books where you feel like you get a peep into a different world, in this case the worlds or art galleries and Australia. This one has good character and good action, and also has a poignant story of personal loss for the hero's cousin, whose wide is mysteriously murdered.