I have a fondness for Dick Francis's mysteries; In The Frame is quite a good one. Charles Todd, a painter of horses, is determined to help his cousin when he is suspected of the murder of his young wife. Mayhem ensues. The secondary characters are terrific and the criminal plot is good, if a trifle convoluted. Add in travel to Australia and New Zealand, and you have a fun book.

This fast paced murder mystery is some of Francis's best writing ever! From England to Australia you are immersed in the sights and smells of Australia while solving a mystery involving art thieves and antiques. Highly recommend on Audio!

Enjoyable easy reading

In the Frame

This was the first Francis book I read (courtesy Readers Digest condensed books) and still remains my favorite. It turned me unto a Francis fan for life. I've learned something new from each book -- about photography, wine, and in this one, painting, Australia. Plus the relationships in the book between Todd and his cousin, and then Todd and his best friend, are warm and realistic. Sarah and Maisie are fantastic support characters, especially Sarah whom I started out hating and really felt for by the end.

A dangerous game of cat and mouse will have you holding your breath all the way to the finish!


"Don?" I said. I walked toward him. "Donald!"
He didn't hear me. A policeman, however, did. He came swiftly from the sitting room in his dark blue uniform, took me by the arm, and swung me strongly and unceremoniously back toward the door.
"Out of here, sir," he said. "If you please."
The strained eyes slid uncertainly our way.
"Charles... " His voice was hoarse.
The policeman's grip loosened very slightly. "Do you know this man, sir?" he asked Donald.
"I'm his cousin," I said.
"Oh." He took his hands off, told me to stay where I was and look after Mr. Stuart, and returned to the sitting room to consult.
"What's happened?" I said.
Don was past answering. His head turned again toward the sitting room door, drawn to a horror he could no longer see. I disobeyed the police instructions, took ten steps, and looked in.
The familar room was unfamiliarly bare. No pictures, no ornaments, no edge-to-edge floor covering of Oriental rugs. Just bare grey walls, chintz-covered sofas, heavy furniture pushed awry, and the great expanse of dusty wood-block flooring.
And, on the floor, my cousin's young wife, bloody and dead.

******
This review is for the audiobook edition of
In the Frame by Dick Francis, narrated by Ralph Cosham.

Set primarily in Australia, the story is fast paced, tension filled, and exciting game of cat and mouse that has potentially deadly consequences. I enjoyed the characters and the unique storyline and the narration added an extra pop, making it more enjoyable then if I had read the printed edition myself.
Narrator, Ralph Cosham, has a natural flair for story-telling and I really liked his ability to use different accents for the characters making it very easy to follow what's happening, earning him 5★'s for his performance of this book. I listened to this audiobook from beginning to end, all six hours of it, as I had to know how it ended! I was rewarded with a well written story with unexpected twists and an ending I couldn't have predicted!


*About the author.
Wikipedia: 'After wartime service in the RAF, Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winning over 350 races and becoming champion jockey of the British National Hunt. He came to further prominence in 1956 as jockey to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, riding her horse Devon Loch. It fell when he was close to winning the Grand National. Francis retired from the turf and became a journalist and novelist.

elibrary

Another re-read from decades ago, or in this case listen. I didn't remember anything until someone got turpentine thrown in their face, but in this particular case that doesn't mean it was a bad book. It's a great ride, even though racing itself is just background to the story of the painter bent on saving his cousin from the tide of regret that threatens to pull him under.

The superlative Tony Britton could read a dictionary and I'd listen fascinated from A to Z. My only tiny quibble was, why did he make the MC's English born friend and former flatmate, who hadn't been all that many years in Australia, such a broad-Aussie speaker? His Australian born wife certainly isn't, and as I say, the man was born in England!

The book held my attention from start to finish, even through the "spirit of the blitz" reference and the bracing-British-friend speech at the end. I have been "braced" by a couple of Brits and it can be a very hurtful experience, particularly if you're clinically depressed, not British or uppah middle clahhs. But the man being braced is (of course) a wine merchant, so he responds as expected, stiffens the upper lip and bucks up. Our Hero is of course a bit of a Joe Perfect, who figures it all out just by recourse to his little grey cells, but you expect that of a Francis MC, even if he isn't a jockey. Injuries that would kill a lesser mortal hardly make him limp, and it all works out in the end for the greater good.

A solid 3.5. Charles Todd is a painter who specializes in horse paintings. Arriving at his cousin Donald’s house he finds that his cousins wife Regina has been brutally murdered during a burglary. The police suspect the husband has organized a burglary to claim the insurance on the antiques and his wine collection.

Charles discovers another robbery with the link of a painting brought in Australia. He decides to investigate and what follows a roller coaster with his friend Jik and his wife Sarah. International gang which he uncovers and trying to find the mastermind behind it.

There adventure takes them to Alice Springs, Melbourne and New Zealand. A good rollicking adventure with a few twists and turns as well as Charles suffering a few injuries.

Charles Todd is a painter,who mostly paints horses. As he goes on a visit to his cousin's house,he finds his cousin's young wife murdered,and his house burgled.

Soon,he meets a woman whose house has been burned and before that it was burgled.Both his cousin and this woman had bought paintings,while visiting Australia.

Todd flies to Australia and enlists the help of a friend and his wife to unmask the culprits.Are they selling copies of a renowned painter's work,while telling their customers it is the real thing ?

Todd soon finds himself in trouble as the culprits don't like him digging around.The action moves from Melbourne to Alice Springs and from there to Wellington,New Zealand.

Todd finds himself flung from a second storey window,roughed up and shot at,but he does not give up,and nabs the culprits.

This was a book I never found earlier,and finally I've now read all books written by Dick Francis (though several of those written by his son Felix still remain).

This Francis book opens with a tragedy, and throughout the book it contains more explorations of emotion than I think most Francis books do. The main character is once again in the "unassuming but successful mostly-loner everyman" mode, but there appears to be more focus on his social interactions (with his cousin, best friend, best friends wife, new friend) than in many other books in the series. This book reads very cinematically, and in fact it was remade into a TV movie in 1989.

As usual, the narrator Tony Britton does a fine job with this book. In general he is quite good with accents, and those accents get a workout here. His Americans do all tend to sound the same, and his New Zealanders sounded pretty much like his Aussies, but I suppose that is just quibbling. ;)

Dick Francis never disappoints.

Another belter of a read, the connection to the horse racing world with the reins lightly held.
Colours stand out as links in the story, the jockeys silks, Maisie’s bright clothes and the contrast with the muted shades of the Australian outback and Donald’s somber grey appearance.
The story line very different to previous reads- and I think I have read all of Dick Francis previous books. I read this one in a matter of hours, eager to follow the links in the chain to reach the conclusion.
Another great read, one with a surprise on almost every page. Thoroughly recommend.

My first Duck Francis book and I was not disappointed, although horses and horse racing are only peripheral to the plot. Tightly written and fast paced. A good mystery about art theft, forgery, burglary and murder. I'll red more Francis.