I give this 5 stars, not because it is a master piece (it isn't), but for the DF's abilitiy to come up with unique mysteries. Sure, there are common elements like Horse racing and a reliable, persistent, stoic Hero.
Most of his books were published before I was born, but they don't feel dated.
Charles Todd, the Hero, is an artist who paints horses for a living, and his keen observations make him a good Detective too. His cousin's wife is murdered during a burglary and his cousin is suspected of murdering her. Todd's chance meeting with a wealthy widow whose house was recently burgled and burned, puts him in the trail of an internation gang involved in art fraud. Turns out they are not into mundane crime like art forgery and theft.
Most of the action happens in Australia. Todd is aided by his friend and his friend's wife, there is a fair amount of gallery visits and interviews with people in the art world.
If it is a Dick Francis's book, you can be assured of learnings something about a new trade, here it is about painting of Horses and artists like Munnings.

Tony Britton's Audible narration was good. Some readers have complained about his Australian accent, but I dont know how an Australian accent sounds, so I am ok with it!

Years and years ago I read a Dick Francis mystery featuring an artist who did horse paintings in contrast with an artist who painted more from the gut or heart or whatever metaphor strikes you. But nothing about this story other than the two painting styles and Dick Francis’ general writing style felt familiar. So I’m left wondering if I just forgot the story, if this is one of the few books Francis wrote a sequel to, or if he wrote another, unrelated story about two artists.

In any case I very much enjoyed this book and I found its ending more satisfying than that of the Dick Francis novel I read before this one. Audio for this version was recorded in the mid1990s, which is probably why I was able to get it so cheaply. Overall I thought the audio was excellent, but the reader definitely wasn’t doing accents the way any professional reader would do today.

When I first read this eons ago I loved it so much, but this time around it fell a bit flat. I still loved the aussie slang bit, but so much of the communication of the day (1976) dates the story and actually detracted from the enjoyment of it for me. Also, it's a pretty depressing set of circumstances and as a teen, I don't think I understood the depths of grief like I do now. So rather than seeing it as a great DF romp, it actually depressed me. I was pretty shocked that I'd react that way.

Personally, it is so pleasant to read British authors for a change, breaking away from reading mostly American. The language is refined, devoid of swearing but sometimes prone to becoming highbrow that one finds it difficult to read and has to refer to the dictionary once every two sentences. But this book strikes the balance and is a smooth read. Again, worthless critics and very well-read readers who have read too much that they see what's coming next and can break down books the way they are constructed, can always complain that there is no character development or surprise. Granted that's what makes a lasting connection for the reader, it isn't fair in my opinion to dismiss almost every book with the same reason. I personally read for an escape from the world, to be part of more an adventure, a thrill ride to be honest - and I would be willing to have characters who are consistent and not always throwing a surprise or being flawed as expected while the overall plot doesn't progress to feel some change and tension.
A pleasant read, a thrilling ride. The first Dick Francis book I have picked and it certainly won't be the last.

Another nicely done mystery, short and clever.
Charles' cousin, Donald was robbed and his wife murdered. She surprised the burglers and since she would have recognized one of them, she had to go.
Charles, who is a painter of horses, plays detective, because Donald is in the frame for his wife's murder.
Charles travels to Australia and New Zealand to track down stolen paintings and lists of people who have been burgled and where. He is successful with the help of his friend, Jack, and his new wife.
Charles is thrown off a balcony and almost shredded on volcanic rocks.

This was not a bad read. The major problem was the ability of the main protagonist to recover from what I know from personal experience and observation would be debilitating injuries like a major broken bone.

Not sure why I have never read a book by Dick Francis before this. I think the focus on horse racing has always turned me off a bit. But I was intrigued by this one because the protagonist was an artist (mostly of horses, of course) and the audio book was available through the Audible Plus catalog. I was rewarded with a highly entertaining listen. 4.5 rating ... rounding up since I was so surprised by it.

Dick Francis has a formula, but it works for him and I like it. Not a challenging read, but I didn't guess whodunnit

Not the most exciting of mysteries, but still decent for what it was.

What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.

But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.

Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.

You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).

There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.

Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.

"In the Frame" is another of the slight, slender thrillers Francis was turning out in the 1970s, full of travel and good times. This one has a slightly somber edge, though.

Charles is another of Francis's artist heroes, this time an actual artist, who paints mainly horses and sort of makes a living doing so. He aspires to nothing higher, but when his cousin's wife is murdered and several other people he knows report being burgled, he ends up heading off to Australia to try to track down the culprits, where he teams up with a friend from art school and gets into exciting situations during the Melbourne Cup.

While lightly sketched, "In the Frame" showcases Francis's feeling for color, something seen clearly for the first time in "Enquiry," and developed more fully here. Charles sees the world in terms of paint, color, and frame, unsurprisingly, and he pulls the reader into a brightly realized world, full of intense, color-drenched sensory experiences. It contrasts the sunny holiday world of Australia during the Melbourne Cup with gloomy autumnal England, where Charles's cousin sits at home brooding over his wife's murder. Francis always had a flair for well-chosen descriptive passages, and it reaches a particular high point in this novel. A pleasure to read, packing plenty of punch in its few pages.

It is not one of the best mystery books that I have read, but it was worth a read. Some things become quite obvious and the answer is staring you right in the face, but you kind off stretch it as much as possible to turn it into a full fledged novel.

I would recommend this book if you don't have any other engaging book at hand to read. The writing is simple and easy to follow. But if you have the option of re-reading an Agatha Christie, then read that instead of this book.

Book Summary
Charles Todd is an artist that only paints horses. He decides to some time with his cousin and his wife for the weekend. but when he reaches the house he finds the cousin's wife has been brutally murdered in her own house.

A police investigation soon ensues and Todd's cousin is the prime suspect. Charles knows that his cousin is innocent and is determined to get to the bottom of this. A valuable painting that the cousin bought in Australia is missing along with some other things of value.

He soon finds out another person had a painting which was destroyed in a house fire. He soon connects the links and ends up traveling to Australia and New Zealand to get some answers. He soon finds that there are people after him who are determined to end his crusade against them.