Absolutely adore Dick Francis. So sad he won’t write anymore, but do like the new ones being written. In the frame is fast, interesting mixes racing with artwork and thugs! His protagonists are wonderful and the bad guys are truly bad.

Now I remember why I only ready Dick Francis a little at a time. I was pretty sure I knew where the plot was going from the moment I realized the center puzzle was about art fraud. He is a good writer, but he does tend to be repetitive.

Needed a paperback to fit in my purse for a short trip and fell back on this book by Dick Francis, who is one of my favorite authors. When in doubt about what to read, I know I can always fall back on one of his books; that no matter how many times I have read them, they are still always interesting and hold my attention. Like the setting of Australia/New Zealand in this one.

Many of the later Dick Francis novels I bought (I've all but 2 or 3) were read but once, and I had little recollection of this, bought sometime after 1996 (the particular edition n/a on Goodreads) and before visiting Australia and NZ myself.
They not the main reason for enjoyment though - such a joy to read a tale told with clarity; simplicity where intended and omissions where necessary for tension.

A mystery that holds up well even thought the characters lack electronics. And the horses!

When you read a Dick Francis book, you know what you're getting. This is especially evident when you read them back-to-back as I have been doing. All of his heroes are essentially the same character, which is fine if you like that character.
The mystery in this book is kicked off with a large, improbable coincidence, but once past that, the book moves along at a good pace. Jik and Todd are an excellent crime fighting duo. My one complaint is the endless supplies of money that the characters seem to have as the hop planes on the spur of the moment, have several hotels running con-currently, and buy new clothes at every turn. Still, a minor irritant in an otherwise good book.

Another really great mystery from Dick Francis!

Like other Francis novels, this book revolves around the horse racing world. Charles Todd is a horse painter, who finds himself trying to solve some problems on his cousin's behalf. There is a good degree of suspense in trying to figure out the case and the way that the various characters overlap and interact. The moral and upright main character is compelling and the events are interesting. Overall this is an enjoyable and fast read.

4.5 Stars

In the Frame by Dick Francis is an engrossing crime & investigation mystery with plenty of action, adventure, agendas, danger, drama, suspense, tension, and more. Charles Todd is thrust into danger when he sets out to prove his cousin innocent of murdering his wife. His investigation leads him from England to Australia, and then to New Zealand. But someone is determined to stop him from uncovering the truth. Placing Charles in a dangerous situation. What ensues makes for a great read.
->2023 Reading Challenge.
->Glennie's Collection
Dick Francis novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his books. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written. I remember every time my mother read one of his books, she'd tell me about him and how he'd gone from being an RAF pilot to being the Queen Mother's favourite jockey, before retiring to become a journalist/writer.
Since my mother passed away over a year ago, I have been making my way through her book collection, finally. I decided to make reading her entire collection a part of my reading challenge for the next couple of years (she has a HUGE collection), as well as a way to pay tribute to my mum, who was such a voracious reader..... Reading her collection of books has stirred up a lot of memories, mostly of our shared love of reading. I am forever grateful that she passed on her love of reading to me.

Although not especially about horse racing, this Dick Francis novel is a good representation of his writing and the mysteries within the lives of his characters.
Read in spurts and starts due to leaving it at a friends home after housesitting.

I’ll give it to Dick Francis, he has what it takes to write mystery and suspense. However, I must say I was not as pleased with this book as many of his others. I assume that has something to do with the fact that it was not as much about the horses as about the mystery itself. Very interesting. Would recommend to others.

I've never read or listened to a Dick Francis book I didn't enjoy and this one was certainly no exception. All of Mr. Francis' books have something to do with horse racing. As with another book I recently read that delved into wine and whiskey, this book's narrator isn't directly involved with horse racing. Instead he is a painter of horses and horse racing. Charles Todd's cousin's wife is murdered in the course of a burglary when she surprises the burglars in the act. Todd meets a woman whose house has burned down and the many antiques and curios she and her husband have collected don't appear to have burned with the house. Both she and the cousin are suspected of arson (in her case) and murder (in his). Todd thinks there is a connection with paintings that both bought in Australia and he goes there to find out more.