Another winner by my boy, Dick Francis. He never lets me down.

In this one, we have a wonderful everyman in Benedict Juliard. Responsible, not flashy, but definitely a great combo of smart, shrewd, and forthright. What Francis does best, in my opinion. We meet young Benedict at the tender age of 17, ready for his gap year to ride races and hopefully never return to school. Unfortunately, his rather absentee father has other plans, and Benedict is thrust in the gritty world of politics. People indeed do want to vote for the elder Juliard, and there are people who are just as intent on stopping him from climbing the political ladder.

Unlike most of his books, this one actually spans 5 years, and the story takes some interesting twists and turns. Not to worry, though, because our everyman stays lawful good until the end, and we get a rushed, but satisfying ending. 3.5 stars.

This was a re-read for me, one of my favorites by Dick Francis.

Such a refreshing read. To begin, I found this book slightly hard to get into. I struggled to get into a groove reading this.

But after the first initial chapters of setting the plot and introducing the characters, boy, was this a good book. I found myself thinking about the various suspects and ways that this book may end even when I was not reading the book.

I've read a few Dick Francis novels prior to 10 lb. Penalty. I must say, this was not what I thought it would be. My favorite part was the change in relationship between Ben and his "dad". It was great to watch the transformation and made me think that I could actually learn something from a fiction novel.

All in all, 4.5 stars from me on 10 lb. Penalty! Only way it could be better, is to somehow catch a hold of my attention sooner!

Ben Juliard is a seventeen year old,who plans to spend his gap year as a steeplechase jockey.His millionaire father,George, is not too impressed by his plans.

George Juliard has plans of his own.He wants to contest an election for the British parliament,and wants his son by his side,as a bodyguard.

George Juliard has enemies and has also acquired new political opponents.But his resourceful son,though only 17,always comes to the rescue.

10 lb. Penalty is a very interesting look at the world of British politcs and the campaigning process.Horses are inevitably there,but this works very nicely as a political thriller.

Not a typical Dick Francis book but engrossing nonetheless. There is danger, yes, but more emotional and understated than in the usual Dick Francis manner since this book centers on the UK political system and the dangers inherent in running for office and putting oneself 'out there' among the 'gutter press' and exposing one's life to close scrutiny, not to mention the occasional 'crazy'. Quite relevant in today's political climate, but what kept me reading was the developing relationship between Ben and his father, the candidate. Francis does emotions remarkably well for male characters who otherwise present the cool and collected exterior. Ben himself is a highly engaging character as he grows from 17 to 22 and absorbs lessons from the father he's had a distant but cordial relationship with up to the moment 'Dad' chooses to campaign for Parliament. Not typical but well worth the reading.

Dick Francis has entered a different world in this excellent novel: Politics!
Though I have been involved, mostly on the fringes, in U.S. politics for most of my life, off and on, this inside look at British politics was eye-opening.
It seems, to this outsider, to be just as ridiculous and corrupt as ours, though, in this book, not as hate-filled and vicious as ours.
Still, a rational look at what government is and what it ought to be is just as absent as here.
This is, as we expect from Dick Francis, a darn good book, but of course it is not a political philosophy textbook -- nor really, for that matter, a how-to book of campaigning.
It is, though, a thoroughly entertaining story, with action and interesting characters, and I strongly recommend it.

After a string of winners, this is a bit of a tired effort which rather limps past the finishing post. It is a bit of a departure from his usual formula and it doesn't really work. The storyline just doesn't ring true on a number of levels and the different characters are just too much of the traits the author wants to highlight.
It is still an OK read and it has its moments. 3 stars is a little on the generous side but 2 would be harsh.

It has been a while since I'd previously read a Dick Francis novel in around 1990, I went through a spate of reading about twenty of them, my fiance was crazy about horses and had lots of them (Dick Francis novels not horses...). This was one I missed at the time, because I see it was first published after this time. It brings back memories, the central character, like the author, is connected to the horse racing world and tries to get to the bottom of some mystery and is often beaten up or falls off a horse part way through the book and slowly recovers.

He landed in a heap throwing me off forwards. I connected with the ground in one of those crunching collisions that tells you at once that you've broken a bone without being sure which bone.

Here the protagonist is Benedict Juliard, whose father is a hotshot politician. Ben wants to race horses but his father is keen for him to study at Exeter University first. Ben is helping his father get elected, when someone takes a potshot at them in the town square, later there is a mysterious fire, where they are staying. Ben is younger than the typical Dick Francis protagonist at the start of the book he is just seventeen. It is a quick read as Dick Francis takes us into the murky world of politics. Oddly, the names of the political parties are not mentioned and Ben's father is running for election in a fictitious Dorset town called Hoopwestern.
The 10 lb penalty of the title is the maximum a rider might carry with him to slow him down "in practice a 10 lb penalty is the most a horse will be faced with."

A little less horse themed this one with the main thread being the central character's fathers political ambitions. As usual Dick maintains his typical fast pace throughout albeit over a lengthier timespan than usual, years as opposed to days or months.
Back in my mid to late twenties when I decided I'd return to the joys of reading the first book I picked at random from my Dad's collection was 'Flying Finish' by good old Mr Francis and whilst most of those that I've read since were inherited by a family member he has yet to disappoint which is as well as I've plenty still to go.

This was a different Dick Francis novel. Ben is a 17 year old whose father is trying to get elected as an MP. The story revolves around his father and attempts on his life. Ben is a little to good to be true with his wisdom. The story follows him growing up and helping his father’s political rise.

Not my favourite Francis.

This is one of my favorite Dick Francis books. I own the paperback (a bit faded) and now have the Kindle edition. It deals with the son of a successful wealthy man running for Parliament. The son aspired to be a jockey but has to come to terms with the fact that he is not good enough. He is able to help his father's campaign and deal with various threats to his father's life. I always enjoy what I learn from the backgrounds in Dick Francis mysteries and this is especially interesting because of what I learned about Parlimentary politics. THEIR election campaigns don't go on for years.

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.