...
Show More
Still a good solid story with some horrible villains. Read this time for the 2021 Reindeer Readathon. Rudolph category - stand alone.
Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book
To the Hilt
...
Show More
From the acclaimed master of mystery and suspense comes the story of a self-imposed outcast who must refresh his detection skills in order to save himself and his family.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 24,1996
This edition
- Format
-
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
- Published
-
June 1, 2004 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
- ISBN
-
9780425196816
- ASIN
-
042519681X
- Language
-
English
About the author
...
Show More
Dick Francis, CBE, FRSL (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey.
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
Readers also enjoyed
Community Reviews
Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
30(30%)
4 stars
37(37%)
3 stars
33(33%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
...
Show More
The kind of book and author that is normally way off my radar and so a very pleasant surprise to find it such an enjoyable read.
Alexander is one of your creative nonconformist types. Choosing to live a life of solitude in a bothy in rural Scotland, his sole motivation is to paint.
He remains close to his well to do family despite the distance, and has been entrusted with the safekeeping of a ceremonial sword by his uncle ‘Himself’ who is an earl.
He receives a call from his mother in London to say that his stepfather has had a heart attack, and upon arrival becomes embroiled in a whirlwind of drama involving inheritance, a failing family business, and a tangled web of deception and treachery.
This is your archetypal page turner.
All stemming from that most crucial of factors - character development.
The main protagonist is so darn likeable that you’re drawn in instantly to his predicament. And as the story progresses, you find other equally engaging characters that simply enhance the unputdownable nature that surely every author seeks from their readers.
It stretches credulity at times and I did roll my eyes on occasion at some of the more ‘Really?’ moments, but even then I felt like the author was well aware and was writing with a knowing wink, which in turn made me smile too.
I think Francis’ goal was to write a rollicking good story that intended nothing more than to engage and entertain his readership and I think he’s done exactly that.
Alexander is one of your creative nonconformist types. Choosing to live a life of solitude in a bothy in rural Scotland, his sole motivation is to paint.
He remains close to his well to do family despite the distance, and has been entrusted with the safekeeping of a ceremonial sword by his uncle ‘Himself’ who is an earl.
He receives a call from his mother in London to say that his stepfather has had a heart attack, and upon arrival becomes embroiled in a whirlwind of drama involving inheritance, a failing family business, and a tangled web of deception and treachery.
This is your archetypal page turner.
All stemming from that most crucial of factors - character development.
The main protagonist is so darn likeable that you’re drawn in instantly to his predicament. And as the story progresses, you find other equally engaging characters that simply enhance the unputdownable nature that surely every author seeks from their readers.
It stretches credulity at times and I did roll my eyes on occasion at some of the more ‘Really?’ moments, but even then I felt like the author was well aware and was writing with a knowing wink, which in turn made me smile too.
I think Francis’ goal was to write a rollicking good story that intended nothing more than to engage and entertain his readership and I think he’s done exactly that.
...
Show More
1 May 1997
19 Sep 1998
21 Dec 1999
19 Sep 1998
21 Dec 1999
...
Show More
This was quite a departure from the normal Dick Francis, so much so that I did wonder who actually wrote it.
The world of horses and horse racing was, as usual present and correct, but it was very much a side show to the actual story that revolved around family heirlooms, a failing family business and the world of an artist. In fact the writing about both the thinking and execution of a piece of art was so precise and well informed it provided a spine to the whole story. I loved some of the little details about how a picture is actually painted and the tiny nuggets of information about art such as the minute pieces of tartan amongst the grass in the painting of Glencoe.
I really enjoyed the book. The plot was fast paced and full of action. The characters comprised a strong hero with a high pain threshold and a good supporting cast of assorted others. I did wonder about the jealous step sister and her explosive husband throwing out threats at every opportunity. Do such people exist?
Nevertheless it was a cracking read from this reliable stable of racing stories.
The world of horses and horse racing was, as usual present and correct, but it was very much a side show to the actual story that revolved around family heirlooms, a failing family business and the world of an artist. In fact the writing about both the thinking and execution of a piece of art was so precise and well informed it provided a spine to the whole story. I loved some of the little details about how a picture is actually painted and the tiny nuggets of information about art such as the minute pieces of tartan amongst the grass in the painting of Glencoe.
I really enjoyed the book. The plot was fast paced and full of action. The characters comprised a strong hero with a high pain threshold and a good supporting cast of assorted others. I did wonder about the jealous step sister and her explosive husband throwing out threats at every opportunity. Do such people exist?
Nevertheless it was a cracking read from this reliable stable of racing stories.
...
Show More
Alexander Kinloch is just the kind of 'perfect-imperfect' hero Dick Francis is known for creating. Just a bit quirky (devil-may-care clothing, shoulder-length hair but intelligent and quick as can be), he grabs the reader's empathy from the very first.
The four thugs who attack Alexander in the very first chapter won't escape justice (of a sort) as Alexander's artistic abilities help identify who these guys are, but the why's and wherefores are what really take up the rest of the novel. The reader is left guessing the answer to the 'where is it' these thugs are looking for until the author cleverly reveals the cause of all the uproar.
Francis has honed his writing to the perfect mix between variety and realistic characterisation, difficult family relationships, suspense and gut-churning drama (ok I confess I skip over the gut churning parts, but the plot is so fast paced it keeps me reading). The loss of this author (although in part taken up by his son) is only lessened by the number of books he was able to contribute throughout his estimable writing career.
The four thugs who attack Alexander in the very first chapter won't escape justice (of a sort) as Alexander's artistic abilities help identify who these guys are, but the why's and wherefores are what really take up the rest of the novel. The reader is left guessing the answer to the 'where is it' these thugs are looking for until the author cleverly reveals the cause of all the uproar.
Francis has honed his writing to the perfect mix between variety and realistic characterisation, difficult family relationships, suspense and gut-churning drama (ok I confess I skip over the gut churning parts, but the plot is so fast paced it keeps me reading). The loss of this author (although in part taken up by his son) is only lessened by the number of books he was able to contribute throughout his estimable writing career.
...
Show More
For some reason I normally give Dick Francis books four stars despite the fact that they are uniformly well researched, superbly written and contain hard won truths about human and equine psychology. Happily I seem to have missed this one when it came out and it was a delight, reminding me why he is my most read author.
Dick Francis expanded the role of mystery protagonists from hard boiled Private Investigators and tough cops to a panoply of professions surrounding his world, horse racing. The reader feels that he or she could indeed use their own mix of brains and courage to ferret out crooks and, by out thinking them, put right their crimes.
The hero of To The Hilt fits this mold in that his chief weapons are perseverance, intelligence and a deeply held belief in right and wrong. He can not take on four assailants at once but he can use his brain to see instances that crooks are blinded by their greed and their view of humanity. This was one of his last books and it delivers in every way.
Dick Francis expanded the role of mystery protagonists from hard boiled Private Investigators and tough cops to a panoply of professions surrounding his world, horse racing. The reader feels that he or she could indeed use their own mix of brains and courage to ferret out crooks and, by out thinking them, put right their crimes.
The hero of To The Hilt fits this mold in that his chief weapons are perseverance, intelligence and a deeply held belief in right and wrong. He can not take on four assailants at once but he can use his brain to see instances that crooks are blinded by their greed and their view of humanity. This was one of his last books and it delivers in every way.
...
Show More
As well as the usual horses, we have in this Dick Francis a brewery in financial distress, a madcap Scottish family, and painting.
A fun read.
A fun read.
...
Show More
The story of young artist Alexander Kinloch begins high in the Scottish mountainside where he prefers to live a life of solitude in what is now termed as an “off the grid” manner. When Alexander is called to his stepfather’s deathbed by his emotionally aloof mother in England, he is hesitant to get execute the assignment given to him, that of saving his stepfather’s company after embezzlement is discovered. Alexander gets to work, not only trying to figure out where the money has gone and rooting out the person responsible, but also guarding the location of a Kinloch family treasure – a jewel-encrusted solid gold hilt which formed part of the ceremonial sword of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Our protagonist, although beaten up rather thoroughly a few times, does not give up and proves to be quite capable in solving the issues surrounding the family business and upholding the family’s honor. Dick Francis proves once again that he is a very gifted storyteller.
Leave a Review