Not what you thought..

Not what I wanted or expected, Very, very disappointed. THIS is not written by Dick Francis.
I know his books, have read many twice or three times over the last 30 - odd years. It's not even his son's work

Be warned, we All know. I am determined but just couldn't do it, it's not worthy.

I’m sure it’s just me but I really don’t enjoy fatherly Dick Francis writing about sexy times.

Still my favorite author of all time. Even after all these years (25 +) Dick Francis can still make me feel like I'm part of the story. The plot & characters pull you in and that's where you stay until the ride is over (when you have read the last word.) I always want to immediately read the sequel. Alas, there are few books written by Dick Francis that have sequels. This particular book grabbed me & until I finished. The mystery solved. But what I wouldn't give to see the movie on the big screen! But only if is filmed EXACTLY how it was written in the book! LOL.

There is a double pun in the title of Wild Horses, one of the delightful mysteries of the late Dick Francis which I had somehow missed until recently. The title is built on the old cliché, “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” but it also builds upon the use of wild horses from Scandinavia in a film scene. The entire novel has something of a “wheels within wheels” flavor in that it is about making a film concerning an unresolved scandal in the racing community where the film is causing unwanted memories and guilt to rise zombie-like from the grave.

Wild Horses has all the earmarks of the standard Francis mystery: a protagonist involved in a profession requiring intricate details/precision, said protagonist being an ex-jockey like Francis himself (though this isn’t omnipresent in Francis’ work, it is frequently the case), some relationship to the racing industry (even though tangential in some, though intimately involved in Wild Horses), the protagonist being hurt or injured, and at least one officious, overbearing, obnoxious “red herring” that the reader “wishes” were the culprit. Interesting, I did rather hold back the commonality of all Francis novels of which I am aware (including those done with and by his son and artistic heir, Felix), the involvement of murder(s) (usually plural) and attempted murder(s) (usually including the protagonist as intended victim).

One of the delightful ideas in Wild Horses is that the protagonist is making, as mentioned earlier, a film about an actual event (in the fictional world) from a best-selling novel that has already massaged and adapted the facts, applying a veneer of disguise. But it’s hard to maintain a disguise when one is working in proximity to the survivors of the historical experience, especially when someone has something to hide. Fortunately for readers of Wild Horses, even the secret to be hidden may not be the one you’re expecting.

Despite the intensity of some of the situations described in Wild Horses, I never experienced the psychological horror I experienced when reading Banker, Reflex, or Proof. Yet, Wild Horses is still a cut above the crowd, though it falls slightly short of the, admittedly, absurdly high standard set by Francis at his very best.

Not my favorite of Francis, books: yet the story and like able protagonist drew me in. :)

A taut thriller, this is a great getaway for those who want to read something light and interesting. The plot is limited to a few characters and they have been handled well.
Thomas Lyon is a Hollywood director who is making a film on a mysterious hanging that took place decades earlier. Though the exact reasons for the hanging are still unknown, Lyon has decided to go ahead and give his movie a fictional ending. However, his dive into this muddy past has stirred some souls and agitated some forgotten memories. Trouble ensues when Thomas starts getting life threats to stop the movie.
Set against the background of the racing world, Wild Horses never fails to lose its grip on the plot. The pace is not too fast and not too slow, making it a perfect follow up if you have just finished an intense book and want to read something light and zippy. Enjoy the ride.

Would have been a five but the Weinstein producer dragged it down as well as Thomas weird obsession with Lucy. However, great story and the details of directing movies and knives was fascinating. From the start with the vague deathbed confession linked to the film about a story of how a trainers wife was murdered or committed suicide was riveting.

The usual calm under pressure hero with the unlikeable suspects all made for a great read. Albeit the sexual politics of the liaison between one of the female stars and producer was a little to Harvey Weinstein for my liking.

Classic Dick Francis. This one kept me guessing til the end. Lots of good and interesting filmmaking detail. Well-researched.

As usual with Dick Francis the novel is set round horse racing but this time a young director is making a film based on a book involving a possible suicide. Some people are not happy that this is stirring up old memories.
I fancied having an easy read which this undoubtedly is and interesting to note it came out in 1994. Certainly has a slighted dated feel to it. The director seems an unflappable type but I thought his attraction to 18 year old Lucy near the end was slightly creepy. However it was an enjoyable change for me to have a story which simply unfolds in a linear form rather than having each chapter darting about between time periods/places/lives etc.
A fast paced crime novel well worth a read on a wet Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea!

Details of film making--and particularly of how a smart director gets the results he wants from often resistant cast and crew--are the high point of the novel.

The actual mystery was "meh," either too simple or too convoluted depending on how you look at it, and there is little sense that you're solving the mystery along with the protagonist. Instead stuff just keeps happening without many connections being made and then, bam, you've got your solution. I have my doubts that Dick Francis knew where this was going to go when he started to write it.

Incidentally, the protagonist would have been born about 1960 given the chronology of the novel, but really feels like someone born much earlier based on his concerns and attitudes. (Say, born 1920 like Francis himself.) Given his experiences as a young man in WWII including flying warplanes, I always have wondered why Francis didn't write at least a novel or two set during the war; this seems like a huge missed opportunity.

Since the author is an ex-champion jockey, all of the books have a horse racing theme. This one, however, is less directly so.
The main character was an amateur jockey for a while but is now a film director in charge of his first major film financed by Hollywood moguls. The film, inevitably has a horse racing background and is loosely based on a book that dealt with the unexplained death of a trainer's wife many years previously.
Unfortunately, the film threatens to unearth secrets that some people would prefer to remain buried. This results in threats, deaths and a lot of twists that are combined with the intricacies of making the film and the director's relationships with the various people involved.
All Dick Francis books have a likeable main character that readers want to succeed and this is no exception. They also move along at pace and, although the hero's uncovering of the complex plot from years ago may seem a little surprising, this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of this book. Altogether, a great read.

A Hollywood and horses book from Francis. This one spends a lot of time on knives, as well. As with many, or most, Francis books, the characters jobs feel quite well researched and presented so that you feel you better understand that career - in this case a movie director -- better. The mystery was interesting, and you couldn't figure out exactly how it would end until the last couple dozen pages. The decades old clues felt quite contrived, but the fun story worked well. Actually, it was a fun story except for the details on knives -- that was quite creepy.