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I've always admired Dick Francis' minimalist style - he can sum up a character in a sentence - and two of these books really shine: "Odds Against" and "Blood Sport". I've read all four books at least five times each. He covers significant life themes, along with the protagonist's dogged pursuit of deviltry, such as life-debilitating depression. His understanding of the nature of evil, from petty to full-scale, is never graphic but always unsettlingly real.
Though I appreciated "Flying Finish" - the compelling story of a member of the landed gentry who wanted a normal life - I didn't appreciate the overly romantic tone. I much preferred "Rat Race", in which a pilot suffers unfair setbacks, but his unlikely friendship with a competitive jockey helps pull him through - and lead him to understated romance. (One of the best bit characters, Chanter, is a 1970's caricature of whirling beads and unlikely lingo - loved to hate him. Francis was obviously not a fan of peace, love, and lack of work ethic.)
Though I appreciated "Flying Finish" - the compelling story of a member of the landed gentry who wanted a normal life - I didn't appreciate the overly romantic tone. I much preferred "Rat Race", in which a pilot suffers unfair setbacks, but his unlikely friendship with a competitive jockey helps pull him through - and lead him to understated romance. (One of the best bit characters, Chanter, is a 1970's caricature of whirling beads and unlikely lingo - loved to hate him. Francis was obviously not a fan of peace, love, and lack of work ethic.)
