Dead Cert

If you are going to insist on writing 58 crime dramas specifically about horse racing, well, this is a great start.

Horse racing has always been a fascinating and exciting subject, filled with drama, competition, and the potential for mystery and crime.

By focusing on this particular theme, you have the opportunity to explore the seedy underbelly of the horse racing world, where illegal betting, doping, and other forms of corruption may lurk.

Each of your 58 crime dramas could tell a unique story, perhaps following the investigations of a tenacious detective or the exploits of a group of criminals looking to make a quick buck.

With careful planning and attention to detail, you could create a series of engaging and thrilling crime dramas that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

So go ahead, embrace this challenging but rewarding project, and let your imagination run wild as you bring the world of horse racing crime to life on the page.

I have a profound love for Dick Francis. His stories possess a unique charm that always makes them seem both familiar and comforting. It's as if they are old friends that I can always turn to for a sense of warmth and familiarity.

I have a particular habit of enjoying audio books during my daily commute. And it so happens that many of Dick Francis' books are read by Simon Prebble, whose narration is truly enjoyable. His voice brings the stories to life in a way that enhances the overall experience.

While it's true that Dick Francis' works may not be considered great literature in the traditional sense and there are times when the plot can be a bit predictable, "Dead Cert" is still an excellent read or listen. It offers an engaging story that keeps you hooked from start to finish, despite its few flaws. It's a guilty pleasure that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an entertaining and轻松的 read.

Looking for a book whose plot is faster than a steeplechase horse? This is your book.

In fact, if you desire to read great writing that is devoid of sex and profanity, then this is most definitely the book for you.

Alan York is an amateur steeplechase jockey at a racetrack located in rural England. New to the area, he resides with his friend, Bill Davidson, Bill’s wife, and their three children.

One day, while racing with Bill at the track, Alan witnesses Bill and the horse take a hard fall. He suspects that it wasn't the terrain that caused the horse to trip. Instead, he surmises that someone stretched a thin wire across its path. The fall unfortunately killed Davidson, and now it is up to Alan York to convince the law-enforcement authorities that his friend was murdered.

My only objection to this book was the insta-love romance between Alan York and a girl named Kate, who received a racehorse for her birthday from a doting uncle. It's the kind of two-dimensional, cardboard cutout romance that the author could have easily omitted, and the book would not have suffered in the slightest.

However, there is still plenty of suspense here, along with some action involving concussion and amnesia. It will keep you racing through the pages, eager to find out what happens next, and definitely not jumping over any chapters.

Overall, despite the minor flaw of the insta-love romance, this book is a thrilling read that will satisfy fans of mystery and suspense.

So many characters are involved in this story, and there is a great deal of action taking place on the race course. There is also a thrilling chase over land, with a horse and rider being pursued by a fleet of taxis. It can be a little challenging to envision all of this action, especially if you're not a steeplechase jockey. However, it is an exciting book, and I didn't manage to figure out who the villain was until he was finally revealed.

This is the kind of writing by Dick Francis that I remembered from years ago. The plot begins with a great jockey and his magnificent horse taking a fall. Then, his friend and fellow jockey, Alan York, sets out to hunt down the person responsible for the wire that was strung up and tripped his horse. There is a lot of detail about jockeys, the course of a jumping race, the fleet of taxis, and a mafia-like organization that is behind all the violence.

It's a good read! This book was written in 1962, during Francis' early career, and I consider it to be one of his best. I do wish he would leave out the overly sweet romance, but I guess Francis thought his readers needed a bit of romance to keep them engaged and eager to see how everything turned out.

I have a genuine and deep affection for Dick Francis. He, along with Agatha Christie, initiated my love affair with British mysteries. I have devoured every single one of his books.

Dead Cert, his very first work, is quite good. While his later novels are more skillfully written, this one is filled with horses, intrigue, and exciting action. As is always the case with his works, his hero is clearly and undeniably good. Surprisingly, the bad guy in this book is a great deal more sympathetic than the villains in his later works. (Let's not deceive ourselves; he is still bad, but not as completely and unwaveringly evil as the antagonists in the later stories).

Oh, and did I mention the horses? Dick Francis, a former jockey himself,描绘了一幅生动而逼真的英国赛马场景，他把马写得栩栩如生——每一匹马都有其独特的个性。

I'm certain that there are many people who would find this book to be full of clichés (and it is), and perhaps even a bit formulaic (which is also a fair criticism). However, I simply adore the setting, the mystery, and of course, the horses.

"Dead Cert" wasn't the first Dick Francis book I delved into. That particular honor goes to "The Danger." However, it holds a special place as his inaugural novel in what would evolve into a long and illustrious career. Thus, it seems entirely appropriate to commence my "classics of Dick Francis" retrospective with this very work.

After becoming well-acquainted with Francis's later literary offerings - and I've perused all of his fictional creations, some on multiple occasions - reading "Dead Cert" presents a somewhat peculiar experience. It contains numerous elements that Francis would subsequently develop into a recognizable and influential franchise, yet they are in a semi-finished state. There's a first-person narrator, a relatively young, thrill-seeking Englishman intertwined with the world of horse racing. There are nefarious deeds that taint the honor of British steeplechasing. The plot, despite being firmly rooted in the rather stodgy, upper-class realm of British horseracing, is nevertheless slightly zany, kinky, and offbeat. There are exciting and unexpected action sequences - like when Alan York, the hero, has to make his escape from the villains chasing him in radiocar taxis by galloping off bareback on his champion steeplachaser. And, most importantly, there's that one thing that binds it all together and transforms it from a rather silly action thriller into a genuine work of literature: a keen perception of physical and emotional reality.

In fact, Francis showcases his descriptive prowess right from the opening paragraph. Although it must be admitted that it pales in comparison to the explosive openers of his later works, it is still quite striking. He writes, "The mingled smells of hot horse and cold river mist filled my nostrils. I could hear only the swish and thud of galloping hooves and the occasional sharp click of horseshoes striking against each other." For anyone who has ever ridden a horse in damp weather, these sounds and sensations are undeniably authentic. And for those who haven't, well, this is precisely what it's like. Francis had an acute sense of both the external physical world and the internal emotional world of both humans and horses. The horse Admiral is a significant character in "Dead Cert," as he should be. This comes through vividly on the pages of this, his first serious foray into fiction. He knew what it was like to gallop a hot horse on a chilly day, and, more importantly, he knew how to communicate that to the reader.

As I (re)read Francis now, it引发了一些有趣的思考 for me. I'm currently immersed in the polemics surrounding war literature, a genre that is unique in the possessive guardianship it has by those with firsthand experience of the subject matter being described. Merely spouting a series of acronyms or jargon terms, interspersed with clichés about dirt and pain, often gives the illusion of authentic description rather than the reality of a true connection between the author and the reader. Francis succeeds in conveying the outer and inner worlds of his heroes not only by his comfortable immersion in their society but, more importantly, by his precise understanding of what it would feel like, both physically and mentally, to endure what they went through, even when he himself was only speculating. His speculations, however, were always grounded in something real. He may not have lived the lives of his heroes, but he must have known with every fiber of his being what it was to experience pain and fear. And he is truly one of the modern masters of conveying those sensations.

In "Dead Cert," Francis was only just beginning to find his rhythm. Alan York is an engaging and sympathetic protagonist, but he lacks the damaged depth of Francis's later heroes or their harrowing struggles with their own mortality. If Francis had halted his literary journey with "Dead Cert," he would not have become the household name he is today. Nevertheless, it's a solid start from the starting gate.

Dead Cert, the title of this Dick Francis novel, holds a significant meaning in the racing world. It refers to a sure thing, yet in the highly unpredictable realm of steeplechase, where enormous horses and their riders dash around a course filled with various jumps, different terrains, and water barriers, nothing is truly certain.

When a highly respected jockey meets his untimely death from a fall while riding Admiral, a ride that was supposed to be a dead cert according to those in the know, fellow amateur jockey Alan York suspects foul play. His suspicion is confirmed when he discovers a wire coiled beside one end of the jump where the tragic fall occurred. He realizes that someone deliberately set out to make his friend fall. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Alan decides to investigate.

The tightly woven plot then begins to gradually unravel, skillfully doled out by Francis bit by bit. Alan is a likeable main character, and it doesn't take long before readers start rooting for him. They hope he will win his races, win the heart of the young lady he desires, and overcome the ever-growing dangers posed by a mysterious man lurking in the shadows, pulling criminal strings.

Even if one knows nothing about horses, steeplechase, or racing, it's not a problem. Francis adroitly weaves all the necessary information into the plot in an interesting and dexterous manner. There's no heavy-handed dumping of facts. Instead, there's plenty of skulduggery, a touch of romance, some humor, and the actions of a dedicated, principled young man who is determined to do right by his deceased friend and his family.

Reading this novel is a pleasure and a great way to enjoy all things equine without having to worry about allergic reactions. Like Archie Bunker, I've always had a desire to ride a pony or a horse, but unfortunately, due to allergies and asthma, it will never happen. However, reading a Dick Francis gem like this satisfies that need quite nicely. With only thirty some odd books left to go, it's a pleasant thought, and it's a dead cert that I will enjoy them as much as I did this one.

When I was enrolled in a Detective Fiction class in the Spring of 1993, on top of a list of 15 different authors, we had to read one additional book chosen by our professor. I was hoping for something great and got Dick Francis's "Longshot". My initial thought was excitement as I associated "Longshot" with an X-man, but quickly realized it wasn't about a comic book hero. As I and my two team members learned, Dick Francis wrote horse mysteries, not ones where the horse was a detective. I pointed out that he didn't have a regular detective in his stories. I thought it was a detective fiction class, but our professor said it was and he knew I knew all about Sherlock Holmes, so I could handle a non-detective mystery.

I had a passion for survival skills since almost drowning at age 5. I read survival manuals and knew how to build shelters, start fires, find food, and more. So, I was excited to read a book about a character with similar skills. As part of the assignment, our team had to give a 10 - 15 minute lecture about the book, the author, and use a visual to get people's attention. I wanted to bring a horse to class but was told no. Instead, I captured a turtle, got branches from the woods, and went to class. I demonstrated how to make a shelter and start a fire (without actually starting one). Then I took out the turtle and had some fun by pretending something had escaped and causing a bit of a panic. My team got a perfect grade for our work.

The next year, when I had Professor Lacy's wife for a class, she told me not to bring any live animals to her class. I said I would only if I could read a Sherlock Holmes story for one of my reports.
After reading "Longshot", I tried another Dick Francis book that summer but didn't like it as much as it didn't have a survival expert or a regular detective. However, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of taking the class, I am going back and reading another book from the series we had to read. I chose "Dead Cert", the first Dick Francis novel. If you like horse races and mysteries, you will definitely like this book. When a friend dies during a steeplechase accident, Alan York uses his "Sherlock Holmes" skills to determine if it was an accident or murder. Along the way, he falls in love and finds himself in danger. The action goes on until the very last page of the book. Will I read another Dick Francis? Maybe in 2043 for the 50th anniversary of taking the class.