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| Silks | 
 enlarge | Authors: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $18.00
You Save: $16.95 (48%)
New (32) Used (10) from $15.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 50512
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 9
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 0143143859
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780143143857
ASIN: 0143143859
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Unabridged CDs 9 CDs, 10 1?2 hours
The Grand Master returns in prizewinning form.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 True to Formula Francis is Great Fun November 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow! Dick Francis has done again in Silks. For years Francis turned out books that were great fun, thrilling mysteries set in the racing world. After his wife died, Francis announced no more books would he write, that her companionship and help had been too instrumental to his work. Thankfully after a few years Francis realized that his books are the greatest tribute he could make to her; with his son Felix Francis, he co-wrote Dead Heat. Truly, that book was not so good. So it was with much trepidation that I read the latest mystery co-written by father and son, and I am very happy to say that it is right up there with some of Francis' best novels.
To Francis fans, Silks continues with the well-used formula we have come to love: corruption in the racing world, either in business or in personal life, and the man who just cannot let it go; the man is a self-deprecating but thoroughly heroic hero; the female love interest is wholesome but plucky, good looking but modest, sometimes frightened but always loyal; the plot twists and turns on questions of identity and responsibility; anonymous threats propel action; just when you thought you could take a breath and relax, there is a final encounter between good and evil; and all in all the story is well-told with a satisfying ending and all nastiness taken care of. This book adds in a resolute action by the hero that is spine chilling and cracking, and quite gratifying as well.
Other Dick Francis favorites of mine: Longshot, Banker, Hot Money, Bolt, Proof, Twice Shy, Reflex, and Whip Hand. I did not like the short stories in Field of Thirteen.
For more reviews, check out [.......].
 "SILKS" review November 11, 2008
We hope "THE FRANCIS TEAM" will give us many more excellsnt mysteries. Great reaad.
Best from Francis in a long time November 6, 2008
First sentence: "Guilty."
Barrister and amateur jockey Geoffrey Mason, known as `Perry Mason' by his racing friends. He had once successfully defended a violent young man, Julian Trent. Trent, found guilty nonetheless and swearing revenge against Mason, is now being released on appeal.
Mason receives a call from fellow jockey, Steve Mitchell. Steve has been arrested for the murder of another jockey, the hatred between the two of known was well known. Mason first receives a warning and then a beating, instructing him to lose the trial and ensure Mitchell is convicted. Mason realizes his only option is to stand up to Trent, but a at the risk of his life and those he loves.
Even though this was written by Dick and Felix Francis, I'm going to refer to them as singular. Francis has such a wonderful voice. He has a way of drawing you into the story, a way of explaining things that make the information fascinating and an excellent ear for dialogue. I appreciated his including information on English law.
Francis creates great characters. His protagonist isn't particularly brave and strong, but he is stubborn and determined, and his villains are about as villainous as they come. I liked that he made the point about not understanding how hard it is to stand up against violence and intimidation. It was nice to see the hero actually get the girl in this story.
The story was similar to a horse race in that it milled out a bit in the beginning giving you background information, took off with sudden action and built in pace and suspense up to the end. Even the courtroom scenes, which were so well done, had an element of suspense.
Portents are something I normally hate and the one early in the book wasn't necessary. I also don't usually like when authors hold information back from the reader, but here it worked. Thinking back, I probably could have anticipated many of the turns in the plot, but I was so engrossed in the story, I didn't take the time to analyze as I read. And that's what makes Francis, Francis; you jump on and go to the end. The ending is violent and bothers some people; however, I felt he addressed the age-old question of legality versus justice.
This was definitely the best Francis book I've read in a long time.
 At best a trot, never a gallop October 30, 2008
This is my first book read via Kindle, and because each "page" contains less information than a visible two page spread of a book, I think it made me more aware of constant page turning with little yield of much in the way of new story elements. That said, all the usual ingredients of a Frances story are here, but this time delivered at a painfully slow pace. Only my loyalty to the author motivated me to turn the pages, rather than excitement to find out what was happening, because not much was(happening).
I didn't find the main character- an amateur steeple rider- as usual- and full time barrister, and not exceptionally gifted in either pursuit, very interesting. Having read most of France's stories, I now find myself knowing much more about horse racing , than I want to know. As a subtle way of educating readers to that particular sport, the material is interesting, but in this case slows the story telling to a crawl.
All the usual ingredients of a Frances story are here, but nothing new. No signs of a growing strength in story telling, or plot development, just business as usual but at a slower pace. Like watching an old fashioned photo slowly emerge from the developer, in a world of instant digital imagery. That's not necessarily bad, but for me in this instance, the process took longer than I could sustain interest in the finished product.
The jockey wins again. October 23, 2008
Dick Francis has long been my favorite author. Now, in his advanced years, he has turned part of his creations over to his son, Felix. Smart move! This novel has all the page turning excitement, information about racing and, this time, about barristers and legal matters. The hero is a busy barrister who, in his spare time, rides as an amateur jockey. When a fellow jockey is murdered with a pitchfork, the excitement begins and never ends until the last page. It makes you hope for another book by the father and son very soon.
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