Trial Run

When you read a Dick Francis novel you know that you are not only getting a great read but you are also getting a book written by a writer who knows his subject. Dick Francis was one of the world's greatest jockeys. Talk about horses and racing - he knew his subject. He was also Queen Elizabeth's and her mother's rider for many years. A great athlete!

This 1991 novel is set, as are all of Francis' stories, in the horsey set. Talented but myopic amateur jockey Randall Drew had been forced out of racing. Eyeglasses had just been banned for jockeys and Drew was unable to wear contact lenses, his only options in those days before Lasix surgery. At loose ends he finds himself drafted to investigate some dirty tricks being played on a royal who wants to compete in the Moscow Olympics. Once in Russia Drew finds that the Russians are definitely fighting dirty even in the venue of Olympic sports. Those who are fans of Francis novels will enjoy this one, despite the dated premise. As with all of Francis' work we know that their will be a hero suffering from a tragedy (although banned from racing is minor compared to some other Francis heroes) which he will stoically endure. There will be a love interest, probably a doomed to failure and that the hero will suffer through great ordeals before he triumphs. Francis talent lies in the way he manages to work this very strict formula into an exciting tale that will keep the reader turning page after page.

This book resulted from a trip Dick & Mary Francis took to Moscow in the summer of 1977. They were invited into the homes of Russians. This book reflects the Francis's experiences there. As usual the hero is an ex-jockey turned sleuth who gets attacked & wounded but bears it rather stoically. The mystery plays itself out naturally, but only because of the hero's racing background. The love interest is unusual & interesting, but it's described without much detail. Somehow, the mystery seems too readily resolved here, but the atmosphere of communist USSR seems well-depicted--though I do not know from personal experience. Still, when I visited (after Glasnost), the grayness remained. As usual, unlike many Agatha C. novels, the reader is not challenged to discover the culprit. Per many modern "mysteries" it's more story than whodunnit. I enjoyed the book as light fiction but it's not one of his best IMHO. Still, he makes some interesting observations (near the end of the book) about democracy etc. that might awaken some needed thankfulness in Americans today. As the song goes, "You don't know what you've got until you lose it." Enjoy the character & the characters.

Randall Drew is not the sort of person that comes to mind when you imagine someone who sets out to almost single-handidly stop a terrorist plot. He's quiet, unassuming, bespectacled and prone to chesty illnesses. He's also an event rider (steeplechaser) who has attained some notoriety in England until he was forced to stop racing with the introduction of a sight-restriction rule. Since Randall can't see at all without his glasses, the British Racing Society says that he can't race anymore. Randall is selected though by royalty to pursue an inquiry behind "the iron curtain". This secret exposes him to all sorts of danger in communist Russia. This book handles the Cold War situation quite well. I have read a number of Dick Francis books, and I think this one was one of the best I've read. Tony Britton does a wonderful job of reading the book and that helped set the stage for the espionage and danger.

I do like Dick Francis novels, and I do admit, as many other reviewers have said, that there is a certain predictability to the plots of many of them. What I find myself looking for, in mancy cases, is the philosophy beyond the plot. In this case, the plot is about an attempt to sabotage the Moscow Olympics. The plot holds together well, but what I enjoyed about this book is that it is a glimpse of the end of cold war Russia (of course from a British perspective) and it is an attempt to think about the personal decisions that humans make which shape of our lives and about personal freedom. I think Francis does a good job with these rather weighty themes, within the framework of the mystery/thriller genre that he has perfected over time.