Front Runner Paperback – September 10, 2015
Author: Felix Francis ID: 0718178858
Done.
PaperbackPublisher: Penguin Export (September 10, 2015)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0718178858ISBN-13: 978-0718178857 Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.4 x 6.1 inches Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces Best Sellers Rank: #211,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
After a long series of really good one-off thrillers from this author, I wasn’t sure how I felt about last year’s hero in DAMAGE, Jeff Hinkley, making a return appearance. But any potential skepticism disappeared in the first few chapters, when I got well and truly hooked into an intricate plot that packs a huge wallop of suspense from the very start. In fact, if you think you got to know the main character in the first book, think again. Yes, the superb thinking ability and likability are still there, but life even for action heroes doesn’t always go as planned, and Jeff is poked, prodded, provoked, and pummeled in these pages to the point where I found myself genuinely–and frequently–hoping against hope that he would prevail. And along the way his character evolved into a Jeff I found even more complex and likable. (Not that you need to have read DAMAGE to enjoy this adventure for itself. You absolutely don’t.)
There’s a sense of adventurous fun and light-heartedness in FRONT RUNNER that I think adds new spark to the character and encompasses a new supporting cast, yet the multi-part plot includes ongoing serious and breathtaking twists and turns that all tie together at the end in the cleverest of ways. Mostly, it’s a well-thought-out, rollicking, world-romping, just-plain-good adventure that leaves you longing for just a few more pages even though it is ultimately satisfying. And I hated to leave Jeff and friends; it’s going to be a long wait till next year’s book when we can see what he’s up to again!
Dick Francis fans should find much to embrace here in the Francis tradition while also enjoying the differences in style, plotting, and both light and heavy touches that are unique to Felix’s work.
One of the most successful continuations of the works of a popular author who has passed away is, IMHO, that of Felix Francis, son of the late Dick Francis. I used to love reading the father’s tales set in Great Britain’s horseracing scene (most often steeplechase), and I was very sorry to learn of his death in 2010 at the age of 89.
Felix Francis, a physics teacher, helped his father with both research and writing (as did, reportedly, the late Francis’s wife and Felix’s mother, Mary, who died in 2000). So in 2011, when Felix wrote his first solo book, "Gamble," I wasn’t too surprised that it wasn’t much of a departure from earlier books Felix had co-written – nor were the three others that preceded this one.
Now that I’ve finished it, consider me still happy. This may not be the best of the Felix-written bunch; except for the main character, British Horseracing Authority undercover investigator Jeff Hinkley, none of the other characters ever really developed much of a "personality," although the plot moved quickly and held my attention throughout. Hinkley, by the way, also appeared in the Felix Francis-written "Damage," published in 2014, but the two books stand alone.
This one begins as a popular winning jockey reveals to Hinkley that he’s lost at least one race on purpose; but before he can spill the rest of the beans, he dies in what’s being called a suicide. Meanwhile, Hinkley – who has come to the jockey’s home to learn more – ends up locked in the jockey’s super-hot sauna. Apparently, the jockey decided he didn’t want his secret to get out, but then, overcome with remorse, he offed himself.
Download Front Runner – September 10, 2015 Free PDF
PribadiPijar371
