My first Dick Francis read and my overall impression is that he constructs basically good stories but his language is sometimes too constrained.

The story centres around the death of a jockey and the apparently unrelated events that unfurl following his demise.

We spend almost 300 pages in the company of glass blower Gerard Logan as he turns from trusted custodian of a video tape to victim to solver of the puzzle on which the book has centred.

I think the story rattles along fairly well and the constrained language I mentioned does get in the way a bit but only from time to time: I suppose the problem with the language may be my own personal problem but Francis has left me with the impression that his GCSE English wouldn't be an automatic A* were he to sit one now! Still, he should worry!!

My impression of Logan, the central character, is that he is either somewhat down at heel but moving in exalted circles, or he is well enough off but you wouldn't know it. He seems dismissive of much of what life throws at him but he solves this mystery competently enough.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a whodunnit story and jockeys and horse racing are incidental to this one: all Francis' stories are horse racing centric I believe but in this case it really doesn't matter whether we are interested in horses or not. In fact, glass blowing takes much more of centre stage than anything else.

The only part of the story that left me unconvinced was the steamy relationship that Logan had with the policewomen. PC Plodette is set up as a raunchy, unconventional motor bike riding stalwart who almost instantly melts into femininity as she occupies half of Logan's bed from time to time! Maybe I've missed out on something but I thought more of a courtship was in order here!

Duncan Williamson
10 September 2002