10 Lb. Penalty

10 lb. Penalty is a bit different than most Dick Francis novels. To begin with, the typical Dick Francis protagonist is a male somewhere in his thirties. He's sexually experienced, and usually there's a woman lurking somewhere with whom he has been or may be involved. The story usually involves some......more

This was a different Dick Francis novel. Ben is a 17 year old whose father is trying to get elected as an MP. The story revolves around his father and attempts on his life. Ben is a little to good to be true with his wisdom. The story follows him growing up and helping his father’s political rise. N......more

What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either direc......more

This was a re-read for me, one of my favorites by Dick Francis.......more

This review is from my POV as an author, so easily skip over it if you will: Unlike most of Dick Francis' novels, the action in 10 lb Penalty spans years rather than weeks and months. This is of interest when you consider story structure. In other of his novels, say Reflex for instance, the plot is......more