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    Silks
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    Silks
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    Silks
    Audiobook10 hours

    Silks

    Written by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

    Narrated by Martin Jarvis

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From Dick Francis and his son, Felix, comes Geoffrey Mason-a defense barrister whose true passion is riding his Thoroughbred. Mason's two lives collide when a fellow jockey is accused of murdering a colleague with a pitchfork. Mason prefers not to get involved. But soon he is torn between doing what's right-and what will keep him alive.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateAug 26, 2008
    ISBN9781429552516
    Unavailable
    Silks

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    Reviews for Silks

    3.5/5

    175 ratings22 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I like Dick Francis books. I've read most of them and enjoyed listening to this one. I just ordered another book on CD by him from my library.
    • 3/5
      SPOILER ALERT: I was very disappointed by the end of this book. I have one last Francis book to read, so they are precious commodities now, and when the protagonist did a 180 from the now expected (and loved) Francis protagonist and ended the book--I seem to be physically incapable of doing a complete spoiler, so I will say that part of what I have come to love about Francis books is that the protagonists are very moral people. I don't mean religious, I mean they live within a code of ethics that does not permit violence except as self defense. An attempt was made to justify the character's final action in that way, but it doesn't wash.I am sure most people won't be troubled by it, but I am. C'est la vie.
    • 4/5
      An easy page turner with justice being done in the end.
    • 4/5
      Fun, interesting, pretty standard Francis (which is good, since this one is mostly Felix writing). The pun in the title refers to jockeys' riding silks and the upper-level barristers called Queen's Counsels and nicknamed 'silks'. The hero is a part-time jockey and a full-time barrister (some discussion of the differences between solicitor and barrister, in English law; also some discussion of the structure of English courts and the differences between them and European ones). Blackmail (rather crude), murder, assault, a rather thoroughly-set-up frame, and (of course, it is a Francis) a love affair. The hero suffers two (three?) attacks from enemies, but takes considerably more damage from a racecourse fall. And I knew what would happen with the torso reinforcement as soon as it was mentioned - expected it earlier, when he yelled at Trent, actually. Not a bad story, not a favorite, but I suspect I will reread it with enjoyment in a while.
    • 3/5
      Typical Francis novel, involving horses, murder, conspiracies and light romance. This one takes us into the life of barrister and amateur jump jockey Geoffrey Mason. Attacked by a former client, Mason is thrust into a new case involving two of the top professional jockeys, one accused of murdering the other. The plot takes the expected twists and turns you have come to expect with Dick Francis, and his son seems to be following nicely in his footsteps.
      The ending left me wanting more, and overall it was a satisfying read.
    • 3/5
      Sloppily plotted Dick Francis...but somehow hard to put down nonetheless.In Francis' contemporary novels his heroes take their own vengeance and swear explicitly. Older people are more often maddeningly stupid, as the protagonist's father in this book and Sid Halley's father-in-law in "Under Orders".I don't feel that I know a whole lot more about the English judicial system than I did before I read the book, but I do have an idea of where Wormwood Scrubs is located.In this novel the protagonist is inconsistent, terrified for one week and quite untroubled the next. So many characters seem to be terrified by one man who isn't even armed; Francis' earlier books had tougher incidental characters who had to be threatened with a weapon before they caved in.The tardy response of the police has a realistic quality.The remarks the cleaners make about cleaning out the homes of people who had died and hadn't been noticed for a while ring disturbingly true.There are many standard Francis plot contrivances...the post victory battle, and the hero, in crutches or a cast due to a previous incident, having to fight his entirely whole enemies.
    • 4/5
      Not traditional Dick Francis but a decent legal thriller.
    • 3/5
      Geoffrey 'Perry' Mason is a professional barrister and amateur jockey and these pass times meet when a leading jockey he knows, Steve Mitchell, is accused of killing another jockey. A former client of Mason's threatens that if he doesn't take Mitchell's case and lose his own family will suffer. Mason is torn between doing what he knows is right and doing what will bring him peace in his life.

      Usually when I pick up a new book I do so anticipating an interesting experience: new characters to meet, places to visit, ideas to contemplate. Occasionally though I am in the mood for the literary equivalent of comfort food and for me that means reaching for one of ‘my’ authors who write to a formula I enjoy. Few do that better than Dick Francis. His books are all variations on the theme of a central male character somehow related to the world of horses who gets into trouble not of his own making that can only be overcome by heroism of the stiff upper lip variety. This is the 41st Dick Francis book I’ve read and I can’t honestly say it’s much different from any of the others. But then, today anyway, I’d have been disappointed if it had been.

      Silks is the second book co-authored by Francis’ younger son Felix (Francis is 89 now) and is much better than the first, Dead Heat, which I read last year. Unlike that one, which never felt terribly credible and had plot holes you could drive a lorry through, Silks was quite believable. The fear which people were able to induce in perfectly ordinary citizens so that they would lie and do other things against their nature felt very genuine and I was thoroughly engaged in finding out how our hero would ensure justice prevailed in the end (which of course I knew it would).

      For all the lightness and frothiness of Francis' books he does have a great ability to depict real human behaviour and it was interesting to watch how various people coped with the violent intimidation that was prevalent throughout the story. Mason's growth into the sort of person who could stand up to quite horrifying scare tactics was also well done.

      Silks is one of those books that delivers exactly what you expect and sometimes that's enough to qualify as a satisfying read. Francis fans will enjoy the book while new readers could do worse than start with this one.
    • 3/5
      Lacks the tension of his earlier novels. Interesting enough to finish. Good conclusion, but lacked action outside of the courtroom.
    • 3/5
      A decent, though not outstanding, addition to the long-running body of steeplechase racing mysteries by Dick Francis. Contrary to some comments, I thought Felix Francis' input was apparent -- not so much in specific paragraphs or plot elements, but in an overall tone. For example, the language and behavior was somewhat coarser than Dick Francis usually writes. But my biggest criticism is one of structure and formula for a successful mystery story: The missing piece of information needed to solve the crime was withheld from the reader until the very end. Had we known that fact at the same time Geoffrey "Perry" Mason learned it, we would've had a chance to solve the riddle along with him. Instead, we were relegated to the role of passive observers.
    • 4/5
      Pretty much run of the mill Dick Francis, it isn't that obvious where Felix has contributed. Silks indicates the amateur jockey status of the hero and his profession as a barrister. As might be expected one of his fellow (although professional) jockeys gets into a spot of bother - charged with murdering another jockey - and appeals to our hero to "get me off". Barristers of course don't usually take responsability for getting people off crimes they have committed. They are there to cast reasonable doubt apon the facts of the prosecution's case where such doubt might be warrented. But our hero has a go anyway. Matters are made more difficult when he starts to recieved threats against not only himself but his father and new girlfriend, to let the prosecutions suceed. Maybe there is more to the case than first meets the eye.Very much like Dick's early work this does include a fair amount of the actual racing details, as well as suitable titbits of life within the chambers of law - like a Grisham novel. However it is very UK centric, and some background understanding of how UK courts work, is probably advantageous. It all hangs plausibly together, apart from one unexplained occurance right at the beginning, that is brought up several times but then never finally clarified.If you've read and liked any Dick's other works, this is equally enjoyable, and if you like Grisham you may well like this too. Nothing specal though.....................................................................................................................
    • 3/5
      Geoffrey Mason, barrister cum amateur jockey, is defending a fellow jockey of a murder charge. He is also being threatened by a former client to ensure that the jockey is found guilty. Like other Dick Francis books the focus is less on horses and racing and more on the murder and in this case the law. In June I have been re-reading some favourite Francis’ titles and I looked forward to “Silks.” Unfortunately it doesn’t measure up to many of his books. The plot is interesting but it needs a good edit to improve its pace and flow and to reduce the lecturing tone. However if you are a Francis fan it is worth reading.
    • 4/5
      Barrister and amateur jockey Geoffrey Mason is threatened by a thug he represented. An unpopular jockey has been killed, apparently by another jockey, who claims he has been framed. Someone connected with the thug wants Mason to ensure that the defendent--a friend of his--is convicted.Not Francis's best book, but worth reading.
    • 4/5
      Although there are horses and races in the latest Dick Francis book, it's more of a courtroom drama than a book about racing. His hero, Geoffrey Mason, aka as Perry, is a barrister and an amateur jockey. When one of the professionals is arrested for murdering a colleague, Mason's worlds collide with all the explosion of a train wreck.I enjoyed this one. I like courtroom book, so that part was fun. And Mason is a likable character too. I'm glad to see another book by Francis.
    • 4/5
      Geoffrey Mason, barrister and amateur jockey, is called on to defend a fellow jockey accused of the murder of yet another jockey. As with all Dick Francis's heroes, he is threatened, is injured all in the course of seeing justice prevail...and refuses to give up.Not the best Dick Francis but worthwhile reading if you like them. Also a pretty good effort if Graham Lord's "Dick Francis: A Racing Life" is correct - he believes it was Mary Francis who wrote the books, not Dick at all. So perhaps son Felix has stepped in after his mother's death some years ago - there has been a gap in the series.As typical with the Dick Francis books, a succinct title which sums it all up in two words or less. Silk is what both barristers and jockeys wear - well done.
    • 4/5
      Another enjoyable read! I'm not sure how much of the writing Felix Francis is doing, but the book read like classic Dick Francis. I liked the fact that Geoffrey Mason doesn't back down and doesn't let his fear master him. That's a difficult thing to do.
    • 4/5
      Geoffrey Mason, a lawyer and an amateur jockey, discovers a string of blackmail among the professional jockeys and horse breeders in his circle. He soon finds himself in the middle of a murder case and is the target of some unscrupulous people who will do anything to protect themselves. I liked this book a lot more than I anticipated!
    • 3/5
      This is a typical Dick Francis mystery, but what a disappointing ending. There is no way readers can figure out the mystery, unless they guess that a certain character went to Thailand and died in a tsunami. How ridiculous.
    • 4/5
      He's still got it. If you like old Dick Francis books, you'll still like the new ones. The main guy is always likable, always out of his league, and always triumphant. An effective plot twist, even if the author cheats a bit by withholding information near the end for a big finish. Enjoyable read.
    • 2/5
      Still interesting but not as well-plotted as his original works. Character-stereotypes are wearing thin. However, the conjunction of racing and non-racing professions is well-done.
    • 5/5
      When defence barrister Geoffrey Mason's client, a really nasty spoilt brat called Julian Trent, gets convicted on 8 counts of assault and bodily harm that Geoffrey knows he is guilty of, he is not disappointed with the result. Julian Trent gets 8 years, but within months the conviction is overturned in the appeal court. Significantly the jury spokesman has reported a miscarriage of justice, that he was threatened by the prosecuting lawyer.Geoffrey is also an amateur jumps jockey, riding half a ton of horse over five foot fences at 30 miles an hour. Geoffrey and his horse have just become a force to be reckoned with, a successful amateur team. Geoffrey witnesses an altercation between two professional jockeys, and then Scot Barlow is dead and Steve Mitchell is accused of the murder.Geoffrey does not want to take the case on but finds himself the barrister defending Steve Mitchell. And now a voice on the phone, whom he thinks is Julian Trent, wants him to make sure that his client is found guilty, or else.This story is interesting on two levels: first of all it is the second novel where Felix Francis has joined his more famous father, Dick. Secondly, much of the action is set in the future, and all of it would have been in the future when the novel was at the publishers waiting to see the light.SILKS has the appeal that all Dick Francis novels have always had for me. It flows easily with plenty of action and tension. There's a touch of human interest with the developing relationship between Geoffrey and the vet Eleanor. People have been threatened, others have disappeared, one has committed suicide, and its all wrapped around the racing world. This is the stuff that Dick Francis has always been good at and it makes SILKS worth looking for.
    • 3/5
      The latest entry from Dick and Felix Francis features Geoffrey "Perry" Mason, a barrister cum amateur jockey who is called upon to represent a champion jockey charged with the murder of another champion jockey--and threatened with dire consequences by "The Whisperer" if he does not lose the case. At first the intimidation works, but as usual with Francis's protagonists, as time goes by he begins to fight back. Geoff is convinced his client is innocent and begins to work on unraveling the circumstantial evidence being presented by the prosecution. The reader is left wondering as to how he comes up with some of his notions and what is to be investigated, but overall it's a decent read. Much of the investigating is done by others, off the page, since Geoff is confined to a plastic upper-body cast for much of the book. And the ending will leave you wondering about his fate. This isn't one of Francis's best products, but it is worth reading if you like British mysteries set in and around the steeplechasing world.