The popular and prolific Francis introduces a new hero to his stable of equestrian sleuths: teenager Ben Juliard, who dreams of becoming a professional jockey. But Ben's dream is shattered when his mentor accuses him of drug abuse and dismisses him on the spot. As it turns out, Ben's wealthy but distant father has been tapped to stand as a candidate for Parliament, and the elder Juliard has decided that he needs Ben by his side to prove to voters that he's a stable family man. Resigned to his fate, Ben begins his job as political aide, strategist, and baby kisser. But when someone aims a bullet at his father and then the candidate's car is tampered with, Ben finds himself becoming his father's bodyguard and protector. As the two struggle to overcome political rivals, death threats, and scandal-mongering tabloids, their once-distant relationship grows warmer and their affection deepens. Francis offers a uniquely engaging mystery spiced not only with intrigue, suspense, and equine anecdotes but also with a thoughtful look at the complex relationship between father and son. This heartwarming, witty, sometimes ironic, but always entertaining story finds Francis running in top form. --Emily Melton

More murderous horseplay from the prolific Francis. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Pleasing lesser Francis (To the Hilt, 1996, etc., etc.) that takes its young hero from horse racing to the far rougher world of British politics. Benedict Juliard may be just a boy--he's only 18 when his father arranges for him to be fired from his job as an amateur jockey so Ben can campaign at his side in a Parliamentary by- election--but his talent for listening to people and drawing them out is such a complement to George Juliard's mastery of big- picture rhetoric that he's an unexpected asset on the campaign trail. Unexpected and unwelcome, not only to Paul Bethune, the opposition candidate, and his hapless wife Isobel, but to Orinda Nagle, vitriolic widow of the late MP for Hoopwestern, who can't understand how the nominating committee for her own party could have made the ghastly mistake, darling, of passing her over for Dennis Nagle's vacant seat--and to Alderney Wyvern, once Dennis's close friend, now Orinda's constant, and rather sinister, companion. As George's campaign gathers steam, and Ben basks in the glow of his father's approval--best here is Francis's sharp portrait of instinctive sympathy between the very different father and son--predictable obstacles emerge. Usher Rudd, a muckraker who's been slinging mud against Paul Bethune, turns his attention to George; somebody tries to kill George; and you find yourself settling in happily to a treat of customary Francis thrills and spills. But the campaign turns out to be only Act One; George's victory and Ben's return to racing merely set the stage for anticlimactic Act Two, five years later, when Wyvern and Rudd come blustering back in search of the revenge they're sure they're owed. Though the toothless villains deprive the story of any strong sense of direction--a surprising disappointment from reliable Francis--the tale is fleetly and unassumingly told, without any of the excess baggage that has often given the distinguished ex-jockey trouble making weight. (Book-of-the-Month Club main selection)

He may be turning 77 this year, but Francis (To the Hilt) narrates his new thriller through the eyes of a 17-year-old without missing a step‘and, as usual, offers a mini-course in a slightly arcane profession along the way. The profession is British politics. The youth is Ben Juliard, who plans to spend his "gap year" (between school and university) as an amateur steeplechase jockey. His benevolent but disapproving millionaire father, George, arranges for Ben to be fired, however, and to help him win a by-election to replace a deceased member of Parliament. Having conquered London's financial City, George has designs on Disraeli's greasy pole and wants Ben to be "a sort of substitute wife. To come with me in public. To be terribly nice to people." Despite determined enemies (the ambitious widow of the dead legislator, her éminence grise adviser and a sleazy reporter out for dirt on anyone), and three possible attacks on the Juliards (shooting, car sabotage, arson), George prevails in the vote. Five years later, he's a popular cabinet minister (for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), while Ben has found happiness working in racing insurance and as a successful steeplechaser. A cabinet crisis makes George a leading contender for prime minister, and Ben worries that the unknown previous assailants will try again. They do but, despite some dicey moments, Ben prevails, although not without suffering a major loss. As usual in a Francis novel, the sweetest parts are about family; here, especially the growing love and understanding between father and son. The villains aren't particularly scary, but this smooth, nimbly paced charmer isn't really about bad people anyway, but about how the rest of us cope and live, sometimes in their shadow. BOMC main selection. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved