Dick Francis's Damage

By: Felix Francis

Narrated by: Michael Neilson

New York Times bestselling author Felix Francis continues his father’s legacy of suspense-driven fiction with Dick Francis’s Damage …

Undercover investigator Jeff Hinkley is assigned by the British Horseracing Authority to look into the activities of a suspicious racehorse trainer, but as he’s tailing his quarry, Jeff bears witness to a bloody murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place—the administration of illegal drugs to his horses?

Soon it’s discovered that many more horses have tested positive for stimulants—and an unknown person starts making demands, threatening to completely destroy the integrity of the racing industry. To protect the sport itself, Jeff must uncover the perpetrator. But he’s up against someone who will stop at nothing to prevail.

©2014 Felix Francis (P)2014 Recorded Books

Great Book

I really enjoyed this book and listened to it practically non stop today. It was very suspenseful, especially at the part about the Grand National, and had an interesting ending which I didn't see coming. I would have liked to hear Tony Briton or Martin Jarvis narrate it, but this guy was good.

Great, but lacking pace, intensity and suspense

For me Dick Francis' signature has always been the relentless pace of the main plot, intensity and suspense, which are all sorely lacking in Damage. Lackluster (tired) narration does not help either.

There are too many distractions (subplots that don't supplement the main plot) to the main plot. At times it appears the story is rushed... hence not well rounded and polished.

I'm a Dick / Felix Francis fan, so I'm hopeful of better work in the future. I'll be back for more.

Getting better

Felix Francis's writing has improved to the point where his books probably deserve better narration. He is never going to compare to his father, I'm afraid, but you can see the changes in both characterization and style. His male characters are no longer whiny, self-doubters whose inability to do anything without constant self-examination was beginning to be really irritating. His descriptions of people and their motives still lack the perceptions of Francis Senior. But it is improving, and I'm glad he is no longer saddled with Martin Jarvis, whose overblown, nearly sarcastic, rendition brought out all the worst points of the early books. It's a bit ironic to see Francis' 'kinder, gentler' man still refer to adult women as 'girls.' But he is at least moving in the right direct. He will probably never attract the likes of Tony Britton and Simon Prebble. But the good progress he has made is disguised by the mediocre narration of Michael Nielson. Overall, worth buying only for the continuation of the racing universe so vividly depicted by Dick Francis.

Not as good as his dad

It has all of the classic Dick Francis elements, but something is missing. There is a lack of depth in the development of the bad guy...I hardly knew him. The main character doesn't have the opportunity to go deeper into himself as in Francis' other protagonists. The ending was really not well written in my opinion. I realize the senior has passed but I was hoping that the junior had been trained to go above and beyond. I will keep reading his books hoping for that. Secondly I personally didn't care for Mr. Nielson's performance. He did very well with secondary voice characterizations, but his protagonist didn't have the Simon Pebble or Tony Blair quality that makes these books so enjoyable.

Dick

We miss you Dick your son is good but he is lacking just a little. I have seen growth in him though he will do well R Trépanier Willcox