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 enlarge | Authors: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $18.00
You Save: $16.95 (48%)
New (31) Used (10) from $15.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 257890
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 9
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 0143143859
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780143143857
ASIN: 0143143859
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
shadow of another October 22, 2008
I loved the story entrance, another learning experience. I love the way Dick Francis and now Felix with him blends stories with the teaching of many things I would have otherwise never known.
The violence should be expected in a Francis novel, why are people surprised?
The big surprise was when a photograph was mentioned, and I knew what the ending would be because I had read John Francome's Cover Up. I hope they had permission to use the plot.
But it was a very differrent view of the story and very entertaining. I will be looking forward to the next.
Vintage Francis October 18, 2008
SILKS, written with his son Felix is vintage Dick Francis. It has all of the expected elements, a like able hero, a twisted plot, a change of profession, a nasty villain and a surprise ending. This one takes a bit of reading to get into, but the pace fits the formality of the British Court System.
There is never any doubt who is doing all the brutal attacks, but the question is why and who is at the helm? SILKS is a good book to take on a long trip to relax while adjusting to strange beds and easy chairs.
Writing as a Small BusinessSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico
 Good read, even with a boggy middle October 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a long-time fan of Dick Francis, I look forward to every new book. The key plot points in this one - the way that the justice system can be perverted when witnesses are intimidated and the way that the lives of those who've been intimidated are changed - were particularly relevant to me as Philadelphians have seen the results of a "no snitch" culture on our streets. There are far too many unsolved crimes and it is because thugs have intimidated witnesses; just last week, a murderer was convicted of killing a witness to his earlier crime so that she couldn't testify against him.
While some other reviewers enjoyed learning about the law as practiced in England, I thought the entire middle section of the book got bogged down with too much detail that did nothing to move the plot along. Nor did it seem that Mason did much to live up to his nickname of Perry, which also made the story slow down.
On the other hand, the denoument was typical Francis - suspenseful, dramatic and unexpected. Any regular reader of his knows that there is quite a bit of violence and, often, a sadistic criminal in his books so those elements weren't surprising.
p.s. My personal favorites among Francis oldies: FOR KICKS, REFLEX, BANKER. Each story stands on its own and each contains unforgettable characters.
Legal Thriller Amid a Racing Background October 15, 2008
The classic Dick Francis books are filled with heart-pounding steeplechase action, deadly criminals, and arcane insights into horse racing from a jockey's perspective. The least appealing books in the series are those where the interaction with steeplechases is minimal. Silks is somewhere between the two extremes. The steeplechase setting is present for bits and pieces of the story, but courtroom drama substitutes for much of the potential on-course action. Fortunately, the legal thriller aspects of the story are pretty well done and bring new perspective for American readers into the English legal system.
Geoffrey ("Perry" to his fellow jockeys) Mason is a barrister (a lawyer who tries cases in England) whose hobby is riding his horse, Sandeman, in mostly amateur steeplechases. As the book opens, he is defending an unsavory sort, Julian Trent, who seems to be a psychopath. Losing the case turns out to be a bad turn for Mason when Trent decides he wants revenge against his barrister.
A little time later, Trent has gotten out of jail through an appeal where the witnesses refuse to testify against him, apparently having been intimidated. Rather than immediately kill Mason, Trent instead seems more interested in controlling Mason's legal work for fellow jockey, Steve Mitchell, who is accused of murdering another jockey. Mason is thoroughly intimidated and unsure what he will do. The stakes are raised when the threats start to include those close to Mason.
The reference to silks is a very clever choice for a title, referring to racing silks as well as the term for Queen's Counsel, the cream of the litigating attorneys. Mason as an owner has racing silks, represents his own racing silks when he rides, and hopes to earn the position of a silk within the legal profession.
To me, the book's main drawback is an exceptional amount of violence. I normally find it hard to deal with the most intense scene in most Dick Francis books. Where that violence permeates a book like this one, it definitely takes some of the shine off my ability to enjoy the story.
There are definitely two writers for this story, as evidenced by many classic Dick Francis sections and many new story-telling sections that must be from his son, Felix. As they write more books together, I'm sure the two styles will blend together more smoothly than they do here. I hope that will involve a lighter hand on the whip.
 Adventure October 14, 2008
Dick Francis in one of my favorite authors and all his books are fun to read. He does not resort to graphic sexual descriptions and bad language to tell the story. I'm so glad he is writing something I'm not ashamed to be reading in public. When I begin a Dick Francis book I cannot put it down till the end. The plot of "Silks" is interesting and I learned more about steeplechase racing. I love all the characters and they stay with me long after I've finished the book. My only regret is Mr. Francis writes only one a year.
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