Product Description

A reissued story which features Philip Nore, a steeplechase jockey with a passion for photography which helps him unravel a mysterious web of intrigue, blackmail and murder following the death of a ruthless racecourse photographer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4051675 in Books
• Published on: 1996-01
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From Publishers Weekly
English actor Britton's rich, chameleonlike voice immediately immerses the listener in the intricate plotting and well-drawn characters that typify the work of Francis. Britton (The Day of the Jackal, etc.) expertly tells the story of narrator Philip Nore, an aging jockey who uncovers widespread corruption among his associates after delving into the allegedly accidental death of a sports photographer who "trafficked in ignominy and humiliation." Excellent sound quality and Britton's impressive vocal range echo the intense emotional turmoil Nore experiences as he moves closer to discovering a killer, putting his own life at risk and confronting the truth of his troubled conscience and
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Don't let the book-club selection and change of publisher worry you: this is the same old Dick Francis, very much true to form, with a stoic jockey-sleuth (amateur photographer too) who uncovers dirty business at the track while getting beaten up and testing the limits of honor, loyalty, and friendship. He's Philip Nore, an aging jockey with a family problem: abandoned long ago by his unwed drug-addict mother, loner Philip is now asked by his rich, despised grandmother to find a much younger half-sister he's never known about. And so he will, picking up bits of his own past - and a lovely soulmate - along the way. But the main mystery here involves the legacy of late (car-crash), abrasive track photographer George Millace: George's house is burned; his widow (with whom Philip develops a fond, affecting chumship) is beaten up; and Philip gets some scraps of George's film which - when elaborately decoded in the darkroom - document the dirty secrets of a track-society climber, an owner who shot his own horses (for insurance), and other blackmail victims of the late photographer. Which of the blackmailees killed George (and nearly kills Philip and his new, fond friends)? Will Philip follow the late George into blackmail - or into professional photography? Good questions. Good book (not as good as Risk, let alone the early greats; but better than Trial Run or Whip Hand). And Francis is still faster around the track than anybody else in the business. (Kirkus Reviews)

Review
Reflex enthralls. (The New York Times)

Customer Reviews

A "picture perfet" suspense novel from a master of the genre
Dick Francis novels generally follow a set formula: Seemingly random events ensnare a iconoclastic, intrepid protagonist into the vortex of a mysterious and dangerous situation that exposes the lad to various forms of mayhem and violence before he can get a handle on what's really going on and try to do something about it.

Although formulaic, Francis' work often comes across as fresh and innovative. This arises from his ability to develop strong, uniqe characters, his deft craftsmanship, a tremendous feel for suspense, and some sort of technical a subject background that provides a general focus for the whole story.

In this case, that background is photography.

Phillip Nore is a long time jockey who dabbles in amateur photography. When a well known but little liked professional racing photographer is killed in a car crash, Nore eventually, accidentally, comes into possession of the man's body of work and records. Suddenly Nore and those close to him a being subjected to break-in's in their home, apparently random attacks and so on. Nore comes to understand that the records and negatives he holds are the source of the trouble. He begins looking into the photographers past, and finds a nasty surprise indeed. The question is, can he get to the bottom of this mess before he gets killed?

This work is unusually strong for a Francis novel on several fronts. Phillip is a particularly strong character even for Francis-much more intellectual and introspective than is the norm. The technical aspects of photography needed to decipher the situation are expertly presented in an informative and non-intrusive way that takes nothing from the story-indeed, they add to it. And, the romantic aspect is unusually strong and well developed for a Francis novel as well.

On the whole, this is not only one of the best Francis novels I've read-it's pne of the best overall suspense novels as well.

Get yourself into the "picture': read this book!

Excellent, full of suspense
This was the first Dick Francis book I read and it was fantastic. It was amazing how he tied so many, seemingly random, characters into the plot. Each time I guessed which character had done what infamous deed Francis turned the tables again. I finished the book on my second night of reading it at 4am becuase I simply could not put it down. The book was full of small, compelling puzzles and the interesting bits of information that solved them. After this book I began reading Francis's 'Come to Grief' and 'Nerve'.

Probably my Favorite Dick Francis thus far
With my first love of Sci Fi and Fantasy, little else ever seems to hit my reading list. But after being introduced to Francis a couple of years ago, I've made it a point to break things up with one of his books every once in a while.
The formula is predictable as follows: Single, solitary, but extremely honest 30-ish horse guy usually in a period of personal transition gets unwillingly drawn into a mystery far more sinister and dangerous than anticipated. Along the way he meets a girl who surprises him by becoming the woman of his dreams, gets beat up a couple of times, and threatens to give up, but eventually solves the mystery, brings the bad guys to justice (though not usually the police) and discovers that his life is far more worth living than he'd thought.
But unlike most authors, for Francis the forumla works in his favor because the predictability of the plot and the well established personality of his main character leaves him free to focus on the details, which are always vastly different from story to story. In this case, it's photography, which alone probably makes Reflex is one of my favorites thus far. I've never been into photography in the least, but Francis' vivid and detailed descriptions of different methods of developing and creating "hidden images" in a negative made me want to learn more. I also really enjoyed the character of Jeremy, who was much further developed than most of Francis' supporting cast.
As with all Francis' novels, this one is well worth the read.