bookwoman37's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a fun racing mystery. This one takes place aboard a special British Horse racing train as it travels across Canada. One of the owner's is a criminal and the racing association is determined to capture him. The setting is a lot of fun and there are a lot of wonderful characters. Enjoy
katymvt's review against another edition
4.0
2021 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book you meant to read last year.
Not your typical Whodunit as we know who the bad guy is from the beginning. More of a what and how? No less the enjoyable because of that. As usual horses and horseracing play a large part, but a mystery train takes center stage.
Not your typical Whodunit as we know who the bad guy is from the beginning. More of a what and how? No less the enjoyable because of that. As usual horses and horseracing play a large part, but a mystery train takes center stage.
claireak95's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I thought this was generally a fun time but a bit slow to get going. It was ruined a little bit for me later in the book due to mention of animal cruelty . Could have gone for anything else to explain the horribleness of that person and that's what he went with. There were a lot of characters floating around but I was able to keep up mostly with the main ones. I never totally understood why they sent this guy on the train, like what they expected to happen, but I guess things did happen so it worked out. (Some people sent this main character guy on the train to keep an eye on this not-nice fellow involved in horse racing.) Some cool things were the housebound old lady who he reported to and the murder mystery storyline with actors on the train. I don't feel great about horse racing so that wasn't a draw for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
cmbohn's review against another edition
5.0
listening to the audio version - one of my favorites by Francis.
zoe243's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
seanchai's review against another edition
4.0
One of my favorite Francis novels. I enjoyed it just as much the second read through.
thisdivinelight's review against another edition
4.0
Unlike most of Francis' works, this one takes place on a train. Like most, this one also revolves around horses.
The Canadians are trying to set themselves up as the next big thing in race-horsing and to advertise their racing season, they've decided to feature special races and also organize for a traveling jaunt across the country for owners and racegoers by a special train. The cross country experience offers splendid meals on wheels, a 'live' mystery put on by special actors and an opportunity for those interested in horses and horse-racing to get together and experience the many joys of the Canadian horse-racing scene.
Enter Julius Apollo Filmer - a man whom the British racing world widely knows to be a thorn in the flesh for the Stewards and other senior officials in British racing because of his penchant for causing trouble. Julius' racing history is chequered, his deals shady and he has been implicated in the death of atleast one stable lad while being suspected of causing the suicide of a well known trainer. However, the charges levied against him remain unproven as the key witnesses backed out at the last moment and the man has continued to remain an eyesore no one in the racing world can do much about. Julius also carries a grudge against the racing establishment and will be traveling on the Canadian race train - to what ends and for what purpose, one can only guess but suffice it to say that the Canadian racing establishment is worried enough to request for help from their British counterparts.
Enter Tor Kelsey - mild mannered, unassuming, quiet - a man so in the shadows that most people never know he is there. Known for his ability to literally 'melt into the crowd', he is one of the best investigators in the British racing security team and he too, will be traveling on the Canadian race train. What he learns, sees and foils is what follows by way of a riveting plot that, though occasionally slow, picks up most satisfactorily and promises an all round enjoyable tale.
Other characters are nuanced, well written and play their parts admirably. The Edge is perhaps not as fast paced as a lot of Dick Francis' other mysteries but it is a story not to be missed if you like a good, quiet, suspenseful book for a Sunday afternoon read.
The Canadians are trying to set themselves up as the next big thing in race-horsing and to advertise their racing season, they've decided to feature special races and also organize for a traveling jaunt across the country for owners and racegoers by a special train. The cross country experience offers splendid meals on wheels, a 'live' mystery put on by special actors and an opportunity for those interested in horses and horse-racing to get together and experience the many joys of the Canadian horse-racing scene.
Enter Julius Apollo Filmer - a man whom the British racing world widely knows to be a thorn in the flesh for the Stewards and other senior officials in British racing because of his penchant for causing trouble. Julius' racing history is chequered, his deals shady and he has been implicated in the death of atleast one stable lad while being suspected of causing the suicide of a well known trainer. However, the charges levied against him remain unproven as the key witnesses backed out at the last moment and the man has continued to remain an eyesore no one in the racing world can do much about. Julius also carries a grudge against the racing establishment and will be traveling on the Canadian race train - to what ends and for what purpose, one can only guess but suffice it to say that the Canadian racing establishment is worried enough to request for help from their British counterparts.
Enter Tor Kelsey - mild mannered, unassuming, quiet - a man so in the shadows that most people never know he is there. Known for his ability to literally 'melt into the crowd', he is one of the best investigators in the British racing security team and he too, will be traveling on the Canadian race train. What he learns, sees and foils is what follows by way of a riveting plot that, though occasionally slow, picks up most satisfactorily and promises an all round enjoyable tale.
Other characters are nuanced, well written and play their parts admirably. The Edge is perhaps not as fast paced as a lot of Dick Francis' other mysteries but it is a story not to be missed if you like a good, quiet, suspenseful book for a Sunday afternoon read.
polywogg's review against another edition
3.0
PLOT OR PREMISE:
An arrogant horse-owner in England joins The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train across Canada, with the train stopping at several sites along the way for horseraces, with an actors troupe on the train posing as real passengers.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
Francis is a master at moving players around in the story and having them interact in interesting ways. His descriptive prose, and his keep-it-simple style, make it easy to both imagine the scene and understand the characters. The sports element is there, as it is in all of Francis' books, but he again shows his mastery in leaving it as the backdrop against all the other characters' interactions.
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The overall feel of the book is that similar to a play or film with an ensemble cast -- no one is really well done, but most are sufficiently interesting to hold our attention for awhile. Some characters are still left hiding in the background as mere caricatures. As for the villain and the protagonist, both needed to be better developed, and I never felt the villain was particularly evil nor the protagonist particularly interesting -- too much on actions and not enough of his own thoughts to reveal his true character. Unfortunately, I also figured out the plot fairly early, although there was one character at the end who was slightly different than expected. I also saw three or four points in the story where Francis could have easily taken the reader down a darker or more interesting path, yet the opportunities were left abandoned alongside the tracks in the story.
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
Another good mystery from Francis
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him / her on social media.
An arrogant horse-owner in England joins The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train across Canada, with the train stopping at several sites along the way for horseraces, with an actors troupe on the train posing as real passengers.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
Francis is a master at moving players around in the story and having them interact in interesting ways. His descriptive prose, and his keep-it-simple style, make it easy to both imagine the scene and understand the characters. The sports element is there, as it is in all of Francis' books, but he again shows his mastery in leaving it as the backdrop against all the other characters' interactions.
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The overall feel of the book is that similar to a play or film with an ensemble cast -- no one is really well done, but most are sufficiently interesting to hold our attention for awhile. Some characters are still left hiding in the background as mere caricatures. As for the villain and the protagonist, both needed to be better developed, and I never felt the villain was particularly evil nor the protagonist particularly interesting -- too much on actions and not enough of his own thoughts to reveal his true character. Unfortunately, I also figured out the plot fairly early, although there was one character at the end who was slightly different than expected. I also saw three or four points in the story where Francis could have easily taken the reader down a darker or more interesting path, yet the opportunities were left abandoned alongside the tracks in the story.
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
Another good mystery from Francis
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him / her on social media.