cdbellomy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
felinity's review against another edition
3.0
Important issues being highlighted, but it didn't flow well with the writing style.
kdf_333's review against another edition
3.0
great book. well i was very glad Felix could write mysteries like his dad.
now i see he can write all by himself.
this was nothing like his dad's books.
1. a woman was the protagonists.
2. the woman was married with kids.
3. she had a mental illness.
4. she had lots of emotions.
BRAVO! glad you were comfy enough in your position as a writer to write a different type of character than the single 30 something stoic man that is a dick Francis mystery.
now i don't think you really captured a woman's voice but that is cool. i am sure you just need to do it more often to get it right.
i do love racing as the environment for your mysteries but if you wrote a book outside of that environment, i'd probably read it and enjoy it as well.
very good job stepping outside your comfort zone!
i look forward to you doing it again next year.
now i see he can write all by himself.
this was nothing like his dad's books.
1. a woman was the protagonists.
2. the woman was married with kids.
3. she had a mental illness.
4. she had lots of emotions.
BRAVO! glad you were comfy enough in your position as a writer to write a different type of character than the single 30 something stoic man that is a dick Francis mystery.
now i don't think you really captured a woman's voice but that is cool. i am sure you just need to do it more often to get it right.
i do love racing as the environment for your mysteries but if you wrote a book outside of that environment, i'd probably read it and enjoy it as well.
very good job stepping outside your comfort zone!
i look forward to you doing it again next year.
trixie_reads's review against another edition
1.0
I have enjoyed all of Dick Francis' books and Felix Francis' books, so I was sad that I thought this one was terrible. I forced myself to finish it, but then was sorry I did.
bookheroine's review against another edition
4.0
For the first time ever in a Dick Francis or Felix Francis book, the first person point of view is female instead of male. Problem? The voice sounds the same regardless of gender. How can we tell it is a woman? Oh, she just happens to be mentally unstable, depressed, anxious and anorexic. A set of circumstances that have never ever befallen any of the male protagonists in a Francis book. There's been short term angst of different sorts, but nothing like tackling mental illness plus an eating disorder. The irony is that this is probably one of the best of the suspenseful stories that Felix has put out since his father died and he took over the reins. It's just unfortunate that it took me a terribly long time to get over the fact that he was writing about a woman in the same voice as every male character, but also giving her a host of other more stereotypical "female" complaints. So....good story. Terrible way to introduce your first ever female heroine.
sugarbean's review against another edition
3.0
Thoroughly unlikable main character but you’re still compelled to finish the book.
dlperin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
amothersmusings1's review against another edition
4.0
"Pulse" written by Felix Francis (son of Dick Francis) is an exciting fast paced thriller written in the same tradition of the Francis franchise, set in the competitive world of horse racing.
'A smartly dressed man is found unconscious at the local racecourse and rushed to hospital, where he subsequently dies. But who is he? Where does he come from? He has no form of identification on him, and no one claims the body.
Doctor Chris Rankin, a specialist who treated the deceased - and who struggles with mental health issues - is intrigued by the dead man and starts asking questions. However, someone doesn't want the questions answered and will go to any lengths to prevent it, including an attempted murder. But when no one believes that someone tried to kill Chris, she is left with no option but to try to discover for herself who the nameless man was and why he died'
It felt like a breath of fresh air introducing a female lead protagonist into a mostly male dominant environment. Although it took me a while to adapt to the first person narrative being female and the first time I believe a female has been used by either of the Francis authors, I throughly enjoyed following Chris' determination to find answers to the nameless man against all advice from family and the police.
There were a lot of medical terminology used at the beginning of the story, though it was laid out and explained for the average reader to easily understand and its obvious a lot of research has been carried out on A & E admissions and mental health issues.
I'm very pleased to see that Felix is carrying on in his father's excellent footsteps as an author and I'll certainly be reading more by Felix again, having already read most of Dick's thrillers in the past.
4 stars
'A smartly dressed man is found unconscious at the local racecourse and rushed to hospital, where he subsequently dies. But who is he? Where does he come from? He has no form of identification on him, and no one claims the body.
Doctor Chris Rankin, a specialist who treated the deceased - and who struggles with mental health issues - is intrigued by the dead man and starts asking questions. However, someone doesn't want the questions answered and will go to any lengths to prevent it, including an attempted murder. But when no one believes that someone tried to kill Chris, she is left with no option but to try to discover for herself who the nameless man was and why he died'
It felt like a breath of fresh air introducing a female lead protagonist into a mostly male dominant environment. Although it took me a while to adapt to the first person narrative being female and the first time I believe a female has been used by either of the Francis authors, I throughly enjoyed following Chris' determination to find answers to the nameless man against all advice from family and the police.
There were a lot of medical terminology used at the beginning of the story, though it was laid out and explained for the average reader to easily understand and its obvious a lot of research has been carried out on A & E admissions and mental health issues.
I'm very pleased to see that Felix is carrying on in his father's excellent footsteps as an author and I'll certainly be reading more by Felix again, having already read most of Dick's thrillers in the past.
4 stars
harrietnbrown's review against another edition
2.0
The mystery here isn't bad, and the protagonist has a clear voice. But Mr. Francis doesn't seem to fully understand eating disorders (the protagonist has one). It upsets me to think people will read this and believe that, as the protagonist says, you have one forever. Not true. Not true at all.
pennyriley's review against another edition
3.0
Certainly not his best, which puts him leagues away from his father when writing at HIS best. Taking on the mantle of a woman to write this, especially one with mental problems and anorexia (no spoilers, you find out very soon), really didn't work too well.