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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.
silkchaser's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ajlenertz's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. The main character was completely unrelateable and unlikeable.
judya's review
3.0
For me, Pulse fell a little flat. The plot wasn't as delightfully convoluted as Dick Francis's novels were. However, it seemed to me as if the book actually glorified anorexia nervosa. One would expect jockeys to have a disordered relationship with food, but physicians--no. In a book that would otherwise be an excellent choice for YA readers, it's disturbing.
estanhope's review
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think whats so cool about this book is the way it weaves such a complex and evolving picture of the characters mental health and her recovery journey. The mystery is good sure- but the star of the show is the main characters mental state
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