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    Dick Francis's Refusal
    Dick Francis's Refusal
    Dick Francis's Refusal
    Audiobook9 hours

    Dick Francis's Refusal

    Written by Felix Francis

    Narrated by Martin Jarvis

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Six years ago, investigator Sid Halley retired for good. He' d been harassed, beaten, shot, even lost a hand to his investigating business, and enough was enough. For the sake of his wife and new daughter he gave up that life of danger and uncertainty, and he thought nothing would ever lure him back into the game. He thought wrong. Sir Richard Stewart, chairman of the racing authority, begs Sid to investigate a series of dodgy races. Sid adamantly refuses, but the following day, Sir Richard is found dead under suspicious circumstances. And then a man with an Irish accent contacts Sid, telling him to deliver a whitewashed report about the suspected race-fixing . . . or else. At first Sid ignores these warnings, knowing that once he submits to this criminal bully, he will forever be under his control. But as the intimidation tactics escalate-- and Sid' s own family comes under threat-- Sid realizes he must meet his enemy head-on . . . or he might pay the ultimate price for his refusal.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 3, 2013
    ISBN9781501993015
    Dick Francis's Refusal
    Author

    Felix Francis

    Felix Francis studied Physics and Electronics at London University and then spent seventeen years teaching Advanced-Level Physics. The younger son of crime writer and Naional Hunt jockey Dick Francis, Felix assisted his father with both the research and writing of his novels in a father-and-son writing partnership. Since Dick's death, Felix has written ten successful novels, the latest being Front Runner.

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    Reviews for Dick Francis's Refusal

    3.5/5

    111 ratings24 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I was hesitant when I heard it was a new Sid Halley book, but I liked it. Sid has lost his edge a little, but having kids will do that to you. Enjoyable addition to the series and the ending made me hope for more to come.
    • 3/5
      i was disappointed in this. i think Felix should have stuck to new characters. i mean granted all the Francis(Dick & Felix) protagonists are very similar type of men but different. this was not his best. i actually reread Crossfire, Gamble and Bloodline before reading this book so i can really say that this was a disappointment. Sid was not as cool as the other gents in the previous books. his wife seemed rather hysterical. then in the second half of the book they all of a sudden become typical Franics protagonists and are cool again. instead of being scared and hysterical. they are mad and cunning and plotting. oh and where was the mystery??? he told us way early who the bad guy was and made it very obvious who else was working with said bad guy. i don't know if he was rushed or if he was pressured to do a sid halley novel but i will give him a pass. every author writes a sucky book once in a while.
    • 1/5
      It’s difficult to like a book when the protagonist puts his own egotistical needs above the welfare and safety of his family and sugarcoats it with “once a detective….” His wife should remove her daughter from the consequences that inevitably befall a man with poor impulse control and the inability to foresee consequences.
    • 3/5
      Appeasement of terroristic bullies has ever been held contemptible by the Francis family and by their fictional heroes. This, and the related universal thirst for justice, have made their books sell in their millions over the course of decades. Felix Francis here continues the tradition and follows the well-loved formula, this time bringing out Sid Halley for another go. The very specific expectations of the readership are met, and a bonus given, in the form of a tribute to Jane Austen: two inns that figure briefly in the action are named "The Bell" and "The White Hart." This tribute operates as a reminder that literature as far apart as Austen and Francis pleases readers for similar reasons. In both, some characters behave as they should, while others neglect their duty, and, evildoers always being with us, the world becomes disarranged and out of joint until the heroic characters set things to rights once more. One thing is very bothersome, however, and that is an unsuccessful attempt at time dilation. "Odds Against" came out in 1965 and was set in the then-present. In "Refusal" we are told that the events in "Odds Against" took place 14 years previously. We conclude, justifiably, that "Refusal" is set in 1979. Yet Sid and his friends have notebook computers, cell phones, and internet, while the cops do "e-fit" of suspects' faces. What? Similarly, the beloved Rear Admiral Roland is described as "well past eighty." We conclude, again justifiably, that he was born in the late 1890s - let's say 1897. That would make him 17 years of age at the start of the Great War, which is a believable age to be a "cadet in 1914." So far, so good, but what's this about running up the Yangtze "at age 19" and being fired on by Mao's Red Army? That would not be 1916; that would be more like 1949. So please. It would have been much better to stay properly in the time frame and plan on having Sid Halley Junior take the family hero business on through the next generation in later books.
    • 4/5

      In the classic Dick Francis novel, the villain was a figure of palpable menace and evilness, but the hero took all the villain dished out and kept coming. Although Felix Francis' writing style is somewhat different from Dick Francis, he continues to put out interesting mysteries set close to the English racing scene. His villains are also getting more menacing and his books more readable. I was quite enthralled, through to the end, in this novel.

      Dick Francis’s Refusal, by Felix Francis, falls quite seamlessly into the Sid Halley book storyline. If you are familiar with Dick Francis' writing, you almost cannot tell the difference between this book and the ones written by Dick himself. I believe the Francis Franchise is alive and well in Felix’s hands. The writing is tight, the mystery first rate, the pacing fast and furious so that there was the feeling that this book probably would have been written by Dick Francis if he were still alive. While some of the tactics of McCusker are straight out of the classic Dick Francis playbook, others are wholly those of Felix Francis, but they all do work.

      Also, Refusal is a good solid horse racing mystery. Every once in a while I need to get away from all the gloom and doom of other novels, and just read about a rational hero, a good man, and an author that instills a love in me and a knowledge of something: in this case horse racing. Art, the world as it ought to be. It makes me so glad that Felix Francis is as talented a writer as his father and to know that I’ll be reading his books for many years to come, and I’m already looking forward to his next novel. His talent is directly inherited from his father, and is *almost* just as refreshing as his father's works are; like an ice cold drink on a hot summer's day. Good job Felix, 4 stars.
    • 3/5
      Not a very satisfying book. Much less a 'who done it' as rather a 'how to get who done it'. All so very neat and tidy down to the very last line -- too syrupy sweet.
    • 1/5
      Very poorly told and lacks even the redeeming quality of describing the technical and social details of a particular occupation, which is the only good feature of most of the recent books by this author.
    • 3/5
      I think his father was a slightly better writer, but these are enjoyable enough. It was nice to see Sid Halley again.
    • 4/5
      I've read almost all of Dick Francis' work, starting with For Kicks in the late '60's, and in my opinion his first dozen or so were his best. I remember that I enjoyed some of them so much - Reflex was one example, I think - that I sat up into the small hours to finish them, and then immediately began again at the beginning. As time went on, however, that enjoyment decreased. The plots drifted farther and farther away from the racing connection which had made them special, and sometimes lost the tension of the earlier works. And at last I stopped reading them - probably about the time Felix began to collaborate with his father. So I was pleased to win a copy of Refusal, and interested to see how Felix's work compared with the early Francis canon.To put it bluntly: not as good. It wasn't a bad read, but neither was it particularly gripping except in a few spots. I did finish it in an evening, but mostly to get it over with. I don't remember ever in an early Dick Francis novel checking to see how many pages were left, but I did this several times with Refusal. And at one point I looked ahead at the ending, which I never do. The writing was mostly good, and the characters mostly interesting (although Sid's wife began to get on my nerves after a while), and there were some novel elements in the plot (although as another reviewer has pointed out, there seem to be some anachronisms as well), but on the whole it just didn't gel for me. Too many plot threads, too much foreshadowing, too much *meandering*, too many loose ends - and a clear set-up for a sequel. If that sequel shows up in Early Reviewers, I'll certainly request it - but I won't be rushing out to buy it. Enough said.Still, it wasn't a bad way to spend a free evening.
    • 4/5
      Felix Francis assisted his father on the last of his racing mysteries, in much the same way that Dick Francis' wife had assisted him before her death. Felix has gone on to continue the stories now that his father is gone, and in Refusal he proves that he has definitely inherited the writing genes from his father. Refusal marks the return of Sid Halley, one of Dick Francis' most popular characters, a former jockey who lost a hand and after a stint as a private investigator, has retired to become a private investor. However, when the head of the British Horse-racing Authority comes to him with suspicions that the results of races are being manipulated, and then turns up dead the next day, Halley knows he can't sit on the sidelines. Unlike many other Francis stories, in this one the villain is known early on, and when he starts threatening Halley, Sid's course is clear. As with the rest of Francis' heroes, nothing, including physical violence, will deter him from his course until things are set right. Felix Francis leaves the door wide open for another return by Sid Halley, but at a book a year, it will take at least until Fall 2014 to see if the promise is fulfilled. A fast read; highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I've always enjoyed the racing novels by Dick Francis, and now we have his son Felix carrying on the name. For me this novel hits the spot.Perhaps it is that tomorrow is Melbourne Cup Day here in Australia, said to be "the race that stops the nation". Anyway a well written novel about race fixing combined with murder mystery will always get me in. And Sid Halley's return is seamless. I am very willing to believe he is the same Sid Halley that Dick Francis wrote about all those years ago. Sid Halley was the jockey/sleuth who featured in Dick Francis' first novel in 1965: ODDS AGAINST.The author Dick Francis died in 2010 and before then his son Felix appeared on the dust covers of a number of novels as co-author. The titles on a number make you think that the original idea was the father's while the actual writing is the son's. I'm usually a bit scathing about what I call coat-tail connections, newer authors who are trying to build their writing careers through connection with a famous person, but in this case it doesn't worry me at all. The writing is good enough. REFUSAL is the 7th novel to bear Felix's name. (I have already read two: DEAD HEAT and SILKS)REFUSAL is a bit longer than Dick's novels used to be, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is really a cozy on horseback although there is a little bit of violence as Sid Halley gets beaten up. There are other themes that I'm sure will connect to future novels featuring Sid.
    • 4/5
      I forgot how much I enjoyed the character of Sid Halley - it makes me want to go back and re-read the other novels that feature him. This novel gets to the heart of how you deal with bullies - and how much one is willing to sacrifice for peace. Sid is in between a rock and a hard place with no easy choices but I couldn't help thinking that some people ( meaning the bad guy, in this case) are too stupid for their own good. Putting the screws to a person like Sid is just asking for trouble!
    • 4/5
      I have not read many Dick Francis [or Felix Francis] books but did enjoy this one. Enjoyed the characters, mainly Sid and his sidekick Chico. I did find the little girl a bit 'cute' but Sid's concern for her and his wife was real and warranted. Enjoyable. Moved pretty fast and although I'm not too knowledgeable about racing, it was clear enough.
    • 4/5
      Sid Halley's back! Only this is not the fit and trim, fighting (or riding) weight Sid; this is Sid after several years of marriage, fatherhood, and not detecting. Despite his absence from racing, however, a certain thug still considers Sid a threat to plans to control the outcome of races and they begin a battle of wills. The thug makes the mistake of threatening Sid's wife and daughter, which ensures that Sid will not back away from the struggle. In the midst of all this, Sid is also trying to decide whether or not he wants to undergo an arm-and-wrist transplant to replace his prosthesis.I enjoyed Sid's return, as well as the return of Chico Barnes. Overall it was a good read, although I've read every Francis book in existence so some of the situations that developed were not too surprising--although sometimes the way they were resolved was a surprise.Although there are other Sid Halley books, this one can be read as a stand-alone if it's the first time a reader has made his acquaintance.
    • 4/5
      Over the course of several decades I have read and enjoyed every mystery written by Dick Francis, every book he and his son, Felix, co-authored, and the several novels written by Felix Francis since his father's passing. The book did not disappoint this reader!I welcome the return of the likeable Sid Halley, who had moved on from his two previous dangerous jobs as jockey and investigator. Balking like a horse at a fence, Sid tries to refuse the admonitions of the chairman of the British Horseracing Authority to come out of retirement. However, as Sid says, he “could hardly do nothing" about the questions of corruption presented to him and thus ends up in a race to solve the case before more trouble ensues. One quibble about the book is the portrayal of Marina, Sid’s wife, whose dialog is often described as shouted and screamed making her seem quite shrewish and angry. Not quite what one would hope as a mate for the steady Sid. The plot-driven narrative follows the familiar formula of the previous novels and pulls the reader quickly into the increasingly fast-paced story. This is altogether a nice outing for Felix Francis and I will look forward to more!
    • 4/5
      Sid Halley retired from being a private investigator and is now living near his ex-father-in-law with his wife and six-year-old daughter. He is working as an investor and telling himself that his life if satisfying. When someone high in command of British horse racing asks Sid to investigate what looks like race fixing, Sid refuses. When that person is found dead of an apparent suicide the next day, Sid is interested but still unwilling to be involved.It takes a threatening phone call that demands Sid sign off on a report indicating that nothing is going one and the kidnapping of his young daughter before Sid gets involved. Luckily, Saskia is home almost before Sid knew she was missing but the threat is very clear. Sid isn't the type to let threats keep him from doing what he knows is right but threats to the safety of his wife and child do give him pause.When Sid starts to investigate, the villain throws more trouble Sid's way. This time Sid is accused of abusing his child and taking pornographic pictures which were found in his garden shed. While that does cause a lot of trouble including the loss of his computer and cell phone and the necessity of moving to the Admiral's house, Sid perseveres. He feels that the only way his family will ever be safe is for him to get rid of the villain who is causing all the trouble. Many of Sid's old colleagues are no longer available to assist him but Chico Barnes still is. Chico is a great character and very helpful to Sid. Together the two of them investigate and come up with a plan to end the threat to Sid's life and family.Also in this story, Sid learns of hand and arm transplants and sees an opportunity to finally get rid of the prosthesis that has been a part of his life for fourteen years. He has always hated it and is willing to take the risk of the surgery for the possibility of having a flesh and blood left arm.The story was exciting, the villain looked to be invincible, and Sid Halley was as courageous and stubborn as always in this book. I recommend it to fans of mysteries and especially to those who have read the other books about Sid Halley by Dick Francis.
    • 4/5
      I was a HUGE Dick Francis fan. Not sure Felix is quite as good but this book is a real winner. Love that he brought back Sid. I enjoyed the book very much and love that the Dick Francis world continues. The books have been part of my life for nearly 30 years so happy that I can continue to enjoy more. Good job!
    • 4/5
      It's been a few years since I read a Dick/Felix Francis book this enjoyable... it seems as though the series is hitting its stride once again. I've always enjoyed the character of Sid Halley and this is an excellent return for the character. This was a pageturner of the old-school variety and it was refreshing to read.
    • 5/5
      Hurray for the return of a favorite Dick Francis character, Sid Halley, refreshing. The story, however, begins a little sappy, but soon becomes a well written mystery in the true Francis style. As a long time collector of Dick Francis novels, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Felix Francis' plot revealing yet another way crime involving horse racing can be executed was educating. I have no problem recommending the book and look forward to many more by Felix Francis.
    • 4/5
      Another Francis novel about horse racing, this time with returning character Sid Halley, ex-jockey and private investigator. Sid is forced to take out the bad guy fixing races after Sid’s family is threatened if he does not cooperate. This is an excellent, fast-paced novel. What I like about Francis’s writing is the way he keeps the action moving and avoids lengthy descriptions of scenery and characters. His lack of character development is more than made up for with his ability to maintain suspense.
    • 5/5
      I do not love horses. I do not love horse racing. I am not a special fan of British writers. However, I have long enjoyed Dick Francis' writing as quick escapism -- a chance to venture away for a while into a world far different than mine.Felix Francis (Dick's son) picks a character first developed by his father and reintroduces Sid Halley to us in a modern story involving the detective and his sidekick Chico.I do not read escapism literature searching for accuracy (or, conversely, for anachronisms.) I read for pleasure. So any "mistakes" in coordinating the timing of this most recent story of Sid with previous stories doesn't bother me. It's still a good read: fast-paced (yes, even horse racing stories could be slowly-paced; this one isn't), easy-to-read, hard to set down. Just as I've found Dick Frances' books to be, though I could not allow the time to read this one through in a single sitting, I wanted to -- and was drawn back every moment I had. I stopped reading other books that I'd started just to get this one finished. If you are going to try to find fault with Refusal, you will find it. You can do that in any book, if looked at critically and in detail. If that is how you read fiction, I feel sorry for you. Sure, i've read books that have blatant mistakes that glare at me; those I dislike, There is nothing of that in this book; you'd have to look very closely and compare in a very picky manner to find those things in this book.Read this book as a quick fun escape, and you should find it to be thoroughly enjoyable. I will certainly keep this advance copy (with only a few typos that I saw bothersome enough to note -- hopefully fixed before the final version is released) with my other Francis books, and will enjoy re-reading it in the future.
    • 2/5
      One too many times to the well. This wasn't vintage Sid Halley, nor even vintage Dick Francis. Well, to be fair, it isn't Dick Francis at all despite his name being the second most prominent thing on the cover after the title. It's Felix Francis again...and not really Felix at his best.If you're a Dick Francis fan, then Sid was probably a character you enjoyed — maybe not your absolute favorite — but up there. His particular brand of "torture me to back off and I'll just come at you harder" fairly leapt from the page in Odds Against and Whip Hand, and didn't do too shabbily in the two sequels after those. However, in the hands of Francis fils he just comes across as formulaic. The sentiment I put in quotes just now is plastered all over a cardboard character in the hope that it will make it three dimensional. It doesn't.The plot is far-fetched (somebody would have whacked the bad guy long before). The dialog is stiff. My eye was leaping through paragraphs in the last 15% just to get to the end.Yet another Early Reviewer offering where I say, "Give it a pass!"
    • 5/5
      Early reviewer book. Sid Halley is back in this one. He's been away from racing for 6 years after retiring to stay home with his wife and little girl. But racing won't leave him alone. He gets a phone call from the chairman of British Racing asking him to take on a new case. He's convinced something big is going on, something that could destroy racing if it gets out. Sid refuses. The guy insists, so Sid agrees to read his notes, make recommendations, and that's it. He reads the notes, but isn't impressed, and is ready to call it quits, when the chairman is found dead. And then Sid gets a threatening call at home. Guess Sid isn't ready to retire after all.I love Dick Francis. I don't really know why - I've never been to a horse race, I don't ride, I don't gamble, and I'm not British. But he has a way of pulling me into his stories and making me pay attention. His writing makes me feel like I'm there. And his son has the same knack. I know some readers have complained about the writing getting stale or the stories getting old, but I still really like them. Thanks for the chance to read this one.I received a copy free in exchange for review.
    • 4/5
      Sid Halley has retired from being a detective - or so he thinks. When asked to help find out if certain races are being fixed and by whom, he refuses until the perpetrator himself drags him - and his family - deep into the intrigue. And once dragged in, Sid has to fight hard to get out.Wonderful, easy, fast read that's hard to put down. There will be Francis books to last many more years.