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    10 Lb. Penalty
    10 Lb. Penalty
    10 Lb. Penalty
    Audiobook7 hours

    10 Lb. Penalty

    Written by Dick Francis

    Narrated by Simon Prebble

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis has been hailed as “a master of understated suspense” (The San Diego Union-Tribune). With this blockbuster novel, he lives up to his dazzling reputation, delivering the compelling story of a father and son who must work together to defeat a deadly adversary …

    Even though Ben Juliard had always dreamt of becoming a jockey, he couldn’t say no when his father—a prominent politician—pulled some strings and got him a job in his campaign for Parliament. Now Ben needs to do more than smile for the cameras. With each step up on the ladder of power come new dangers
    to the aspiring candidate. And as the mysterious attacks grow ever more lethal, Ben discovers that politics can be the most perilous horse race of all …

    “[A] smooth, nimbly paced charmer.”—Publishers Weekly
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 6, 2010
    ISBN9781449832568
    10 Lb. Penalty

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    Reviews for 10 Lb. Penalty

    4/5

    24 ratings11 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I have always enjoyed Dick Francis and continue to enjoy him. 10 LB is more about he developing relationship between father and son htan it is a mystery. There is a mystery in the background, but it is now surprise as to who was involved or why. The upfront story is about a boy who joins his father in a political campaign and the ongoing development of the relationship between them. This is not Francis at his beast as far a mysteries go, but it still a worthwhile read.
    • 3/5
      Substance: A 17-year-old jerked out of his "gap year" to help his widowed father win a parliamentary by-election protects his father from a deranged killer with disappointed political ambitions. No one actually solves the mystery, despite ample clues; the killer is ultimately discovered in action. The teen is unbelievably compliant and pleasant; although Francis goes to great pains to explain why, I remain unconvinced any male-child who thrives on the adrenaline rush of steeple-chasing could be so blah. The father is too good to be true also (literally), even though most of Francis' protagonists and allies are generally virtuous.Style: This book reads more like something written by a moderately-talented writer asked to produce a post-humous "tribute novel". Readable, carefully plotted, and without the customary sizzle of the author's earlier works.
    • 5/5
      Dick Francis' 36th novel combines horse racing with politics. At eighteen, easy-going young Benedict Juliard has no stronger ambition than to ride as an amateur jockey. His father, George, driven by powerful urges towards a life of public service and politics, asks his only son to enter into a pact that neither of them will commit any act that could destroy the father's growing reputation and career. Ben agrees lightheartedly, but ten years later finds himself targeted in a vicious attack mounted by his father's increasingly violent political enemies. Through the son, the father is to be discredited and destroyed exactly as George feared. As George makes his ambitious drive towards the Prime Ministership and occupancy of No. 10 Downing Street, Ben is plunged into a frightening morass of lies and treachery. In practice, a 10-1b penalty is the maximum extra weight a winning thoroughbred is normally set to carry in a horse race. A 10-1b penalty can be a killer.
    • 5/5
      Dick Francis at the top of his game. Stepping out of the racing world and into the thick of political campaigning, Francis pits his teenage hero against a mystery assassin who will stop at nothing to get his candidate elected.
    • 3/5
      Dick Francis mysteries have a quality to them that’s difficult to explain. There’s nothing jarring about them, even when something surprising happens. They’re generally all business, with no pesky romantic subplots to detract from what’s going on. And they always have something to do with horse racing, even tangentially.In this case, the tie to horse racing is Ben, who would like nothing more than to be a professional jockey. Unfortunately, he’s just a little too large for the professional world, and lacks the support to truly thrive in the amateur one. Instead, he is “convinced” to go to work for his father, a man he’s never really connected with in his childhood.When I picked up this book, I expected the campaign to span the length of it. But the election happens about halfway through, and then we sort of meander through the next few years of Ben’s life. At that point, the story felt a bit aimless to me. We do get a resolution at the end that ties everything back in, but the urgency was gone. Thankfully, Francis gives us characters that we like to read about, so I didn’t mind the meandering so much.This probably isn’t the strongest Dick Francis novel, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
    • 3/5
      A bit taimer than usual, but still fun
    • 4/5
      This mystery was a little different from most of the traditional mysteries that Francis writes. We do find out who the "bad guy" is early on, but the resolution takes several years. I liked it because the main character wasn't a brilliant jockey, but loved the sport anyway. I also liked how the father-son relationship developed. I think I'd classify this more as fiction with a mystery element and incidental ties to racing. It isn't what I would suggest as a "classic" Dick Francis mystery, but ultimately it was satisfying. I did find one passage I really liked. "Never, ever make a joke to the police, they have no sense of humor. Never make a political joke, it will always be considered an insult. Always remember that umbrage can be taken at the lift of an eyebrow. Remember that if offense can possibly be given, it will be."Fans of Dick Francis will like this book. I'd suggest it also for people who don't mind a meandering mystery.
    • 5/5
      The book is interesting and left me excited about what happened next.
    • 4/5
      The young Benedict Juliard loses his chance as a steeplechase jockey because of damaging allegations, and goes to work for his father in a political campaign. Threats to his father's life turn Juliard into a bodyguard and private investigator. One of Francis' most likeable heroes, interesting background, one of my favourites.
    • 3/5
      This is the first novel by Francis I've read, and it's a good beach book. The writing was good and easy to read, the main character was interesting and the story was clean, flowed logically and had an occasional touch of humor. Like many popular serial authors, Francis has a large and enthusiastic following which is evident from his work here. On the other hand, I didn't find anything extraordinary to rave about, just a good book that held the reader's attention.
    • 3/5
      We meet the book's protagonist as a young man in his late teens. This character is in some ways fairly believable. He has had a rather enviable life due to his father's affluence and general good luck. His father, with absolute confidence, decides to alter the course of his life, and eventually it all works out pretty well. Politicking plays an important role in the book, but actual issues and positions are carefully avoided, and the protagonist's father's political affiliation is carefully elided. Unfortunately this makes for a fairly fatuous treatment of some of the political maneuvers.