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Dead Heat (Thorndike Press Large Print Core) Paperback – Large Print, January 1, 2008

by Dick Francis (Author), Francis Felix (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,223 ratings
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Death comes to the races in the brilliant new novel from the grand master of crime fiction, Dick Francis.
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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Dick Francis
  2. Print length
    511 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Large Print Pr
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 2008
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1594132739
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1594132735
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Large Print Pr (January 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 511 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594132739
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594132735
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,223 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Dick Francis

    Dick Francis

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    Dick Francis was the author of more than forty acclaimed books. Among his numerous awards were three Edgar Awards, the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger, and the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. He died in February 2010.

    Felix Francis has assisted with the research of many of the Dick Francis novels and is the coauthor of Dead Heat, Silks, and Even Money. He lives in England.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Felix Francis

    Felix Francis

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,223 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Prof
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2022
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One of Felix’s best. Fans of Gordon Ramsay will immediately recognize the main character and there are several references to Gordon himself. Max Moreton is a chef whose restaurant is in Newbury and he also sometimes caters meals at the nearby racecourse. When mayhem and tragedy strike the racecourse he has to become a detective as well. Action and a twisty plot, with a touch of romance, make this story impossible to put down.
2 people found this helpful
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Kit H.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but . . .
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2022
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Good, well-written and plotted, interesting storyline, but doesn't have his father's touch in making his protagonist likeable.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Polo Horses andMurder
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
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There are a large number of suspects in this puzzling story. The plot thickens and the question of which are the bad guys and who is not. Greatmystery
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Patto
5.0 out of 5 stars Murdered by friends
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2010
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"Lots of people are murdered by their friends," Max Moreton remarks jokingly. As it turns out, the joke almost comes true in his case.

Max is a minor celebrity chef offering haute cuisine in a restaurant on the outskirts of Newmarket. His career, however, is seriously threatened when hundreds of guests fall ill after a dinner he caters at the Newmarket races. He can't figure out what went wrong.

This is just the beginning of Max's troubles. When, the very next day, he caters a lunch in the VIP boxes at Newmarket, he's nearly blown up in an explosion.

As is the habit of Dick Francis heroes, Max starts digging into matters that are deeper and darker than he realizes. Before he can begin to guess why, someone is trying to kill him.

I really liked this book. Of course I couldn't help analyzing the difference between classic Dick Francis mysteries and this one, written in collaboration with his son Felix. There's no fat in a Dick Francis plot. Whereas Felix, who is physical plumper than his dad was, gives us a plumper story line. He's more emotive - and a lot less interested in horses!

Dead Heat has an ingenious plot. The characters are believably quirky (my favorite being the laughing lawyer). Max's romance with a viola player from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is charmingly presented. And I thoroughly enjoyed the ambience of the world of haute cuisine.
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Madinnh
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Condition
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2020
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I love Dick Francis novels and was so pleased to see his son Felix is writing horesracing/steeplechasing novels like his father! Paperbacks can be expensive and a lot of used book stores are going out of business, so it was great to be able to purchase a used novel on line with Amazon. The seller's comments were very important to be able to purchase a near perfect used issue. It was true! The seller notated except for the crease in the binding where you would expect it this book was pristine. I will continue to purchase my books this way. Thank you.
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Miz Ellen
4.0 out of 5 stars Dick Francis Cooks Up Another Fine Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2008
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Dead Heat is about Max Moreton, proprietor of a Newmarket restaurant and a rising regional chef - until a catered dinner poisons most of the guests and leaves Max retching in agony, wondering what has gone wrong.

Several aspects mark this fine mystery as vintage Dick Francis:
1) the connection to British horse racing
2) since the hero is not a jockey, the occupation of the protagonist has been carefully researched
3) the hero/protagonist triumphs over adversity by determination and persistence
4) like a well-handled racehorse, the plot breaks out of the starting gate, maintains consistent racing speed and surges to a strong finish for another winning performance.

However, the character of Max Moreton is not the usual stoic tough guy of previous novels. After the first shock, I enjoyed the sensitive portrait of a man who likes to create fine food who, despite the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, takes arms against his sea of troubles. Additionally, Francis surprised me with the character of Caroline Aston. Normally the female characters in Francis's novels are either cardboard characters or lamer than a three-legged mule. Caroline begins by suing Max for poisoning her and winds up being wooed by him. She's a professional musician, a classical viola player and her devotion to her music is vividly expressed. Max and Caroline represent a new turn in the writing career of an acclaimed mystery stylist. I'm not talking about overcooked meat when I exclaim: Well done!
4 people found this helpful
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Charles J. Marr
5.0 out of 5 stars No toad in a hole here
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2007
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These father son deals are often disappointments, what a pleasure to find one that is not. The mix of the restaurant and the track seems such a natural situationwith much the same sorts of socializing and treachery in both venues that I am somewhat taken that Francis has not touched it before. Throw in a little Russian mafia, polo playing Americans (from Chicaho not Palm Beach-indeed) and horsie birth control and drugs and we have the international scene expansion of Francis' world that he has pulled off a number of times before. I have been reading Dick Francis so long that I can almost predict the page where events will happen in his plot formula, yet I am still rather taken by the way he weaves in the new with the old elements. This novel is no exception. From the start we are made aware that some deliberate manipulation of something in a meal was designed for a covering excuse to keep someone away from a racetrack bombing. The question is not just "who dunnit?" but also how, to whom, and why. Given the latest praises of British knife jockeys one might expect bangers and mash, toad in a hole or plowman's lunch traditionalists to be waging a counter-revolution,. Alas no such humor, but a great tale and don't count out the beans. Spend some bucks on this one and have fun.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Patricia Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars GRIPPING,
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2023
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Like all Francis novels you are taken into a new world and become part of it. It took just over 24 hours to read it and I shall enjoy it again next time. At 91 my list is nearly complete but I read them again and again.
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Subrata Dasgupta
5.0 out of 5 stars Super
Reviewed in India on September 30, 2018
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Good reading!
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ゴメゴメス
4.0 out of 5 stars シェフ食中毒の汚名を晴らす！
Reviewed in Japan on December 9, 2009
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Hay NetのシェフMax Moretonが提供した夕食で原因不明の食中毒が
発生し、多数の被害者が出る。そして翌日は競馬場のBOX席での
爆破事故。自分の料理に自信を持つMaxは原因究明に乗り出す。
ブレーキ事故、放火と次々に彼を襲うのは何者か。
食中毒と爆破の関係は？Hay Netの危機は救えるのか。
食中毒の被害で告訴してくるCarolineとの関係が思わぬ方向に発展。
DFと息子Felixの共著で、従来のDFの筆致ではないところが随所にみられる。
説明が丁寧でわかりやすくなっているが、DFの描くストイックな主人公の
カラーが薄れている。Epilogueが丁寧過ぎて従来の余韻と想像をかきたたせる
終わりではない。DFカラーを期待するものには少し期待はずれの所があるが
ストーリーは十分楽しめる。最終章のアクション場面はDFらしい緊張に満ちた
描写である。
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Peter
4.0 out of 5 stars War gut, durchaus
Reviewed in Germany on September 13, 2019
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Es ist jetzt sicher nicht das beste Buch, aber es ist gute Unterhaltung, und wer nicht mehr will, der wird zufrieden sein. Die Charaktere bleiben ein bisschen schablonenhaft, aber auch ok.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
I'm used to lots of research going into the subject of any of Mr Francis' books, and always find it informative. This was no exception, and as someone who has previously worked in catering and being a pianist, it was nice to naturally understand what was being written about - from his other books I have learnt a little about film acting, diamonds and piloting, amongst other subjects

The book was enjoyable, and like most of his others, I read this one in about 3 days. The hero wasn't as alluring as some of his heroes, but still likeable. The story kept going at a good pace. The plot was easy to keep track of, and the actions of all characters were understandable.

Thanks for a great read, looking forward to reading the next release (coming soon, I hope!).
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