Reflex

As a young man, living in the country, I grew up near stables and in the country that Dick Francis novels are set. Horse racing, with graft, corruption, and criminality have never appealed to me but during a period of sickness, while convalescing, Reflex was presented in 15 minute segments as a book reading on a local radio station. Much as I loathed the so-called sport, I was hooked by this book and I think I've read just about every Dick Francis novel. This one appealed to me because of the little mysteries and the crooks involved at every level. The novels also provide insight into the problematic life of a professional jockey (although Dick Francis's characters are usually amateurs) and the temptations of the fast life, the glitz and the glamour, juxtaposed by being ordered to cheat and the problems of having a conscience. Reflex will always stand out in my mind as one of the first books that drew me to the audible form and through it an understanding of some of the problems faced by those engaged in the industry. Dick Francis was not the most successful English jockey but his literary jockeys are believable human beings with strengths, weaknesses and every other human problem and for that reason, the books have been remarkably successful.

Initially I found the narrator's voice jarring as it seemd too old for the main character's age but as I got involved in the story either he adjusted it or my mind compensated for this and the theater of the mind took over.All the other characters were well interpreted.Well read and interpreted by the narrator and a good, entertaining listen if you like this genre.The author knows his subjects well and the pace and mystery never lets up until the end.