In this thriller of a typically high standard, Francis also investigates the world of photography and the reader will learn more about it than they thought possible from reading a piece of fiction. Francis appears to enjoy investigating industries and skills that are different to his own and learning about them so much that he can write a brilliantly exciting novel about them. This is in the usual format from Francis in that our hero is again a steeplechase jockey. Almost accidentally, our hero finds himslef trying to protect several innocent and unwitting people from a photographer who has blackmail-type photographs of them doing something that they ...  Read the complete review

This novel has a fast-moving, interesting plot which successfully combines a number of themes. The protaganist is a jockey facing the end of his career, with the possibility of a new one in photography just starting to open before him. Drawn into investigating the burglary of a recently deceased racing photographer (and fellow jockey's father), he deals with not only photographic puzzles but also moral dilemmas, as well as revisiting his childhood and being forced to re-evaluate his family history. This may sound a bit heavy, but in fact the novel is a well-paced, enjoyable read. The puzzles are satisfying, while the protaganist's non-traditional ...  Read the complete review