Another steeplechase-thriller from a British writer (Unbridled, 1990) who seems intent on getting on Dick Francis's tail—and succeeds perhaps better than he might wish. The strong opening situation is characteristic of Francis's early books. Arriving at the meeting for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, up-and- coming Nick Storr, who rides for the great Waylands stables, is dumbfounded to hear that his long-standing mount, Ibn Saud, has been turned over to tricky veteran jockey Len Egan—who promptly goes on to lose the race. Convinced that Egan's gone in with orders to lose, Nick furiously confronts Ibn Saud's trainer, who also happens to be Nick's father, Peregrine Storr, and hears himself curtly told off (in front of a large audience that includes his hateful stepmother, Deirdre) and sacked from Waylands. An interlude riding for dogged northerner Maria Thornton is spiced by hints that Perry Storr pulled Nick off Ibn Saud to pay off a debt to his old crony Chris Wildman, Nick's godfather (natch). So far, so good. But when Nick decides that the fix leads back to a gigantic fraud surrounding his father's inheritance of Waylands, the story takes a turn for the later, more overblown Francis, and the ensuing cascade of revelations and chases (a forged will, a kidnapped heir, an undetected manslaughter, a laughably extensive blackmail ring, Nick as a vigilante Santa Claus dispensing summary relief to the far-flung blackmail victims while running to keep ahead of the heavies' minions, and yes, finally, a murdered horse) is more exciting than convincing. Unlike Francis's family melodramas, which gave his early stories backbone, Daniel's seems to give his tale more freight and intensity than it can bear. He could stand to take off a few pounds before the next weigh-in.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 1993
ISBN: 0-316-17265-0
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1992
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
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