Fun at the Races

Quick, unpretentious and entertaining read from horseman-turned-author Dick Francis, in his second collaboration with his son, former physics teacher Felix. Restaurateur Max Moreton,finds himself in the middle of some nasty business -- first several guests at an event he caters spend some awful hours following a mysterious food poisoning. Then a bomb -- also at an event he caters -- kills several people and puts his business and eventually his life in jeopardy. Are they connected? Will the British health inspection office shut Max down for good?

Francis isn't in the business of offering surprise twists -- in fact, the greatest mystery may be why it took him 45 years to title one of his thrillers "Dead Heat," an obvious choice for a man who writes against a horse racing backdrop. But you'll probably have fun (and gain a recipe or two) watching Max be generally clueless but still stumble his way to a solution. And along the way he offers a novel method of settling a lawsuit without a trial, too.