There are so very many great books out there, so many influential, life changing, intellectually challenging books that exist, that I am loathe to give a Dick and Felix Francis horse racing murder mystery five stars, but I gotta confess, Even Money is a damn good yarn. Even Money tells you just enough about bookmaking and the betting industry that follows horses, but doesn't overwhelm you with needless details. I still don't know what it means to bet a "monkey" either way on a horse, but I still loved learning about the world that main character Ned Talbot inhabits. Not only is he an oddsmaker, he also takes care of his mentally ill wife Sophie who has been placed in some kind of sanitarium. The plot is definitely layered, without being overly complicated. I think author Dick Francis's great trick is that he makes you care deeply about a guy in a profession that few people feel much pity for.Just shortly after Ned meets a man who introduces himself as his long-lost father, the man is brutally stabbed to death, right in front of Ned. He had thought he had been orphaned as an infant, as he was told both his parents died in a car crash. The truth turns out to be a whole lot more complicated than that.My advice: hang on for the ride. It's a ripping good tale, told in the manner few stories are written nowadays. I can't say this book will change the world, but it certainly provides for a great late night winter read. This is the third novel Felix helped his father write but it reads more like a vintage Dick Francis novel up to the end. The epilog goes on much too long to be effective. While it does tie up the loose ends of the main plot, it jumps back and forth instead of being linear and diverts unnecessarily into a bit of history about Australia and some sightseeing before tying up the major secondary plot much too fast (in less than a page).Too much information about how odds on horses running in a race are determined slows down the flow of the novel and adds to its length without enriching it, especially when dropped into the middle of a dialog exchange.Still, this is a Dick Francis novel and that makes it a good read.
What do You think about Even Money (2009)?
Not my favorite Dick Francis, but entertaining while I was at girls camp.
—frizzy
Listened on audio, kept my attention, interesting racing stuff.
—Tiggermet
Not the greatest Dick Francis book but still a good read
—dgnztrk
The usual for Dick Francis. I liked it.
—caesarbaby
