"Shattered" by Dick Francis is the fate of glass horse award exploding at climax of plot, told first-person, by glass-blower Gerard Logan. He loans his videotaped instructions for a priceless antique necklace copy to pal jockey Martin Stukely, who falls fatally, before dressing-room valet Eddie returns tape. Usual plot: thugs beat hero for mystery. Two sets of villains merge, keep beating, stealing tapes, confuses into three tapes and plot threads that go nowhere. I remembered clues and felt uninvolved.Author's obsession with cancer evident. White-bearded disbarred Dr Adam Force (orange socks p138 also in "Field of Thirteen" 1 Raid at Kingdom Hill ) videotaped stolen unique cancer-cure research results, filched tape and Logan store holiday cash take, holds deadly insulin needle ready to kill. Instead of reporting to handy new cop girlfriend leather-clad motorcyclist Catherine, useless love interest, Logan baits trap, repeatedly putting his face in front of fists, slowed by dithering motionless assistant Pamela Jane. Minor roles, details, are vivid, fun, but pointless side plays: cute helpful Daniel Stukely 11 bribed with gold coins, his mom - gabby marriage-minded Bon-Bon, her mom - caftan floating rich Marigold, her bald tough chauffeur 24/7 bodyguard Worthington, and Catherine's Alice in Wonderland home decor. I'd like to see (some of) this cast in stronger plot(s), Francis' power of description (humor here small, in some characters) keeps me reading his work. (Spoiler: Force has tape his girlfriend Rose kills and hot glass tortures for, so why does she persist? Relationships, Eddie Rose's father, teen Victor caught in the middle Rose's nephew, complicate annoyingly, as well as minor characters, serve no purpose in resolution here, remind me of other books preparing for sequels. I guessed/ remembered which assistant of three is sneaker-clad traitor behind black stocking mask, guilty trainer Priam diverts raincoat, pointless good Pernickety Paul cop death, not much suspense.)
I started reading Dick Francis when I was 14 years old and looking for a mystery in the library. The cover of the first one I read looked intriguing, the title, Nerve seemed interesting, and the synopsis about a jockey who has lost his nerve made me add it to my pile of books. After that I was hooked, reading his novels until I caught up on his entire back-list and then had to wait a year for the new one. I traveled to see him and his lovely wife every year to get books signed and, as he aged, I started stockpiling his books. I didn't want to read them until I had a few saved up. I had three left when he passed away :( (not including the ones co-written with his son, Felix - I tried to read that one...).Last week I decide to treat myself to one of the three I've saved. Well, I'm older and have written a few cough...fourteen....cough novels and teach writing at an MFA program cough...Seton Hill University...cough. The story and characters were great it's just the magic...well, it's gone for me. And I don't know if it's because his later books were written without his lovely wife helping (although the research about glassblowing was spot on) or because he was in his 80s or if it's because I'm older and more experienced. I recently listened to Odds Against and loved it so I guess I need to re-read one of this older titles and see - although I'm kinda reluctant to mess with my memories.This has turned into a rather long-winded review! As for the story - it's a bit dated mystery with a number of parties searching for a VHS tape - there needs to be more emotions and the ending was rushed. I guessed a number of things, but it's hard to surprise me. It's a quick read and overall enjoyable.
What do You think about Shattered (2005)?
The page numbers posted for the editions are questionable. My hardcover edition is 289 pages.Page 52along with other mundane greasings of the expensive wheels of death.Page 53I slouched in Martin's chair, deep in regret. One had so few close friends in life. None to spare. His personality filled the room to the extend that it seem that if I turned I would see him standing by his bookcase.Page 82Nowhere in print or chat had his condition been disclosed, but if he were afraid I would not only broadcast but snigger, he had made a judgement of my own character which hardly flattered.Page 104She said that being used to something wrong didn't make it right. The starchy disapproval common to her profession had surfaced briefly. Never forget, I told myself, that the inner crime fighter is always there, always on duty, and always part of her.
—Gypsy Lady
Normally I love mysteries. However, this one was sort of flat. It could be that I'm going through a phase, the editors of Reader's Digest did a poor job of shortening it, or that it really wasn't that good for me. In this story, a glassblower is given a mysterious package post-mortem of his dead friend. Following this, his place is robbed and the package stolen. Although this glassblower doesn't know what was on the tape, who stole it, etc., he's finding he gets tailed and beaten for information regarding the tape. Thus, the fearless glassblower goes about trying to find answers. All in all, it doesn't sound like it would have been a bad thing. I couldn't get into the characters, thus it wasn't that great of a story to me. I partially think this is due to the shortening of the book to fit into a RD condensed version. The rest is probably just a minor phase, and I should give mystery books (and condensed books) a break for a while.
—Grace
I've been a fan of Dick Francis books for at least thirty years, maybe more. Those by his son Felix continue the tradition. One thing I always admired about the senior Francis's books, is that I always learned something. Each has it's little teaching moment. In SHATTERED the subject is glass blowing. Odd in a book connected to horse racing? Maybe so, but it certainly works in the plot. I'd read this book when it first came out, of course, but a copy was recently placed in my hands and I couldn't resist delving into the story again. It takes place as the millennium turns to 2000. How long ago that seems now. The technology mentioned in the book is like ancient history. Even so, I enjoyed the story as much this time around as I did the first. I think.
—Carol Crigger
