The Chase by Felix Francis

THE CHASE by Felix Francis continues in the tradition of the excellent horse racing mysteries by Dick Francis. In this case, his son, Felix, shares a tale about almost fifty-year-old Fabian Tulley who runs an art gallery. The paintings and sculptures he buys and sells are generally related to the racing world and horses; plus, Tulley’s father is a trainer with horses in major races, so he is definitely involved in that world. Easing into retirement does not look likely for Tulley when an unpleasant client very publicly accuses him of knowingly selling a forged painting. Troubles compound when more paintings are vandalized and Tulley is physically attacked. To me, THE CHASE is stronger (and closer in style to an original Dick Francis novel) than Francis’ previous offerings largely because of the way he shares Tulley’s musings and suppositions with the reader. THE CHASE received a starred review from Booklist (“It’s fascinating to follow his [Francis’] hero into art galleries and auctions as well as the stable and racetrack.”) and is scheduled to be published on September 8.