Crisis, by Felix Francis, is one of a series of novels featuring Dick Francis, a London-based lawyer who works for a crisis management firm. What’s a crisis management firm? The book explains. The firm helps its clients navigate a crisis that could affect their reputations. It’s a bit of PR, a bit of lawyering, maybe some sketchy threatening dealings… but all to allow the client to maintain its good name.
Dick Francis has been at it for seven years at the start of Crisis. In this case, the crisis comes from the tragic death, by fire, of several prized racehorses owned by a fabulously wealthy Middle Eastern ruler. Dick, who knows nothing about horse racing, makes his way to Newmarket, the capital of horse breeding and racing in the UK.
This is a first-person novel. We never leave the “I” in Dick’s experience of events. So, it is through Dick’s eyes that we meet the Chadwick family, the famous racehorse breeding dynasty that housed the Sheikh’s unfortunate racehorses. One horse in particular, had the makings of a once-in-a-generation champion, so the tragedy of his untimely death is all the more serious.
It gets worse, though. As Dick, who is tasked with finding out who killed the horses—while minimizing the PR damage to the Sheikh—tries to figure out what’s going on, the police reveal that human remains have been found in the burned out stable, as well.
Dick realizes right away that something is not right. He’s a lawyer and a crisis manager, but now, he’s quickly becoming a detective as well. As he interviews each member of the dysfunctional Chadwick clan, he can tell that they’re all hiding something, or things. He discovers many different motives for a fire: insurance, sibling rivalry, financial problems, and more. Yet, none of these explain a dead body.
And not just any dead body. The remains found in the ashes of the stable are those of the Chadwick’s estranged daughter, who fled the family years before while evidently suffering from mental illness. There’s more to this story, it turns out… a lot more.
Dick is a fun character to run around with, I found. He’s smart and seems to have a sense of what he needs to do at any moment, when you, the reader, feel stumped. And why not? What would I know about handling a crisis?
Francis is a skilled pro. He effortlessly brings you into Dick’s world and mindset. Dick isn’t James Bond. He’s a man, with insecurities and fears, such as a powerful aversion to horses that he forces himself to overcome. Yet, he’s dogged and determined to get to the truth.
A longtime bachelor with a semi-disastrous history with women, Dick finds himself drawn to a local woman he meets in the course of his investigation. Could she be the secret villain? I won’t blab, but you will be wondering.
The book also does a wonderful job of sharing all sorts of interesting and fun details about horse racing. I’m with Dick. I knew nothing about it when I cracked open this book. I never would have imagined how large and complex the thoroughbred business is. But, that’s part of the fun with a book like this.
My only criticism is that the romance feels a little too easy, but this book is meant to be enjoyed. It’s not probing into the meaning of human suffering, so you go with it.