10 LB. PENALTY

One of the great joys of Dick Francis's English horse racing novels is each story's array of characters. In 10 LB. Penalty the focus is George Julian, a rising political star, whose son, Benedict, passionately wants to pursue his career as an amateur jockey. Martin Jarvis has won acclaim for his recordings of Dick Francis's novels for British listeners, but this is the first American release. He treats the trainers, race officials and horse owners as old friends, and the addition of a political twist gives Jarvis more characters on which to work his magic. Jarvis delivers such a diversity of accents and voices that each character is imaginatively and distinctively identified. The dynamics between father and son, and among political rivals, are astutely balanced. A longer abridgment not only would have allowed more time spent with Francis's appealing characters, but also would have made the nearly instantaneous rise of George Julian from his first election to his arrival at 10 Downing St. more believable. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV/DEC 97]