TO THE HILT

At the request of his dying stepfather, a fine arts painter enters a harsh corporate setting to rescue the family business. All of Dick Francis's thirty-some novels feature narrator-heroes whose basic decency and trustworthiness contend with the selfishness and evil of the world. The chief requirement for the reader of a Francis book, therefore, may simply be likability. In this regard, Simon Prebble measures up well. The lilt in his voice suggests the sensitivity and unassuming honor of narrator Alexander Kinloch. Though he also differentiates the novel's other characters, Prebble's confidential tones succeed best at rendering the charm of Francis's hero. G.H. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]