Pun Salad

The arrival of a new Dick Francis book cheers me up, not least because he's coming up on his 87th birthday. This entry has an explicit co-author, Mr. Francis's son Felix. (People have always questioned how much writing Mr. Francis does himself; there used to be speculation that his late wife Mary probably deserved at least co-author status in the past.)

And it's a pretty good one, starting out with gourmet chef Max Moreton laid low with gastrointestinal distress. It gets worse: it turns out that hundreds of guests at a party catered by Max have also gotten ill, landing him in a spot of legal trouble, and also possibly ending his career.

But he wouldn't be a Francis hero if he didn't soldier on, and he soon is involved in a much more deadly incident at (where else) a racetrack. And soon after that, it becomes clear to him (but not, of course, to the police) that his life is in danger. Fortunately, he also meets a cute and equally intrepid viola player.

In short, it's a typical Dick Francis book, and that's pretty good. The collaboration works out well. Here's hoping he keeps up the good work for as long as he wants.