Iced

Product Information

Finding himself in St Moritz during the same weekend as White Turf, when high-class horseracing takes place on the frozen lake, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. It is against his better judgement. Seven years before, Miles left horseracing behind and swore he would never return. I don’t know, maybe I’ll try the next Felix Francis novel, and maybe not. Something is missing in his novels lately, and it’s really beginning to show…. I hope he finds it soon, and gets things together. This is so depressing…..! 😩 The mystery in this novel is multi-layered and complex and yet the book was still fun and made me laugh numerous times. I liked the voice of Halley. His internal thoughts often matched my own on the various situations The end of the book has two chapters from his next novel, "Hands Down" another about Sid Halley. While I am happy to see the Sid Halley story continued, I don't think Felix should be the one to do it!! The first two chapters seemed alien, I just wasn't seeing "Sid" in them. It was like, "Who?" While Sid Halley was not my favourite of Francis's characters ever, I really think that the continuation of his story through Felix Francis's pen has made the character stronger and more interesting.

I was disappointed because I was looking forward to a mystery, however I did gain insight to the mental health issues and their impact on an individual. There is a mystery but it is a small portion of the book. It is well written, which I would expect from Felix Francis, and, perhaps, it is his break away from his father’s style of book from which, I thought, he has been moving away successfully. I was led by the promotion to expect one thing and I got something else. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/4 stars. It was wonderful to see Sid Halley return - he has been a favourite character of mine ever since that first Francis book. But I only wish that this novel had done this wonderfully steadfast and clever character more justice. So far, none of Felix Francis’ novels has television adaptations. However, a number of his father’s books had television adaptations. Among the adopted books included Twice Shy, starring Ian McShane alongside protagonist, David Cleveland. Felix Francis assisted his father in the research when he was writing Twice Shy before he began writing himself.I did like this - it was an entertaining and unchallenging read. It was also really great to see Sid again but overall I am not sure I will continue with Felix as the author. Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of Thoroughbred racing where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them. In the tradition of Clive Cussler and James Lee Burke, Iced, the latest in Francis's fictional world, is a heart-pounding thriller that will keep you racing forward. Mixed in between is a look at Miles's ongoing internal struggles - which includes self-medicating with alcohol - that is handled quite well and puts a spotlight on the important issue of mental health. Miles doesn't always make the best choices, but given his life circumstances, he's doing the best he can. In the end, everything comes full circle that really isn't very surprising (well, the "who" of it isn't - the bad guys and gals are pretty easy to spot early on - but the "how" is creative and, in some respects, downright fun. The resolution at the end of the book to all of the various questions was handled neatly, leaving me satisfied. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book relating to the missing dogs.

It wasn't. There wasn't anything really wrong with it but it just wasn't quite right. Sid seemed almost insipid and a bit lost in a situation that in previous novels wouldn't have fazed him at all. I guess he is older now and wiser and has a lot more to lose but he just didn't seem like the hard-bitten character I know and love. Gamble, Felix's only previous novel written solo, displays a slight anxiety at being handed the reins to a horse previously ridden only by his father. The prose was slightly more formulaic than his father's prose, not as velvety smooth. Gamble did not yet display the best years of Felix's life. Refusal on the other hand has rapidly accelerated the horse, has circumvented difficult turns on the steeple chase run, and shows Felix's confidence building, growing towards the ideal set by his father. The slight difference in style (remembering this is a family business) is near invisible; the story as true as any returning hero's story should be. I feel for Felix Frances, I really do. It can't be easy trying to carry on the franchise of a beloved writer father. Francis had difficulty getting this book published in the US last year. He lost his publisher. It might’ve been because of Covid. But it might also have been because of the hero: Miles Pusset.I disliked everything about this book including the characters, the storyline, the flipping around time frames, the boring descriptions of tobogganing and mental illness and on and on. The whole thing was tedious in the extreme and I pushed myself to get through it. When he discovers something suspicious is going on in the races, something that may have a profound impact on his future life, Miles begins a search for answers. But someone is adamant to stop - and they'll go to any lengths to do it . . . Finding himself in St Moritz during the same weekend as White Turf, when high-class horseracing takes place on the frozen lake, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. Against his better judgement, he decides to assist, but things aren’t as innocent as they seemed.