In the following essay, Schaffer discusses the use of violence and injury in Francis's novels.

In the following essay, Schaffer discusses the humor found in Francis's novels.

In the following essay, Killian describes Francis's life and careers as both a steeplechase jockey and a writer.

In the following review, Mortimer praises Francis's storytelling ability in Wild Horses.

In the following review, Donleavy compares and contrasts Francis's Decider and William Murray's We're Off to See the Killer.

Below, Sanoff presents Francis' remarks about his work and the research he does for his novels.

[Just as Dick Francis demonstrates] capabilities both substantial and varied, so too do we find his protagonists—who are in one form or another versions of Francis himself—to be multi-talented individuals…. Sooner or later, of course, all Francis heroes—be they jockeys or trainers or transport pilots or actors or blood-struck agents—must also of necessity become detectives. In considering the make-up of the Francis hero it is interesting to examine Francis' attitude...

In the following review, Westlake discusses Francis's "edge" over other writers of the English detective story, focusing on his novel The Edge.

In the following essay, Dampier and Gleick present an overview of Francis's life and career.

In the following review, Weeks discusses Francis's Hot Money, focusing on the themes of horses and heroism which are found throughout Francis's work.

In the following review, Tallent offers reserved praise for Francis's Driving Force while pointing out some of the novel's flaws.

In the following review, Helmick discusses Francis's love of horses and how he uses it in his novels.

In the following review, Stewart praises Francis's impeccable research for Longshot, and comments on how Francis deals with expletives in the novel.

In the following review, Hillerman asserts that while readers generally do not read Francis's work for his plots, with Bolt "Francis finally uses a plot so flawed that it ruins the book."

In the following review, Cahill lauds Francis's Longshot as a satisfying, read-at-one-sitting novel.

In the following review, White asserts that Francis's Straight represents a return to the winner's circle for Francis after a string of disappointing novels.

In the following review, Pitts criticizes Francis's Bolt for being snobbish and implausible.

In the following review, Grafton praises Francis's The Edge for its authenticity.

In the following review, Stasio asserts that while Francis's Straight is well-researched, the sections about horse racing are more compelling than the scenes about gemstones.

In the following review, Lochte praises Francis's Bolt, noting the exceptional dialogue and faultless storytelling.

In the following review, Shattuck asserts that Francis does not fully explore the emotions and motivations of the villain in his Come to Grief.

It was the late Edmund Crispin who recommended Dick Francis to me. "If you can stand the horse parts", he said, "the mystery parts are quite good," I found this an understatement in reverse. The horse parts, as everyone knows by now, are brilliant vignettes of a tiny portion of English life: the world of steeplechase racing. Novel by novel we meet the jockeys, the trainers, the owners (usually being taken for a ride in another sense), the bookmakers, the bloodstock agents, the sp...

In the following review, Skow praises Francis's Hot Money for its believable characterizations and whodunit puzzle.

[Because it sticks more to racing than some of his other novels, Dick Francis's Whip Hand] is happily up to standard. The style is confident, the prose direct, the characterization and dialogue convincing. (p. 95) [Sid Halley, ex-jockey and private investigator,] is a typically mean, embittered Francis hero, who has lost a hand in a racing smash when at the top of the jockey's list; he has to contend, too, with a ruined marriage and a bitchy ex-wife. Every Francis hero bears a grudge of some s...

In the following review, Dowell asserts that Francis's Decider "runs smoothly and efficiently to a tidy conclusion."

In the following review, Corrigan briefly discusses Francis's formula and how Comeback differs from his previous novels.

In the following excerpt. DeAndrea praises Francis's Hot Money.

In the following review, Ross discusses survival in Francis's Long Shot.

In the following excerpt, Lipez calls Francis's Wild Horses "pretty enjoyable."

In the following excerpt, Lehmann-Haupt complains that the characters and plot of Francis's Wild Horses are forced.

In the following excerpt, Mattos lauds the "pulse-quickening suspense" of Francis's novels and Longshot in particular.

In the following review, Tirrell discusses the problems with Francis's The Edge, including its weak premise, its lack of mystery, and the blandness of the protagonist.

The popular Dick Francis, who turns out a beautifully finished product year in and year out, adds to his already formidable list with "Trial Run."… Perhaps one reason for his reliability, and for his readers' delight in the product, is the fact that he discovered a dependable formula from the very beginning and has relentlessly pursued it. A Dick Francis novel, well written though it may be, is not going to have any great surprises…. In all the Francis novels, the hero has...

Dick Francis holds his form like a top-class chaser and it is a joy to see him back in the field. Any novel by him beginning "Thursday March 17th" must mean Cheltenham on Gold Cup day, and lo and behold his hero, an accountant and amateur jockey, actually has a ride in the big race…. As usual aspects of [Risk] make one a little uneasy. Characterization is sometimes thin and stylized, especially the villains, out to inflict pain upon the accountant who has uncovered their villainy, crook...

In the following review. Simpson asserts that "Francis always delivers a story you can bet on" as he does with Driving Force.

In the following review, Busch describes Francis's Hot Money as a thriller with enough suspense to keep the reader interested.

[The] first page of "Reflex" shows Dick Francis doing what comes most naturally to him; it is also what he does best—writing about the thrills, spills and chills of horse racing. There is a lot about riding for money in this book, and all of it is excellent….

In the following review, the critic complains that Francis's work has gotten weak and that The Edge is "lumpily padded, thinly plotted: a thouroughgoing disappointment for Francis fans."

In the following review, the critic lauds Francis's Decided as one of his most satisfying recent books.

In the following excerpt, Lehmann-Haupt praises Francis's Decider, asserting that Francis "writes winningly about horses."

In the following review, Kimberley criticizes Francis's Bolt and asserts that thriller writers are not allowed to "retire gracefully" like old race horses when they "no longer cut the mustard."

Some years ago, reviewing a novel by Robert Coover, Wilfrid Sheed said that "not to read it because you don't like baseball is like not reading Balzac because you don't like boarding houses." I bring this up because I am entirely innocent of race tracks. And yet: Not to read Dick Francis because you don't like horses is like not reading Dostoyevsky because you don't like God. Baseball, boarding houses, race tracks and God are subcultures. A writer has to have a subc...

In the following excerpt, Champlin calls the plot of Francis's The Edge "contrived and confining," but asserts that the novel "is suspenseful as always and interesting."

In the following review, Roraback asserts that despite a slow start Francis's Decider is a good bet.

In the following review, Waugh lauds Francis's Straight as one of his most enjoyable novels.

In the following review, the critic discusses the return of the protagonist Sid Halley in Francis's Come to Grief.

In the following review, the critic praises Francis's Driving Force for its believable characters and realistic setting.

The mixture as before—or is it? Well, not quite. The formula [in Reflex] is certainly the same—the jockey struggling against odds, the secondary background, in this case photography, expertly related to the racing, the unflagging pace, the intricately worked-out plots—not always cohering—the nice girl innocently involved. As always the racing scenes are splendid, terse, evocative and of such immediate impact that one can almost hear the smash of birch and the thud of hooves; the ...

When [Dick Francis] began writing mysteries, he joined that small and cherished group of mystery-thriller writers … who combine expertise, a sure hand with suspense, and solid plots. His knowledge of the racing world creates a background of almost Dickensian realism for his stories…. [Mr. Francis' autobiography, "The Sport of Queens," is] a pleasant and informative book, but I'm almost sorry to report that you can give it to your meekest, horse-loving 12-year-old ni...

It's a pleasure as rare as it is gratifying to watch an author start out well and then get steadily better with each book. This has been the case with Dick Francis; and since his second novel, "Nerves," was one of the most highly acclaimed of last year's suspense stories, it follows that his third, "For Kicks" …, must be an absolute beauty—as indeed it is. A young Australian horse-breeder is hired to come to England and pose as a stable lad to smoke ou...

In the following excerpt, Champlin provides a brief overview of The Dick Francis Treasury of Great Horseracing Stones.

Francis improves with every book as both a writer of brisk, lucid prose and as a concocter of ingenious and intricately worked-out plots. He has acquired something of Ian Fleming's easy expertise in handling technical information, though his travels in Norway and South Africa led him in recent books into unnecessarily detailed diversions. In Knock Down the information was at his finger tips and the sales ring scenes are hair-raisingly convincing. Where he has followed Fleming less satisfactorily is i...

There seems to be no limit, fortunately, to Mr. Francis' ability to invent skulduggery about steeplechasing. He is the best thriller writer going, with the conventional merits of uproar and bloodshed, plus an attention to practical detail and a shrewd understanding of social maneuver that pull his stories out of that never-never land in which crime novels tend to wander. The origin of all this can be detected in his autobiography, The Sport of Queens…. The book tells a great deal about horses ...