Guilty Not Guilty (Dick Francis) Hardcover – November 19, 2019

I have read all of the Dick Francis and Felix Francis novels and enjoyed them all (though some more than others of course). I always preorder the minute one is available and can’t wait for it to be available on my kindle app. This is the first time that I was so disappointed with the book that I felt I wasted my money.First off, there was for all intents and purposes no connection to horses or horse racing. It’s like the book was written and then at the end, the editors told Mr Francis that he HAD to put something about racing in. So he through in a few paragraphs saying that the main character used to be a jockey and then was a steward. It was a complete throwaway with no connection to the story. Now, I have enjoyed prior books in which the protagonist himself isn’t directly involved in racing himself but gets involved through the course of the novel. A few that come to mind are Banker, Proof, and Shattered. But this book didn’t have any connection at all.Second, this book was extremely slow paced and plodding. I almost stopped reading it 40% through, but I was hoping it would improve. It never really did. The eight month jump only seven to basically take us from the point when it started to get exciting to a long boring summary of how everything got resolved. Instead of taking the reader through the resolution, we just had it thrown at us.Lastly, the finale. The trial was boring and predictable and the final “twist” unbelievable. Not to mention that it ended without a resolution to the twist, leaving the reader hanging.I love the Francis books, but this was a waste. If the next one doesn’t return to the tried and true Francis form, I won’t be buying or reading Felix Francis anymore.

Dick Francis is gone. I'm coming to terms with that fact and this book helped.I read it, but I didn't enjoy it.There was too much telling and not enough showing. The protagonist wept copious tears, and I still suspected that he was involved in some nefarious way. And I didn't care.I miss Dick Francis.

I gave this book one star but it really deserves no stars. It was the worst book of the Felix Francis books. I loved every Dick Francis book and thought Felix Francis was sort of OK (but no Dick Francis), but Guilty Not Guilty was just stupid. The main character was irritating and I felt no empathy for him. The character had no depth. None of the characters made sense in their actions and reactions. The plot was ridiculous. The police characters and investigative procedures were so unrealistic it was a joke. The book was totally tedious. I didn’t care what happened to anyone and the ending was just a cop out. I am amazed this book ever made it through an editor and into print. I wondered about halfway thru this book if Felix Francis’ other books had been based on plot points left over or cast aside by Dick Francis from years past and this was the first one really written by Felix Francis. I don’t think I’ll waste my money again on another of his books. Ive read bad books before but this is really bad. It is a far cry from the truly excellent books written by his father.

Now look, I don't insist that all books should be uplifting and happy. But this book takes misery, pain, death, guilt, and builds the entire story line on that sad mix, to the point that it becomes tedious.I read it to the end, and then deleted it from my Kindle. This is the only book authored by Messrs Francis that has so disappointed. Let's hope the next one is better.

Felix Francis tries to set up a moral dilemma in this book. Unfortunately, he argues the case too well, so when it comes down to the final question, this reader, at least, had not the slightest hesitation in coming down hard on one side.Bill Russell is accused of murdering his mentally-disturbed wife by the wife's brother (who is also mentally disturbed). His life is threatened. A substantial sum of money is missing from his mother-in-law's funds.This book reads like an attempt to break out of the tried-and-true Francis formula, with the grieving husband fighting the false accusations and, later, the effects of the murder attempt, by going into considerable detail on the legal processes involved. Other reviewers have mentioned they would have liked to have seen more about horses, although this isn't the first Francis book (by father as well as son) which uses racing as the thinnest frame for the story. I do wish there had been a bit more mystery in this mystery, though--it was obvious from the very beginning. The twist at the end was well done, but leaving the question open was kind of silly--again, at least to this reader.I have been buying books by Dick Francis, and now by Felix Francis, since they first started publication, and I'm not going to stop now, but this one is not going to be one of my favorites.

Being a long time fan of Father and Son, I look forward all year to the new books coming out! This one is especially good. I read it in one sitting, will have to reread it to see the nuances. The plot moves along well, then seems to slow, but Do Not give up! The ending is at the end (of course, no fading quietly into the ending!) A little frustrating and makes the Title really have more meaning. I thoroughly enjoyed reading another book in the Francis Legacy! Keep the faith! I have reread several times all the books in order. Learned as always from these books, this time about the legal processes in the UK. One of my favorite things about these books is the lessons of life, and well as gaining practical knowledge that might come in handy at some time. If you enjoy reading and learning, get this book. Then go back and get them all to read!

This supremely enjoyable book combines intense suspense intertwined with a number of realistic and difficult situations which are handled with a great deal of sensitivity and clarity by the author. And I'm aware that this first review sentence is a mouthful, but there's a lot going on in what appears at first glance to be a deceptively simple book. A book about a horrendous crime, a layered mystery, intense family and business relationships, and the utterly sad tendency of modern society to tend toward a premise of guilty until proven innocent. A book about moral character, restraint versus letting loose, good and bad advice, knowing one's friends from one's enemies, and even lots of glimpses into the structure and function of the British legal system, which is all written in a most interesting way.The overarching theme of steadfast love and loyalty is both touching and wrenching and is beautifully handled. From the outset, my heart completely went out to the main character and the way his life turns upside down in an instant--yet that instant has been building for quite some time, which forms both a fascinating and heartbreaking premise for a story I found extremely moving.A deceptively easy read--I personally am convinced easy reads are quite difficult to write--and a nice flow to the story. A splendid read, a heart-gripper, and one I accidentally read it in one sitting as it's one of those "Oh, just one more page!" kinds of books which are impossible to put down. Well worth it when you get to the end.A side note is that I miss the traditional Francis horse on the cover. Racing is always in the background of any good Francis read and I good naturedly vote to bring back the horse!And with that said, I can't wait to read it again.

I always liked the racing atmosphere of the Francis books. Nothing in this one at all. Tenuous storyline, with an unbelieveable premise and unbelievable actions of many characters. Would the police react as they did- no? Would the stewards- no? Would friends - no! Would the main character- no!Poor story development. A highlight of my year is the 'next' Francis book, yet I didn't even finish reading it all. Never thought I would ever give a One star rating.

Most thrillers / detective stories benefit from being read twice on the trot just to see how the clues are laid out and what were the pointers the writer showed you and then tempted you to ignore. In the case of "Guilty Not Guilty" I would say the double read is essential for the full appreciation of what F F has pulled off. Bill Russell, despite his upper class lineage has had the misfortune to marry for love into a seriously dysfunctional family and the story begins by him being charged with the murder of his mentally sick wife at the instigation of his paranoid and possible criminous brother-in-law. In addition to this, as soon as the press get hold of the story they are on to him like piranha fish. How Bill copes with his grief while digging up evidence to prove he is not guilty and fending of journalists provides the mainspring of the narrative. There is the usual Francis horse racing element but in this case it is slight in the extreme. Not that this mattered to this reviewer. The apparent climax comes with the chillingly unpleasant cross examination in the witness box, but there is still a very unnerving twist in the tale. Read it once, then read it twice and to will see how cleverly FF has misled you while not actually deceiving you.

Though most of Felix Francis's books are quite good, and were up till now quite in keeping with the legacy of Dick Francis, Felix's father, this novel, though mildly interesting, lacks the beat and pace of the older Francis's crime novels.Unfortunately, the link with horse-racing so typical of Francis's novels is, at best, quite tenuous, to the point of near non-existence. Just mentioning the main character is a steward at race-meetings and then situating the entire intrigue outside the realm of racing does not qualify it to be, as it boasts on the cover, "a Dick Francis novel".The intrigue is interesting in itself, and the plot-twist at the end totally unexpected, but the writing of Felix Francis has been known to be better. I think Felix should avoid capitalizing on his father's fame if his novels are situated outside the racing world. That said, he has been gaining his own following these last few years, so why not try to differentiate himself from his father instead?No, definitely not e "Dick Francis novel"!

I have read and enjoyed all of the books by Felix Francis just as I did the ones by his father. I was pleased and excited when learning of this latest release and settled in for the usual page turning storyline, sadly I was disappointed, I found the book slow and overwritten, i ended up skim reading the last half of the book only properly reading the parts describing the court room scenes. I found nd the ending a little strange and an anti climax.