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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780399154768
ISBN number: 0399154760
Label: Putnam Adult
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: September 17, 2007
Publishing house: Putnam Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 28764
Studio: Putnam Adult
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
After a six-year absence from the bestseller lists, Dick Francis roared out of the gate with 2006's Under Orders, demonstrating once again every ounce of his famed narrative drive, brilliant plotting, and simmering suspense. Hard on the heels of that triumph comes Dead Heat, set against the backdrop of Britain's famed Two Thousand Guineas Stakes.
Max Moreton is a rising culinary star and his Newmarket restaurant, The Hay Net, has brought him great acclaim and a widening circle of admirers. But when nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning, his kitchen is shuttered and his reputation takes a hit. Scrambling to meet his subsequent obligation, an exclusive luncheon for forty in the glass-fronted private boxes at the Two Thousand Guineas, Max must overcome the previous evening's disaster and provide the new American sponsors of the year's very first classic race with a day to remember.
Then a bomb blast rips through the private boxes, killing some of Max's trusted staff as well as many of the guests. As survivors are rushed to the hospital, Max is left to survey the ruins of the grandstand-and of his career. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his name-and himself- before it's too late.
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Rated by buyers 
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The incredible franchise that Dick Francis created from his mystery writing now has a co-entry with his son and manager, Felix Francis, as a collaborator.
In an oftentimes uneven plot that has a feel of a movie script, the story surrounds the travails of ace chef Max Moreton and the bizarre death of a customer while he was catering an event at the Newmarket Race Course. To add to Moreton's woes, an explosion in a section of the prime boxes at the race course - a Middle Eastern royal family had been scheduled to use the area - and lures him into discovering what may be an international web of equine crime that rambles across several continents.
There is a theme introduced by Dick Francis in Under Orders concerning the shameless depths some will stoop to risk the health of Thoroughbreds for profit, but the plot stalls when fists aren't flying. The final action scene brings so many characters together that it loses its punch as Moreton's life hangs in the balance.
This is setting a foundation for the franchise to continue into the future, but something is lost when someone else is filling in the spaces when using the sketches of Dick Francis. A new beginning, for sure, but the course is set for Grade III events and not entry into the prestigious Classics.
Rated by buyers 
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I am surprised by the reviews here which claim this doesn't read like a Dick Francis novel. I haven't read all his later books, but I found the style still ehre, maybe aged and matured, but unmistakeable.The title, as usual, has about three possible applications. The race track application of course is his trademark, and the restaurant application is equally obvious. The third application comes in the later part of the story. The racetrack connection is peripheral in this, but no more so than in several of his previous mysteries. The food preparation background isn't new with him. The wry humour and coincidental happenings are ever present along with his brand of brutality, the tinges of sadness at the loss of a couple of characters. The brutality, the betrayal of trust are themes that of course are not his alone, but the flavor of those elements is still the Francis we know and love. The richness of background detail is still the Francis we know.One always picks up some unusual knowledge in his books and this one is no exception. I did feel that he did a somewhat better job of tying up even the smallest of threads at the end although I was slightly disappointed at on character not being mentioned at the end.In my case though, he certainly did not disappoint.
Rated by buyers 
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Max Morton is sick. He thinks it's food poisoning and he's not the only one affected, so he's worried, because last night he was the chef at a grey tie dinner event. He's the youngest chef to receive the "Michelin Star" which is a true chiefly honor. He not only owns a popular restaurant in New Market, but he also operates his own catering business. So when an environmental health office shows up to investigate the poisoning, he's got cause for concern. The inspector does too, so she shuts down his restaurant, despite the fact that the food had not been prepared at his restaurant and that all of the leftovers are gone.
Fortunately Max still has his catering business. He's catering a function held in the viewing box at the 2000 Guineas horse race when a bomb goes off. Several people are killed, but luckily for Max, he suffers only minor injuries, however the woman who put on the event is badly injured and one of Max's staff does not survive the blast.
Despite this tragic event, Max still has to try and save his restaurant. He discovers kidney beans caused the poisoning. However there were no kidney beans on the menu, nor were they used in anything served that night, so how could they have been in the food? Now Max has to wonder if he'd been set up. He also begins to wonder if the bombing was somehow connected to the food poisoning. Was the food poisoning an endeavor to keep someone away from the bombing, if so who? And who was the bomb intended for? These are just a few of the questions you'll be asking yourself as you page through this satisfying mystery.
I've long been a fan of Dick Francis and missed him dearly when he stopped writing. Then when he came back after so long off with Under Orders, I bought it straightaway. Now a year later we have this story. It's good to have Dick Francis back and I hope he and Felix have many more mystery thrillers in them.
Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Rated by buyers 
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I'm really surprised at all of the good reviews for this book. Granted, I listened to it on the audio version (it was a gift; not a choice I would ordinarily make), but I thought the plot was fairly boring and the protagonist was unconvincing in both his investigative exploits as well as his romantic ones. In addition, the performer who did the audio version was badly miscast, I thought. He sounded really old. It was jarring, in that the main characters were supposedly in their early 30s. I would suggest re-reading some of the old Francis books rather than taking a stab at this one.
Rated by buyers -
Just finished the book and I must say it is an engaging read. Okay - so it's not "To The Hilt", but it is a good Francis book. I was so pleased that Dick Francis began writing again after his long hiatus. However, I do agree with the people who recognize a change in his writing. The very first book released after his return - "Under Orders" was missing something. This collaboration with his son has D. Francis closer to the 'old voice'. As always - the research behind the book is excellent. However - I think what is still missing is the character insight/development/perspecitive that perhaps came from Francis' wife.
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