Shattered by Dick Francis

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Gerald Logan and Martin Stuckey met in a jury room and became immediate friends although they share little in common. Martin is a horse jockey who races at the elite English tracks. Logan, who owns and operates Logan Glass, is a gifted glassblower beginning to earn a well-deserved reputation.

Even after the trouble began, Logan never blamed Stuckey nor regretted their friendship. On New Year’s Eve, Logan watches Stuckey race at Cheltenham. However, one of the horses Stuckey rides stumbles and falls on top of the jockey, killing him instantly. Before a stunned Logan can leave the track, he receives a videotape from Stuckey’s valet, who says the deceased planned to give it to him after the races.

Logan leaves the tape and his store’s receipt on the store counter to go outside and enjoy the new millennium. When he returns, the tape and his money are gone. A couple of days later, thugs confront Logan demanding the tape. They do not believe him when he tells them he no longer possesses the tape. He also knows he is in trouble unless he recovers the tape and gives it to the proper authorities.

Analysis

This is the first novel I have read by Dick Francis. When I first picked up the book I thought I was really going to read some garbage because I saw a horse on the front cover. But honestly, the book was average. There are holes in the plot large enough to ride a horse through. For example, would the information that makes the videotape so valuable really be put on a videotape? The primary villains are cartoon-like and there are many instances in which we are asked to believe if glass-blowing is so damn fascinating to all the secondary characters. The plot was negative. I found it to be very unbelievable. It took place on New Year’s Eve, Logan’s best friend dies in a race on New Year’s, Logan’s friend Lloyd Baxter lies unconscious in Logan’s store supposedly from an epilepsy-attack.

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