Decider

MacMillan Pub Ltd, 1994. Very Good. Dick Francis knows horses, but in this deeply satisfying novel of intrigue, he shows that he also has a handle on architecture, construction, even cro wd control. Narrator Lee Morris, 35, is an architect/builder specializing i n restoring ``ruins'' like his own splendid barn house inhabited by his six sons and his lovely, but increasingly remote, wife. He is also one of few shareholders in Stratton Park racecourse, ownership of which is being hotly contested by the heirs of Lord Stratton. Lee's mother had married and quic kly divorced the baron's vicious son Keith. Since part of her divorce settl ement included the racecourse stock, Lee (accompanied by his five eldest so ns) attends a shareholders meeting. With few exceptions the Strattons are a very nasty crew--cheats, blackmailers, just plain vicious--and during the course of the fight over selling or restoring the track, Lee is beaten, nea rly blown up and finally forced to race to save his sons at the excruciatin g climax. Francis's deft plotting and sharp characterization are, as usual, on the mark: both Lee and his progeny are realistic and appealing. And as usual, he excels in exposing some of England's nastier class habits, meanwh ile affirming the morality of his protagonist.