THE CHASE

5 stars out of 5

I was a fan of legendary steeplechase jockey turned horse racing focused author Dick Francis for many, many years, and since his death, I’ve continued that enthusiasm for books written by his son Felix. This one, I’m happy to say, continues that tradition of excellence in fine fettle – another good one in the books, so to speak.

One thing, however, left me wondering if I’d missed something. The description on Goodreads, where I always post my reviews, says the book features investigator Sid Halley (e.g., “Sid Halley is back to investigate”) – a familiar character. But for the life of me, I don’t recall ever even reading his name on any of the pages here. Oh well, no matter. If I somehow skipped over those mentions, so be it – honestly, in the end I didn’t miss him a whit.

The story finds Westminster art gallery owner Fabian Tulley in a bit of a bind; he’s just sold a painting by Alfred Munnings, and now the police are at his door because he’s been accused of fraud; the buyer, it seems, claims the painting is a copy and insists Fabian was well aware of it. Problem is, Fabian is certain he sold an original, authentic work – but especially since the police have confiscated the painting, how on earth will he prove its provenance? And if he doesn’t, it’s likely his entire business – already in a somewhat difficult financial state – would cease to exist (in fact, several seem to have already flown the customer coop).

As if that weren’t enough, Fabian’s landlord has issued him an eviction notice, claiming he now needs the building for a different type of development. To help with that, Fabian “hires” a retired barrister who agrees to a big discount on a painting he wants in exchange for helping Fabian get to the truth behind his lease (not knowing, of course, exactly where that will lead).

The buyer of the suspected fake Munning is billionaire Jack Lofthouse from Yorkshire, who subsequently filed a lawsuit against Tulley. But the question is, why would he want to discredit Fabian? Getting to the truth requires Fabian and a couple of friends to venture to (surprise!) the racetrack at Cheltenham, where he’s also a frequent vendor. There, he encounters even more serious attacks – one that ends with the ruin of several of the paintings he was displaying for sale there, thus adding to his financial woes and hopes for the future.

Needless to say, either the fraud or the eviction could cost Fabian his livelihood at the very least – so he’s eager to get both issues resolved. The eviction is mostly up to his attorney, but unless he gets to the bottom of the fraud accusation and puts it to rest, he won’t be able to afford his lease anyway, making that issue moot. So off he goes to get to the bottom of things, with a little help from some friends and employees. Details, of course, I cannot reveal, but suffice it to say it’s nonstop action right up to the end (which I also won’t reveal). Getting there, though, is exciting and fun, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me in on the adventure by way of a pre-release copy. Another one well done!

The Chase by Felix Francis (Crooked Lane Books, September 2026); 304 pp.