Hot Money . . . Never Knew It Existed

I thought I had read all the Dick Francis books. I'm so glad I was wrong. Lately, as I reread them, I naturally find them less than original, less fun to read. It's so nice to find one I didn't know existed and recapture that fun and esteem that comes from reading a book like Hot Money.

It's a typical Dick Francis novel. A mild-mannered protagonist who is forced into helping someone out of a jam inspired by a murder, usually involving a strange or estranged family and always involving horse racing. Nothing new to see here, except I really liked it. I guess the newness came from finding it in the first place.

The last lines are also typical, the main character has gone through an adventure and grown, usually spiritually and closer to a loved one, but ultimately he is the same person who started the novel.

“Did you notice I’d taken the golden dolphin and the amethyst tree and so on out of the wall and put them in the sitting room?” he asked casually. 

“Yes, I did.” 

“I sold the gold too.” 

I glanced at him. He looked quizzically back. 

“The price rose sharply this year, as I thought it would. I took the profit. There’s nothing in the wall now except spiders and dust.” 

“Never mind.” 

“I’m leaving the clause in the will, though.” 

The family had been curious about his leaving me the piece of wire, and he’d refused to explain.

 “I’ll buy more gold, and sell it. Buy and sell. Forward and backward. One of these days”— his blue eyes gleamed—“ you may win on the nod.”

Francis, Dick - Hot Money