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16th out of 36 books
—
45 voters
Banker
by
Dick Francis
When young investment banker Tim Ekaterin becomes involved in the cutthroat world of thoroughbred racing, he finds his life in business blown to smithereens. For suddenly the multimillion-dollar loan he arranges to finance the purchase of a champion racehorse is threatened by an apparent defect in the animal. Then, as Tim desperately searches for answers, he falls headlong...more
Hardcover, 0 pages
Published
September 18th 2005
by Gardners Books
(first published 1982)
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What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.
But more tha...more
But more tha...more
It seems to me that I am, slowly but surely, becoming a Dick Francis fan. After "Reflex", "Banker" came next on my list. Here are my thoughts after reading the novel.
The composition of this novel mirrors that one of "Reflex", in terms of slowly unfolding plot. However, unlike "Reflex", "Banker" spans over the time period of three years. But thanks to Mr. Francis' polished writing, the transitions between the years are smooth, and the final product is a well-paced novel. The events at the beginn...more
The composition of this novel mirrors that one of "Reflex", in terms of slowly unfolding plot. However, unlike "Reflex", "Banker" spans over the time period of three years. But thanks to Mr. Francis' polished writing, the transitions between the years are smooth, and the final product is a well-paced novel. The events at the beginn...more
Tim Ekaterin is a young, rising, merchant banker. His days are spent deciding which business ventures to lend money to. Doesn't that sound dull? After careful consideration and research, he crafts a very large loan enabling a stud farmer to purchase a champion race horse for breeding. As the introduction begins, "It's difficult to say where disaster begins..." and all great novels deal in disasters. Tim finds himself working desperately to save the bank's money and learns a great deal more about...more
In Banker, Dick Francis is able to take two things I know very little about — merchant banking and thoroughbred breeding — and twist them together in such a way that I can’t put the book down. I always find reading Francis to be effortless. He pulls me in from the start with an unusual situation. Young banker Tim Ekaterin finds his boss standing in the fountain in front of the bank with his clothes on. This situation is what leads to Tim being responsible for deciding whether or not the finance...more
One of his best books, lovable characters, great plot...
We have read every Dick Francis novel, some forty (!) in all. We marvel at the author's ability to endear the lead characters to the reader within just a few pages. While our hero is always a man, it is always a man men would like to be like, and women would like to find! Ted Ekaterin is no exception -- while he works in an investment bank, making daily decisions on big business loans, he is all of humble, courteous and pleasant, sensitive,...more
We have read every Dick Francis novel, some forty (!) in all. We marvel at the author's ability to endear the lead characters to the reader within just a few pages. While our hero is always a man, it is always a man men would like to be like, and women would like to find! Ted Ekaterin is no exception -- while he works in an investment bank, making daily decisions on big business loans, he is all of humble, courteous and pleasant, sensitive,...more
Banker is another fine entry in the Francis series. This one is a bit longer than many other Francis books -- 10 hours in audio format, rather than the average 7 or 8 -- and the first half of the book (a full 5 hours in audio) has very little mystery in it at all. Banker takes its own sweet time building the background and wandering through the life of the main character. In fact, this slow buildup should tell the reader that the mystery may not actually be the most important part of the book at...more
Tim Ekaterin is a banker who finances the purchase of Sandcastle, a champion stud racehorse. Sandcastle’s new owner, Oliver Knowles, makes a fortune breeding the stallion. When Sandcastle’s offspring are born, they are discovered to have severe abnormalities. This dramatically decreases the value of Oliver’s investment, and puts him in danger of losing everything. Things go from bad to worse when Ginnie, Oliver’s daughter is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Dick Francis adds mystery wh...more
I just re-read (probably for the fourth or fifth time) BANKER by Dick Francis and was struck again by what a terrific book it is. Tim Ekaterin is a merchant banker who approves a large loan to a stud farm to purchase a high-priced stallion. Of course, bad things happen and he discovers what they are and who perpetrated them. The book is set less in the horse world than in the world of British banking and yet I still loved it.
Tim is one of Francis' most intriguing characters: the grandson of the...more
Tim is one of Francis' most intriguing characters: the grandson of the...more
This is DF's second best book, to date (Proof is arguably the best). Certainly, it is the one most different from his previous books although, like all the rest, horse racing figures prominently. The basic plot is that a man with a whole lot of ex-wives is murdered. Which ex-wife did it? Read and find out.
I adore Dick Francis’s novels. They are brilliantly plotted, feature likeable and resourceful heroes, and have satisfying denouements. As a retired jockey, Francis located ALL his books in or around the world of horse racing. This narrow universe fortunately doesn’t interfere with one’s pleasure in the plot and characters.
In fact, I read so many of them (repeatedly) that a friend thought I was interested in horse racing! Anyway, I took Dick Francis as my model when I started writing fiction, an...more
In fact, I read so many of them (repeatedly) that a friend thought I was interested in horse racing! Anyway, I took Dick Francis as my model when I started writing fiction, an...more
Banker / Dick Francis ****
Tim Ekaterin works in a merchant bank in London. A merchant bank is not a regular bank as we think of it but a financial institution which loans large sums of money to fledgling and established businesses. The story gives the reader a peek into the financial world, a “feel” for high finance and how loan decisions are made . The story is also centered around horse racing and the breeding of prime quarter horses destined to become grand champions . Of course, it is a murd...more
Tim Ekaterin works in a merchant bank in London. A merchant bank is not a regular bank as we think of it but a financial institution which loans large sums of money to fledgling and established businesses. The story gives the reader a peek into the financial world, a “feel” for high finance and how loan decisions are made . The story is also centered around horse racing and the breeding of prime quarter horses destined to become grand champions . Of course, it is a murd...more
It is difficult to say where disaster begins, to point towards one particular happening as the first definite step towards distant cataclysm. Looking back, Tim Ekaterin sees the beginning as the day his boss stepped into a fountain. Onwards from there, he comes across people and events as yet unconnected but which, when woven together by time and chance, leads towards violent explosive action and the threat of death. Set in the worlds of thoroughbred racing and merchant banking, the story covers...more
I love this book! Good story, good writing, and comfortable.
A fun interesting mystery read about banking and horse racing/breeding and a little animal medicine thrown in too. The characters were believable and so was the story. I enjoyed learing more about the two main industries involved. The main character was a good person who in a side plot was in love with his boss's wife and, while for moral reasons didn't pursue it, did intentionally have an emotional affair, so I didn't like that aspect of the book. I'd read another Francis book in the future.
I really do not know why I liked this as well as I did, but I did. The ending was kind of to good to be true all of a sudden. but my twisted mind went what? and was kind of suspicious.This is the first I've read of this author. Will read another. Was supposed to be a suspenseful mystery, but wasn't really much of that. Somehow though I found it refreshing. could be just because it was British.
I'm not normally a fan of mysteries, but Dick Francis is the exception. He is a former jocky cum author, whose books always involve horses and/or racing, and a mystery where the hero is not a sleuth, but an "everyman" who finds himself accidentally caught up in something he has to solve. See my Dick Francis shelf for others I read and loved.
The main character is this book is Banker who ends up lending money to a horse breeder to purchase a champion runner to put out to stud. The premise sounds a bit dull, but Dick Francis has a knack making the mundane interesting. A very good mystery evolves and, as always, this book is filled with endearing characters. There is a minor plot-line based on possible adultery, but the characters actually keep their desires in check and don't act. How refreshing!!
Feb 11, 2011
Liz
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Horse racing fans, Francis fans
Shelves:
mystery
His heroes are always viral young men full of integrity who get themselves involved in murder. Since the books are all about some facet of horse racing, I find them interesting. Characters are all well developed. Not a high level of suspense, but the endings seem to come as a aurprise to me.
Excellent book as all of Dick Francis books are. Keeps you reading to see what happens next. The hero this time is a merchant banker who is in love with his boss' wife, but saves his life when maddness threatens. I hated to finish it as something isalways happening.
I love the ability of Dick Francis to write so smoothly it's almost impossible to detect what he's doing. He might start his story a bit slowly, but you know he's going to ramp you up for a good ride. I intend to read many more of his works.
Another Dci Francis great book. I like him because he has new heroes in each book but always focused around horses and horse racing. As the title suggests the book centers around investment banking. You don't have to pick up the very first book of his to appreciate his writing style and creative ability.
This book is about a mystery. It is slow but very informative. I enjoyed learning a little about racing horses and a bit about merchant banking. It's easy to guess who did it, so it's a bit frustrating when you get there way before the hero does.
This was one of the first Dick Francis books I read when I started in on him around 1984, and it's an excellent example of his brilliant readability, engrossing plots, and commitment to research.
Another one of my favorite Dick Francis mysteries. This one deals with family intrigues, of which I am fairly familiar. Good twists, clever little details, and interesting to read.
With Dick Francis one always gets a good mystery and a behind the scenes lesson about one thing or another. In this one it is the banking industry and horse breeding pharmacology.
The main protagonist is Tim Ekaterin from a banking family - a trip to the races leads to the bank financing a stud stallion - and the fun starts there- excellent read as usual
My very first Dick Francis book...and one that I return to from time to time.
Well written mystery with a financial plot twist along with the horse racing theme.
Well written mystery with a financial plot twist along with the horse racing theme.
This book was a wonderful combination of the mystery genre,the racing world and the banking industry. Very well done in terms of carefully described settings, well-developed characters, and brisk plotting.
Investment banker Tim Ekaterin loans money to purchase a champion racehorse for breeding. Something is going wrong with the colts and then people start dying and Tim must figure out who the murderer is.
Well, the usual Dick Francis racy read...not as good as some I have read, but the plotting is devious and the writing fresh so I liked it. Good enough book to spend a lazy evening with, if you like to do that sort of thing...
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Dick Francis CBE (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
More about Dick Francis...
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
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30 de Abr 16:52