PROOF

The protagonist in each of Dick Francis's mystery books, set in the world of British horse racing, inevitably possesses some sort of oppressive angst: He is one-handed, or too rich, or too artsy, or his father is too famous, or something. This makes for good writing because the fellow is struggling with a burden while dealing with the mystery itself. Here the burden is the death of a wife, and the result is a depressed character who has to deal with liquor hijackers. It's a good thing that Simon Prebble can portray depression. He also portrays the action with proper sharpness and the other characters with distinct, underplayed intonations. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]