It's been firmly established I'm a dork. I hold no truck with the expression 'guilty pleasure', as that's just you having different taste than me.
Sometimes when we dorks are forced to spend lots of time indoors (#GlobalPandemic) we go looking for different entertainment options.
A million years ago in the early 90's, at my first hotel gig, I occasionally worked overnights. I did the audit the 2 nights the regular guy had off. It was a small operation. We had just over 100 rooms. No cash register - just a money drawer & adding machine. When it wasn't busy, you could still be done in a couple hours but hotel desks operate 24/7 & it was a matter of entertaining yourself without falling asleep from 11p.m. to 7a.m.
Over time we developed a little library. Trashy magazines, novels we cared to share. One of the day girls started bringing in mysteries. While I like to watch a thriller, I'm not much of a detective novel reader but desperate times......
She had a copy of Dick Francis' "Hot Money". It's now what I can refer to as a gateway drug. She thought I might like it because of loving British films, etc. She was soooooo right. It wasn't what I expected at all. It's a good starter for his work. Not as dark as some. The huge family provides a variety of characters. I think it would make a terrific short series.
Since then, I've read them all. I have probably 15 of them in hardcover, one or two first editions. Lots with the matching covers they ran with in the States.
I love them. There's 3 or 4 I'm dying to film. Yes, there's always a male lead but plenty of strong female characters on offer. On the whole, while being a bit of the product of their time, they hold up & progress. The females aren't just decoration.
I think they're a great balance of mystery & entertainment.
I do know full well that the tv adaptations are a mixed bag. There's no denying Ian McShane's talent but he's an odd fit. & the trying to mush in bits of different characters just makes it a mess for their target audience- those who've read the books.
So I was pottering away on #HalfPriceBooks (mostly to see if any copies of #GBBO on dvd had popped up), when lo & behold I spied "The Racing Game". Confident it was a mistake & would be the book or not available or cost a mint, I cautiously clicked. And there, for a perfectly reasonable under $20 price, was the2 dvd series. An honestly to goodness gem.
And if you're like me, the fun of some of these things is to pick apart what's right & what's wrong.
Haven't watched a minute of it yet but so very excited. Sid Halley was always an obvious choice, as he's one of the only repeat characters Francis wrote & therefore more material potential.
Thanks, #HPB. I'd rather give you my money than amazon. I appreciate the hand written note. Hope to see you on the other side.
Now.....if anyone can point me to a copy of #DeadCert with Judi Dench in it.
