Felix Francis

Felix Francis (born 1953) is a British thriller writer who inherited one of the most successful brand-name franchises in popular fiction: the horse-racing mysteries originated by his father, Dick Francis. He first co-authored novels with his father beginning in 2006, then continued as sole author after Dick Francis’s death in 2010, producing over fifteen novels that maintain the formula — amateur sleuth, racing world setting, fast pace — while navigating the peculiar literary and commercial challenge of writing under a name that is simultaneously his own and his father’s brand.

Background

Felix Francis was born in Berkshire, the younger son of Dick Francis and his wife Mary. He was educated at University College London, where he studied physics, and spent much of his career working as a bloodstock agent and racehorse trainer — occupations that gave him direct experience of the racing world his father had fictionalised. He also managed his father’s business affairs and, increasingly, assisted with the research and writing of the novels.

The question of how much Mary Francis contributed to Dick’s novels — and whether Dick was the sole author at all — has been debated since her death in 2000. Several industry insiders and family members have suggested that Mary was effectively a co-author, handling much of the plotting and research. Felix’s emergence as co-author after Mary’s death added fuel to this speculation, though Felix has been diplomatic in discussing his parents’ collaboration.

Co-authored Novels

The final four Dick Francis novels — Dead Heat (2007), Silks (2008), Even Money (2009), and Crossfire (2010) — were credited to “Dick Francis and Felix Francis.” They follow the established formula: each novel features a different first-person protagonist from the racing world (a chef, a barrister, a bookmaker, a military officer) who becomes embroiled in a crime and must solve it.

These novels were commercially successful, though reviewers noted that the prose style was somewhat different from Dick’s earlier solo work — slightly more technical, slightly less instinctive.

Solo Novels

From Gamble (2011) onward, Felix has published under his own name (initially as “Dick Francis’s Gamble” for marketing continuity, later simply as “Felix Francis”). His solo novels include Bloodline (2012), Pulse (2017), Triple Crown (2016), Crisis (2018), Guilty Not Guilty (2019), and Iced (2021), among others.

The novels maintain the core Francis formula — a protagonist who is an insider in horse racing or a related world, a crime that disrupts his life, a first-person narrative that is competent and fast-moving — but Felix has broadened the settings beyond racing. Pulse features a doctor; Crisis involves a financial adviser.

Critical Standing

Felix Francis occupies a position familiar in popular fiction: the continuation author. He is compared inevitably and unfavourably to his father, whose best novels — Dead Cert (1962), Odds Against (1965), Whip Hand (1979), Proof (1984) — are genre classics. Felix’s novels are competent thrillers that satisfy the existing Dick Francis readership, but they lack the older writer’s distinctive voice — the terse, understated prose of a man who had actually ridden in the Grand National.

Collecting Francis

Felix Francis first editions are readily available at $10–$25. The co-authored titles with Dick Francis bring $15–$40. They are collected primarily by completists of the Dick Francis canon.