Richard Stanley Francis (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010)

Dick Francis has died, aged 89. Although no one of his books ever stood out as an example of 'great literature', they were all works that gave you an 'oh, that's all right then,' feeling when they were done. The writer of the obituary linked above encapsulates Francis' genius perfectly:

I once wrote a review of a Dick Francis thriller without reading it. I wasn’t going to waste a new Dick Francis on a bloody review when I had a transatlantic flight coming up, was I? So I wrote a piece saying that I knew the book was going to be good. I trusted it, and that’s why I was saving it for later. Three bloody Marys and a new Dick Francis and you’re in New York before you know you’ve taken off.

Dick Francis' last book, Cross Fire, co-written with his son, Felix, will be published this Autumn.