SMOKESCREEN
Worth buying if: You enjoy Dick Francis’s horse-racing setting and insider jargon.
Skip it if: You want sprawling multi-threaded crime epics rather than a 192-page focused plot.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780330239172. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
In SMOKESCREEN, Dick Francis delivers a compact mystery centered on horse racing, deception, and an investigation that moves from stable gossip to lethal consequences across the turf world.
Why this book now
Revisit Francis’s crisp racecourse craft at a moment when interest in sporting mysteries and classic crime fiction continues to grow.
30-second preview
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You enjoy Dick Francis’s horse-racing setting and insider jargon.
- You prefer concise mysteries with a single-investigator premise.
- You want sprawling multi-threaded crime epics rather than a 192-page focused plot.
- You expect modern forensic detail or police-procedural technicality.
- You need the newest edition, freshest examples, or the most current framing.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780330239172
Worth buying if: You enjoy Dick Francis’s horse-racing setting and insider jargon.
Skip it if: You want sprawling multi-threaded crime epics rather than a 192-page focused plot.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Light Short sit-downs
At 192 pages, SMOKESCREEN is a brisk read—perfect for a weekend or a few evening sittings, with steady pacing and few subplots.
What stands out here
This Pan edition highlights Francis’s economical plotting and racecourse atmosphere, preserving his signature voice and period details from 1996.
Best way to approach it
Read SMOKESCREEN with attention to dialogue and racing terminology—small clues and character asides drive the mystery more than technical exposition.
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Other formats and editions
Same title and author, with each available binding identified.
Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780330239172
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.