He is contacted by the local environmental health officer. She is investigating the poisoning, and her first act is to close Max’s restaurant. The food, however, had not been purchased or prepared at the restaurant. All the leftover food has been destroyed. Determining the cause of the contamination will be difficult if not impossible.

In spite of his wobbly physical condition, Max cannot take the day off. He’s catering yet another function. This one is to be held in a viewing box at the 2000 Guineas horse race. The lunch is hosted by the owner of an American farm machinery company. The woman organizing the luncheon, MaryLou Fordham, is concerned that everything come off perfectly. Several of the guests are unable to attend; they are suffering from food poisoning at the dinner the day before.

As Max and his crew are serving the food, a bomb goes off in the box. Several people are killed; others are injured. Max was somewhat sheltered from the full force of the blast but does suffer some minor injuries. He is close to MaryLou, who is critically injured; he is horrified by injuries and doubts she will survive. One young member of Max’s wait staff has been killed outright.

It is revealed that an Arab prince and his entourage had originally been supposed to be using the box where the bomb exploded. The focus of the police investigation centers on whether someone might have blown up the box by mistake.

Max is trying to resuscitate his business in the aftermath of the food poisoning. He learns the ingredient that introduced poison into the food was undercooked kidney beans. No dish had been prepared, however, contained kidney beans. How could the beans have been in the food? He is determined to find an explanation. Meanwhile, a young violist who had been a member of the string quartet playing at the gala is suing Max because she lost a professional opportunity due to the food poisoning.

As Max looks into the poisoning, he starts to wonder if the food poisoning and the bombing were in fact related.

Popular mystery author Dick Francis has added a co-author, his son Felix. A note on the dust cover states that Felix has done research for his father on previous books. Researching Dead Heat would be a real treat: delicious-sounding food is mentioned repeatedly. There should be a warning on the cover to caution the hungry.

A former jockey, Dick Francis, is a prolific author. (The page before the title page lists his many books ... in two columns.) All his stories have some connection to horse racing, even if tangentially. This is the case with Dead Heat even though the narrator hero is a chef, and the two topics seem unrelated.

Dead Heat will please the author’s many long-time fans. The setting is familiar, the hero is a nice guy, the action comes swiftly, and the mystery is satisfying. It is unconnected to any of Francis’s earlier books so it could also be a good introduction for those who have not previously discovered the author. On all counts this is a well-crafted book and deserves a solid recommendation.

--Lesley Dunlap