“Irresistible,” said the New York Times. I must’ve read a different book.
Syndicate by Felix Francis didn’t grab me the way some of his others have. Usually, I fall into his racing world right away, but this time it felt like slogging through mud until halfway in. Once things finally picked up, I was mildly curious to see where it went...but “irresistible”? No.
All the main characters struck me as whiny, and not in an endearing, flawed-human kind of way. More like, “Please stop talking and let the horses run.” I expect a bit more grit, a bit more urgency, and a lot less complaining in a Francis novel.
That said, it’s still Felix Francis. The writing’s solid, and once the pace found its stride, it held my attention enough to see it through. But compared to Crossfire or Triple Crown, this one just doesn’t measure up. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely was not a Front Runner (which was also very good).
