The horses age painted ones this time, but stop worrying. You won't have a moment to miss the hooves and the muck. Charles Todd, master of equine portraiture, stumbles on a pattern: visitors to Australia purchase horse pictures and, in no time at all, their homes are burglarized. In the case of Todd's kinsman, the burglary also involves murder, so it's Down Under for the Franciscan confrontation between a resourceful loner and a ruthless crime-conglomerate. Action, character, and color ride in perfect balance again (last year's High Stakes teetered a bit), and the "Am I my brother's keeper?" motif returns in subtle high gear, just to remind us that Francis stays on top because he remembers to touch bottom. (Kirkus Reviews) --online
Product DescriptionArriving to spend the weekend with his cousin Donald, artist Charles Todd steps into a terrifying scenario. Donald's wife Regina has been brutally murdered and the house ransacked. Among the missing valuables is a painting by Sir Alfred Munnings.