Another brilliant crime thriller by Felix Francis.
Bill’s life falls apart when he is told that his wife has been murdered. He thinks it cannot get any worse until he realises he is the main suspect of the murder.
A really exciting crime thriller that we have come to expect of Felix Francis. Full of drama and with several unforeseen twists. So well written and highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the honourable William Gordon-Russell, or as he prefers to call himself, 'Bill Russell', finds himself as chief suspect when his wife is murdered. His own investigation into proving his innocence and bringing the true culprit to justice is this novel's plot. It's a very easy, quite enjoyable read (with only a tenuous link to horse racing) but I did find it slightly ponderous and didn't like that he seemed to denigrate the role of the police. I think Felix Francis has written better books and hope this one is just a blip. The best part of the book is probably the final ending - I wasn't expecting that!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I have read all the books by both Dick and Felix Francis so was looking forward to this one, which I had saved for the darker days. I was really disappointed however that the horse racing connection appeared only briefly at the beginning and that was it. The rest of the book is concentrates on legal matters with not a horse in sight - such a shame. A good standalone novel but not one of my favourite 'Francis' novels.

Like father, like son - a gripping drama, which I literally couldn’t put down, as I was so desperate to find out what happened!

Bill Russell, third son of an Earl, is a steward at Warwick racecourse, when the police arrive to tell him his wife has been found murdered. In the next instance, he’s being questioned as the likely suspect. Can he prove his innocence and find out what really happened to Amelia?

Guilty not guilty maintains a good pace throughout the story, without feeling forced and leaving the reader rushed and confused. The interaction between the characters is real and believable, the plot is understandable, but not so obvious that the ending is predictable, and, to a layman at least, the legal side seemed to work as it should.

Reading this book was such an enjoyable experience, and I both wanted to finish it, and I didn’t want it to end. Well written and entertaining, I can’t wait to read more of Felix’s stories,

Bill Russell is working as a volunteer at Warwick races when the police turn up requesting they follow him to the police station as his wife Amelia has been found strangled at their home. He is understandably upset inside but through breeding, he has learned to hold his emotions in which the police are finding hard to understand.
Once at the police station, he is cautioned and the police suspect The Honourable William Herbert Millgate Gordon-Russell. to call him by his correct name is responsible.

The book then goes on with Bill trying to prove his innocence, his brother in law Joe Bradbury has informed the police of his suspicions, he found his sisters body and indicates the marriage wasn't what it seems.
When Bill who isn't arrested is finally released from the police station to his horror his name is plastered all over the media. As life goes on he tries to prove his innocence he finds people ignore him and think the worst.

This wasn't a bad book and gave an insight into the legal system. I wasn't too keen on it but did complete it.
Thank you NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this book. x

Guilty Not Guilty, Felix Francis

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction ( Adult), Mystery and Thrillers.

I used to ( still do ) love Felix' dad, Dick's, novels. Being a horse mad child that grew into a horse mad adult, with a love of reading his books have kept me entertained for many happy hours.
Felix writes in a similar style, believable characters, a story that feels genuine, where you could place yourself in that setting and see it happening in real life. And of course there's always the mystery of who the culprit really is. Its not a copycat of his dads style though, Felix has his own spin, his own way of writing and I find it very easy to follow, perfect for me.

I like to be puzzled as I read the story, but not so confused that I switch off. Felix lays out clues for the reader to pick up – some I got and some I missed. His books are set with a racing background but less intensely horse orientated, so this book we meet Bill as he is acting as a Steward at the races, having been a former jockey, but apart from a couple of race meets and his background in stewarding that's the entirety of the horse content.
I felt so sorry for Bill, his wife has died and yet he can't grieve properly because the police are convinced he killed her. With his family background its quickly become quite a high profile murder, and I guess there's pressure on the police to find the killer. Bill has been neatly served up as culprit by his brother in law, once a friend but for the past few years he's been viciously cruel to Bill and Amanda, his wife, causing her intense distress with his vile innuendo and threats. He's now playing the part of devoted distraught brother, which makes Bill suspicious of him.
Bill is vilified in the press, made out to be guilty by them, and his former friends and neighbours almost all believe it. Only a handful of friends and family stand by him, one of them advising that the best way to clear his name is to set about proving an unquestionable alibi. Bill is rightly worried the police aren't going to look further, as the way his brother in law has placed it he does look guilty, although of course there's no real evidence, only suspicion and possibilities.

Its a raging paced read, racing from one drama to another, and I so felt for poor Bill. Once more fiction shows up the worst of the press, they do behave in this revolting way, dragging out any and all possible salacious details, spinning possibilities as fact, caring nothing for someones grief and sensibilities in their quest to be first with new details. The poor guy is mired in their web, damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Advice is say nothing, but how hard when you know they are spouting total rubbish..

I loved this read, know I'll re-read it, and there's a twist at the end that completely caught me out. I Did Not See That Coming!

Stars: Five, a cracking paced read, full of wonderful fiction that felt incredibly real.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

I thought from the start the reactions of the police the doctor and Bill himself to the devastating news of his wife’s murder was unbelievable and silly. I continued the read mainly because I expected more from Dick (Felix) Francis but the rest of the book was paper thin too.

Another great read from Felix Francis/Dick Francis - literally powered through this on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Perfect for a holiday, or a cozy autumnal day. The twists and turns kept me hooked throughout, would definitely recommend.

It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It's a gripping and entertaining novel that kept me hooked till the end.
I liked the style of writing, the fleshed out cast of characters and the well crafted plot that kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading the next novel by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Bill Russell is acting as a volunteer steward at Warwick races when he confronts his worst nightmare – the violent death of his much-loved wife. But worse is to come when he is accused of killing her and hounded mercilessly by the media.
Another page turning engrossing read that I totally devoured. Although Bill is a racecourse steward the story doesn’t revolve around horse racing which I found a change. The story is told in the first person from Bill’s point of view, which made me feel that I was with him on his journey to clear his name. There were twists and turns along the way & some surprises. If you love the author’s books then this is another must read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Loved this. I am a huge fan of courtroom dramas and this did not disappoint. Really showed how lawyers manipulate and twist things to prove their point, and lots of twists, with a very good ending!

I always enjoy books by Felix Francis, this is one of the best. It is a tense thriller with the main character, William, being accused of the murder of his wife.William is a former jockey, now serving as a steward and there is just a tiny bot of the plot centred around horse racing. This was a very good read, reminiscent of Dick Francis and narrated in a similar style. I loved the twist at the end and have no hesitation in recommending this book. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This book really does have the wow factor, The book is quite a departure from the familiar trope related to corruption in racing but heads off into the murky world of family politics and dynamics. I honestly didn't see the final twist coming. This book takes the reader more into the police's role in detecting crime, the way in which they go about this and how it seems counter-intuitive to those involved before moving into the world of the courtroom. It is a novel with a good cast of main and supporting characters with a likeable hero. The book is well written and makes for compulsive reading, the outcome is highly satisfactory until the final twist where you question your own feelings and ultimately morals. Read it and find out. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

#GuiltyNotGuilty #NetGalley

This was something a bit different from Mr Francis as there is not much based at a Racecourse or stables. Yes, the action centres around a volunteer steward, Bill Russell, and we first meet him when he is officiating, but there's not much other horsey stuff going on. Not that that is a bad thing, just unexpected. There is however a whole load of legal stuff presented and procedures and the like which was in itself fascinating.
Bill is approached by a couple of police who inform him that his wife has been found murdered. Not only that but, due to fingers pointed his way, he is their number one suspect. He points fingers back but, first named, the press are onto him and he is pretty much hung out to dry in the media which subsequently leads to him suffering personally - if anyone can suffer more when already reeling from the death of a spouse. Talk about kick a man when he's down. So, he does what anyone would in the same situation, namely he sets out to prove his own innocence - well, the cops ain't doing it....!
Although well removed from the world of racing, all the other elements of the author's style is front and centre in this book. The plot is well crafted and executed without the need for superfluous waffle. There are a number of asides throughout, comparisons if you like, but these speak to add colour and background so are worth of inclusion.
Main character Bill is a great character. Born into privilege but happy to drop the "name" to make his own way in the world, he is pretty shocked at how the world turns against him on nothing more than a wild accusation. But the way that the layers of the case start to unravel, how things turn out when the wheels are set in motion only made me care about him more.
And we do have to talk about that ending. Well, obviously not in detail cos that would be a bit spoilery. Suffice to say that - well, it impressed the heck out of me - so clever. And so great for discussion in a reading club. Food for thought - what would you have done?
All in all another first past the post for Mr Francis. A great addition to an already impressive back catalogue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I always used to read Dick Francis books and thoroughly enjoyed them. They were exciting and fast paced thrillers which delivered time after time so when I saw this Felix Francis novel up for review on NetGalley I decided to give it a go. Would the son be able to hold my attention as his father had many years ago?
Guilty Not Guilty was written in a very similar style of writing and format to the old Dick Francis thrillers ; a likeable first person narrator hero who gets into trouble and has to use all his wits to rescue himself.
In this case it is Bill Russell, an actuary and volunteer steward at Warwick racecourse. One day whilst working at the races he is informed by the police that his wife, Amelia, has been murdered in their Oxfordshire home.
Bill is subsequently taken in for questioning although he claims he had nothing to do with the murder. He suspects his brother in law Joe who has had a long-standing feud with Bill and Amelia.
Dick Francis books were generally set around horse racing, after all he was a former jockey. I knew nothing of this world but still enjoyed his books.
This novel does have a bit about horse racing in it but it is not the central theme. Bill is a former Jockey and still attends races as a steward.
Characters do seem to be black and white- Bill seems genuinely lovely whilst Joe is really awful!
This was a good read, very much in the vein of the old style Dick Francis thrillers.
I enjoyed reading the book over the course of a few days and would definitely read another by Felix Francis as it was entertaining to read with a couple of twists which I didn’t see coming.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for an advance copy of Guilty Not Guilty, a stand alone thriller set in Oxfordshire.

William Gordon-Russell or Bill Russell as he prefers, is the police’s prime suspect in his wife Amelia’s murder. The media turns public opinion against him and he soon realises that not only will he have to prove his innocence he’ll have to find the guilty party.

I thoroughly enjoyed Guilty Not Guilty which is a tense, thought provoking thriller with some good twists. It is told in the first person from Bill’s point which, in this case, works extremely well as I lived every minute along side him. His life becomes a nightmare as he tries to grieve for his wife and, at the same time, fend off both the police and media accusations. His helplessness struck a cord with me - could there be anything worse than no one believing a word you say? - and I found it quite tense. I liked the way Mr Francis develops his story as Bill moves from helpless to proactive and I loved the final, clever twist.

Bill Russell is a fairly typical Francis protagonist. He is apparently an honest and decent man who married the love of his life and now finds himself in trouble. Yes, he has a few troubles which slowly come to the surface as the novel progresses and this is where the novel excels. The first person narrative helps the reader identify with him but you do wonder if he’s telling you the whole truth. Call me suspicious but I enjoyed the edginess of not knowing.

Guilty Not Guilty is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This book is an entertaining read but the plot lacks depth
The characters are likeable and relatable
It was easy to work out what the ending would be
An ok read

As a big fan of Dick and Felix Francis I was really looking forward to reading this, and once again it didn’t disappoint. Felix writes in a very similar vein to his dad, simple linear structure, first person past tense. So much better than all the new psychological thrillers written with multiple narratives and characters and a very annoying first person present tense drunken scrawl. Thank you Felix.
This book really does not feature horse racing. Yes, the lead character is a voluntary steward at race meetings, but the plot has nothing to do with horse racing. This would be my only quibble. With Dick and Felix you do expect horse racing to feature more.
Here, our hero is accused of murdering his wife, and the whole novel revolves round him trying to prove his innocence, whilst at the same time trying to prove that the wife’s brother is the real culprit.
As the title suggest, there is a fair bit of legal/court room drama about the book, especially in the last quarter.
And the last pages do provide a little twist, one I have to admit, I did not see coming.
I really liked this book and can’t wait until next years Francis instalment.

As you return to work following your summer break and the nights start drawing in and the temperature falls it is time for the annual Dick Francis novel to be published.

With his son, Felix, having taken over the role of author a few years ago it is his name on the cover of Guilty Not Guilty which fulfils all traditions with a fast paced, easy read and very enjoyable novel.

The links to horse racing are limited but this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book which is definitely recommended

Felix Francis just gets better and better. Originally I didn't read Dick Francis books because I knew nothing about horse racing. But then someone lent me one of his books and I realised that there was a lot more to them than horse racing. In fact both Felix and his father have researched in depth into subjects that border on horse racing and I have ended up reading most of the books by both authors but this one topped them all. Accused off killing his wife Bill struggles to get the police to consider anyone else was involved let alone prove his innocence His reputation is in tatters most of his neighbours also believe he is guilty and the press have a field day. from there it is a rollercoaster ride and his own life is in danger but just when you feel that justice has been done the rug is whipped from under your feet in the final nailbiting conclusion. One of the best books I have read lately worthy of 5 stars.