I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of Pulse, a stand alone racing thriller set in Cheltenham.

Chris Rankin is an on duty A&E consultant when an unconscious man is brought in with heart problems. Sadly the man does not respond to treatment and dies shortly after being admitted. Chris has her own mental health issues and starts to obsess about the identity of the well dressed stranger whom she is convinced was murdered.

I enjoyed Pulse. The plot, while hardly realistic, held my interest throughout and gets quite exciting at the end. I must admit that I found it hard to believe that Chris found out so much when the police couldn't but it makes for a good read. I also think that the plot is quite simple as there are no real twists but again it makes for a good, easy read.

Mr Francis excels in his description of Chris's mental issues and the first person narrative adds extra impact, making it very personal. Depression and anorexia nervosa are not easy subjects to either discuss or describe and yet he nails them accurately and without fuss both from Chris herself and others' reactions. It's impressive. These conditions do not make Chris a particularly likeable character but the first person narrative does much to mitigate this.

I found the medical treatments described early in the novel a bit too detailed and unnecessary as they slow down the momentum of the novel but fortunately Mr Francis keeps them to a necessary minimum after that. In contrast the role of the race course medic and how they system works are fascinating. I learned a lot in an interesting way.

Pulse is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Boy, it's been a fair while since I read a Dick/Felix Francis book and, after devouring this book in only a couple of days I am at a loss as to why they have fallen off my radar. Something to definitely rectify methinks.
So, Chris is a trauma doctor at an A&E department close to Cheltenham racecourse. She is not without her own personal demons and has an ongoing struggle with depression and anxiety, just about managing to keep her professional head above water. She is on duty when an unidentified, unconscious man is brought in. She makes a judgement call to administer treatment but is called away to another trauma before his outcome is known. She later finds out that he has died and that her actions, and indeed recent behaviour, is being questioned. She's suspended from the hospital and the death ruled out as murder. She has her doubts and begins to obsess over the man and the events leading up to his death. Still on the rota as a doctor for the racecourse, she starts her own investigation and it soon transpires that there are people who would prefer she didn't. With the police writing her off as basically a nutter, can she get to the truth herself, and at what personal cost as her family too is dragged into the mire.
Ok, so there were some things in the plot of this book that had me questioning things but, on balance, it was such and interesting and indeed intriguing read that I was easily able to forgive any misgivings I had and let the story take me to all the dark and scary places it took Chris.
This decision was aided by the fact that her mental health issues were very well described and handled in this book so it was easy to connect to her and emote with her throughout all that was happening. The story also got on with itself nicely so there was never a place that I was able to easily put the book down so I was inspired to read through any difficulties I was having along the way as I really wanted to get to the bottom of it all. That's really the point of what an author wants to achieve so in that respect, it was a job well done.
I also found the timeline rather refreshing. Where in some books, the crime is solved in quick smart (often unrealistic) time, here the story spanned many months which, considering the fact that the guy was hard to identify, made it much more credible.
The reasons for certain events happening were also quite pertinent to some of the things that are really happening in sport these days too. I am not going to qualify this as to do so would include spoilers but it did add a whole other layer to the more well known and indeed prevalent, shenanigans usually found around the sport of kings.
All in all, a timely reminder of an author I really should not be passing by. I'm off to check out the books I have missed along the way and intend to play catch up as soon as I can.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Dr Chris Rankin is a consultant doctor in Emergency Medicine at Cheltenham Hospital, but also a doctor suffering from depression & other has health problems.
One evening a smartly dressed man found unconscious at the local racecourse is rushed in to A & E, where he subsequently dies. But who is he? Where does he come from? He had no form of identification on him, and no one claims the body.
Chris is intrigued by the nameless dead man, obsessed even, and so starts asking questions. However, someone doesn’t want the questions answered and will go to any lengths to prevent it, including attempting murder.
Another gripping, engrossing page turning novel that I read in a day as I couldn’t put it down. The pace is fast & at times I couldn’t read fast enough! The characters as always have plenty of depth. I felt I knew Chris by the end. There is a mix of corruption, murder & mystery. I love the Francis novels & this doesn’t disappoint, I hope they keep on coming

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another great read from Felix Frances and a totally new angle of horse racing from the view of the race course doctor. A very likeable,human heroine, highlighting her problems in a very sympathetic way
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