Teaser Tuesday two-fer

It's the "recently deceased thriller writer" edition of Teaser Tuesday as I have managed to get my hands on both the newly published Dick Francis (and Felix Francis) and a Spenser novel that just came out, written by Robert B. Parker in the year before he died.

The first teaser is from Crossfire, the latest in a long line of Francis thrillers set in the world of British horseracing. Our first person protagonist this time is a soldier recently returned from Afghanistan whose mother is a top-level horse trainer.

I had stood silently in front of him, blocking his route away, waiting for the answer. He hadn't wanted to tell me, but he could see that I wasn't going to move until he did.

"It was a million U.S. dollars."

Having finished that on Sunday, I've now started on Painted Ladies, the Spenser novel. More than two sentences are required.

"Do you have a gun?" he said.
"Of course," I said.
"Have you ever used it?" he said.
"Yes."
"To shoot somebody?"
"Mostly I use the front sight to pick my teeth," I said.

Bittersweet, these books, knowing the authors have died. The copyright for the Dick Francis is the "Dick Francis Corporation;" for Parker, it's "The Estate of Robert B. Parker." For all that I don't know these people, I've known their work for a long, long time. And they did good, solid work year in and year out, greatly to be commended.

It's going to be hard not having them around.

Details on Teaser Tuesday is found at Should Be Reading.