The Edge
M. Joseph, 1986; Putnam, 1989
Characters
- Tor Kelsey
- (short for Torquil), also known as Tommy, a waiter on the train - 29, investigator for the British Jockey Club
- Derry Welfram
- worked for Filmer as a frightener, died of a heart attack
- John Millington
- deputy head of the Jockey Club Security Service
- Julius Apollo Filmer
- 48, horse owner, company director
- Aunt Viv Kelsey
- raised Tor after his parents died
- Ezra Gideon
- one of the natural aristocrats of racing, committed suicide
- Paul Shacklebury
- murdered stable lad
- Brigadier Valentine Catto
- director of Security for the British Jockey Club
- Clement Cornborough
- trustee of Tor's money, Val Catto's friend
- Bill Baudelaire
- director of Security for the Ontario Jockey Club
- Robbie
- actor, lives in house share with Tor and several others
- "Nervous man"
- Ivor Horfitz's son, Jason
- "Thin man"
- Ivor J. Horfitz, trainer who was warned off for life from racing, Jason's dad
- Nell Richmond
- works for Merry and Company (travel organizers)
- Harrison
- works for British Jockey Club Security Service
- Collie Goodboy
- bookmaker
- Hal Quentin
- Daffodil's late husband
- Emil
- head waiter on the train
- Oliver & Cathy
- waiters on the train
- George Burley
- the train's conductor
- Leslie Brown
- the dragon lady set to watch over the horses and grooms on the train
- Robert & Mike
- engineers on the train
- Angus
- head chef on the train
- Simone
- assistant chef
- Mrs. Baudelaire
- Bill's mother, dying of cancer
- Clarrie Baudelaire
- Bill's daughter
- Nancy
- Clarrie's friend
- Leonard (Lenny) Higgs
- groom for Laurentide Ice
- "Johnson"
- gaunt face, frightener for Filmer, ex-railwayman (real name: Alex Mitchell McLachlan)
- Daffodil Quentin
- owner of Laurentide Ice
- The Lorrimores (Mercer, Bambi, Sheridan & Xanthe)
- one of the richest families in Canada, owners of Voting Right
- Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Unwin
- Australian, owners of Upper Gumtree
- Albert Cumberland (Cumber) and Rose Young
- friends of Ezra Gideon, owners of Sparrowgrass
- Julius Apollo Filmer
- half owner of Laurentide Ice
- Mr. & Mrs. Wordmaster
- "The Redi-Hots"
- owners of Redi-Hot
- "The Flokatis"
- owners of Flokati
- David Flynn ("Zak")
- head actor
- "Mavis and Walter Bricknell"
- owners of Calculator
- "Ricky"
- groom
- "Raoul"
- racehorse trainer for the Bricknells, their guest on the train
- "Ben"
- an old groom who has ridden in a few races
- "Giles"
- the murderer
- "Angelica"
- the first victim
- "Pierre"
- a compulsive gambler in love with Donna
- "Donna"
- the Bricknells' daughter
- "James Winterbourne"
- big name in the Ontario Jockey Club
Favorite passages
I found a fun reference in The Edge that everyone might not get. Living in Utah, these references always make me laugh. When one of the actors first meets the Youngs he says,
So you are Mr. and Mrs. Young. Any relation to Brigham? No? Never mind.
:) If you didn't get the joke, send me a quick email & I'll explain.
Just FYI: In "A Personal Glimpse of Dick Francis" at the end of Bolt, they say that as part of his research for The Edge, Dick Francis and his wife took the Dick Francis Mystery Train across Canada.
For a favorite quote, I loved one of the last paragraphs:
Mercer turned toward me, speechless, brimming to overflowing with inexpressible emotion, wanting to laugh, wanting to cry, like all owners at the fulfillment of a dreamed-of success. The sheen in his eyes was the same the world over: the love of the flying thoroughbred, the perfection of winning a great race.
Chosen by members of the reading group in the late 1990s. From The Edge by Dick Francis.
The group read it
We discussed The Edge on March 9, 1998 and again on March 8, 1999.
This page was first written for the reading group's original site in the late 1990s and was lost when AOL Hometown closed. It has been recovered from the Internet Archive.