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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | FIC (M) FRANCIS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | MYS FRANCIS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Sid Halley's glory days as a jockey are over, but he still finds a certain satisfaction in successfully solving a case. His latest one, though, could prove to be his undoing.
Summary
Ex-jockey and private investigator Sid Halley is approached by the wife of an elite racehorse trainer, who begs his help in figuring out why her husband's most promising horses have been performing so poorly. At first Halley thinks she's overreacting and the losing streak is just dumb luck. But now he's beginning to think it's something far more dangerous.
Author Notes
Dick Francis was born in Wales on October 31, 1920. Because his father was a professional steeplechase jockey and a stable manager, Francis grew up around horses, and after a stint as a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he became a steeplechase jockey himself, turning professional in 1948. He was named champion jockey of the 1953-54 racing season by the British National Hunt after winning more than 350 races and was retained as jockey to the queen mother for four seasons.
When he retired from racing in 1957 at the age of 36, Francis went to work as a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express, a London paper, where he worked for 16 years. In the early sixties, he decided to combine his love of mysteries with his knowledge of the racing world, and published Dead Cert in 1962. Set mostly in the racing world, he has written more than 40 novels including Forfeit, Blood Sport, Slay-Ride, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Smoke Screen, High Stakes, and Long Shot. He wrote his last four books Dead Heat, Silks, Even Money, and Crossfire with his son Felix Francis.
He has received numerous awards including the Silver Dagger award from Britain's Crime Writers Association for For Kicks, the Gold Dagger award for Whip Hand, the Diamond Dagger award in 1990, and three Edgar awards. He died on February 14, 2010 at the age of 89.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Dick Francis was born in Wales on October 31, 1920. Because his father was a professional steeplechase jockey and a stable manager, Francis grew up around horses, and after a stint as a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he became a steeplechase jockey himself, turning professional in 1948. He was named champion jockey of the 1953-54 racing season by the British National Hunt after winning more than 350 races and was retained as jockey to the queen mother for four seasons.
When he retired from racing in 1957 at the age of 36, Francis went to work as a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express, a London paper, where he worked for 16 years. In the early sixties, he decided to combine his love of mysteries with his knowledge of the racing world, and published Dead Cert in 1962. Set mostly in the racing world, he has written more than 40 novels including Forfeit, Blood Sport, Slay-Ride, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Smoke Screen, High Stakes, and Long Shot. He wrote his last four books Dead Heat, Silks, Even Money, and Crossfire with his son Felix Francis.
He has received numerous awards including the Silver Dagger award from Britain's Crime Writers Association for For Kicks, the Gold Dagger award for Whip Hand, the Diamond Dagger award in 1990, and three Edgar awards. He died on February 14, 2010 at the age of 89.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
After a dull departure into spy/terrorism (Trial Run), Francis clearly wants to get back on the track--and he does it by reviving lame ex-jockey/private-eye Sid Halley (Odds Against, 1966), whose sleuthing led to his losing a hand (he now has a nifty motorized one). Despite such disabilities, narrator Sid takes on three simultaneous cases here: one for friendship (figuring out why a trainer's most promising horses have all been losing, then dying); one for love (tracking down the con-man who has made an unwitting criminal out of Sid's bitter ex-wife Jenny); and one for profit (checking up on a crooked racing official). Francis fans will not be surprised to learn that Sid's snooping brings him physical ordeals--locked in a horse trailer, beaten with chains. But there's also a delightfully surprising balloon race (Sid needs to interview the balloonist), Francis sentiment at its best (Sid's relationship with his beloved ex-father-in-law), and a nice enough final twist. True, some will find Sid's heroism a bit much (""Isn't there anything . . . that you're afraid of?"" the villain asks Sid in the book's last line); and the triple-focus--perhaps designed for the TV version to be seen here in the spring--never equals the impact of the best, relentless Francis adventures. But, even if not quite topnotch, this is the steeplechaser in his old, tough, vivid manner, a solid winner in just about any mystery/adventure race around. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Kirkus Review
After a dull departure into spy/terrorism (Trial Run), Francis clearly wants to get back on the track--and he does it by reviving lame ex-jockey/private-eye Sid Halley (Odds Against, 1966), whose sleuthing led to his losing a hand (he now has a nifty motorized one). Despite such disabilities, narrator Sid takes on three simultaneous cases here: one for friendship (figuring out why a trainer's most promising horses have all been losing, then dying); one for love (tracking down the con-man who has made an unwitting criminal out of Sid's bitter ex-wife Jenny); and one for profit (checking up on a crooked racing official). Francis fans will not be surprised to learn that Sid's snooping brings him physical ordeals--locked in a horse trailer, beaten with chains. But there's also a delightfully surprising balloon race (Sid needs to interview the balloonist), Francis sentiment at its best (Sid's relationship with his beloved ex-father-in-law), and a nice enough final twist. True, some will find Sid's heroism a bit much (""Isn't there anything . . . that you're afraid of?"" the villain asks Sid in the book's last line); and the triple-focus--perhaps designed for the TV version to be seen here in the spring--never equals the impact of the best, relentless Francis adventures. But, even if not quite topnotch, this is the steeplechaser in his old, tough, vivid manner, a solid winner in just about any mystery/adventure race around. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.