Showing posts with label Dick Francis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dick Francis. Show all posts

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Reviews of the First Three Books in the Sid Halley Series


Dick Francis was a well-known British steeple-chase jockey who, after retiring from one profession, became an internationally known author of horse-racing mysteries. 


Horse Racing on a racetrack

Dick Francis wrote more than 40 novels, which were mainly stand-alone stories with a single central character. The main characters in each book were not repeated in other books. There was one exception due to one character becoming so popular that Francis’ readers asked for more. Thus, the author began the Sid Halley series.


Character Sid Halley was a steeplechase jockey until an injury left him with a crippled hand. He subsequently became a one-handed private investigator after discovering he had a natural affinity for the work. His specialty, due to his considerable knowledge of the horse racing industry, becomes centered around crimes related to racing. Dick Francis featured him in three novels.


Review of the First Three Novels Featuring Sid Halley


Odds Against (1965)


Former jockey Sid Halley landed a position with a detective agency following a career-ending injury. While setting a trap to catch a penny-ante thug, Sid lets down his guard and ends up getting shot.


While recovering from his bullet wound at the home of his former father-in-law, Charles, he is intrigued to learn that some invited weekend guests are planning a takeover of a famous race course with the intent of selling the land for housing and making a bundle. Charles wants Sid to prevent this from happening, but these criminals are experts and have gotten away with similar situations in the past. 


Halley goes up against them, and finds the odds are against him succeeding, or even surviving. 


Whip Hand (1979)


Sid Halley, ex-jockey turned detective, returns in the second book in the Sid Halley series. Sid lost his left hand due to an earlier racing accident and subsequent beating by thugs. Now he is spending his time working as an investigator, specializing in racing crimes, helped by fellow detective Chico Barnes. 


Sid & Chico suddenly find themselves in the middle of investigating three different horse racing problems at the same time. 


First, a trainer’s wife wants them to look into problems in her husband’s racing stables involving horses whose 2-year-old form are failing as 3-year-olds.


Then, Charles, Sid’s ex-father-in-law, asks Sid to find a man who has conned Sid’s ex-wife Jenny and left her in police trouble over a fake charity.


Finally, Sid & Chico are approached by both a racehorse owner and Lucas Wainwright, head of the Jockey Club’s security service, to look into certain syndicates which should not have gotten through the checking process. 


A fascinating Dick Francis thriller.


Come to Grief (1995)


Sid Halley returns in book #3 in the series.


Still continuing to work as a private investigator, Sid goes to help solve the problem of who could have maimed a pony belonging to a little girl suffering from leukemia. While investigating, Sid discovers that there have been several shocking violent acts against horses left unattended overnight in fields. 


Sid eventually becomes convinced that the perpetrator is one of racing’s most beloved figures - and a personal close friend. The case thus becomes the most troubling of his career.


Summary


These first three books in the Sid Halley series set the stage for a continuation of the series by Dick Francis’ son Felix. The rest of the series will be found in another review coming soon.


*The Sid Halley series of book reviews is written by Wednesday Elf

 




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Saturday, May 11, 2019

Book Review of Straight – A Horse Racing Mystery

A collage of the Book Straight, a row of books on a shelf and an image of the authors
Collage created on Fotojet
by Dick Francis

I have been a fan of the books by Dick Francis since the 1970s. I own them all and now am collecting them for my daughter, who has also become a huge fan. 

The Dick Francis books revolve around horse racing in England.  Most of the books are  stand-alone stories (not continuing), although there are 3 short sets of continuing characters among the Francis collection.  The main character and narrator of each story is somehow associated with horse racing. He may be a jockey, a trainer, a racehorse owner, or someone in another profession somehow linked to racing. 

I love each and every one of the 40+ books Dick Francis wrote and re-read them frequently. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to name a favorite.  

That said, I would like to review for you now one I just finished re-reading that is among those of my top favorites of the Francis collection ~ entitled Straight. As with all of the stories, it deals with crime in the horse racing world. 


Synopsis of Straight


Straight, by Dick Francis book cover
Available on Amazon
Straight, published in 1989, features a steeplechase jockey, Derek Franklin, as the main character and narrator of the story. While recovering from an injury, Derek receives news that his older brother, Greville, has died in an accident. Greville was a successful gemstone importer in London. He did not import diamonds, but recently did so for one specific customer who creates beautiful pieces studded with gems. 

Therein, lies the problem. Derek has no idea where the 100 diamonds are, due to his brother's need for secrecy, and it soon becomes apparent that unscrupulous others are also looking for them. The bank holds a loan of $1.5 million dollars for the diamonds and the gemstone business Derek has inherited and is now trying to run is in jeopardy if the diamonds cannot be found.  Danger suddenly surrounds Derek on all fronts and his only hope of survival is to identify the enemy. 



Derek says: “I inherited my brother's desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress.  I inherited my brother's life, and it nearly killed me.”


Author Dick Francis


Author Dick Francis
(c) Wednesday Elf
Personal Photo of my
Copy of this book
Dick Francis was a pilot with the RAF (Royal Air Force) during World War II and after the war became a highly successful professional jockey. In fact, he was a jockey for The Queen Mother's (Queen Elizabeth) horse, the story of which is outlined in “The Sport of Queens”, an autobiography published in 1957. 

After retiring from racing as a jockey, Francis worked as a racing correspondent for a newspaper, and also began to write his horse racing mystery stories. A nearly unknown fact is that his wife, Mary, was his researcher and a major contributor to his stories. In fact, during the many and varied  subjects she researched, Mary became a pilot (3 novels feature a pilot) and a photographer for a book about a race course photographer. 


Author, Dick Francis and his son and co-author, Felix Francis
Dick Francis with son Felix Francis

Near the end of his writing career, and after Mary's death in 2000, his son, Felix, became his writing partner. 

Dick Francis was born on Halloween in 1910 and died on Valentine's Day in 2010 at age 89. His son, Felix Francis has continued writing the Dick Francis Mysteries ever since. I am delighted that my favorite series of books continues to this day. The subject matter is still about horse racing, mainly in England, and involves a mystery to be solved. Felix's writing style is very similar to that of his dad and just as enjoyable to read. 


Summary



Personal library of Dick & Felix Francis books
My Dick Francis Book Collection
(c) Wednesday Elf

I highly recommend Straight, or any of the other Dick Francis and Felix Francis horse racing mysteries. You don't even have to like horses or be a fan of racing to enjoy these stories, as the writing is superb, the characters interesting, and the stories fascinating. 














(c) Wednesday Elf - 5/11/2019




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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