Richard Stanley Francis or Dick Francis was born in Pembrokshire, Wales, England on October 20th 1920. His father was a renowned jockey and Francis was catapulted in to the world of Horses, Jockeys and racing. He droppd out of school to train as a Jockey and was fighter pilot in the Royal Air-force during World War II. After the war Francis became a celebrity Champion Jockey winning over 350 races. He was the lead Jockey for the Queen Mother. But he had to drop out of Horse racing after a serious fall an d became a racing correspondent for Sunday Express. Dick Francis churned out numerous best sellers and most of his books deal with the mysteries in the realm of Horse racing and Jockeys. He wrote more than 40 international best sellers and is the recipient of numerous awards. Being a three time recipient of Mystery writer of America's Edgar Award he was made the Grand master of MWA. He is also the recipient of Britain's Crime Writers Association's Gold Dagger Award for fiction in 1979 and the Cartier Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award. He also has the Gumshoe award to his credit. He was accorded in CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
Odds Against can easily be one of the great mysteries of Dick Francis. Sid Halley is one of those for whom leadership is thrust upon and find to their surprise that they wear it well. We find easy to relate to this simple down to earth guy who fights against injury, bad luck and divorce to find a way.
Maybe that is why Dick Francis conferred this unlikely honor of featuring Halley in three of his books, not a bad decision many would agree. Sid Halley is an impoverished teenager who drops out of school to train as a jockey. Soon he is a success in the racing circuit, has great investments and a lovely wife. When life seems to be going great, he has a fall and is forced out off his racing career, looses much of his money and faces the stark reality of a divorce. Sid continues life as a private investigator for Hunt Radnor Associates Detective Agency and is soon dubbed a failure. The moment of epiphany happens when he is shot in the arm during a skirmish with a petty thief and his life, success, failure's, love and divorce flash before his eyes, and Sid chooses to turn it around.
Sid's ex-Father-in-law, admiral Charles Rowland invites him over to his farm house to recuperate. Rowland introduces him to Howard Kraye who plans to take over Seabury Racecourse, Halley's old Racing haven. Rowland suspects Kraye sabotaging the races to induce a take over bid of the course. A series of bad accidents and death has many believing that Seabury is jinxed improving Kraye's chances. Halley has the unenviable task of investigating the ruthless Kraye and his wife Doria who treat the less fortunate as dirt and plans to build condo's at Seabury. Sid is fully recharges to save his old institution and it does not come easy, but he does it.
Dick Francis builds the suspense with each page and I have literally chewed all my nails in anticipation of the showdown. The villains do not get any of the sympathies which is very uncharacteristic of Francis. But as Sid slowly peels away each layer of deception we have nothing but to rejoice at the revival of the man who was a goner. Good book for all times.
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