Sid Halley makes his fourth appearance in Dick Francis’s Under Orders. Born out of wedlock, apprenticed to a Newmarket racing trainer, he held the esteemed status of champion jockey – five odd years in a row. Now divorced from Jenny, his state of forced bachelorhood has lasted ten years. Sid lost the use of his left hand in two serious incidents - the first was an accident involving a horse, the second a deliberate intent to hurt. He now has an electronically charged prosthetic hand, which he has slowly grown attached to! Rear Admiral (retd) Charles Rowland may be his former father in law, yet the two men are great friends despite their many differences, including age and profession. On one particularly windy, gray morning, the two head for the Cheltenham Races, where the Gold Cup for amateur riders is in progress.
As he is hobnobbing with ex jockeys and the media, attention is brought to the screams for help – a lady sobs by her husband, as he lies lifeless – all efforts to resuscitate him are fruitless - sad end for a man whose horse just came in first. Sid makes his way to the grandstand where Charles and Lord Enstone are awaiting his arrival. The latter is concerned that the reason why his horses aren’t doing well is because someone is fixing the races. Shortly after, another jockey Huw Walter and his horse are also found dead. Huw, it was believed had been involved in shady deals, his boss and trainer Bill Burton – is suspected of the murder. This sad death happens within hours of Walter’s having won the coveted Triumph Hurdle.
However, when Bill is also found murdered in his home, he is off the list of suspects; the local police try and piece together a theory that he may have committed suicide after being ridden with guilt over Huw’s murder. Sid doesn’t buy the theory. Himself a private investigator of some repute, he finds it hard to believe that such a thing could transpire, believing there to be a common hand in all deaths. Amidst this entirely distressing and depressing scenario enters Marina van der Meer, a Dutch beauty and force multiplier in changing Sid’s status from single divorced male to his status changing to committed. Marina is also embroiled in the dangers of Sid’s sleuthing, as she is shot in her leg. Charles’s dire warning comes to his mind that while the villains can’t harm Sid’s prosthetic arm, they’d harm his near and dear ones.
It turns out that Lord Enstone’s estranged son Peter and his partner Juliet may have something to do with all this ruckus, after all it is no secret that the boy hates his father. In a bid to harm Sid, Peter tries stabbing him, but is hurt in the bargain - maybe in need of an artificial limb at the end of the encounter! All’s well that ends well, for Marina and Sid get hitched.
Dick Francis has the innate ability to mix crime thrillers and horse racing. A deserving awardee for the Crime Writers Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger, Francis paints in Sid the quintessential caricature of a man committed to his principles and belief in the general good, despite having gone through demanding odds in his own personal as well as professional life.
+-+Written+by+Dick+Francis+-+Another+Sid+Halley+adventure.jpg "Under Orders (Published in 2006) - Written by Dick Francis - Another Sid Halley adventure")
As he is hobnobbing with ex jockeys and the media, attention is brought to the screams for help – a lady sobs by her husband, as he lies lifeless – all efforts to resuscitate him are fruitless - sad end for a man whose horse just came in first. Sid makes his way to the grandstand where Charles and Lord Enstone are awaiting his arrival. The latter is concerned that the reason why his horses aren’t doing well is because someone is fixing the races. Shortly after, another jockey Huw Walter and his horse are also found dead. Huw, it was believed had been involved in shady deals, his boss and trainer Bill Burton – is suspected of the murder. This sad death happens within hours of Walter’s having won the coveted Triumph Hurdle.
However, when Bill is also found murdered in his home, he is off the list of suspects; the local police try and piece together a theory that he may have committed suicide after being ridden with guilt over Huw’s murder. Sid doesn’t buy the theory. Himself a private investigator of some repute, he finds it hard to believe that such a thing could transpire, believing there to be a common hand in all deaths. Amidst this entirely distressing and depressing scenario enters Marina van der Meer, a Dutch beauty and force multiplier in changing Sid’s status from single divorced male to his status changing to committed. Marina is also embroiled in the dangers of Sid’s sleuthing, as she is shot in her leg. Charles’s dire warning comes to his mind that while the villains can’t harm Sid’s prosthetic arm, they’d harm his near and dear ones.
It turns out that Lord Enstone’s estranged son Peter and his partner Juliet may have something to do with all this ruckus, after all it is no secret that the boy hates his father. In a bid to harm Sid, Peter tries stabbing him, but is hurt in the bargain - maybe in need of an artificial limb at the end of the encounter! All’s well that ends well, for Marina and Sid get hitched.
Dick Francis has the innate ability to mix crime thrillers and horse racing. A deserving awardee for the Crime Writers Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger, Francis paints in Sid the quintessential caricature of a man committed to his principles and belief in the general good, despite having gone through demanding odds in his own personal as well as professional life.
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