Under Orders (Published in 2006) - Written by Dick Francis - Another Sid Halley adventure

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.

Bloodline (Published in 2012) - Authored by Felix Francis, continuing with legacy of Dick Francis

In Bloodline, Mark Shillingford is a television commentator, and his twin sister Claire (the number of twins in Francis’ stories is mind boggling!) is a famous steeplechase jockey. Mark covers horse races, in most of which Claire is riding. On one such occasion, he brings to the notice of the audience that Claire deliberately lost a race, though this went unnoticed, supposedly, by many present. Angry that Mark should tell the world so, Claire and he have an angry exchange over a tension ridden meal later. Claire tells him that it isn’t such a grand deal, admitting that she has done so four or five times earlier. Leaving in a huff, the two return to their respective homes - when Mark arrives at his, the ID on the display of his phone tells him its Claire; anticipating more anger, he doesn’t answer her call. When he does choose to listen in - there is only silence from the other end, so he hangs up.
Several hours later, she is dead, plunging fifteen stories down to her death from the balcony of the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, central London. Mystery surrounds her death - did she jump or was she pushed? Why was she in a hotel in Park Lane, after having mentioned to Mark that she was, infact, heading for their home in Newmarket? The police support the suicide theory, insisting it makes sense after reading the note found in Claire’s room. Their father is cold and distant, sinking into the oblivion of gloom and anger after his daughter’s tragic demise. Only Mark seems hell bent on getting to the bottom of the conspiracy (if any) and wants to fight for justice for Claire.




Delving into the dark mystery, Mark uncovers a sinister plot dealing with fixing races; this supports his theory that Claire had no intention of killing herself. On the other hand, a yellow scribe writes a piece about Claire, being nasty and unkind to her to say the least, insinuating that Mark too has some murky skeletons in his closet. Later Toby Woodley, the rake writer, is found knifed to death; obviously, the police suspect Mark to have a hand. Later Mark discovers that Claire was a victim of blackmailing – her trainers and members of the equestrian fraternity seem involved.
The best aspect of the Francis duo is that the novels are simple narratives - not long winded and plagued with equine jargon. However one point to be made is that Felix has to learn to create male characters that respect women - Mark seems to bed them first, and as an afterthought enquire about their lives much later. The race fixing plot has been the discussed in Dick Francis’s other novels as well, but Felix Francis seems to rely heavily on it. Although Felix lacks his late father’s insight into the world of equestrian sport, yet has the requisite charm of storytelling given the fact that he co authored four novels with Dick, and of course, genes matter, too!
The book is the second solo attempt for Felix to keep the memory of his father alive - and although the Sr. Francis penned almost more than forty novels, his legacy seems to be in safe hands in the future!

Dead Heat (Published in 2007) - Authored by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Max Moreton is well known in the racing town of Newcastle, he owns a Michelin starred restaurant - the Hay Net. His connection to horses - both his brother and late father were horse trainers. The local community knows and respects him for his celebrity status as well as his success as a restaurateur, the youngest decorated chef etc. Unfortunately, this blissful state is short lived. After dining at the Hay Net, regrettably twenty four of his guest diners fall violently ill and are hospitalized. Their illness is linked to a possible case of food poisoning, the origins of which are further traced to Max’s restaurant. His business standing and goodwill take a direct hit when the Hay Net is forcibly closed by the Health Department; he faces a spate of ill luck and court cases.
Just hours later, Max is also seriously ill, so much so that he almost loses his life - could the poisoned food have found its way into his home as well? Despite the fact that he is so unwell, picking up the pieces, he sets about to cater at the Two Thousand Guineas one afternoon - the lunch is being hosted by an American company - Delafield Industries - which manufactures farming machinery. MaryLou Fordham, the lady in charge of the event is overly concerned that the function goes off well, even though a number of prominent faces will be missing after having taken ill. As his crew is serving lunch, a bomb blast rips through a boxed area seating (where a wealthy Arab prince and his entourage were to be seated), killing twenty people, and almost killing Max, too! MaryLou is critically injured and Max wonders whether she will survive. A young employee of his dies on the spot - the damage to life and property is colossal. The police think that the perpetrators of the crime have blown up the wrong box. Sadly, MaryLou loses both her legs in the blast and dies in hospital, part of the other fourteen dead.




Max is also being sued by a young violinist Caroline Aston, who is  part of a string quartet, who was at the Stakes; she holds him responsible for the loss of professional opportunity - their anger turns to strong attraction, though. The two fall in love and are engaged at the end of the novel. Amidst all the problems that’re piled up against him, Moreton is concerned and dogged in his determination about finding out who is responsible for this debacle?
His culinary reputation and business on the stake, Max Moreton sets out to clear his name - his findings lead him to the fact that kidney bean lectin, found in undercooked beans is responsible for the illness of his guests, including himself. However, there is one little detail that the Health and Police Departments need to be aware of - kidney beans weren’t on the menu the night the mishap took place.
After his wife Mary’s passing away in 2000, Dick’s son Felix worked with him to research on the next novels, co-writing with his father. Dead Heat is a refreshing look at the mystery genre the Francis duo are famous for, set in the world of hospitality, with the racetrack as a backdrop.

Whip Hand (Published in 1979) - Written by Dick Francis

Sid Halley never had it easy - orphaned at a young age, he became a racing trainer’s apprentice at fifteen, but was well looked after by his trainer who taught him the ways of the world and the racetrack - he became a champion jockey, turned sensible investments into a fortune, married for two years in happiness, two years in discord and one year in bitterness - divorced after five years – choosing the racetrack over marriage. Misfortune struck when his left hand was crippled after he fell from a horse, and the animal trampled his hand. Furthermore, it was amputated after a villain - Howard Craye, damaged it (Odds Against). He has still not come to terms with the loss of his limb and struggles to accept his new battery charged hand, all metal and plastic in place of sinew and blood.
As he sits watching a ‘decent comedy’ on  telly one evening, he is visited by Rosemary Caspar, the wife of a well to do, high flying trainer George Caspar, for whom Sid had ridden in the past. The lady suspects that someone is out to ruin her husband by sabotaging his thoroughbreds; sadly no one gives her any attention or believes in humoring her suspicions. A lot is at stake for the Caspars - their reputation, wealth and social standing, their future in racetracks and off course their beloved horses, who have suffered at the races, losing out to equine specimens lesser than them. Now there is Tri-Nitro, and Rosemary is concerned that he will suffer the same fate. She pleads with Sid to ensure that nothing happens to George’s thoroughbreds, he agrees to help.




Sid gets in touch with Bobby Unwin of the Daily Planet, who wrote a piece on George Caspar sometime ago. The journalist agrees to give him a copy of  the magazine when they meet. While he is trying to sort through affairs de Caspar, his ex father in law Admiral (retired) Charles Roland asks him to come over and meet Jenny, his ex as well as him. Apparently Jenny was swindled by a smooth talking conman, into doing some shady mail order business to raise money for charity - once Jenny rakes in the moolah, the conman disappears, leaving her to cover his tracks and answer to the donors; she also faces the horrific possibility of landing in prison!
A third sub plot is added, as Sid’s help is requested to investigate the shady dealings of many patrons and syndicates of the Jockey Club. Lord Friarly, Earl and landowner approaches Sid and tells him that he is concerned about how syndicate formers were buying horses cheap, selling them for four times the profit – it was legal up till then, but things went awry when these horses  failed to perform - the Earl suspects that the races are being fixed.
Sid has his hands full this time, and he is in a spin - yet, he never compromises on his ethics and ideals, ever the perfect Francis hero! Whip Hand is the only novel other than John Le Carre’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, to have received the Gold Dagger (Best Novel, 1979) and the Edgar Award (Best Novel,1980). For Dick Francis fans, this book can be enjoyed.

Reflex (A novel by Dick Francis) - Published in 1980 - Insurance conspiracy

Phillip Nore is lying with his face in the mud - thrown off an ill tempered, poorly trained horse; as he trudges uphill to where the rest of the jockeys are in the weighing room, he is constantly reminding himself of why he is a steeplechase jockey - he loves riding, he loves horses, and frankly, he doesn’t know how else to spend his life, other than pursuing his second love, amateur photography. He is reminiscing about another famous photographer - George Millace, father of Steve Millace, twenty three, serious jockey, upset that his prize winning dad is no more and his mum’s house has been burgled. Phil had been riding Steve’s horse, incidentally, when he had a fall.
Getting ready one day for his next race with Daylight, Phil is brimming with confidence as he is certain that he’ll win the race; however, the horse’s trainer Harold Osborne asks him to deliberately lose, just so that Victor Briggs, a moneyed horse owner who owned most of Osborne’s horses, had placed a bet on another horse winning. Harold does not want to displease his boss, and would rather compromise on the fair rules of the game than earn Victor’s ire. Phil is thirty years old, and has worked with Harold for seven years; he lost races intentionally for three, and knows full well that if he  were to disobey the boss’s orders, he might lose his job and worse, he may never be employed elsewhere either. However, Phil does not accept any remuneration for these fixed races, and refuses Victor’s generous offerings.




And so, Phil loses the race, so does Steve Millace, who also nurses a fractured collar bone and asks Phil to drive him to his mother’s in Ascot. The young man mentions to Phil how the late George Millace appreciated Phil’s talent for photography and thought he would make an ace photographer. As they near Steve’s home, they are shocked to see an ambulance and police car parked outside. Steve’s mother has been beaten black and blue, furniture is broken, the surroundings are in disarray. Phil accompanies the lady and her son to hospital, but not before he collects George’s ‘rubbish’- old film negatives and photographs, to sift through later.
Meeting a lawyer friend of his later, Phil sits down with Jeremy Folk and the two are surprised at the contents of George’s box. Some years ago, a man called Elgin Yaxley had received a huge sum in insurance after five of his thoroughbreds had been shot dead, the killer -Terence O’Tree had been sent to prison. Yaxley had told the authorities that he had never met O’Tree, and had no idea who he was; yet, George had photographed the two men at a French Café two years ago, before the incident had taken place (according to the date on the picture) – Terence was imprisoned and Elgin had raked in all the insurance money and gone away to Hong Kong. Obviously, the presence of the picture negated the man’s claims, and implicated him in fraud - could this be the reason why George’s house was ransacked and his poor wife attacked?
A refreshing story, told in Francis’s smooth and simple style of writing, Reflex will capture your imagination as the motive for murder and fraud take the reader by surprise. Phillip Nore is the quintessential Francis hero - principled and young, attractive and humble. Worth reading!

Driving Force - Authored by Dick Francis - Published in 1992

The creation of the character of Freddie Croft was perhaps inspired by Dick Francis’s own real life horse transporting business (or rather, his son's). Freddie Croft is an ex- jockey, who now makes a living transporting thoroughbreds around the UK, and in the EU, in ferries. Croft is an astute businessman, with a roaring enterprise called CROSS RACEWAYS. But even the best make mistakes and do not always lead a charmed life - a lesson Freddie learns the hard way.

Dave Yates and Brett Gardener stand before him, defensively whining it wasn’t their fault, that they had offered a ride to ‘four eyes’ when the truck was empty i.e sans the horses (it would invalidate the contract if they gave a lift while the consignment was on board). His cardinal rule, the only rule he had for them, was broken - and now the two stood like two sheep that have gone astray.

But, even so, things couldn’t have been all that bad - unless…the hitchhiker was to drop down stone cold dead! And, that is what had happened to him - the two men tried to wake him at Newbury. Not the atypical vagabond at the side of the road, as he’d expected, Freddie  thought to himself - the dead man was wearing a suit, his girth told the tale of a life spent pursuing gastronomical delights, his lay there, gold ring and ‘shoes pointing mutely to heaven’. His name, as evident by his credentials in a burgeoning wallet was Kevin Keith Ogden, from Nottingham.

Now, we all know, dead men tell no tales and are no good for business!  To make matters worse, a number of mysterious containers are found under the vehicles. The mechanic who made the discovery ends up being the second corpse. Could it be that Croft’s transport vehicles are being used as carriers for some sort of smuggling? These incidents also endanger Freddie Croft’s life - as he seems to get tangled in a web of deceit, betrayal and insurmountable dangers.

Jogger, Freddie's mechanic, who finds containers attached under many of the transport vans, ends up with a broken neck in the inspection pit. Croft is kidnapped and almost drowned. Freddie also comes to the conclusion that this is bigger than he can single handedly solve - Nina, an investigator from the Jockey Club Security steps in to help him. She is chosen to work undercover in the business. The stakes in this conspiracy are high, and they threaten the existence of both Freddie and his business. Also, he uncovers a sinister plot to kill these precious horses through disease. Another prominent clue is the discovery of strange fluids – his sister, a chopper flying scientist suggests a drug-smuggling angle.

Francis has a way with describing the characters in his book - gay drivers, cockney, diligent policemen,  a chopper flying sister, a lover who is older than Freddie - all add flavor to the colorful landscape of Driving Force. A wonderful narrative, with harrowing details of Freddie Croft’s ordeals whilst battling villains and conspiracies. Dick Francis is a master story teller who engages the reader; if this is your first time read, be prepared to get hooked!

Field of 13 - Short stories by Dick Francis - Published in 1998

In 1956, Dick Francis, a steeplechase jockey, riding Devon Loch, the Queen Mother’s horse, was in for a win, when mysteriously, it appeared as if the horse were jumping a phantom fence, collapsing 50 yards from the winning post in the Grand National in 1956.

There was no looking back, as the once celebrated and respected jockey, turned his innate sense of the magnificent animal to help him create characters and stories that have captivated readers since the 1960s.
Field of 13 was written in 1998, and is a collection of short stories by this sensitive and insightful author:

1. Raid at Kingdom Hill
This short story first appeared in The Times, 1975. It talks about a bomb scare in a fictional racetrack called Kingdom Hill. What started out as a figment of the Author’s imagination , unfortunately found place in real life, when the 1997 Grand National Steeplechase was halted due to a bomb hoax.

2. Dead on Red
The fast paced story of French hit man Emil Jacques, who targets a jockey Red Millbrook, on behest of a jealous peer Davey Rockman. Jacques is famed in his field and is also a gun collector, hired to kill Red, a famed rider, who stole Rockman’s job.

3. Song for Mona
A mother’s love for horses is the cause for her daughter’s shame and disdain. Mona Watkins loves her animals, this is her livelihood as well as her passion, but is Joanie Vine’s embarrassment, as it hinders her efforts to climb the social ladder.

4. Bright White Star
This story first appeared in Cheshire Life, in 1979.It talks about a tramp and a horse that is stolen on Christmas Eve.

5. Collision Course
The story subtly talks of divine retribution, of how a newspaper editor who has lost his job, earns justice upon a malevolent restaurateur and horse trainer.

6. Nightmare
It first appeared in The Times, 13 April 1974. Story about a horse thief, eluding his past, when his father is killed in the heist.

7. Carrot for a Chestnut
His first short story, written eight years after the debut novel, appeared in Sports Illustrated, in 1970. Chestnut is fed carrots laced with drugs; the jockey is fed a just dessert when he starts to lose concentration and meets with a terrible accident.

8. The Gift
The story first appeared as "A Day of Wine and Roses" in Sports Illustrated, 1973. It is the story about an alcoholic, a former racing writer a pickpocket and a plan to fix the Kentucky Derby.

9. Spring Fever
The story is about unrequited love and the pain of rejection, when a jockey and trainer hatch a plan to embezzle 12000£ from a smitten owner; it first appeared in Women's Own magazine, 1980.

10. Blind Chance
The story first appeared as "Twenty-one Good Men and True" in Verdict of Thirteen: A Detection Club Anthology, 1979. It is about a blind boy who gathers information of how bettors are getting information on races.

11. Corkscrew
The touching story of an honest man charged with a crime he did not commit, whilst his dishonest lawyer swindles the man’s parents out of bail money.

12. The Day of the Losers
It first appeared in Horse and Hound, February 1977. Story of money from an old robbery, police plan to stop a race from getting fixed to catch a crook.

13. Haig's Death
The story of what the outcome will be after a race - the fate of many rests in the hands of the judge.