Under Orders (Sid Halley Series #4)

Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than one eyebrow."It's the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day that really troubles super-sleuth Sid Halley. Last seen in 1995's Come to Grief, former champion jockey Halley knows the perils of racing all too well-but in his day, jockeys didn't usually reach the finishing line with three .38 rounds in the chest. But this is precisely how he finds jockey Huw Walker-who, only a few hours earlier, had won the coveted Triumph Hurdle.
Just moments before the gruesome discovery, Halley had been called upon by Lord Enstone to make discreet inquiries into why his horses appeared to be on a permanent losing streak. Are races being fixed? Are bookies taking a cut? And if so, are trainers and jockeys playing a dangerous game with stakes far higher than they are realistic?
Halley's quest for answers draws him even deeper into the darker side of the race game, in a life-or-death power play that will push him to his very limits-both professionally and personally.

About the Author
DICK FRANCIS is the author of more than forty books, including the volume of short stories Field of 13, most recently, the New York Times bestseller Shattered, and his autobiography, The Sport of Queens. A three-time Edgar Award winner, he has also received the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre. He was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1996, and was awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2000. He divides his time between England and an island in the Caribbean.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Ending a six-year publishing hiatus (after the tragic death of his wife and fellow collaborator, Mary, in 2000), the 86-year-old Grand Master of Crime Fiction, Dick Francis, is back with a new mystery starring ex-jockey/detective Sid Halley (Come to Grief, Whip Hand, et al.).

Halley and his best friend -- his former father-in-law, Charles Rowland -- are enjoying a day at the races, attending the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup in Gloucestershire. The event, however, is marred by three bizarre deaths: A fan suffers a heart attack; Oven Cleaner, a "god among racehorses," suddenly dies after winning a race; and an acclaimed jockey named Huw Walker is found dead with three bullet holes in his chest. Halley is hired on to investigate, but the allegedly open-and-shut case involving marital infidelity soon becomes complicated with rumors of race fixing and high-stakes gambling.

Under Orders is unquestionably vintage Francis; but the story behind the novel is what makes this release so noteworthy. For years, Francis has credited his beloved wife with playing an integral role in the creation of his novels -- as editor, researcher, and even coauthor. Under Orders, the first novel since her passing, is interspersed with lines that could have much deeper, more intimate connotations: "To love someone is a delight; to be loved back as well is a joy beyond measure." One thing is certain: After six years, Francis is right where he belongs -- back in the literary saddle. Paul Goat Allen

About The Author:

Dick Francis was born in Lawrenny, South Wales in 1920. He served in the Royal Air Force for six years during World War II, piloting fighter and bomber aircraft including the Spitfire and Lancaster between 1943 and 1946.

Following the war, Francis, the son of a jockey, became a celebrity in the world of British National Hunt racing. He won more than 350 races, was Champion Jockey in 1953-1954, and was retained as jockey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for four seasons, 1953 through 1957. Francis rode eight times in the world famous Grand National Steeplechase, and nearly won in 1956 when his horse, the Queen Mother's Devon Loch, a few strides away from victory with a clear field, suddenly collapsed. This incident, which Francis calls "both the high point and low point of my career as a jockey," was the impetus for him to begin a second career as a writer. Shortly after the incident, a literary agent approached Francis about writing an autobiography.

In 1957,...

Name:Dick Francis

Also Known As:Sir Richard Stanley Francis (full name)

Current Home:Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies

Date of Birth:October 31, 1920

Place of Birth:Tenby, Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales

Date of Death:February 14, 2010

Place of Death:Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies

Education:Dropped out of Maidenhead County School at age 15.

Awards:Dagger Award for Whip Hand, 1979; Edgar Awards for Forfeit, 1970; Whip Hand, 1981; and Come to Grief, 1996

Biography

Dick Francis was born in Lawrenny, South Wales in 1920. He served in the Royal Air Force for six years during World War II, piloting fighter and bomber aircraft including the Spitfire and Lancaster between 1943 and 1946.

Following the war, Francis, the son of a jockey, became a celebrity in the world of British National Hunt racing. He won more than 350 races, was Champion Jockey in 1953-1954, and was retained as jockey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for four seasons, 1953 through 1957. Francis rode eight times in the world famous Grand National Steeplechase, and nearly won in 1956 when his horse, the Queen Mother's Devon Loch, a few strides away from victory with a clear field, suddenly collapsed. This incident, which Francis calls "both the high point and low point of my career as a jockey," was the impetus for him to begin a second career as a writer. Shortly after the incident, a literary agent approached Francis about writing an autobiography.

In 1957, Francis suffered another serious fall and was advised to retire from race riding. He completed his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, which was published later that year, and accepted an invitation to write six features for the London Sunday Express. He stayed on as the newspaper's racing correspondent for 16 years.

Sports writing soon led to fiction writing, which in turn led to a string of bestselling novels. His first, Dead Cert, was published in 1962. His 36th novel, 10 Lb. Penalty, was published in the U. S. by G. P. Putnam's Sons in September 1997. In addition to his novels and autobiography, Francis has also published a biography of Lester Piggott, A Jockey's Life, and eight short stories. He has edited (with John Welcome) four collections of racing stories, and has contributed to anthologies and periodicals.

Francis's books have been bestsellers in a number of countries, and have been translated into more than 30 languages, including all European languages, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Bantu, and several dialects of Chinese. Each of his novels has also been recorded on audio in both Britain and the United States.

Francis was made an Officer of the most noble Order of the British Empire in 1984, and was awarded the British Crime Writers Association silver dagger in 1965, gold dagger in 1980 and Cartier diamond dagger for his life's work in 1990. The recipient of three Edgar Allen Poe Awards for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America, most recently for 1995's Come to Grief, Francis is the only person to have been awarded the prestigious award more than once. The Mystery Writers of America named Francis Grand Master for his life's work in 1996, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Tufts University in 1991.

Author biography courtesy of Penguin Group (USA).