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dick francis

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A jockey becomes the sole inheritor of his late brother's business, horse, mistress, and enemies.

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1,1989

This edition

Format
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published
February 7, 2006 by G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN
9780425208465
ASIN
042520846X
Language
English

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About the author

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dick francis

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Dick Francis, CBE, FRSL (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey.

Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."

Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '

Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '

Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.

On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.

During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.

Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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100 reviews All reviews
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Notalice
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Another good Dick Francis mystery

His books are always a fun read. Perhaps slightly dated but not enough to matter. I just recently became a Dick Francis fan, and I don't know why I hadn't read his stuff before.
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zaganGao
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This book sucked me in immediately and moved along a good pace and was interesting. An injured jockey gets a call that his brother in the hospital--he's dead, his wallet is missing, he was killed in an accident and you know it wasn't an accident, even though it looks like one. And the plot thickens. The brother was secretly dealing with diamonds and having an affair with a Duchess. The brother owned two race horses and something fishy is going on with the horses. The jockey is no dummy and tracks down the problem with the horses, the missing the diamonds, and the perp.
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Rebels
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Nearing the end of his career as a jockey, Derek Franklin investigates the tragic death of his brother. Derek inherits everything of his brother including his mistress. He learns that honesty can be a handicap.
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Rhysc24
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Classic Francis with a great everyman hero, the gemstone industry, and racing. If you like Dick Francis, you will like this one.
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gikento
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Is there a better opening line for a thriller than “I inherited my brother’s life, and it nearly killed me”? I have read this one before and will again. I enjoy it for the usual Francis honorable hero who is pitched into a situation not of his own making but determined to do right by the memory of his brother and figure out the mystery he’s left behind. And for the details on running a business selling gems. The classic Dick Francis elements work together here so well.
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Deanna_Woolfolk
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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a classic Francis novel, a slightly vulnerable hero, picking up the mess from his elder brother's death, facing some hidden enemies as he tries to protect the gem wholesaler company and the employees. As usual the story is well paced and flows right up the tumultuous ending. Great stuff.
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Peevish
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This is one of my favorite Dick Francis books. I love all the details about gems and jewels. I wish I could visit the offices of Greville Franklin.
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Enal
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I 'be been a Dock Francis fan for over 35 years.

In fact, I read this book originally when it first came out but his are ALWAYS worth re-reading, so they are definitely books YOU should read.
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