Really fun little thriller with excellent pacing - a one sitting read. I am always entertained by how this author is required to spend the first chapter of every one of their books (Dick Francis being the writing team of Dick + Mary Francis) explaining how a jockey becomes a detective who specifically investigates crimes related to horses.

I have read every Dick Francis book, here is what they have to offer:

Great characters

Excellent stories

Well thought out plots

Great books!

Dick Francis has created a character like no other in Sid Halley, former champion jockey turned Private Eye.

This book has you feeling sorry for Halley as his professional and personal life are in the gutter . As the book progressed I found myself cheering wildly for him as he picked himself up and plunged headfirst into an investigation. He relies on pluck and brains to overcome some villains and unravel a mystery.

The book is equal parts action, drama, thriller, and gumshoe story. I didn't want to put it down!

I binged on several Dick Francis audiobooks in a row, and they are all blurring together in my mind.... Sid’s difficulties in coming to terms with his injury and consequent loss of career are presented sympathetically, although some of the ways he thinks of himself might seem dated today. This novel explores his “waking up” and finding new interest in his career for an investigation agency. The mystery is good, but what I liked most are Sid’s relationships with his father-in-law, with Zanna Martin, a woman he meets in the course of his investigation who is also dealing with a “disfiguring” disability, and Chico, his partner in investigation.

Masterfully written! Slightly dated but not bad for a nearly 60-year old book. The twists at the end had my heart pounding.

Jan 3, midnight plus 15 ~~ Review asap.

Jan 3, 1245pm ~~ Last year in our Zapata Reading Club, Marco and I read a couple of Dick Francis titles and enjoyed them very much. I told Marco how I had discovered DF (by reading the old Redbook magazine back in the 70's) and about the most memorable of his characters, Sid Halley. That of course got me to thinking about re-reading the three Sid Halley books in house so here we are.

Odds Against is not only the first Sid Halley title, it is the author's first novel. We get to meet Sid, who is an ex-jockey trying to come to terms with his life away from the career that he loved and was very good at.

He has a job, sort of. And a wife, sort of. Seems like everything in Sid's life when we meet him is in limbo. Except for the pain from the gunshot to his stomach. Because DF starts this book with a bang and a half and the action doesn't stop until the end. Who shot Sid and why?

There is a lot going on in this story, and not all cops and robbers, either. Sid is a man who pays attention and thinks about what he sees and hears. He learns about his new job (with a detective agency) and discovers a flair for the work. And he faces personal issues such as how to truly accept his injury and somehow move on from it. Is that actually possible?

I loved hanging out with Sid again. It has been many many years since I last read this book; so long that except for the man himself, I remembered nothing at all about the plot. I was happy to root for Sid: even though he was not on horseback, he still ran a great race and I am looking forward to the next two Sid Halley books. First up is Whip Hand, then Come to Grief.

(I know there are a couple of newer titles out with Sid, but to tell the truth I never cared much for DF's later work, so I won't be rushing off to order the 2006 Under Orders or the two that were written later by DF's son.)

What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.

But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.

Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.

You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).

There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.

Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.

This is the first book in the Sid Halley series. Sid is an redundant jockey, severely injured in an accident. He is employed by a private inquiry agency because of his racing background and character. At the start of the novel he has been sitting around for two years not allowed access to anything of significance. However someone shoots him, and that starts him off. The plot involves horse racing, share dealing and urban development. The story shows its age, if only from the clean prose and lack of expletives. But it does touch on disability, sadism and sadomasochism.

Dick Francis was a well known jockey so the background is authentic. This recording is from 2014. There is an occasional sound issue. At the onset of a recording session the quality and volume change noticeably, but this does not affect the enjoyment of the listen.

Mix equal parts of Agatha Christie, Eric Ambler, Graham Greene and Leslie Charteris. Shake well. And garnish with a dash of Grey and L'Amour.

Dick Francis is the perfect author for an enjoyable reading experience. His characters remind me of watching the old Roger Moore Saint TV show or the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple movies... just good clean fun.

I like this author a lot, but this book was disappointing. This is one of the author’s earliest books. The first half of the book was quite boring, unlike his later works which grab one’s interest from the very beginning. The mysteries and challenges encountered in the second half were true to what one expects from Francis.

Fantastic! Dick Francis is one of my very favorite authors. This is the first in a 4 book series. A great re-read and a fantastic place to start with Francis (he has written 45 novels). Sid Halley is an ex-jockey who has a ruined hand from a steeple chasing accident. He works for a detective agency in a job where he is not sure he even deserves to work. He proves his worth while plotting against nasty characters trying to take over an English race course. This book has an amazing chase scene!

One of another series of books I read some years back. About all I remember is that they weren't as interesting to me as Tony Hillerman's books. Of course, I could identify more with the Native American scene than I could with the English horse racing scene.