Under Orders (2006)

I learned a few weeks ago that Dick Francis had written a fourth Sid Halley novel in 2006. I rushed to the library and found a nice large print version. I am sorry to say that it was not up to the standard set by the earlier three, perhaps because Francis appears to have been writing it either during or just after his wife's last illness. The plot and climax were a bit far-fetched; the new character (Halley's in love!) was engaging, but what turned me off a bit was two kinds of superfluous verbiage that kept recurring. First, several times during the book Sid Halley (who, as always, tells the story) goes off on a rant about something completely irrelevant to the plot -- for example, traffic jams in London caused by "empty" buses. Second, whatever research Francis or his assistants have done, whether it's on Internet gambling, DNA, or cancer research (Sid's lover is a cancer researcher), is just dumped into the text paragraphs at a time until the reader's head swims. Much of what Francis writes about in the books of his that I've read is new information to me, and I believe it was handled better in earlier novels. Fortunately for me, I still have many earlier works of his that I haven't read yet. I really like the characters of Halley and his ex-father-in-law Charles Rowland, and that kept me reading. ( )

What can I say? I like Sid Halley otherwise this would have been 3 stars ( )

New author for me- new subject as well. Enjoyed learning about racing and internet betting. I believe I will be going back to the beginning to read the series in order. ( )

I read this book before I was ever aware of LibraryThing or quite possible before it was even available. Dick Francis is one of my all time best authors. I find ever book to well be written and you don't want to stop reading until it is finished. The story line is always associated directly or indirectly with horse racing. I would highly recommend Dick Francis' books to anyone who loves a good mystery story. My rating is based on my knowledge of his work and how much I enjoy reading them. ( )

"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.