This book brings the return of narrator Sid Halley (Odds Against; Whip Hand) as the one-handed PI and ex-jockey takes on a case of multiple mutilations of thoroughbreds; unnervingly, the amputation of the animals' front left hooves mirrors Sid's own injury. The investigator soon realizes that the man behind the crimes is his old friend Ellis Quint, ex-gentleman jockey and now a beloved TV host. Sick at heart, Sid builds a strong case; but, when Quint is charged, British law bars any public discussion of the case, rendering Sid mute at the huge public backlash against him. Particularly vicious and unrelenting is The Pump, a garish tabloid. When another mutilation occurs and Ellis has a seemingly unbreakable alibi, Sid finds some odd connections between a business tycoon, The Pump's noble owner and Ellis. Finally, the honourable, brave and thoroughly decent Sid faces his worst nightmare - the loss of his good hand - while doing what he must. ( )

Sid Halley, ex-jockey turned detective, returns in a new book. Someone is cutting of the off-hand leg of yearlings, just below the fetlock joint. When the person injures the horse of a terminally ill child, it becomes more personal. A few clues point to a famous jockey, loved by many, friend to Halley, and who wasn't present, the mystery deepens and the the political cost to Sid is high. ( )

Ă‚ A is for Alibi is the first book in Sue Grafton's alphabet mystery series,

Kinsey Millhone a 32-year-old Private Investigator living in California. I have just started this series, but I really enjoyed this book. The mystery keeps pages turning as it fascinating, suspenseful and a real fast read. The character Kinsey is very independent, you feel as you now know her, and she is portrayed as somebody you do know. Nikki Fife has just been released from prison after doing 8 years for the murdering her husband, Laurence. Nikki wants Kinsey to find the person who really killed Laurence Kinsey begins to investigate and finds out about another murder committed only days after Laurence's that is extremely similar. The victim was the accountant for Laurence's law firm, Libby Glass, and she was killed using an identical method of poisoning. This trail is 8-years-old, and Kinsey knows it won't be easy to find the truth. Kinsey begins to put together a picture of the people involved and the circumstances that led up to Laurence's murder. But somebody is not too pleased with Kinsey investigating and unveiling facts that could lead to the true murderer. Kinsey gets herself into danger, and as she struggles to put the pieces together, someone is trying to stop ( )

A former jockey turned investigator exposes an adored racing figure as a monster, but a suicide on the morning of the trial leads to new perils.

It seems odd to me that Dick Francis, who normally sticks to standalones, has won two of his three Edgars for Best Novel with books in his all-too-brief Sid Halley series. Come to Grief is the last of them, an unusually-structured book which, while losing none of the suspense Francis excels at, also adds new depth to the character of steeplechase-jockey-turned-private-eye Halley.

I would have loved this novel to be longer. I would have adored there to be much more Sid Halley novels. There are not. I spent the entirety of this novel very happy for a new Francis read, while very sad that my 'new Francis reads' were dwindling ever smaller.

From page one we know the perpetrator. Suspense depends on unfolding details tantalizingly, slowly - questioning motivation why, revelation of how discovered, and resenting harsh treatment of the hero. If I hate the cruel sadistic deed, the frustration and denial knowing who, the nightmares..... why read on? Because Francis is a genius at his craft, that's why. And I always, literally jump at the chance to read a Dick Francis novel I have not read yet.

Dick Francis compels my curiosity, draws me into strange new worlds. The world of horses, racing, and jockeys is completely foreign to me, but Francis, as usual, makes it all very accessible, likeable, and new, while revisiting this same world again. The character travels through most of Britain, high and low, to find his answers, and this is like a mini-vacation to me. Francis really knows how to write a novel that while straddling new technological advancements, they still retain the 1950's style of living/writing/being. A man's world of physicality, where women are peripheral criers, or hard-edged and cold-seeming, objects of beauty & admiration, and men willingly break and bloody bodies in fights. Stories told in the first person enable us to identify with the protagonist, who has physical and moral courage, then needs to demonstrate those qualities. But Halley gets little praise, as usual. No accolades.

As the book opens, a trial is about to begin -- the trial of Halley's longtime friend and fellow jockey Ellis Quint, now a TV presenter, for a series of horrifying and unusual crimes. Sid Halley is one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution. In the rest of the book, we see how Halley reached his conclusions, and we learn along with him why there is more to the story than he at first realized.

Come to Grief has several elements that suggest Francis may have planned to continue the series with some new twists and some new continuing characters, but he has passed on sadly, and is no longer able to do so. (I sincerely hope it's not because the main character had a prosthetic arm, but who knows?)

4 stars. Highly recommended. ( )