Hands Down

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The plot centres around a conspiracy one which has you thinking, could this really happen and you get the feeling that the answer is yes, the books flows along wonderfully paced, the tension heightened at just the right times Francis devises a subtle, clever scheme for the heart of the mystery, and he excels at making his broken lead credible and sympathetic.” When we last saw Sid, he was getting by with a high-tech artificial hand that doubled as a weapon when he needed to club someone over the head. But newly married and with a child, he had decided that the detective business might not fit his lifestyle any more. Hands Down is the sixth in the Sid Halley series, and the first since Refusal, also written by Felix Francis, in 2013. Halley fans won't be disappointed, even if the book sometimes feels a bit formulaic, and the foreshadowing a little heavy handed. (I mean, when I figure something out before Sid does…)

And, as usual, there is drama underfoot in British jump racing. His trainer friend calls him to tell him that someone is pressuring him to fix races and he's not putting up with it any more. Sid has his own problems to worry about and tells him to find someone else to help him, but when the friend's stable is set on fire, he is forced to reconsider, despite turmoil in his personal life. When that book, 1957's "The Sport of Queens," was a success, the couple decided to try a suspense novel set in the world of horse racing – and every year for the rest of their life together they published one. By all accounts, the books were a true team effort, and even as the books brought them tremendous wealth, their writing and research dominated their lives. To research 1966's "Flying Finish," Mary learned how to fly planes, eventually starting her own air taxi business and writing a guide to flying light aircraft under her own name. Felix remembers his father constantly pumping people he met at the races for details about their lives and careers that could be fodder for the books. When his friend’s stable yard is torched, horses killed, and the friend is found dead, Sid can only blame himself for not helping sooner. The police think it’s suicide, but Sid is not convinced after his friend’s terrified phone calls. Heavy with a guilty heart, Sid starts to investigate and soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that cuts to the very heart of the integrity of British horse racing. This was an engaging read, full of suspense, fast paced, gripping, looking at the underbelly of the racing world, but how are these masterminds controlling things without being caught? perfect for curling up on a chilly autumn evening and reading it will definitely keep you guessing and completely engrossed from start to finish. I may have to find some of the earlier books with Sid in. How will Sid and Marina’s marriage fair? Can they make a go of it or is it over for good?From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: O n the first day of Royal Ascot, the world's most famous horse race, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favorites. Sid Halley has received a hand transplant. It creeps out his wife Marina so she has left him. There are descriptions of the surgery and the rejection meds he takes.

With Felix writing the books now, could they get in trouble for false advertising if they claimed otherwise? For a start, human remains are found amongst the equestrian ones in the burnt-out shell. All the stable staff are accounted for, so who is the mystery victim? Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker - taking over the family business from his grandfather - so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and he his losses. Sid starts to investigate and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that cuts to the very heart of racing and then even closer to home.The language is relatively clean with the occasional 'damn / bloody' or similar' but nothing worse. These books are always worthwhile and a treat to be savored. Spelling and vernacular are UK English, but shouldn't pose any problems in context for readers from North America.

Then there was Francis' portrayal of women, which was wildly progressive by the standards of the genre in the 1960s and 1970s. Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of Thoroughbred racing where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them. The exact details of their collaboration are hard to pin down. Felix says, "Dad was full of ideas. I mean, ideas used to fall out him like water over a waterfall. He would write them, and my mother would polish the prose, as it were." When his friend's stable yard is torched, horses killed, and the friend is found dead, Sid can only blame himself for not helping sooner. The police think it's suicide, but Sid is not convinced after his friend's terrified phone calls. Heavy with a guilty heart, Sid starts to investigate and soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that cuts to the very heart of the integrity of British horse racing. Otto Penzler, a legendary mystery editor and owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, thinks the claims of shared authorship are wildly exaggerated.

Customer reviews

Sid no longer has a prosthetic having had a successful hand transplant. Life should be looking good but things start to sour when his wife decides to go home to be with her mother when she finds out that her father is dying. She takes their nine year old daughter with her and Sid fears she will make it permanent. With this occupying his thoughts he isn't in a hurry to become involved with any investigation but the person making the plea is an old racing friend and Sid says yes. What follows is a complex, well-crafted puzzle. Corruption in the racing world isn't new but this scheme to rig races makes for a good story. I'll say no more for fear of spoilers. When I ask Felix about all the machinations and intrigue around who got credit for what, he seems uninterested, and mostly just happy to be carrying on the family business.