Being the horse crazy individual I’ve been all my life, it stands to reason that Dick Francis is one of my all-time favorite authors. After all, he combines horses with mystery and thereby has my undying devotion.
Sid Halley is a character we’ve come to know quite well through Mr. Francis’ writings. In this caper, Sid is investigating the shooting death of a jockey who had called Sid the night before he was killed asking for Sid’s help as he had gotten in over his head with something. He’s also asked to investigate online betting by one of his regular customers who represents the British government. Just how these two things are tied together comes out as we follow Sid through the clues leading to the killer.
Sid may be small and he may have lost his hand in a riding accident, but he’s tough and the bad guys know it. So, in order to keep him from finding out who killed Huw Walker, they threaten his girlfriend, Mariana — once punching her in the face and the next time shooting her in the knee. Well, that just sets Sid into a frenzy of investigation and when he starts putting two and two together, it’s not long before the real murderer is found out.
Under Orders by Dick Francis
Published by G Putnam and Sons 2006
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-15400-3
