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Under Orders
by Dick Francis
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Putnam (2006-01-01)
ISBN: 0399154000
EAN: 9780399154003
Dewey Decimal #: 823.914
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 308 pages
Edition: 1st
SKU: JS-IX7Q-XGSB
Condition: Very Good
Comments: Great condition - clean crisp pages and attractive dust cover. Sticker on 1st page.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
"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.
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Customer Reviews
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Mr. Francis has crafted another classic!
Rating  (4)
Date: 2010-07-24
Nancy in Seattle, WA : Over the course of several books we see the main character, Sid Halley, grow from a crippled jockey seeking a reason to go on, into a confident investigator. I enjoy how Sid is continually struggling to overcome the limitations of his amputated hand.
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Far from his best
Rating  (3)
Date: 2010-01-17
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I started reading Francis' books as a young teenager, and I was enthralled. However, Francis' early books are far superior to the later ones, which seem to have been churned out without much thought to content. Disappointing, because Francis can be so very good. This is a fine book to kill time, and I might have rated it higher if it had been written by a different author, but I have high standards for Francis.
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A Fine Read, Mr. Francis, It's Good to Have You Back
Rating (4)
Date: 2009-08-16
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
"Under Orders" is a very typical Dick Francis book. This may seem an unhelpful comment to make, but it's actually quite meaningful. Several books earlier, most notably in "Second Wind", it seemed that Francis' writing skills were waning, perhaps due to age. (He was 86 when this book was published.) However, his more recent efforts have returned to his earlier quality, and it's good to have him back. In this book, Francis thanks his son Felix "for everything". By the next book "Silks", Felix Francis is listed as a co-author. It's possible that Felix had a similar role on this book. If so, it's a transparent partnership. "Under Orders" reads like many of the earlier Francis books.
A Dick Francis book isn't high literature. Many of the plot elements are the same from book to book. Manly protagonist with an interesting backstory, romance, physical danger, successful resolution. But despite the repetitive format, the books work as escapist literature. I like nothing more than settling into a airplane seat and opening the most recent Dick Francis volume. Indeed, I read "Under Orders" in exactly that setting.
I doubt I'll ever give five stars to a Dick Francs novel, but am quite comfortable with four stars, especially for the return of old favorite protagonist Sid Halley and his prosthetic hand.
P.S. Why would anyone name a horse, even a fictional horse, "Oven Cleaner"?
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Chivalry
Rating (4)
Date: 2009-07-05
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Sid Halley's former father-in-law, Charles Rowland, prefers male company. His comfortable presence plays a part in this mystery. Dick Francis novels pit the honorable versus the dishonorable in a number of contexts. Sid is hired to find out why Lord Enstone's horses aren't winning when the should be.
A horse and a jockey die separately at Cheltenham. The jockey is someone who wanted to have a private word with Sid. After a series of events and a request to look into internet gambling, Sid is presented with the problem of another human death. The miscreants are so desperate to keep their secrets that Sid's friend is assaulted to send a message to him to stop the investigation.
This very bright and brisk Dick Francis work is a real pleasure to encounter.
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Excellent book. Another Sid Halley mystery and I love those.
Rating  (5)
Date: 2009-03-11
I enjoy Dick Francis' mysteries. This is his usual page-turning fun. Of course, another Sid Halley mystery is great with the usual cast of characters that are like a visit with good friends.
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