Hands Down

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His marriage, on the other hand (pun intended), isn't working quite so well; in fact, his wife Marina has taken their nine-year-old daughter, Saskia, with her to stay with her elderly parents - in part because her father is dying and in part because she needs to get away for a while. There are all too many naive and clueless gents (they *are* all guys) in both groups who either are in financial straits or have been indecorous with questionable female acquaintances. What racing did show up was dispiritedly about the intricacies of betting, not the excitement and pride of the sport. Now there are jockey agents, charging not only the jockeys, but the trainers, using blackmail and intimidation to accomplish this.

I was at a bit of a loss, after a long walk to check out the sights, went to the lounge room which had a bookcase and looked for something to read. This had a decent plot and a number of interesting characters but unfortunately they failed to gel into a good read, somehow I was completely disengaged and quite honestly it was boring. While I felt that the story started slowly and presented a more introspective Sid than that of earlier stories, the pace did pick up and engaged me in Sid's adventures.This one gallops apace, the excellent Chico Barnes makes an appearance too and I simply raced through it and couldn’t put it down. The first three were written by Dick Francis, but after a long life and very prolific writing career, he rode off into the sunset. In this sixth book featuring ex steeplechase jockey and racing investigator Sid Halley, first brought to the page by Dick Francis in 1965, Sid has a new transplanted left hand and a troubled marriage.

Dick Francis novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his books. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy - and keep me in mind when the next one drops.Can Sid get to the bottom of what’s going on before he too becomes a victim, while, at the same time, saving his marriage? Sid can't help himself- he's supposed to be out of the investigations game, his wife Marina has left him, taking their child with her, and he's alone with the dog when Gary asks for help. I have read every one of his novels including those written jointly and all of the novels written by Felix. As a side plot, there is some discussion about Sid's transplanted left hand and his feelings about it, as well as some marital tension regarding that hand. The master of suspense and intrigue” (Country Life) is back with the next powerful installation in the Dick Francis series, featuring Sid Halley, perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly.

He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written. It is almost not worth it to continue reading him, but I read all of his father’s books and all of his, despite their flaws. Hands Down is the 6th mystery featuring Sid Halley, written by Felix Francis around characters originated by his late father, Dick Francis.I understand I can change my preference through my account settings or unsubscribe directly from any marketing communications at any time. It takes the two of them and a brave young jockey to finally settle the matter, but not without some bodily harm. It was all going smoothly than all of a sudden child SA comes out of now where completely out of the blue and it ruined the mood throughout. Sid Halley, former champion jockey who lost a hand to a terrible fall in a race and subsequent additional injury, now has an astonishing real live, and live is the operative adjective, transplanted left hand, which he has to mind carefully but which seems to be a growing cause of estrangement for his wife. The writing is smoother, but there is a lot that is a bit off putting, which adds up to "I might take it off the shelf at the library if it were right in front of me, but I might not" and I certainly am not seeking them out.