From the book cover: "A fall from a racehorse had left brilliant jockey Sid Halley dangerously depressed, with a wrecked hand and the need for a new career... He'd beed with a detective agency since his racing accident, but it wasn't until some two-bit hoodlum drilled a slug into his side that he was sent out on a case of his own." The first of Francis' novels to feature Sid Halley, this gives a good in-depth look at Sid's character, with a compassionate view to handicapped folks. Not Francis' best mystery, but still a good, fast-paced read.

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"One of the greatest living suspense wirters."
CBS RADIO''
After a fall from a racehorse that permanently crippled a hand, Sid Halley joined a detective agency. But it wasn't until some two-bit hoodlum drilled a slug into his side that he was sent out on a case of his own. That was where he met Zanna Martin, a woman who just might make life worth living again. But it was even-money that he'd be killed before she had the chance....
AMAZON.COM BOOK DESCRIPTION

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There's no such thing as a bad Dick Francis book. This one is about Sid Halley, an ex-jockey hanging out in a detective agency after a traumatic accident. ONe of my favorite Francis books.

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I loved this book. The characters were interesting, the plot was great, there was pretty of suspence and some romance. What more could you ask for? I had a hard time putting it down. I frequently turn to Dick Francis when I want to be sure I'm going to enjoy a book.

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Another one of Francis' Horse country mysteries. Entertaining and diverting.

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I love Dick Francis and this book is one of his best. It is the continuing story of Sid Halley, a top steepleschase jockey severely injured in his last race. Forced to give up racing, his wife has left him and he's despondent, Sid goes to work for a detective agency. For 2 years he's just been putting in his time, but then his boss gives him a seemingly simple case to check out. As with all Francis' books, there's more to the story than first appears. Sid finds himself dealing with sadistic people bent on covering up their evil deeds. The tension builds with each chapter as Sid digs deeper into the case. If you love a good mystery, Dick Francis can't be beat!!

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"Odds Against" is the first book in the Sid Halley trilogy. Sid Halley is a former jockey who lost the use of his hand when he had an accident during a race and a horse fell on him. He can no longer ride, so his father-in-law has taken him into his business as a private eye. Although Sid has been with the firm for two years, he has done little work but has observed and absorbed a lot. When he takes on the case of what's happening at Seabury racetrack when a shady property dealer appears on the scene, Sid risks life and limb to find out what is going on and to make sure Seabury is safe.

Francis's mysteries don't usually start off with a fast and furious beginning, but the story builds slowly and steadily with characters being introduced along the way. I can usually never figure out who the culprit is because Francis's writing makes it hard to guess. I like his style of writing that is not hurried and his charactersare so convincing they could be real people.
Published 1987.

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This is a nice BBC performance of the book - but is NOT an audio book. It's an abridged radio performance.

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This was an audio book, and honestly, I didn't like the reader. He sounded different than any of the other books, and too monotone, too fast. He sounded like an old fashioned mystery detective movie. And, it was abridged, WAYYYY too abridged. Not good.

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First of the Sid Halley novels. This is classic Dick Francis: the ex-jockey who forges ahead despite almost certain loss, stoically endures horrific pain, and eventually comes out on top. And in this one, no horses die! Good characters, great action, very suspenseful chase scene towards the end with Sid scrambling around the deserted racecourse barely ahead of the bad guys. BTW I recently watched a documentary about AP McCoy ("Being AP"), who was Britain's champion jockey for years until he reluctantly retired in 2014. If you ever harbored doubts about the authenticity of Dick Francis's jockey characters, watch this. An amazingly tough and driven man.

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My copy of this cassette book is NOT a radio drama - it's a Harper audio abridged recording by Ian McShane done in 1990. It has a different cover - lavender background with cover design of horse and jockey, four aces and a pair of dice; back cover has photo of Ian McShane, the reader. Its ISBN is 1559941383 also. I give it 4 stars only because it's an abridgement and I prefer full length versions.

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