Hands Down

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Reading her collection of books has stirred up a lot of memories, mostly of our shared love of reading. I have read other books by Felix Francis but this is the first time I have met Sid Halley, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Sid Halley is back and he has a new left hand having had a transplant since his last appearance in Refusal.

There are only a handful of series, however well written, which keep me coming back for more year after year. Nothing really appealed and I am not into horse racing, but I found a copy of Whip Hand and started reading. I have read every one of his novels including those written jointly and all of the novels written by Felix.But when he learns that his friend's stables have burned down and he's presumed dead, Sid feels he has no choice but to get involved.

Started reading the British racehorse mysteries by father Dick Francis as a young adult in the 1980’s. 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. However, the very next morning, Gary’s stable yard is torched, horses killed, and Gary has disappeared. Now he's back - decked out with a new but real hand courtesy of a donor that, with the help of anti-rejection drugs, is working better every day. It takes the two of them and a brave young jockey to finally settle the matter, but not without some bodily harm.Nevertheless, I had to get closure about Sid and his daunting challenges, especially if and how he would hold up as his once fit and lithe jockey body ages, his precarious mental health teeters, and his personal relationships are threatened—all because of his propensity toward heavy risk-taking. 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. Hands Down is the 6th mystery featuring Sid Halley, written by Felix Francis around characters originated by his late father, Dick Francis.

I would have enjoyed this last of the Sid Halley series more if the actual crime involved hadn’t been so similar to that of the previous book—Refusal—which I had just barely finished. The pace is fast which for me I know is always a winner, the characters are well drawn, they are believable, three dimensional, I like the camaraderie between Sid’s ex Father in law Charles and Sis, and also his relationship with his friend Chico who is there for him when he needs help. But when they start telling the jockey and trainers which horses to lay off in specific races, that is illegal.Spelling and vernacular are UK English, but shouldn't pose any problems in context for readers from North America. 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. Halley, though, gets involved into sorting out the agent extortion scheme without putting the careers of the jockey victims in jeopardy with the national racing authorities. But the journey is enjoyable and I found myself once again rooting for Sid's victory in both his professional and personal life.