Hands Down: A Dick Francis Novel

Francis’s excellent 12th horse-racing crime novel (after 2021’s Iced) is a perfect homage to his father Dick’s major continuing character, champion jockey-turned-PI Sid Halley. Sid’s life is upended when his wife abruptly announces she’s leaving him and taking their nine-year-old daughter with her. As Sid wonders whether their relationship is salvageable, Gary Bremner, a former competitor, contacts him. Bremner, who’s now a trainer, claims his horses have been threatened, a fear vindicated when a fire at his stables kills several of the animals and apparently Bremner himself. Sid learns that an unknown agent has been imposing an additional fee for their services, making trainers’ access to jockeys to ride in races contingent on the payment, and even directing some jockeys to deliberately lose, undermining the integrity of the turf. Despite having taken a step back from investigating, Sid plunges into the case, risking his life to save the sport he loves from a devastating scandal. Francis nicely balances his lead’s personal challenges with his sleuthing. Fans of the original will hope for more of Felix Francis’s Sid Halley. Agent: Ed Wilson, Johnson & Alcock (U.K.). (Nov.)