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Under Orders

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

The abridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Dick Francis's thriller, Under Orders, read by Martin Jarvis.
"Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in one afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow."
It's the third death that really troubles former champion jump-jockey Sid Halley. He 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 Huw Walker - the new winner of the Triumph Hurdle and Halley's friend. Now former friend.
Walker was riding one of Lord Enstone's horses in the Hurdle and it was the inimitable owner who invited Halley in the first place. His brief: to make discrete enquiries into alleged race fixing. Are results being rigged? Are bookies taking a cut? And if so, are trainers and jockeys playing a dangerous game with stakes far higher than they realise ...
Halley's quest for answers draws him ever 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.
"A New Dick Francis is always a cause for celebration" - Mail on Sunday.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 31, 2006
      Beloved series character Sid Halley, a champion jockey, makes a welcome return in the latest fast-paced crime novel from bestseller Francis (Come to Grief
      ). When a crippling injury forces Halley into retirement, he begins a second career as a PI. Thanks to his doggedness and integrity, he attracts many clients, including a mysterious government figure who asks him to assess the unintended consequences of Britain's legalization of Internet gambling, and others who wish him to unravel the nest of puzzles surrounding the murder of a jockey, Huw Walker, suspected of throwing races. This time, the sinister forces arrayed against him have an unexpected weapon—threats of violence against Halley's new significant other. The writing and action are as crisp as ever, though longtime Francis fans may find the plot a little familiar. BOMC and Mystery Guild main selection.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Dick Francis reacquaints listeners with champion-jockey-turned-sleuth Sid Halley, featured in earlier mysteries of the British racing circuit. The Cheltenham Gold Cup Race has more excitement than usual when a jockey is murdered. As Sid begins his sleuthing, one notices a change in tempo from the usual style of this author. Much of the change is due to the bravura reading of Martin Jarvis, who carves out the characters and gives each of them a special voice and an expansively operatic mood to surround the moment. His performance and timing are specifically aimed at the listener's entertainment as he reads the words of an older, gentler Dick Francis, whose Sid Halley is still just 38. J.P. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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