Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Dick Francis's books

Dick Francis’s Followers (1,296)

Dick Francis

Born

in Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, Wales, The United Kingdom

October 31, 1920

Died

February 14, 2010

Website

http://www.dickfrancis.com/

Genre

Crime, Mystery, Sports

edit data

Dick Francis was a British jockey and crime novelist whose life and work were closely connected with the world of horse racing. Raised in Berkshire in a family involved with horses, he left school at fifteen with the ambition of becoming a jockey and began training horses as a teenager. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Air Force as a pilot, flying fighters and bombers before returning to racing after the war. He became one of Britain's leading National Hunt jockeys, winning more than 350 races and becoming champion jockey in the 1953–54 season. From 1953 to 1957, he was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and his most famous race came in the 1956 Grand National, when her horse Devon Loch fell suddenly while appare Dick Francis was a British jockey and crime novelist whose life and work were closely connected with the world of horse racing. Raised in Berkshire in a family involved with horses, he left school at fifteen with the ambition of becoming a jockey and began training horses as a teenager. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Air Force as a pilot, flying fighters and bombers before returning to racing after the war. He became one of Britain's leading National Hunt jockeys, winning more than 350 races and becoming champion jockey in the 1953–54 season. From 1953 to 1957, he was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and his most famous race came in the 1956 Grand National, when her horse Devon Loch fell suddenly while apparently heading toward victory. After retiring from racing following another serious fall, Francis turned to journalism and writing. His autobiography, The Sport of Queens, led to sixteen years as racing correspondent for the Sunday Express, while his first thriller, Dead Cert, established the formula that would make him an international bestseller. He went on to write more than forty novels, most set against the backdrop of British horse racing but featuring protagonists from a wide range of professions. His stories combine detailed knowledge of racing with tightly constructed mysteries, dangerous investigations and protagonists forced to overcome serious physical and personal obstacles. Among his best-known recurring characters is Sid Halley, a former jockey turned private investigator who appears in Odds Against, Whip Hand, Come to Grief and Under Orders. Francis's wife, Mary, was an important collaborator throughout his writing career, conducting research, editing manuscripts and contributing to plot and character development. Their son Felix later became his father's collaborator and continued the Francis tradition after his father's death. A three-time winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, Francis also received the Gold Dagger, the Cartier Diamond Dagger and the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award. His novels brought the specialized world of horse racing to an international readership and established him as one of the most influential writers of the racing thriller. ...more

Combine Editions
Dick Francis’s books

Average rating: 4.06 · 276,124 ratings · 14,706 reviews · 468 distinct works • Similar authors

	To the Hilt 4.18 avg rating — 9,173 ratings — published 1996 — 74 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Whip Hand (Sid Halley, #2) 4.17 avg rating — 8,017 ratings — published 1979 — 59 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Proof 4.09 avg rating — 8,166 ratings — published 1984 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dead Cert 4.07 avg rating — 8,088 ratings — published 1962 — 122 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reflex 4.15 avg rating — 7,480 ratings — published 1980 — 91 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bolt (Kit Fielding, #2) 4.12 avg rating — 7,405 ratings — published 1986 — 85 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Odds Against (Sid Halley, #1) 4.17 avg rating — 7,225 ratings — published 1965 — 117 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blood Sport 4.01 avg rating — 7,414 ratings — published 1967 — 106 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Longshot 4.12 avg rating — 6,931 ratings — published 1990 — 82 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dead Heat by Dick Francis, Felix Francis (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 7,312 ratings — published 2007 — 57 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Dick Francis…

Series by Dick Francis

Sid Halley (7 books)
by

Dick Francis

4.10 avg rating — 36,628 ratings

Kit Fielding (2 books)
by

Dick Francis

4.13 avg rating — 13,889 ratings

We love a good mystery, and we are especially intrigued when a brand-new debut author appears in the genre! Who knows what thrills and...

Polls

January 2025 Group Read - A book title where you can spell N-E-W in any order

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

6 votes, 25.0%

Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman

5 votes, 20.8%

Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe

4 votes, 16.7%

Little Witness by S.A. Dunphy

3 votes, 12.5%

The Witches of Santo Stefano by Wendy Webb

3 votes, 12.5%

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

2 votes, 8.3%

Second Wind by Dick Francis

1 vote, 4.2%

24 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: Hi from a voraceous reader...	12	316	Apr 22, 2009 10:44AM
75 Books...More o...: Diane's 75 Books for 2009	20	83	Aug 25, 2009 02:21AM
100+ Books in 2026: Diane's 100 for 2009	21	193	Sep 09, 2009 05:54AM
The Seasonal Read...: Janice's task!	139	273	Oct 19, 2009 10:08AM
The Seasonal Read...: FALL CHALLENGE 2009 COMPLETED TASKS	3942	2767	Nov 30, 2009 09:01PM
Pick-a-Shelf: 12 Days of Summer Challenge - the Official Game Room - ended	206	311	Dec 06, 2009 09:30PM
The Book Challenge: Luann's 2009 Challenge - Author and Title A-Z - COMPLETED!	55	295	Dec 20, 2009 11:18PM

More…

Dick Francis’s Followers (1,296)

Dick Francis

Combine EditionsDick Francis’s books

Series by Dick Francis

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Dick Francis’s books