What do you think?
Rate this book
Racing Classics
Dick Francis is the former steeplechase jockey who retired from riding while still at the top of his profession. He wrote a racing column in the Sunday Express for seventeen years but is best known for his racing thrillers, which are worldwide bestsellers. His awards include the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger, for his outstanding contribution to the crime genre, and an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Tufts University of Boston.
- GenresFiction
58 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1995
56 people want to read
About the author
Dick Francis
535 books1,248 followersDick Francis, CBE, FRSL (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey.
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 2, 2017
A short story and a first chapter of a book published as a Penguin 60.
The first chapter thing sort of threw me, as so far in the P60s series I haven't come across this setup. There are plenty of these with excerpts, mostly well selected so as to have a start and a finish, but not a first chapter.
The first chapter story was really good - as I read it, I hadn't realised it was this setup, so I was intrigued as to how it was going to work itself out in the few remaining pages, but it really didn't, it just peaked my interest! How frustrating. However, it probably did it's job, as I will now buy the book to get the rest of the story!
The short story was also a good read. Very enjoyable character work, clever plot and good writing.
4 stars.
The first chapter thing sort of threw me, as so far in the P60s series I haven't come across this setup. There are plenty of these with excerpts, mostly well selected so as to have a start and a finish, but not a first chapter.
The first chapter story was really good - as I read it, I hadn't realised it was this setup, so I was intrigued as to how it was going to work itself out in the few remaining pages, but it really didn't, it just peaked my interest! How frustrating. However, it probably did it's job, as I will now buy the book to get the rest of the story!
The short story was also a good read. Very enjoyable character work, clever plot and good writing.
4 stars.
March 25, 2019
I’ve read plenty of Dick Francis but not the short story in this Penguin60 which was great as it told the story of a once great writer now ruined by alcohol and how he missed a great opportunity to redeem himself and his career
June 7, 2024
Found at City Basement in Melbourne. My dad is into horse racing and not into reading. This is only small so I thought I’d gift it to him. I’ve read some Penguin 60s before and they’re usually good little samplers. I don’t think I would have read Dick Francis other than screening it pre-dad now.
These two short crime stories from the racing world weren’t bad (one was the first chapter from a longer book).
These two short crime stories from the racing world weren’t bad (one was the first chapter from a longer book).
April 2, 2014
I've known about Dick Francis and his popularity, but I haven't read a word by him before. After reading this little hors d'oeuvre, things may not change dramatically - I'm not downloading his collected works on Kindle as we speak - but it was a pleasant introduction nonetheless. 'The gift' is a self-contained short story introducing an alcoholic journalist and seveal shady characters in the horse racing business. Entertaining and intriguing. The first text in the collection, 'Dead cert: the first chapter' is just that: the first chapter of one of Francis's novels. I feel just about cheated! Left hanging over a cliff! OK, pehaps not life-threatening, but I am now really inquisitive about how this racing crime will pan out. I'll definitely be looking out for this novel!
'n Aangename kennismaking met 'n baie populêre skrywer. Francis se eie ervaring as perdejokkie maak sy verhale oortuigend en vermaaklik. Die eerste teks is die eerste hoofstuk van 'n roman: hoewel ek nie noodwendig na dese Francis se versamelde werke sal aanskaf nie, sal ek beslis soek na DEAD CERT. 'The gift' is 'n alleenstaande kortverhaal oor verskeie onwettighede wat rondom die perdewedrenbesigheid voorkom. Vermaaklik.
'n Aangename kennismaking met 'n baie populêre skrywer. Francis se eie ervaring as perdejokkie maak sy verhale oortuigend en vermaaklik. Die eerste teks is die eerste hoofstuk van 'n roman: hoewel ek nie noodwendig na dese Francis se versamelde werke sal aanskaf nie, sal ek beslis soek na DEAD CERT. 'The gift' is 'n alleenstaande kortverhaal oor verskeie onwettighede wat rondom die perdewedrenbesigheid voorkom. Vermaaklik.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews