Come to Grief

Dick Francis

Apr 2022 · RB Media · Narrated by Simon Prebble

About this audiobook

In Come to Grief, Dick Francis, the bestselling author of over thirty books, brings back one of his most popular characters: Sid Halley, the wiry jockey turned detective who captured the attention of so many fans in Whip Hand. Filled with
the crisp humor and quick-stepping plots listeners have come to expect, this is Dick Francis at his best.

Someone is maiming two-year-old colts, the cream of the future racing crop. Sid, whose hand was ruined in a race, is drawn to the plight of the magnificent horses, each found with one foot lopped off. But when he charges an old friend—a pillar
of the horse breeding community—with the horrible crimes, the repercussions are swift and terrible.

Dick Francis gives Sid an assortment of unlikely chums to aid him and keeps up a brisk pace as the investigation spreads far beyond the paddocks. The plot twists through paths of obsession and retribution, keeping the reader guessing until the last clue crosses the finish line.

About the author

Dick Francis was born in Wales on October 31, 1920. Because his father was a professional steeplechase jockey and a stable manager, Francis grew up around horses, and after a stint as a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II, he became a steeplechase jockey himself, turning professional in 1948. He was named champion jockey of the 1953-54 racing season by the British National Hunt after winning more than 350 races and was retained as jockey to the queen mother for four seasons. When he retired from racing in 1957 at the age of 36, Francis went to work as a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express, a London paper, where he worked for 16 years. In the early sixties, he decided to combine his love of mysteries with his knowledge of the racing world, and published Dead Cert in 1962. Set mostly in the racing world, he has written more than 40 novels including Forfeit, Blood Sport, Slay-Ride, Odds Against, Flying Finish, Smoke Screen, High Stakes, and Long Shot. He wrote his last four books Dead Heat, Silks, Even Money, and Crossfire with his son Felix Francis. He has received numerous awards including the Silver Dagger award from Britain's Crime Writers Association for For Kicks, the Gold Dagger award for Whip Hand, the Diamond Dagger award in 1990, and three Edgar awards. He died on February 14, 2010 at the age of 89.