Customer Reviews

Under Orders

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm not going to give away any of the plot, but will go as far as describing some of it elements. This latest book contains aspects of infidelity, murder, race fixing, internet betting coupled with organized crime, expensive designer clothing, and DNA profiling. Quite alot for one book.

In addition, a Fleet Street newspaper called "The Pump" figures strongly into the plot with many pages focusing on Sid Halley's private life, which ultimately will offer pleasant surprise to most readers.

One enjoyable aspect of UNDER ORDERS is that jockeys, race horses, and horse racing in England in both specific and general are given attention as no recent Dick Francis has done. In some regard it seemed that his books were moving outside the actual world of racing to become novels using racing only as deep background. Not so in this latest book, the world of racing with all its elements once again moves front and center.

The overall "voice" of this book matches the previous ones, yet every once in awhile something different comes through. A new wind is blowing through this book, a wind that is very refreshing and now that Sid Halley's personal life has taken a new, joyous turn can another Sid Halley book be far behind?

Though the ending was somewhat less than I would have expected, I'm certain most readers of Dick Francis books will enjoy the book. The book marks a return to the reasons I began reading him in the first place. This book leaves the reader looking forward to subsequent books.

This book should be an enormous success for Dick Francis and pity the unfortunate reader who only reads Dick Francis in softcover, for he or she will have to wait several months more before they too can enjoy this new release from a master writer.

Semper Fi.

This just in: Look for a new hardcover mystery from Dick Francis in September, 2007. He and his son, Felix, have a brand new novel coming off the presses!!!

I discovered Dick Francis 26 years ago, and the first book I read was the first Sid Halley--Odds Against. Francis does a fine job of updating Sid, Charles, and the rest as men of the 21rst century. This is Francis's best book since Straight--and that's a mighty long time ago. It should be clear to all now just who was writing these books even if his wife, Mary, was his partner.

This is vintage Francis--characters are introduced in a paragraph early on in such a way that you really know them when their time comes to act, die, or be of use to Sid. The dry humor is there--the compassion, the wit, the wisdom. We've gone 5 long years with no Dick Francis novels, and 15 without a really, really good one. I just sank into it and got lost in the world of British racing as seen through the eyes of one of my favorite authors.

It's not for the uninitiated, though. There's plenty in the middle that is slow and personal--fans of Sid won't mind, but if folks haven't read Francis, this isn't the place to start. In truth, Francis reads especially well in order even though the majority of the books are stand-alones--the first five (Dead Cert, Nerve, For Kicks, Odds Against, and Flying Finish) are still my favorites.

Although I looked forward to this book like a child looks forward to Christmas, in the first few paragraphs alarm bells began going off ever so faintly. Having enjoyed all of Mr. Francis' books to date (several times, in fact, over the last several years), I have gotten to know Sid and Jenny and the Admiral quite well. On the first page, I noticed that the Admiral's last name has been given a "w" it never had before (not a typo, either, as "Roland" is misspelled throughout as "Rowland").

The alarm bells grew louder as I continued to read. With inexpressible dismay, I found that Mr. Francis' fine handling of scene and dialogue are gone. The interaction between characters is clumsy and overdone with none of the subtleties in dialogue and non-verbal cues that Francis' readers will be used to.

Moreover, Sid's personality is drastically different so that he is wearing his feelings on the outside (where he never would have done previously), and he painfully babbles through many of his spoken interchanges with other characters.

Jenny, too, has suffered a dramatic personality shift. She is unaccountably back to being bitchy with him (though they settled all that in the last book (Come To Grief). There is no expanation about why such a set-back may have occurred, and the jibes themselves are shallow and pointless. Then, in a blink, she is happy again, happy for him and delighted with the new girlfriend.

And the Admiral--all of his military bearing and his self discipline and his keen, unspoken understanding of events that Francis' readers will have come to know are gone. His behavior and speech and thought patterns were all jarringly off-key.

Archie Kirk, whom we met in Come To Grief, is a shadow of his former self with no depth of character, no discernible intelligence, no spark.

Of India Cathcart (the new girlfriend acquired at the end of the previous Sid adventure), there is no mention at all, nor any clue about what had become of her. The introduction to the new girlfriend is careless, imcomplete and utterly undeveloped--especially in light of how important to him she apparently has become. And, by the way, does anyone else wonder what became of the little girl with leukemia who was so central to the plot in Come To Grief? No tying up of that loose end, either.

The plot is workable but suffers greatly from its lack of development, too little depth in its details, and the loss of Francis' suspenseful unfolding, careful shading, and nuance.

Out of respect for Mr. Francis, I read to the end; but it was impossible to get lost in this creation (as one does in truly excellent writing) and I could find little of the pleasure that so readily found in all of his previous work.

After the death of his wife, a writing partner, Dick Francis disappeared from view for six years. It was rumored that his wife was actually the stronger of the two in putting together his repertoire of deceptively simple thrillers with a variety of heroes, and all with one sort of horse racing theme or other.

I can't tell you how many hours I've spent in enjoyment of Francis' efforts, and "Under Orders" is no exception. It's true that it is not as crisply written or edited as some of his former work, and certainly, the publisher is remiss for not touting his return to the world of mystery, for Francis has a worldwide following. Wisely, this novel is the third installment (usually he does NOT repeat his heroes) in the story of Sid Halley, former jockey, now maimed, who is one of Francis' truly great characters.

Sid's in the middle of some horse-related intrigue again, and there are brief moments of violence and brutality in the story that will make you cringe. A welcome return for Halley and for Francis himself, and may he keep on writing!

And now I can say it: Dick Francis is back! Having believed that the author had retired after the passing of his wife Mary, who was his main researcher and collaborator, I was happily stunned when I heard about this new book, Under Orders. I was never so happy to get a package from the mailman. I read the book in one sitting, finished it in the wee hours and then fell asleep at work - but it's all good. Let me reiterate: Dick Francis is back. And he seems to have recovered some of his old pizzazz. His last two novels (Second Wind & Shattered) have, quite frankly, disappointed me as they've failed to maintain the author's usual keen sense of narrative drive and incisive portrayal of the priveleged versus the underpriveleged. Not fully present, also, in these prior two books, were his normally absorbing British charm and sensibilities, as well as his ability to ingratiate his characters with the reader. They certainly didn't resonate as deeply as his prior bestsellers. But, never mind. Dick Francis has finally returned. And he's brought with him his most dependable and most intrepid hero, Sid Halley.

This is Francis's fourth book starring Halley. The prior three are Odds Against (1965), Whip Hand (1979), and Come to Grief (1995). Those books chronicle Halley's exploits as crippled ex-jockey turned private eye. Sid Halley, with his prosthetic left hand, inner angst, and gritty, steely determination, has proven to be Francis's most popular character. Although almost all of Francis's protagonists tend to be sympathetic in nature and suffer through strife with great resolve, the pathos with which the author surrounds Halley seems to be more intensely felt by the reader and makes him the most endearing. Sid Halley, in my personal book, is right up there with Kit Fielding and Rob Finn as a great Dick Francis character.

Under Orders finds Sid Halley as a 38 year old still toiling away in private investigations. He and his mentor and ex-father-in-law Charles Rowland venture out to the races, to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The plot is very quickly layed down with three separate racetrack deaths: a racegoer suffers a fatal cardiac arrest, a winning jockey is shot, and a beloved champion racehorse collapses and dies. Halley finds himself embroiled in the doings when he is asked to look into why an imperious Lord's horses aren't winning. Then, he is implored by the dead jockey's father to find the killer. Finally, he is commissioned to investigate possible corruption involving the issuance of racehorse betting permits and licenses. Three cases, three possible sources of danger, or are they all somehow related? Things get more confusing when a trainer is found with the back of his head blown off and the gun in his hand. But is it truly suicide? Sid doesn't know yet. All he knows is that his current girlfriend, the beautiful Marina van der Meer, is being threatened with bodily harm if Sid doesn't back off. Threats to his person have never dissuaded Halley, but, this time, someone he loves is at risk. Will he back down? The police doesn't seem to care, as the constabulary find themselves with bigger fish to fry. So, ultimately, it's up to our one-handed sleuth.

Like I said, I tore thru this in one sitting. Dick Francis is back in full form, as I found Under Orders a compelling read. Over the years, this author has become like comfort food to me, and, as the first chapters sped by, I relaxed and sank into the story, content that this old master has again come out a with a winner. The story is new but the feel of it is mostly vintage Francis. All the elements are here, which made Dick Francis the preferred mystery author of choice.The mystery itself wasn't the best he's put out, but it was engrossing enough. This time he throws in plotlines involving on-line gambling, DNA science, and that dirt-dishing newsrag The Pump. He also brings back some of Halley's supporting characters, most notably the retired Admiral Charles Rowland and his daughter and Sid's ex-wife, the caustic Jenny. The last book Come to Grief offered somewhat of a resolution to the bitter feud between Sid and Jenny. This book actually puts more of a closure to that relationship.

Now, I'm not a betting man, so I did find the passages regarding Internet gambling to be dry reading. And I did find it unbelievable that Sid Halley didn't know what APB stood for. But, those are trifling things. Under Orders is close enough to the top of his best efforts that I truly consider this a triumphant return by Dick Francis. Here's hoping it doesn't take another six years before his next book. Recommended (of course).

Francis returns after a six year gap to give us a reprise of his most familiar grounds, that of ex-Champion Jockey and now private detective Sid Halley.

And--it isn't bad. Faced with the deaths of one horse and two humans on Cheltenham Racecourse, and an apparent suicide later, Halley surmises the police are wrong, and battles through the standard Francis mix of blood, pain, and villains to win the day.

I am not sure that Halley, a character invented in the 60s (in the first book, he proposes getting the Beatles to hand out trophies at a failing racecourse), translates well to the present day. To keep him in his mid thirties, his entire backstory is dragged forward through forty years. But in a post-9/11 world, Halley's standard tricks of impersonation and misrepresentation of himself--all in a good cause, mind you--make it difficult to suspend disbelief. Now and then, you think "He couldn't get away with that." The denouement of the book is triggered by a false representation to get past a building's security guards, leaving the question, "Didn't they ask for ID?"

Now and then, a little local color is tossed in to make us aware we are in 2006--Halley is irritated by spam, or notes in passing the British parents wrongfully sent to prison because of false "evidence" of abuse. But in a way, this book seems timeless, not tied to today. Which is good--until you run into something that would raise a red flag in today's culture.

I withhold one star because Francis withholds information from the reader. Conversations occur "onstage" where Halley is given information he uses to help solve the mystery. They are not shared with us until later. Francis often has done this, and it is just not good practice.

The book has no particular theme--as wine or merchant banking in past books. Without his wife and researcher, plainly Francis did not wish to have such a theme. There are mild incursions into DNA evidence and online gambling, but little more.

Finally, I felt the ending was just a little too pat. Everyone seems to get exactly what they deserve, whether good or ill.

Recommended, but hoping for better next time--if there is a next time for Francis.

Sid Halley mysteries (the former jump jockey turned P.I.) are my favorite Dick Francis novels by far. UNDER ORDERS is such a meaty book, I read it twice to be sure I missed none of the nuances. Francis takes you from the country horse barns and the steeplechase races of Cheltenham, to flying down the M40 in his Audi towards the swirl of London. Big Ben, House of Lords, Downing Street, Victoria Station, the Thames...you'll feel like you were just there, without the long flight. His meticulous research provides an interesting peek into English political shenanigans as Parliament wrestles with the Gambling Bill; struggling to regulate racetracks, casinos and online betting. There's also a snapshot of the sometimes bumbling and over-officious police officers of London.
Get ready for a tangled mystery that is loaded with danger for Sid's gorgeous new girlfriend, Dutch beauty Marina, as she becomes a whipping post for people who want Sid to back off his investigations. Francis handles this new romance with grace and a touch of humor, very refreshing. His dialog is witty, true-to-type and absolutely believable. Following Sid Halley as he single-handedly (pun) sorts out murders and race-fixing, while still trying to protect his scientist girlfriend from the backlash, is a great adventure. I love the author's subtle, laid-back way of walking you right into the hair-raising scary before you're prepared for it. Dick Francis is a great master of mysteries; he creates fine entertainment that takes you out of yourself.

Former steeplechase jockey, now investigator, Sid Halley, has his one real and one artificial hand's full. While attending a steeplechase race, Lord Enstone asks that Sid investigate whether his horses' trainer is deliberately influencing how they run. The trainers' jockey, who had been trying to reach Sid, is found dead after having been shot three times. When, days later, the trainer is found dead, everyone is ready to write it off as suicide over guilt of being caught out--everyone bud Sid.

This is classic and masterful Dick Francis with his excellent opening hooks. Now, ten years after the previous Halley book, Francis has allowed his recurring characters to age and mature in a realistic way; Sid has a stable relationship, his ex-wife is less bitter and his former father-in-law is getting older. You are given enough of Sid's background to understand his vulnerabilities and what motivates him, and Francis has given him a girl friend of his equal. However, Francis doesn't assume you've read the previous books and so provides enough background so this book could be read as a standalone. The new characters are also fully developed.

I always learn things when I read Francis' books. In this case, about prosthetics, on-line gambling, British police procedure, DNA, and other things, but never in a preachy way or one that takes me out of the story.

Because Francis' plots are so interesting, one almost loses how well he creates sense of place and dialogue. At one point, when I feared he was falling into a clichéd style, he character stated he wasn't going to do the clichéd action. Even when he had a clue that, I thought, was fairly obvious, he added a nice twist to it that I hadn't expected.

While this book may not have been a continually gripping as some of Francis' previous, it had enough suspense to keep me continually turning the pages and one the sofa from page one to the very end--and I loved the end-- without stopping. I highly recommend this book, and am delighted Mr. Francis' is back. Long may he write!!

I am a Dick Francis virgin, that is to say Under Orders is my first Dick Francis novel. Unlike some of the other reviewers I have no fond memories of his previous works and writing style and therefore I present my review based solely on my experience with the content contained between the covers of this book.

I was immediately drawn into this tale of a one handed former jockey, now surviving as a moderately successful P.I., and his main squeeze, a vivacious, blond, Dutch cancer research specialist as they navigate the perilous waters of steeplechase racing and internet gambling. They cross paths with a variety of characters including horse trainers and jockeys, who are suspected of being paid off to fix races, a journalist whose paparazzi tactics are less than honorable, a grieving father, an ex-member of MI5, a couple of English Lords, and a plethora of supporting cast members.

Murder, suicide, and muggings replete with an ample amount of blood and gore are the order of the day and the author's vivid description of the intricacies of internet gambling as well as his speculation as to the devious methods which could be employed by gambling site owners to ensure them windfall profits was quite enlightening.

Additionally, Mr. Francis obviously has his finger on the rather jaded pulse of humanity as illustrated by an incident in his story depicting the publics' mournful reaction to the death of a racehorse and the news coverage generated by that event when compared with the apathetic reaction to the death of a jockey on the same day. It would appear that we are a species more willing to empathize with and bestow our compassion on an animal than on our fellow man.

I found this offering to be a quick read and a pleasant diversion and particularly impressive when one considers that the ingenious plot is the brainchild of an 86 year old author. Cheers to you, Mr. Francis.....and three and a half stars too.

To the best of my knowledge it has been six years since the last Dick Francis mystery. I had reluctantly resigned myself to the fact that there probably wouldn't be another one, but here it is! Another entertaining read from the master of track thrillers featuring one of my favorite protagonists, Sid Halley, former jockey who lost a hand thus ending his career in racing. He then turned to sleuthing with an eagle eye and a nose for the nefarious.

In this, his 42nd book, Francis wastes no time in hooking readers: "Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow. That only one of the deaths was of a horse was more than enough to bring the local constabulary hotfoot to the track."

One of the recently departed is jockey Huy Walker - dispatched with three bullets to the heart. He had been having an affair with trainer Bill Burton's wife. That was more than enough to put Burton at the top of the suspect list......until Burton himself turned up dead.

Halley had been approached by Lord Enstone to look into why Enstone's horses weren't getting anywhere near the Winner's Circle. Enstone wants to know what's going on at the track - bribes, race fixing?

Well, that kind of skullduggery is bad enough but murder is quite another thing. Halley feels compelled to look into the killings, but in doing so puts his own life at risk.

As always, readers will relish the author's thorough knowledge of racing and his deft way with a plot. Racing, as we know, is the sport of kings. Exemplary crime fiction is the sport of Dick Francis.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke