Whip Hand [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Dick Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1980

Sid Halley's glory days as a jockey are over, but he still finds a certain satisfaction in successfully solving a case. His latest one, though, could prove to be his undoing.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Challenging....First class."
THE BALTIMORE SUN
Sid Halley, once a jockey, was now a private invesigator with only one good hand left after a horse fell on the other. His new life, though, could never erase the haunting memories of his past glories. But it was only when the wife of one of England's top trainers came to beg his help in preventing foul play at the race track that Sid Halley began to know what being haunted really was.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

There are two worlds in racing. Winning and losing. Private detective Sid Halley has gone from one to the other - fast. First his career as a jockey ended when he lost his hand in a fall. Then his wife said a cold good-bye. Now he’s on the trail of thugs who crush losers. With vicious pleasure.

These are people who aim to win - at any price. There’s a syndicate of owners with a sideline in violent kidnapping. And Trevor Deansgate, a bookmaker whose hatred of favourites goes one deathly step too far...

For the sake of his health, Halley had better return to winning ways. Because to lose is to die...

‘Superb... this is Mr Francis’s best book. And that’s high praise’ Sunday Mirror

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print (November 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708905420
• ISBN-13: 978-0708905425
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,523,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dick Francis was the author of more than forty acclaimed books. Among his numerous awards were three Edgar Awards, the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger, and the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award. He died in February 2010.

Felix Francis has assisted with the research of many of the Dick Francis novels and is the coauthor of Dead Heat, Silks, and Even Money. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great by Francis!, June 13, 2007

By 

PokerBen (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whip Hand (Mass Market Paperback)

In "Whip Hand" Francis returns with a character first introduced in "Odds Against" Sid Halley. Sid and his partner Chico are on yet again more page turning adventures. When a wife of a prominent trainer shows up(at Sid's door) wanting to know why her husbands "cream of the crop" horse's destined to win the races end up coming in last, and then later end up dieing. Also Sid's ex-wife enters the picture which makes for some great tension. A great read from beginning to end. Dick Francis again does what he does best,that is he writes great page turning mysteries. Happy Reading!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The second Sid Halley novel, August 30, 2007

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whip Hand (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the sequel to "Odds Against," and is the second novel about ex-jockey turned PI Sid Halley. It takes you into the world of racetracks, syndicates owning horses, trainers, and bookmakers. Sid becomes involved in two separate cases of people trying to fix the outcome of races, and corruption involving bookmakers, trainers, jockeys, etc. The racing world wants things handled internally (no police) because of the potential scandal. Not everyone gets officially punished, but Sid can give back as good as he gets, especially when he has a heavy artificial arm to use as a club.

The author is very knowledgable about the subject, and you get a good picture of English racing (flat and steeplechase), horse training, and breeding. It is a very big business.

Sid and his employee Chico do get banged about a bit. People are trying to encourage them to go into another line of work. That can be difficult to do with Sid, who has a reputation for being hard and out to win. He got used to bumps, bruises, and broken bones when he was riding.

There are some additional encounters with his ex-wife, and a side case to help her out of some difficulties. Sid still does care about her.

The first three books in the Sid Halley series, "Odds Against," "Whip Hand," and "Come to Grief," are also available in a combined omnibus edition, "Win, Place, or Show."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Francis redeems himself..., August 28, 2003

By 

Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whip Hand (Paperback)

Last year, someone gave me my first Dick Francis to read, 10 LB. Penalty, which can best be described as horrid. I couldn't believe that someone as prolific as Dick Francis could sell so many books if they were of this caliber. This summer, my same friend gave me a big bag of mysteries to read, and I planned to skip Whip Hand. But as luck would have it, I ran out of books before I ran out of summer and Whip Hand was the only one left. Was I pleasantly surprised! In fact, this turned out to be the best mystery I have read all summer. The main character is Sid Halley, an ex-jockey turned PI whose small stature belies all the hidden baggage beneath. He also brings the same passion to win that he had as a jockey to his investigations. Halley has three separate mysteries dumped on him: a mail fraud, a syndicate fixing and racehorse tampering. The racehorse tampering was especially timely after spending some time in Versailles Kentucky this summer, site of the tragic and still unsolved horse tampering case. Not to give the story away, but this book is filled with action, drama, suspense, believable characters, just a little romance, and a plot that will have you guessing until the very end. Next time I receive a Dick Francis book, I will be a little more anxious to begin reading!