There was a time when I would buy the latest Dick Francis hardback every time I visited England in September. But that was in another life and I only recently caught up with this, Francis’ purported last solo effort. It was delightful to meet Sid Halley once again. He was the protagonist of the very first Dick Francis mystery that I read. I had read the dust cover on a copy I found in my local library and became hooked.There was a certain and comfortable rhythm to most of the Francis’ mysteries, a rhythm I caught in that first novel. The mystery confronts the protagonist rather than the protagonist seeking out the mystery. Even Halley (who creates his own detective agency) is no Sam Spade, seeking mysterious women in distress or shadows of some dark fortune. Instead, Francis’ heroes (they are all male to my recollection) cross paths with greed (often tied to the racing world the author knows so well, but sometimes with corporate fraud, blackmail, and other crimes), uncover the rocks of deceit—exposing sordid plots much to the chagrin of various individual villains and foul conspiracies, find themselves threatened, experience either psychological or physical torture (or both), and discover both the perpetrators and the means to set matters right.Under Orders only violates this tenor in terms of which character is threatened in the book and why. It is a fascinating twist. Unlike many Francis’ mysteries where the protagonist does thorough research into a given area (be it banking, photography, brewing, or enology) in order to solve the mystery, the only research in this one is mostly a “red herring.” I say, mostly because there is a reason for the research and it is an interesting insight into the world of Internet gambling of which I was unaware. Of course, he offers interesting ideas on possible cheating, as well.Of course, one great delight in Francis’ decision to close out his solo efforts with his most famous hero (an English television network did a series of Sid Halley mysteries) is that there is a familiar cast of characters, old friends to revisit. Halley seems to establish a new rapport with his ex-wife and, of course, his former father-in-law, the good admiral (Charles) plays an important role in helping both to maintain Sid’s sanity and providing an important plot twist. The hated columnist from The Pump appears and, as usual, provides numerous problems for our hero. In this case, however, Halley figures out a productive use for the infamous Chris Beecher.In most of Francis’ mysteries, I have been relatively certain of the perpetrator from fairly early on. In Under Orders, I must confess that I continually strained for the obvious when the mystery was considerably more convoluted than I had expected. Still, it was a “fair” mystery. The clues were all there; it’s just that the “red herrings” were so much more convincing. It’s been a long time since I was taken in so many times during the course of a novel. As a result, I highly recommend this “final” effort by Francis’ as a “solo” performer. Of course, I’ll read those he co-writes, as well.In Under Orders, Halley hears rumors that a former acquaintance, a trainer, has been allowing his horses to under-perform (e.g. “fixing” races) and observes a heated argument between said trainer and his best jockey. When the jockey is murdered and the trainer ends up dead soon after, Sid has to figure out who the real murderer is (or murderers are). There are some very nice moments in this one and plenty of bad guys to go around.
Audio book read by Martin Jarvis3.5***Opening lines: 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.Sid Halley is a former steeplechase jockey turned detective (following an accident which cost him his left hand.) He and his former father-in-law are at the track as guests of Lord Enstone but the events of the day draw him into an investigation that involves race-fixing and big-stakes gambling. I really enjoyed this exercise in detection which focuses on the world of steeplechase racing. Francis assumes a certain intelligence in his reader (always a plus), but gives enough explanation of technicalities of the sport so as not to leave the novice completely in the dust (i.e. this reader was never confused). The pace is good, although I did think it slowed a bit in the middle, and Halley is a likeable, intelligent protagonist. The plot was sufficiently intricate to keep me guessing, and I was surprised at the reveal. I did think the ending was a little contrived; he seemed to have painted himself into a corner (or locked himself in a bathroom) with no way out. But that was a minor flaw. I thought he did a fine job with the supporting cast as well; I learned enough about Marina, Charles, Jenny and Rosie to believe their involvement and to like them and want to know more about them. As much as I love mysteries, and as often as friends have recommended Dick Francis to me, I had not read any of his books before. My understanding was that his novels are stand-alone works and not series, so I picked this one because it satisfied a challenge to read a book whose title begins with “U.” Just my luck, Francis did write two series – the Kit Fielding duet (Break In and Bolt) and the Sid Halley series, of which Under Orders is number 4 (and the last he completed before his death in 2010). I’ll definitely go back and start at the beginning. Although I had a vague feeling I might be missing some interesting background stories, I don’t think my enjoyment of this book suffered for not having read the previous Sid Halley works. Martin Jarvis did a credible job of the audio performance. His voice is pleasant, he reads at a good speed, and he has enough training as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.
What do You think about Under Orders (2006)?
This is the first Dick Francis I've read but I've heard good things about his work for years. So when I had the chance to pick up this title for my mystery group, I grabbed it. I admit that I was the slightest bit skeptical because his subject is horse racing and I have negative zero interest in horses and horse racing. The book was so much more and I was very pleasantly surprised. Yes, the subject is an ex-jockey turned investigator looking into the death of a jockey and a horse trainer. Was it murder/suicide or is that too tidy an explanation? Add race fixing, the world of internet betting and a few nasty characters and you've got yourself a juicy mystery. The writing is crisp and the author weaves a believable tale that is downright fascinating. He tosses in a great sense of humor as well. I loved the characters and I am looking forward to going back to the beginning of the series and reading it in order. I might be turning into a horse racing fan after all.
—Cynthia
#4 in the Sid Halley series. This is the final solo entry of Dick Francis' solo horse racing related thrillers after a six year hiatus. Four more books would come, co-authored by son Felix - before Francis death.Sid Halley doesn't believe trainer Bill Burton murdered jockey Huw Walker and committed suicide because Walker was having an affair with his wife. Halley proclaims both men were murdered. Messages to mind his own business are punctuated by attacks on his girlfriend. Relationship with ex-wife improves. Sub-plot of internet gambling needs strengthening.
—Ed
I think this is Francis's first book after his wife died. This is significant because some have suggested that his wife was actually the author of his books. I suspect that this is not the case, but I also suspect that she was his first editor, and that her influence is sadly missing.Francis returns to Sid Halley again (the only recurring character he's ever written), an ex-jockey who works as an investigator on racing-related frauds. One of his cases is finding out if an owner's horses are losing more often than they should, and in the course of the investigation one of Halley's suspects winds up shot on the racecourse grounds.Halley himself comes under threat, and more importantly so does his girlfriend. The mystery is not surprising, but it is satisfactory, and Francis has always been good at writing people who hate and kill for what are very simple and even trivial reasons.But this is no Reflex or Proof, and part of the reason is that the story wanders a bit. Francis is too good to use pointless scenes, but on the other hand I think that some of the chapters could have been merged and made more tight.
—le-trombone
