Winning was all. Winning was my function. What I was there for. What I wanted. What I was born for.In the dream, I won the race. The shouting turned to cheering, and the cheering lifted me up on its wings, like a wave. But the winning was all; not the cheering. I woke in the dark, as I often did, at four in the morning.There was silence. No cheering, just silence.I could still feel the way I moved with the horse, the ripple of muscle through both of the striving bodies, uniting in one. I could still feel the irons round my feet, the calves of my legs gripping, the balance, the nearness to my head of the stretching brown neck, the mane blowing in my mouth, my hands on the reins.There came, at that point, the second awakening. The real one. The moment in which I first moved and opened my eyes, and remembered that I wouldn’t ride any more races, ever. Sid Halley is the quintessential Francis hero. It is no surprise for me that in a long list of stand-alone novels, he is the only one to be given a second and third chance in the limelight. He is probably the closest the author has come to talk about himself, about the former top steeplechase jockey whose whole life turned around the racing track, who was forced to give up the love of his life and start a new career. And who brought to this new career all the will to get to the top, all the dedication and the professionalism that defined him on the back of a horse.This particular novel has an additional personal appeal to me, as it is the very first thriller by Dick Francis that I ever read, back in the early 1990’s. Twenty five years later, I am still one of the faithfull fans of the author.Sid Halley has been forced out of his chosen profession by a horrible accident that mauled his ‘whip hand’. In his first novel (Odds Against), he is trying to deal with the trauma, and to find a new purpose in life by joining a private investigation agency focusing on the racing world. In the beginning of this second novel, Sid is still investigating crooks and liars around the racetrack, is self-employed, and rather too well appreciated for his success. This fame and his rate of success translates in the bad guys trying to drive him out by threats and physical violence.As you can see from my opening quote, the thriller is written in the first person narrative, and a liking for the protagonist is key to the enjoyment of the ride. When I try to picture Sid in my mind, I’m thinking of one of those ‘tall-in-the-saddle’ cowboy heroes of the 50’s, like Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper or Gregory Peck. The quiet types, unassuming, soft spoken and serious, but unbending and relentless in the pursuit of justice. Sid may be viewed as bad news by the rascals he chases, but in his own mind he is daily battling with feelings of inadequacy, with loneliness and regrets over his broken marriage, with the empty places left in his life after he was exiled from the racetrack-tWhen you look at me, what do you see?-tYou know what I see.-tDo you see a lot of fears and self doubts, and feelings of shame and uselessness and inadequacy?-tOf course not, you never show feelings like that.-tNo one does. Everyone has an outside and an inside, and the two can be quite different. [...] To myself, I’m a jumble of uncertainty and fear and stupidity.I believe Sid is saved by this very insecurity, which pushes him to try harder and to fight back. I also admire his stoicism, his sense of humour, and his curiosity about the world and the people he meets. In a cynical world that eyes only profit and where the end justifies the evil means used to achieve it, Sid is a breath of fresh air and hope in the chance of the underdog to bring down the fat cats of business.I will not go into details about the plot, it is good and clever but not exceptional. Three separate lines of investigation weave in and out of focus: the mysterious death of champion colts, an internal investigation of corruption at the top level of the Jockey Club and a private request from Sid’s former wife to unmask a confidence trickster. The obligatory scenes of brutality and physical injury are starting to annoy me a bit, after encountering them in every single novel by Francis that I read, but they serve their purpose in the plot and in separating the bad guys from the good guys.In conclusion, my rating is a subjective (rabid fan) one, but I would recommend the first two Sid Halley novels as a great ‘entry drug’ for readers as yet unfamiliar with the books of Dick Francis.
I've now read twenty-eight of the Edgar Best Novel Award winners, and one thing I've noticed is that the selection committee seems to favor the stand-alone novel over the series entry. Out of the 28 there have been 17 stand-alones as against 11 series novels (one of which, Ed Lacy's ROOM TO SWING, probably shouldn 't count as it did not become part of a two-book series until several years after the award). After what seemed like a zillion international thrillers all in a row, it was fun to read Dick Francis's series book, WHIP HAND, and to know that there are three more books in the Sid Halley series for me to enjoy.WHIP HAND is the series' second book, continuing the story of Sid Halley, an ex-jockey turned PI with an artificial left hand. With the help of his judo-instructor friend Chico Barnes, Halley investigates primarily racing-related questions, at least in this book. However, he also goes after a conman who has involved Halley's ex-wife in a scheme that might send her to prison if the true perpetrator isn't found. By the end of the book, Halley has not only solved all the mysteries, but has learned a good deal about himself.WHIP HAND is told in the first person by Halley. A lot of people don't like this POV and even say they won't read a book that uses it. I can't really imagine this book told any other way being as effective as it was. We learn so much about Halley's psyche that helps to illumine the character changes he goes through during the course of the book. Having the story told in third-person omniscient, for example, would just not be as powerful. I did find it difficult to read the portions in which violence is directed at the narrator, but they too were necessary to show the character's feelings.As this is only the second Dick Francis book I've read, I'm still learning some of the ins and outs of British horseracing. I'm happy that Francis is so good at slipping bits of information into the story without stopping the flow of the plot. I expect I'll know a lot more before I'm done reading Francis.
What do You think about Whip Hand (2005)?
Whip Hand is the second installment in Francis’ Sid Halley series and my fourth read for the Edgar Awards Reading Challenge. Sid Halley is a clever guy. Once a celebrated jockey, an injury has put him on the sidelines. He remains a part of the horse racing world by becoming an investigator for friends from his former life. Despite no background as a PI, Halley has taken to it like a fish in water.In Whip Hand, Halley is approached by the wife of a horse owner to investigate possible sabotage of her husband’s horses. A series of horses expected to win big have suddenly fallen ill and been left unable to race. She thinks it is anything but coincidence. Halley’s search for the truth quickly becomes dangerous. The final twist will leave you awed by Sid’s deductive ability.In all honesty, I didn’t anticipate liking this book. The theme of horse racing doesn’t hold appeal for me. I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely read the other Sid Halley books. I don’t think reading Whip Hand requires having read the first in the series, Odds Against, so if you’re intrigued, go ahead and pick it up.http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/0...
—iubookgirl
#2 in the Sid Halley series. I love Sid. Actually, I love all of the Francis heroes. They are all intelligent, strong, motivated, thoughtful men. I suppose in real life they'd be tough to live with since they are such loners, but they sure are great to read about. In this case, Sid has gone into the detection business for the Jockey Club now that he can no longer be a jockey because of losing his hand. However, he and Chico get more than they bargained for when they are threatened by someone they hadn't really realized was the culprit. But now Sid is caught in a whirlpool of worry, concern, and guilt as he tries to solve several problems at the track at once. Plus he's once again involved with ex-wife Jenny as he tries to help her recover from a situation where she was seduced into being the front for a phony charity. We meet Charles (ex-in-law) again, as well as a new friend, Jenny's roommate Louise.
—Connie N.
Yes, my husband is an amputee whose level of amputation means he can not use a prosthetic, so it is not a matter of technology. He can do anything, for instance he plays golf which is one if the the things the character "can't" do. (Not sure which of these books that comes up in).
—Sandra Youthed
