Richard Stanley Francis was a British crime writer. He wrote more than 40 international best-sellers. According to a columnist for the Houston Chronicle, Francis "writes believable fairy tales for adults - ones in which the actors are better than we are but are believable enough to make us wonder if indeed we could not one day manage to emulate them." Francis has definitely entered the 21st century with the tale, as subplots abound concerning Internet gambling and computer technology. Yet devotees of Francis' previous 40-odd books will undoubtedly welcome the familiar racetrack setting, the author's insider knowledge of the sport of kings and the cast of colourful, distinctive characters. Under Orders finds Francis in solid, if unspectacular, form, as his popular hero, 38-year-old jockey-turned-detective Sid Halley, prosthetic left hand and all, is once again mired in murderous doings on the British horse-racing scene. When jockey Huw Walker is shot three times through the heart, police suspicion focuses on trainer Bill Burton, an old ex-jockey pal of Halley's. Burton has discovered his wife's affair with Walker, so the motive looks right until Burton himself turns up dead. Halley is initially hired by wealthy politico and horse owner Lord Enstone to probe into matters, but soon enough the sleuth perceives too many crooked angles in the case to resist launching his own determined investigation. You can listen online to free English audiobook “Under Orders” by Dick Francis on our website.
