Dick Francis was one of the best-known and most talented thriller writers of his time. His Sid Halley novels remain some of the most popular PI thrillers, and his writing still wins fans. Francis was not only a highly talented and acclaimed author but also, he was a prize-winning jockey. His background in horse racing gave his novels a real feel of authenticity. He left school at 15 without any qualifications, intending to become a jockey; by the time he was 18, in 1938, he also was training horses. Whip Hand is one of only two novels to have received both the Gold Dagger Award for Best Novel of 1979 and the Edgar Award for Best Novel of 1980. The protagonist Sid Halley is an ex-jockey turned detective who lost his left hand due to an earlier racing accident and subsequent beating by thugs. He is approached by Rosemary Caspar, a trainer's wife, to look into problems at her husband's racing stables. Horses which did extremely well as two-year-olds are unexpectedly failing as three-year-olds. In addition, Sid Halley's ex-father-in-law, Charles, asks Sid to try to find a man who has conned Sid's ex-wife Jenny and left her facing a possible jail sentence over a fake charity. Sid is also approached by both Lord Friarly, a racehorse owner and syndicate member, and Lucas Wainwright, the head of the security service at the Jockey Club, to look into certain syndicates and how they got through the Jockey Club's checking process. You can listen online to free English audiobook “Whip Hand” by Dick Francis on our website. Enjoy it!
