Richard Stanley Francis was a British crime writer. His novels centre on horse racing in England. After wartime Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winning over 350 races and becoming champion jockey of the British National Hunt. Francis wrote more than 40 international best-sellers. His first book was his autobiography The Sport of Queens, for which he was offered the aid of a ghostwriter, which he spurned. The book's success led to his becoming the racing correspondent for London's Sunday Express newspaper, and he continued in that job for 16 years. His novel Odds Against was first published in 1965. At one time Sid Halley was one of the best steeplechase jockeys in Great Britain. However, a fall from a horse changed his life forever. His left hand was stepped on by a horse, has extensive nerve and tendon damage, and cannot be surgically repaired. Sid is devastated and horribly depressed; 6 months before the accident his wife left him and now he has lost his only other love, racing. Now he works as a private detective - which is proving to be no less dangerous to life and limb. Recuperating from a wound, Sid is asked by his father-in-law to look into some potentially shady activity involving Seabury racecourse and a ruthless property dealer. But the closer Sid gets to those determined to get their hands on Seabury, the more he finds himself in harm's way. Enjoy free online English audiobook “Odds Against”, a breathtaking novel by Dick Francis.
