Product Description

A stunning successor to Whip Hand, starring ex-champion-jockey-turned-investigator Sid Halley. Having exposed an adored racing figure as a monster, Sid must testify at the man's trial. But, on the morning of his appearance, a tragic suicide shatters the proceedings and jars Sid's conscience, leading him to believe that there's more to the death than has yet come to light.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2094888 in Books
• Published on: 1995-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 308 pages

Amazon.com Review
Dick Francis brings back Sid Halley, champion jockey-turned-PI of his earlier novels Whip Hand and Odds Against, in this troubling story. Ellis Quint has everything he could want: fame, youth, money, good looks, and talent. What Sid has to figure out is why his friend Ellis also has a streak of sadism that leads him to cut off horses' hooves in the dead of night. Sid's search for the truth leads him into the lowest depths of human nature. Winner of the Edgar Award for best mystery novel.

From Publishers Weekly
Francis fans will welcome the return of narrator Sid Halley (Odds Against; Whip Hand) as the one-handed PI and ex-jockey takes on a case of multiple mutilations of thoroughbreds; unnervingly, the amputation of the animals' front left hooves mirrors Sid's own injury. The investigator soon realizes that the man behind the crimes is his old friend Ellis Quint, ex-gentleman jockey and now a beloved TV host. Sick at heart, Sid builds a strong case; but, when Quint is charged, British law bars any public discussion of the case, rendering Sid mute at the huge public backlash against him. Particularly vicious and unrelenting is The Pump, a garish tabloid. When another mutilation occurs and Ellis has a seemingly unbreakable alibi, Sid finds some odd connections between a business tycoon, The Pump's noble owner and Ellis. Finally, the honorable, brave and thoroughly decent Sid faces his worst nightmare?the loss of his good hand?while doing what he must. A subplot about a little girl with leukemia offers some touching sentiment, and there are flashes of dry wit throughout as Francis, who turns 75 later this year, proves himself still at the top of his game. BOMC featured alternate; Reader's Digest Condensed Book; simultaneous Simon & Schuster audio; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA?The champion jockey turned detective, Sid Halley, returns in this mystery to find the perpetrator of heinous crimes committed against prize-winning horses that are not insured. The horse community rejects his findings and does everything in its power to stop the investigation. Physical force, slanderous newspaper stories, and bugged phones are some of the tactics used to discredit and demoralize Halley. Fortunately, the nature of the crime is so unnerving that some powerful people enter the scene demanding that he finish his work. Francis has once again created a plausible mystery that can't be solved before finishing the book. The reading is easy and descriptive. The story, set in the present, includes characters and situations that will appeal to teen readers...especially horse lovers. Another Blue Ribbon selection from this notable author.?Linda A. Vretos, West Springfield High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Puzzling Book
I will admit going into this that I am more than halfway in love with Sid Halley. However, we would not be a good match, since I, like his ex-wife, would be aggravated because he wouldn't be reliable and be home on time for dinner.

Levity aside, I am predisposed to like and of Francis' books about Halley, and there are things I like here. I like Sid having a chance to develop relationships with some people and having a chance to genuinely love, as he does with the little girl with leukemia here. I also really want him to have a satisfying relationship, and he seems to be interested in that, although I don't think the love interest in this one is as pleansant or as good a prospect as in Whiphand.

However, as some other reviewers have noted, this seems to be a rather mean-spirited book. I don't understand why the handsome man who appears to have everything stoops to mutilating horses, and I don't understand what the fundamental message about human nature is here. I think Francis was really trying to say something profound here, but I can't get to it. I was left feeling like I missed something important, and it made me frustrated and sad.

Ex-jockey turned PI Sid Halley bravely faces demons & ghosts
Francis addicts will cheer on "friend" Sid Halley as he faces old ghosts (first wife), old demons (as in WHIP HAND), and new demons (his friend & that of a little girl's fatal disease). The best part of any Dick Francis book are his characters. You always LIKE them. The action keeps you turning the pages, but the characters have you on their side cheering for them. COME TO GRIEF is no different. There are mixed feelings at the end of every Dick Francis book: good, the character is OK; and nuts, now the character is gone away because the book is finished. It has been nice to welcome back Sid Halley for the third time.

A Sophisticated Thriller
Dick Francis wrote only three books about Sid Halley, a former jockey turned investigator, and in each book, Sid and his views about his crippling injury change just a little.

In COME TO GRIEF, Francis tells us right up front who the villain is, a "least likely" suspect indeed. Ellis Quint is a former champion amateur jockey, a friend and rival to Sid in his halcyon days, and a man who has gone on to outstanding success as a TV commentator and talk show host. So why would such a man stoop to crippling ponies and racehorses by chopping off their feet?

It's a mesmerizing picture: Sid reluctantly investigating and Ellis going to the brink, both men sharing a nature that loves and craves risk. Francis points this up in the character of Jonathan, a bored almost-delinquent, who got into trouble with his friends for stealing a car. Jonathan at this point could go either way: full fledged criminal or hot-shot investigator.

As in all Dick Francis, there's such forward momentum to the plot that the book is hard to put down. Even though we know "who done it" it's not apparent that the criminal will ever be found guilty. I peg this as one of Francis's best.