Calling All Dick Francis Fans
Few visits to my local bookseller are as happy as the one where I find a new book by a favorite author, and top of my favorite-authors list is Dick Francis. I like to claim that I’d love his books even if I didn’t love horses (which is true) but I don’t think anyone believes me.
Here’s proof: (and this pun was subconscious – one of his titles is, quite literally, Proof). The latest Dick Francis novel, Under Orders, has all the qualities I appreciate in a work of fiction, horses or no horses. There are characters I’d like to know if they were actually real people, a plot that engages the heart as well as the brain, and a pace that’s fast enough to hold my interest despite ringing phones, barking dogs, and looming deadlines.
Having written more than forty books after retiring from his original career as a jockey, I’ve been afraid Dick Francis would be ready to retire from writing, but thankfully that is not the case. His latest has all the hallmarks of his best work, and even better, brings back one of my favorite characters, Sid Halley.

Welcome Back, Sid Halley
I’m probably not alone in suspecting that Sid Halley is something of an alter ego for Dick Francis. Sid, like Dick, is a former jockey. Sid becomes a private investigator, Dick became an author, and there’s a clear but subtle parallel: writing requires a fair bit of investigation, but hopefully less dangerous than the investigation that occupies Sid in Under Orders.
A murdered jockey and the apparent suicide of a racehorse trainer join various intimidation tactics that target Sid’s girlfriend, as well as Sid himself, to provide plenty of action. But it’s not action for action’s sake alone – the humanity of these characters shines through their actions, whether good or evil.

Characters, In Every Sense of the Word
Sid Halley could be a caricature of the brave hero, but he’s not. He has his fears, hang-ups, and demons … more than most, in fact … but he also possesses the tenacity of a bulldog, the intelligence to apply it successfully, and the passion that invests life with meaning.
Sid’s girlfriend Marina, his ex-wife Jenny, and Jenny’s father Charles comprise an unusual but cohesive support system for Sid, and in this, Sid’s third appearance in Dick Francis fiction, they all (including Sid) resolve the past to clear the way into the future.
Villains, there are villains! Better yet, the villains’ characters are so well written that you can understand how they became villains. Supporting characters – at the tracks, in the betting business, in cancer research, anywhere the action takes us – are clearly drawn as well.

Plot … As in Book, Not Grave
Sid comes perilously close to the second type of plot … as does Marina. Sid’s inquiries into the losing streak of a wealthy lord’s horses, coupled with his investigation of an online betting company, turns up a convoluted conspiracy of race-fixing that leads to murder.
Like all Dick Francis novels, there are field trips into places the reader might never personally go: The Peers Dining Room in the House of Lords, the corporate headquarters of an internet betting firm, behind the scenes at the racecourse and the “yard” (stable) of a successful racehorse trainer. Lurking among the field trip destinations are clues to not only “who done it” but why it was done in the first place. The “whys” are what connect the plot with the characters, and the connections have enough of a twist to keep the pages turning at a good pace.

Pace, Meaning Speed
In this case, the pace of Under Orders could be compared to a hand gallop – fast but still under control. That’s how a Dick Francis novel reads, everything under control but moving along rapidly to its conclusion. And what a conclusion: Loose ends neatly wrapped up, bad guys defeated, good guys (and gals) triumphant if a bit battered. The way risky adventures should end but seldom do.
When you look up from “The End” and the clock reads 3 a.m., you know it was a good book. When you reread it the next evening, you know it was worth losing a few hours of sleep. Under Orders is more than worth it!