“Grief can be dangerous.” Sid Halley, one of author Dick Francis’ few recurring investigators and the protagonist of the 1996 novel, Come to Grief, says this just after having his arm broken by a vengeful widower armed with a length of pipe. It’s something Halley knows all too well. By the events of Come to…
I had my pick of several compelling reads, all past Edgar Award winners, but felt drawn to the novel Whip Hand by Dick Francis. I’ve long been curious about Dick Francis’s stories, though I have never actually read one. I offer this confession willingly and with regret for what I’ve denied myself these many years—great…
When he released Forfeit in 1969, Dick Francis was already a legend, at least among racing fans in England. As a jockey, Francis won more than 350 races between 1946 and 1957 and was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s personal jockey from 1953 to 1957. His triumphs on the track were well chronicled, as were…
Every Wednesday, we here at Criminal Element will put together a list of Staff Picks of the books that published the day before—sharing the ones that we are looking forward to reading the most! This week, Lou Berney’s highly anticipated November Road combines with John Sandford’s newest Virgil Flowers mystery to make for a killer week of…
All eyes are on Windsor Castle with the wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle just days away. In the run-up to the festivities, the Queen and her court attended The Royal Windsor Horse Show, held on the private grounds of Windsor Castle. A headline from an Australian tabloid sums it up nicely:…
A few weeks ago my To Be Read pile had a Michael Connelly, a Jonathan Kellerman, and a Dick Francis (well, Felix Francis, at least) on the stack. As I looked at those spines I realized that despite breaking up with my fair share of authors, I seem to have more than a few that…
