Most Popular Books by Felix Francis

Six years ago, private investigator Sid Halley retired. He’d been harassed, beaten, shot, even lost a hand—enough was enough. For the sake of his wife and new daughter, he gave up that life, and he thought nothing would ever lure him back into the game. He thought wrong. Sir Richard Stewart, chairman of the racing authority, begs Sid to investigate a series of dodgy races. Sid refuses. Then Sir Richard is found dead under suspicious circumstances. And then a man with an Irish accent contacts Sid, telling him to deliver a whitewashed report about the suspected race-fixing…or else. At first Sid ignores these warnings. But as the intimidation tactics escalate—and his own family comes under threat—Sid realizes he must meet his enemy head-on…or he might pay the ultimate price for his refusal.

Shell-shocked after losing a foot during his tour in Afghanistan, Captain Tom Forsyth returns to his estranged mother''s house. His mother has always put horses first and family last. But now she''s being blackmailed for a hefty sum every week and being forced to make her horses lose. Using the skills he honed in the military, Tom sets out to find and defeat a hidden enemy before his mother''s reputation is ruined, and he ends up back in the crossfire.

On the heels of Under Orders, ?Francis once again proves himself a master. Wow.? (BOOKLIST) Max Moreton is a rising culinary star?until his guests fall victim to severe food poisoning?and then a bomb blast rips through the luncheon he?s catering. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his name, and himself, before it?s too late.

New York Times-bestselling author Felix Francis returns with another nail-biting thriller in the Dick Francis tradition. It is said that everyone over a certain age can remember distinctly what they were doing when they heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated, or that Princess Diana had been killed in a Paris car crash, but I, for one, could recall all too clearly where I was standing when a policeman told me that my wife had been murdered. Bill Russell is acting as a volunteer steward at Warwick races when he confronts his worst nightmare--the violent death of his much-loved wife. But, the aftermath proves much worse when he is accused of killing her and then hounded mercilessly by the media. Losing his job and in danger of losing his home too, Bill''s life begins to unravel completely. Even his best friends turn against him, thinking him guilty of the heinous crime, despite the lack of any compelling evidence. As Bill sets out to clear his name, he finds that proving one''s innocence isn''t easy. He believes he can track down the true culprit, but can he prove it before he becomes the murderer''s next victim? Guilty Not Guilty is a journey of greed and jealousy set against the grief of personal tragedy, with many a twist and turn along the way.

"A novel set in the world of horse racing, from the author of DICK FRANCIS''S DAMAGE and DICK FRANCIS''S FRONT RUNNER, written in the style of, and so as to appeal to the readers of, those titles"--

Ned Talbot is a small-time bookmaker on the edge of giving it all up when his world is turned upside down by a man who claims to be his father, long thought dead. And when the mysterious stranger is murdered, Ned feels compelled to find out exactly what is going on. But the more he discovers, the longer the odds become for his survival.

British investigator Jefferson Hinkley is back in this compelling Dick Francis thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of Crisis. In his role as an undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, Jeff Hinkley is approached by a multi-time champion jockey to discuss the delicate matter of losing races on purpose. Little does he know that the call will set off a lethal chain of events, including the apparent suicide of the jockey and an attempt on Hinkley’s own life. Never one to leave suspicious events alone, Hinkley begins investigating the jockey and the races he may have thrown. But there are others out there who intend to prevent his inquiry from probing further...at any cost.

New York Times--bestselling author Felix Francis returns with his newest edge-of-your-seat horseracing thriller in the Dick Francis tradition. Harrison Foster, a crisis manager for a London firm, is summoned to Newmarket after a fire in the Chadwick Stables kills six very valuable horses, including the short-priced favorite for the Derby. There is far more to the "simple" fire than initially meets the eye...for a start, human remains are found among the equestrian ones in the burnt-out shell. All the stable staff are accounted for, so who is the mystery victim? Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of thoroughbred racing, where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them. The Chadwick family is a dysfunctional racing dynasty. Resentment between the generations is rife and sibling rivalry bubbles away like volcanic magma beneath a thin crust of respectability. Harry represents the Middle Eastern owner of the Derby favourite and, as he delves deeper into the unanswered questions surrounding the horse''s demise, he ignites a fuse that blows the volcano sky-high. Can Harry solve the riddle before he is bumped off by the fallout?

THE HIGHER THE STAKES, THE DEADLIER THE RISK . . . THE BRAND NEW THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE RACING THRILLER - NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK & EBOOK. ______________________ Theo Jennings is a young auctioneer at the Thoroughbred sales ring in Newmarket. The October yearling sales are where the big money exchanges hands in frenzied auctions: millions of Guineas paid for horses that are as yet unnamed, untested, and have never taken a step on the track. It''s the greatest gamble in all of horseracing, and one that can end in ruin. Theo has just made the biggest sale of his life, when he overhears a secret conversation between the two bidders - can they really have colluded to fix the price of his big sale? When that same horse is found dead the next morning, he has no choice but to investigate, even against the wishes of his boss. But the more he uncovers, the less he can trust the people around him. The higher the stakes, the greater the risk. And in the bloodstock game, the ultimate price can be murder . . . PRAISE FOR FELIX FRANCIS: ''Felix Francis'' novels gallop along splendidly'' - JILLY COOPER ''From winning post to top of the bestseller lists'' - SUNDAY TIMES ''The master of suspense and intrigue'' - COUNTRY LIFE ''A story of skulduggery, conspiracy and dodgy dealings'' - YORKSHIRE TIMES ''A gripping tale'' - DAILY EXPRESS ''The pages fly by'' - HORSE & HOUND

New York Times-bestselling author: A mystery unfolds at the races in this moving crime novel about a struggling ex-jockey—for fans of Clive Cussler and James Lee Burke. “Brilliant all around.” —Booklist Seven years ago, Miles Pussett was a steeplechase jockey, loving the rush of the race. But after an unfortunate event, he left horseracing behind and swore he would never return. Now he gets his adrenaline rush from riding headfirst down the Cresta Run, a three-quarter-mile Swiss ice chute, reaching speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. Finding himself in St Moritz during the same weekend as White Turf, when high-class horseracing takes place on the frozen lake, he gets talked into helping out with the horses. Against his better judgement, he decides to assist, but things aren’t as innocent as they seem. When he discovers something suspicious is going on in the races, something that may have a profound impact on his future, Miles begins a search for answers. But someone is adamant about stopping him—and they’ll go to any length to do it.

An accident cuts short the career of one of the youngest-ever winners of the Grand National, who is unprepared for what happens when he returns to Aintree as a spectator years later.

Jefferson Hinkley is back in the newest thriller in the Dick Francis tradition, this time on a special mission to the United States to investigate a conspiracy involving the biggest horse races in the country. Jeff Hinkley, investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, has been seconded to the US Federal Anti-Corruption in Sports Agency (FACSA) where he has been asked to find a mole in their organization—an informant who is passing on confidential information to those under suspicion in American racing. At the Kentucky Derby, Jeff joins the FACSA team in a raid on a horse trainer’s barn at Churchill Downs, but the bust is a disaster, and someone ends up dead. Then, on the morning of the Derby itself, three of the most favored horses in the field fall sick. These suspicious events can be no coincidence. In search of answers, Jeff goes undercover as a groom on the backstretch at Belmont Park racetrack in New York. But he discovers far more than he was bargaining for: corrupt individuals who will stop at nothing—including murder—to capture the most elusive prize in world sport, the Triple Crown.

“The master of suspense and intrigue” (Country Life) is back with the next powerful installation in the Dick Francis series, featuring Sid Halley, perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly. Sid Halley, a private investigator, has a new left hand, having had a transplant since his last appearance in Refusal. After receiving death threats, an ex-jockey trainer friend calls Sid to ask for his help, but Sid has his own problems to deal with; like recovering from surgery and saving his crumbling marriage. When his friend’s stable yard is torched, horses killed, and the friend is found dead, Sid can only blame himself for not helping sooner. The police think it’s suicide, but Sid is not convinced after his friend’s terrified phone calls. Heavy with a guilty heart, Sid starts to investigate and soon finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that cuts to the very heart of the integrity of British horse racing. Can Sid figure out what happened to his friend, or will he be the next one that the killer targets?

After his client, the arrogant Julian Trent, is convicted and sentenced, Geoffrey Mason, a defense barrister with a passion for horse racing, finds himself caught in the middle of a sinister web of danger when he reluctantly becomes involved in the case of jockey Steve Mitchell, accused of killing a fellow rider.

Nick ''Foxy'' Foxton''s career as a world class jockey is on a perfect track until a near fatal accident cuts his dream brutally short. But when he returns to Aintree years later, nothing can prepare him for what unfolds.