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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Nice to catch up with Sid Halley again...one of my favorites.
gilliske's review against another edition
3.0
In se geen slechte thriller, maar gewoon niet helemaal mijn ding.
Ik heb niks met de paardensport en de schrijfstijl ligt me ook niet zo super goed.
Ik heb niks met de paardensport en de schrijfstijl ligt me ook niet zo super goed.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Audio book read by Martin Jarvis
3.5***
Opening lines: Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow. That only one of the deaths was of a horse was more than enough to bring the local constabulary hotfoot to the track.
Sid Halley is a former steeplechase jockey turned detective (following an accident which cost him his left hand.) He and his former father-in-law are at the track as guests of Lord Enstone but the events of the day draw him into an investigation that involves race-fixing and big-stakes gambling.
I really enjoyed this exercise in detection which focuses on the world of steeplechase racing. Francis assumes a certain intelligence in his reader (always a plus), but gives enough explanation of technicalities of the sport so as not to leave the novice completely in the dust (i.e. this reader was never confused). The pace is good, although I did think it slowed a bit in the middle, and Halley is a likeable, intelligent protagonist. The plot was sufficiently intricate to keep me guessing, and I was surprised at the reveal. I did think the ending was a little contrived; he seemed to have painted himself into a corner (or locked himself in a bathroom) with no way out. But that was a minor flaw. I thought he did a fine job with the supporting cast as well; I learned enough about Marina, Charles, Jenny and Rosie to believe their involvement and to like them and want to know more about them.
As much as I love mysteries, and as often as friends have recommended Dick Francis to me, I had not read any of his books before. My understanding was that his novels are stand-alone works and not series, so I picked this one because it satisfied a challenge to read a book whose title begins with “U.” Just my luck, Francis did write two series – the Kit Fielding duet (Break In and Bolt) and the Sid Halley series, of which Under Orders is number 4 (and the last he completed before his death in 2010). I’ll definitely go back and start at the beginning. Although I had a vague feeling I might be missing some interesting background stories, I don’t think my enjoyment of this book suffered for not having read the previous Sid Halley works.
Martin Jarvis did a credible job of the audio performance. His voice is pleasant, he reads at a good speed, and he has enough training as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.
3.5***
Opening lines: Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow. That only one of the deaths was of a horse was more than enough to bring the local constabulary hotfoot to the track.
Sid Halley is a former steeplechase jockey turned detective (following an accident which cost him his left hand.) He and his former father-in-law are at the track as guests of Lord Enstone but the events of the day draw him into an investigation that involves race-fixing and big-stakes gambling.
I really enjoyed this exercise in detection which focuses on the world of steeplechase racing. Francis assumes a certain intelligence in his reader (always a plus), but gives enough explanation of technicalities of the sport so as not to leave the novice completely in the dust (i.e. this reader was never confused). The pace is good, although I did think it slowed a bit in the middle, and Halley is a likeable, intelligent protagonist. The plot was sufficiently intricate to keep me guessing, and I was surprised at the reveal. I did think the ending was a little contrived; he seemed to have painted himself into a corner (or locked himself in a bathroom) with no way out. But that was a minor flaw. I thought he did a fine job with the supporting cast as well; I learned enough about Marina, Charles, Jenny and Rosie to believe their involvement and to like them and want to know more about them.
As much as I love mysteries, and as often as friends have recommended Dick Francis to me, I had not read any of his books before. My understanding was that his novels are stand-alone works and not series, so I picked this one because it satisfied a challenge to read a book whose title begins with “U.” Just my luck, Francis did write two series – the Kit Fielding duet (Break In and Bolt) and the Sid Halley series, of which Under Orders is number 4 (and the last he completed before his death in 2010). I’ll definitely go back and start at the beginning. Although I had a vague feeling I might be missing some interesting background stories, I don’t think my enjoyment of this book suffered for not having read the previous Sid Halley works.
Martin Jarvis did a credible job of the audio performance. His voice is pleasant, he reads at a good speed, and he has enough training as a voice artist to differentiate the characters.
fenchelt33's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kristiinaness's review against another edition
4.0
An ex-jockey who becomes a PI? It's my dream life, what can I say.
vorpalblad's review against another edition
3.0
Another fun, fast, fluffy read from Francis. Actually had some interesting facts as well that made me do some more research.
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
3.0
Easy fun read, like all of Dick Francis's work. A great break from the very serious reading I'm doing right now!
thayerbowen's review against another edition
3.0
Not as great as the usual. The whole online betting goes into a lot of unneeded explanation (by today’s standards) and slows the book way down. There’s a nice side story about his personal life tho.