Dick Francis Popular Books

Dick Francis Biography & Facts

Richard Stanley Francis (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a British steeplechase jockey and crime writer whose novels centre on horse racing in England. After wartime service in the RAF, Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winning over 350 races and becoming champion jockey of the British National Hunt. He came to further prominence in 1956 as jockey to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, riding her horse Devon Loch which fell when close to winning the Grand National. Francis retired from the turf and became a journalist and novelist. Many of his novels deal with crime in the horse-racing world, with some of the criminals being outwardly respectable figures. The stories are narrated by the main character, often a jockey, but sometimes a trainer, an owner, a bookie, or someone in a different profession, peripherally linked to racing. This person always faces great obstacles, often including physical injury. More than forty of these novels became international best-sellers. Personal life Francis was born in Coedcanlas, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some sources report his birthplace as the inland town of Lawrenny, but at least two of his obituaries stated his birthplace as the coastal town of Tenby. His autobiography says that he was born at his maternal grandparents' farm at Coedcanlas on the estuary of the River Cleddau, roughly a mile north-west of Lawrenny. His mother had likely returned to her parents' home to give birth, as was the custom. He was the son of a jockey and stable manager and his wife. Francis grew up in Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. He left school at 15 without any qualifications, intending to become a jockey; by the time he was 18, in 1938, he also was training horses.In October 1945, he met Mary Margaret Brenchley (17 June 1924 – 30 September 2000) at a cousin's wedding. In most interviews, they commented that it was love at first sight. (Francis has some of his characters fall similarly in love within moments of meeting, as in the novels Flying Finish, Knockdown, and The Edge.) Their families were not entirely happy with their engagement, but the couple married in June 1947 in London. She had graduated with a degree in English and French from London University at the age of 19, was an assistant stage manager, and later worked as a publisher's reader. She also became a pilot, and her experience of flying contributed to many novels, including Flying Finish, Rat Race, and Second Wind. She contracted polio while pregnant with their first child. (Francis drew from this in his novel Forfeit, which he named as one of his favourites.) They had two sons, Merrick (born 1950) and Felix (born 1953).For nearly 30 years, Francis lived in Blewbury in Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire). In the 1980s, he and his wife moved to Florida in the United States. In 1992, they moved to the Cayman Islands, where Mary died of a heart attack in 2000. In 2006, Francis had a heart bypass operation; in 2007 his right foot was amputated. He died of natural causes on 14 February 2010 at his Caribbean home in Grand Cayman, survived by both sons. Second World War During the Second World War, Francis volunteered, hoping to join the cavalry. Instead, he served in the Royal Air Force, initially as a member of ground crew and later piloting fighter and bomber aircraft, including the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, and the Wellington and Lancaster bombers. He received an emergency commission as a pilot officer on 29 July 1944, and was promoted war-substantive flying officer on 29 January 1945. Much of his six-year service career was spent in Africa. Horse racing career After leaving the RAF in 1946, Francis became a highly successful jockey, reaching celebrity status in the world of British National Hunt racing. He won over 350 races, becoming champion jockey in the 1953–54 season.Shortly after becoming a professional, he was offered the prestige job of first jockey to Vivian Smith, Lord Bicester.From 1953 to 1957, Francis was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. His best remembered moment as a jockey came while riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National, when the horse inexplicably fell when close to winning the race. Decades later, Francis considered losing that race his greatest regret and called it "a disaster of massive proportions".Francis suffered racing injuries, being first hospitalized from riding at the age of 12 when a pony fell on him and broke his jaw and nose. He drew from this career resulting in broken bones and damaged organs for his novels, in which his characters suffer the same. In 1957, after Francis suffered another serious fall, the Queen Mother's adviser, Lord Abergavenny, advised him that she wanted him to retire from racing for her. Contributions to racing In 1983, the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in England "stood at the brink of extinction," according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. News reporter Don Clippinger wrote, "Britain's Jockey Club negotiated a $14 million deal to buy the land and save the race forever. The only problem was that the Jockey Club did not have $14 million, so two prominent racing personalities—Lord Derby and novelist Dick Francis—were selected to raise the money in a worldwide campaign". Other philanthropists, including Charles C. Fenwick Jr., who rode Ben Nevis to victory in the 1980 Grand National, and Paul Mellon, an American breeder and racing enthusiast, also contributed to saving the race. Writing career Francis wrote more than 40 international best-sellers. His first book was his autobiography The Sport of Queens (1957); he was offered the aid of a ghostwriter but rejected the idea. The book's success led to his becoming the racing correspondent for London's Sunday Express newspaper, and he continued in that job for 16 years. He set his first thriller, Dead Cert, published in 1962, in the world of horse racing, establishing a specialized niche for his work. Subsequently, he regularly produced a novel a year for the next 38 years, missing only 1998 (during which he published a short-story collection). Although all his books were set against a similar background, his male protagonists held a variety of jobs, including artist (In the Frame and To the Hilt), investigator for the Jockey Club (Slay-Ride and The Edge), pilot (Rat Race and Flying Finish), and wine merchant (Proof). All the novels are narrated by the hero, who in the course of the story learns that he is more resourceful, brave, tricky, than he had thought, and usually finds a certain salvation for himself as well as bestowing it on others. Details of other people's occupations fascinated Francis, and he explores the workings of such fields as photography, accountancy, the gemstone trade, and restaurant service on transcontinental trains—but always in the interest of the plot. Dysfunctional families were a subject which he also exploited (Reflex, a baleful grandmother; Hot Money, a multi-millionaire father and serial.... Discover the Dick Francis popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Dick Francis books.

Best Seller Dick Francis Books of 2024

  • Even Money synopsis, comments

    Even Money

    Dick Francis & Felix Francis

    Ned Talbot is a smalltime 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 myste...

  • Comeback synopsis, comments

    Comeback

    Dick Francis

    New York Times bestselling Grand Master of Crime Fiction Foreign Office diplomat Peter Darwin uncovers a peculiar operation involving a veterinary surgeon and the unexplained deat...

  • The Edge synopsis, comments

    The Edge

    Dick Francis

    A highclass, transcontinental horseracing junket should be an idyllic getaway for the superrich.But one passenger on this train is a sociopath, a genius at blackmail and criminal c...

  • Guilty Not Guilty synopsis, comments

    Guilty Not Guilty

    Felix Francis

    New York Timesbestselling author Felix Francis returns with another nailbiting thriller in the Dick Francis tradition.It is said that everyone over a certain age can remember disti...

  • Hot Money synopsis, comments

    Hot Money

    Dick Francis

    "Francis, an exjockey, has a sense of pace that would be the envy of most of his former colleagues....He throws in a doozy of a bonus surprise."PEOPLEWealthy gold trader Malcolm Pe...

  • Time to Pay synopsis, comments

    Time to Pay

    Lyndon Stacey

    Revenge has no limits...Damien Daniels has been murdered; shot through the chest by an unseen marksman. It looks like a professional job but there are no clues as to who pulled the...

  • Front Runner synopsis, comments

    Front Runner

    Felix Francis

    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 invest...

  • 10 lb Penalty synopsis, comments

    10 lb Penalty

    Dick Francis

    New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis has been hailed as “a master of understated suspense” (The San Diego UnionTribune). With this blockbuster novel, he lives up to his d...

  • Dead Heat synopsis, comments

    Dead Heat

    Dick Francis & Felix Francis

    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 poisoni...

  • Iced synopsis, comments

    Iced

    Felix Francis

    In the tradition of Clive Cussler and James Lee Burke, Iced, the latest in Francis's fictional world, is a heartpounding thriller that will keep you racing to the next page.Seven y...

  • Banker synopsis, comments

    Banker

    Dick Francis

    An investment banker arranges the purchase of a champion racehorse and gets caught up in murder in this New York Times bestseller that's “fraught with violence, conspiracy and...

  • Reflex synopsis, comments

    Reflex

    Dick Francis

    A jockey unravels nasty secrets of corruption, blackmail, and murder in this mystery from grand master of crime fiction Dick Francis.Longtime jockey Philip Nore is no hero. Bu...

  • Pulse synopsis, comments

    Pulse

    Felix Francis

    New York Timesbestselling author Felix Francis is back with this thrilling adventure in the Dick Francis tradition.A smartlydressed man has been found unconscious at the local race...

  • Taking the Fall synopsis, comments

    Taking the Fall

    A.P. McCoy

    From champion jockey A.P. McCoy comes a tense and utterly gripping racing thriller.Duncan Claymore could have it all. He's one of the country's up and coming young jockeys and this...

  • The Danger synopsis, comments

    The Danger

    Dick Francis

    When a string of kidnappings rocks the horse racing world, Andrew Douglas is brought in to recover the missingwithout becoming the next victim.

  • Triple Crown synopsis, comments

    Triple Crown

    Felix Francis

    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 bigges...

  • Cactus Jack synopsis, comments

    Cactus Jack

    Brad Smith

    A delight from paddock to finish line." Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) Brad Smith “rivals Elmore Leonard at his best” (Publishers Weekly). His latest novel, for fans of Richard Russo ...

  • Twice Shy synopsis, comments

    Twice Shy

    Dick Francis

    A computerized horsebetting system falls into Jonathan Derry's handsand unless he returns it to the rightful owners, the odds of his survival are slim to none.

  • Bolt synopsis, comments

    Bolt

    Dick Francis

    Kit Fielding will do whatever it takes to stop the killing of racehorses. Not an easy task considering that the woman he adores is leaving him, an international arms dealer is thre...

  • Hands Down synopsis, comments

    Hands Down

    Felix Francis

    “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 ...

  • Second Wind synopsis, comments

    Second Wind

    Dick Francis

    When a hurricanechasing plane is downed on a Caribbean island, TV meteorologist Perry Stuart barely escapes with his life. But he can't escape what he saw on the islandand if the p...

  • Silks synopsis, comments

    Silks

    Dick Francis & Felix Francis

    A lawyer and amateur jockey is torn between doing what’s right and what will keep him alive in this New York Times bestselling thriller from Dick and Felix Francis.Geoffrey Mason w...

  • ROAR synopsis, comments

    ROAR

    Bruce Wagner

    A new novel by Hollywood’s "master of satire."The myth of an epic, public lifeits triumphs and tragediesis a particularly American obsession. ROAR is a metafictional exploration of...

  • Black Lace Quickies 7 synopsis, comments

    Black Lace Quickies 7

    Various Artists

    Quickies a collection of bestselling short, sexy erotica from Black LaceLord X is old school and has tastes to match ...Alison likes the handson approach ...Nancy and Allison get...

  • Proof synopsis, comments

    Proof

    Dick Francis

    Incomparable New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis offers a compelling tale of fine living, fast horses, and shattering suspense...Wine merchant Tony Beach has expertly ca...

  • Shattered synopsis, comments

    Shattered

    Dick Francis

    After his friend is killed in a horseracing accident, upandcoming glass artisan Gerard Logan finds himself embroiled in a deadly search for a stolen videotapea videotape that just ...

  • Break In synopsis, comments

    Break In

    Dick Francis

    Steeplechase jockey Christmas "Kit" Fielding has had more than his share of close calls both on and off the course. But trouble hits close to home when a grudge between his family ...

  • Driving Force synopsis, comments

    Driving Force

    Dick Francis

    "Delightful...A tense, fastpaced new mystery...boasting a resolute, resourceful, and modest hero and lots of racetrack characters and color."SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLETransporting rac...

  • Wild Horses synopsis, comments

    Wild Horses

    Dick Francis

    From acclaimed master of mystery Dick Francis comes a thrilling novel about the illusion of film and the reality of murdera New York Times notable book.Thomas Lyon has finally been...

  • The Sure Thing synopsis, comments

    The Sure Thing

    Nick Townsend

    The bookies always win. But one man has been proving them wrong for four decades. In the summer of 1975 Barney Curley, a fearless and renowned gambler, masterminded one of the most...

  • Under Orders synopsis, comments

    Under Orders

    Dick Francis

    Sid knows the perils of racing all too well, but in his day jockeys didn't usually cross the finish line with three .38 rounds in the chestwhich is how he found Huw Walker, the win...

  • To the Hilt synopsis, comments

    To the Hilt

    Dick Francis

    From the acclaimed master of mystery and suspense comes the story of a selfimposed outcast who must refresh his detection skills in order to save himself and his family.

  • Straight synopsis, comments

    Straight

    Dick Francis

    In this mystery from New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis, a jockey becomes the sole inheritor of his late brother's business, horse, mistress, and enemies.Steeplechase j...

  • The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden synopsis, comments

    The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden

    Phyllis Granoff

    The stories collected in this volume reflect the rich tradition of medieval Jain storytelling between the seventh and fifteenth centuries, from simple folk tales and lives of famou...

  • Crossfire synopsis, comments

    Crossfire

    Dick Francis & Felix Francis

    Shellshocked 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...

  • Collateral Damage synopsis, comments

    Collateral Damage

    Mark Shaw

    If there had been no coverup of Robert Kennedy’s complicity in the murder of Marilyn Monroe in 1962 and he had been prosecuted based on compelling evidence at the time, the assassi...

  • Bush synopsis, comments

    Bush

    Jean Edward Smith

    Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the YearDistinguished presidential biographer Jean Edward Smith offers a “comprehensive and compelling” (The New York Times) life of Geor...

  • Narrowing the Field synopsis, comments

    Narrowing the Field

    A.P. McCoy

    MURDER, RIVALRY AND REVENGE...'Fast paced and unbeatable.' The LadyEverything seems to be going right for brilliant young jockey Duncan Claymore. A career on the up, a beautiful wi...

  • Longshot synopsis, comments

    Longshot

    Dick Francis

    “Fastpaced, meticulously plotted...Nobody sets up a mystery better than Dick Francis.”San Francisco ChronicleJump in the saddle with a sure thing. Travel writer John Kendall trave...

  • Cut Throat synopsis, comments

    Cut Throat

    Lyndon Stacey

    Jealousy and greed form a deadly alliance in the highly charged world of international showjumping.Ross Wakelin, a talented American rider with a chequered past, has come to Englan...

  • Crisis synopsis, comments

    Crisis

    Felix Francis

    New York Timesbestselling author Felix Francis returns with his newest edgeofyourseat horseracing thriller in the Dick Francis tradition.Harrison Foster, a crisis manager for a Lon...

  • Come to Grief synopsis, comments

    Come to Grief

    Dick Francis

    When exjockey Sid Halley becomes convinced that one of his closest friendsand one of the racing world's most beloved figuresis behind a series of shockingly violent acts, he faces ...