The "hilt" of Francis's delightful 35th thriller refers to the jewel-encrusted, solid gold handle of the ceremonial sword of Scotland's would-be king, Bonnie Prince Charlie. A descendant of the Scottish earl to whom the prince gave the hilt, narrator Alexander Kinloch lives in an unelectrified bothy in the Scottish mountains, supporting himself through his paintings. Al's keen visual sense allows him to draw the faces of the four thugs who beat him...

Presents a story pitting an amateur jockey against a well organized criminal network.

Max Moreton is a rising culinary star, until nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning. At his next obligation, an exclusive luncheon for forty in the glass-fronted private boxes at the 2,000 Guineas, a bomb blast rips through the private boxes, killing some of Max's trusted staff and many of the guests. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his...

From the New York Times–bestselling“master of crime fiction and equine thrills,” a former jockey takes on the crooked world of horse dealing (Newsday).
 
Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing.
 
For a generous commission, ex-prize-winning jockey Jonah Dereham reluctantly agrees to...

Tor Kelsey, an undercover security operative for the British Jockey Club, is assigned to protect guests on "The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train," individuals whose safety is imperiled by real-life murder and mayhem.

A racehorse owner determines to get even with the trainer who has been cheating him.

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 chest-which is how he found Huw Walker, the winner of a coveted race only a few hours earlier. Now Halley's quest for answers will push him to his very limits-both on and off the track.

The accidental death of jockey Martin Stukely implicates his friend Gerard Logan, a glassblower, in a dangerous search for a missing videotape.

Captain Thomas Forsyth's tour of duty in Afghanistan is cut brutally short when he's badly wounded by a roadside bomb. Tom returns to his childhood home in Lambourn, where his mother is a racehorse trainer and the "First Lady" of racing. Never having seen eye-to-eye with her, Tom doesn't expect a hero's welcome but even he's not prepared for the reception that awaits him. When his mother's prize horse finishes a vastly disappointing last in a race...

From a New York Times–bestselling "master of crime fiction and equine thrills," an aristocratic amateur jockey gets involved in a criminal investigation (Newsday). Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing. The youngest child of rich, neglectful parents, Henry Grey was occasionally accused of being an overgrown brat. But all Henry wanted was a career that would...