Odds Against

It's amazing what bodily injury can do for a man. A fall from a racehorse left brilliant jockey Sid Halley dangerously depressed, with a wrecked hand and the need for a new career. It was a bullet wound that helped him find one. Although he'd been with a detective agency since his racing accident, it isn't until some two-bit hoodlum drills a slug into his side that he is sent out on a case of his own. That is where he meets Zanna Martin, a woman who just might make life worth living again. But it is an even-money bet that he will be killed before she has the chance.

Dick Francis, (1920-2010) a former champion steeplechase jockey, was the author of many bestselling mysteries set in the world of horse racing. The only three-time recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for best novel, his awards include the Gold Dagger, the Cartier Diamond Dagger, the MWA's Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Tufts University of Boston, and in 2000 he received a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).