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Horsing Around With Murder |
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Death In The Saddle |
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Dick Francis
Dick Francis was
born on October
31, 1920. His
father was a
jockey. Dick
Francis had a
successful
career himself
as a jockey,
winning over 350
races. During
World War II he
served in the
Royal Air Force
piloting fighter
and bomber
aircraft. In
1946 he left the
RAF to become a
celebrity in the
world of British
National Hunt
Racing. From
1953 to 1957 he
was jockey to
Queen Elizabeth
the Queen Mother
but had to
retire from
racing as the
result of a
serious fall in
1957. In 1962 he
published his
first thriller,
Dead Cert, which
was set in the
world of racing.
He produced a
novel a year for
the next 38
years. The 1999
unauthorized
biography, Dick
Francis: A
Racing Life,
suggested that
the actual
author of the
books was Mary,
Dick Francis'
wife. By all
accounts Mary
did a lot of
research and
editing of the
later novels,
working
collaboratively
with her husband
on each book's
actual
composition.
Dick Francis
himself has
written no new
works since
Mary's death in
2000 however,
Francis has
announced that a
new book, titled
Under Orders (a
racing term for
when the horses
are at the start
and subject to
the starter's
orders) will be
released in
September 2006.
His manager and
research
assistant on the
new book is
Felix Francis,
his son. Prior
to working for
his father Felix
taught at a UK
private school.
There is no
recurring
detective.
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John Francome
John Francome
was born in a
council house in
Mulberry Grove
on 13 December
1952, he is the
son of a railway
fireman and when
he left Park
Senior High
School he had
few
qualifications
to show for it.
One of the last
areas he might
have been
expected to find
himself was in
the horse world.
John Francome
won seven
championships in
ten years but
admits that by
the time he set
a new record of
1036 jumping
victories in
June 1984, he
was already
making up his
mind to retire.
He rode his
1038th and last
winner in April
1985 and was
awarded the MBE
the following
year. John
retained a
strong link with
racing by
working as a
trainer, and
with regular
appearances as a
TV commentator.
Now is following
in the footsteps
of Dick Francis
by becoming a
successful
novelist. He
lives just over
the county
border in
Lambourn, but
still retains a
great bond for
his home town.
There is no
recurring
detective.
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Jenny Pittman
Born on a modest
Leicestershire
farm, Jenny
Pitman's love of
horses dominated
her life and led
her to join a
racing yard at
the age of
fifteen. Still a
young woman -
with a marriage
and divorce
behind her - and
with two strong
and healthy
young sons to
bring up, she
set about the
task of proving
to the world
that she could
survive. Before
long, Jenny
became one of
the very first
women to be
granted a
professional
licence to train
horses and,
despite years of
financial
hardship, she
soon established
herself as a
fully fledged
trainer. Jenny
has trained
winners of all
five major
Nationals and
two Cheltenham
Gold Cups. With
Corbiere in
1983, she became
the first woman
trainer to win
the Grand
National - and
she is still the
only one to have
done so. Twelve
years later, the
notoriously
difficult horse
Royal Athlete
won her this
prestigious race
for a second
time. In
recognition of
her stunning
achievements and
for her services
to horseracing,
Jenny was
awarded the OBE
in 1998.
The Detective
After her
husbands death
Jan Hardy is
left to look
after her two
young children,
and to face a
bitter
mother-in-law
alone but she
cannot continue
to make a
success of the
crumbling Welsh
farm and the
life that goes
with it. The
only thing she
knows about is
handling horses
so Jan is forced
to move to
Gloucestershire
to be near her
parents,
increase her
profile and
raise her stakes
as a horse racer
and pursue her
dream of gaining
a training
license. This,
she hopes, will
secure a future
for her
children. As she
begins to make
her tentative
mark on the
predominantly
male training
scene, Jan
encounters
numerous
setbacks from
her family and
considerable
financial
difficulties.
And to make
things worse,
certain
characters seem
determined to
make her life as
difficult as
possible...
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Lyndon Stacey
Lyndon Stacey is
the bestselling
author of Cut
Throat,
Blindfold,
Deadfall and
Outside Chance.
She lives in the
Blackmore Vale.
There is no
recurring
detective.
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