Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow.
It’s the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day that really troubles super-sleuth Sid Halley – when jockey Huw Walker reaches the finish line with three .38 rounds in his chest. The same jockey who, only a few hours earlier, had won the coveted Triumph Hurdle.
Just moments before the gruesome discovery, Halley had been called upon by Lord Enstone to make discrete enquiries into why his horses appeared to be on a permanent losing streak.
Are races being fixed? Are bookies taking a cut? And if so, are trainers and jockeys playing a dangerous game with stakes far higher than they realize?
Halley’s quest for answers draws him ever deeper into the darker side of the race game, in a life-or-death power play that will push him to his very limits . . .
Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Under Orders is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.