Whip Hand

Written by Dick Francis

Narrated by Simon Prebble

By the end of the week Sid Halley didn’t have just one job, but three. When the latest of three prize-winning horses, all with promising futures, inexplicably putters out at the track, a trainer’s wife suspects foul play and asks Sid to watch
their latest great acquisition—Tri-Nitro—to ensure he doesn’t come to the same end. Then Sid’s ex-wife Jenny, still full of bitterness, is accused of fraud after she is innocently duped by a con artist into parting with thousands in a charity scam.
And even more, top brass of the Security Service solicits Sid to find out if one of his investigators is receiving hush money.

Like all of Francis’ characters, Sid’s sleuthing brings him back to the track and the stable, and he feels the familiar regret and nostalgia for the racing life that must always elude him. At the height of his career, Sid’s arm was shattered under the
crushing weight of his falling horse. Now a mechanical arm reminds him of lost hopes and the terrible price the passion to win extracts from a racer’s life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705071403

Reviews for Whip Hand

[400mom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like almost anything written by Dick Francis, but this is one of his best. If you are not familiar with his books, Dick Francis writes mysteries that involve English horse racing, generally from a jockey's perspective, and always bring in information about some other profession. They are always well-researched and well-written. The male characters are usually very complete. They are usually all separate books (not a continuing series) but Sid Halley, this book's main character, is a repeat and a great protagonist.

[danhammang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel bagged Francis his second Edgar award. It is a fun read that offers a fast paced, suspenseful story with a great look at the world of English horse racing written by an insider.

[jphilbrick_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

4.5, if I could. One of the more enjoyable Francis books I've read in a while, or maybe I was just more in the mood now. Sid Halley is a likable protagonist, as I guess they all are, and this one was thought-provoking, as usual. My favorite summer reading!

[dekan-6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this is dick francess and he is my favorite writer and lately ive had a chance to grab some of the books i havn't read. as always it is entrigueing and quickly paced. you can taste the atmosphere and the ground they stand on. i did figure out who this one was however that's the only readson i gave it 4 i love all his books, this encluded.

[tripleblessings_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sid Halley #2, investigates a case of horse nobbling and scandal at the Jockey Club. Good suspense, one of my favourites. I like to re-read the Halley series every couple of years.

[clue_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the Sid Halley series and won the Edgar in 1981 for best novel.. Here Sid, the former champion jockey, is asked to investigate the possibility of doping and phoney racing syndicates after 3 promising horses from the same stable finish last in important races. Francis' knowledgte of racing, he was a former jockey himself, good writing, a twisting plot and interesting characters make it a good read.

[jim53_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An odd combination: a first-person narrator with occasional fits of astute self-awareness telling us the hard-boiled story of some interwoven detecting adventures. Sid Halley is an ex-jockey who has become a PI after suffering the loss of a hand in a racing accident. He's also an ex-husband who aparently chose his career over his marriage. Sid gets involved surreptitiously with the case of a trainer whose most promising horses have been underperforming at crucial times. He's also asked to investigate, confidentially, whether the racing security man overseeing syndicates is doing his job properly. On top of these, his father-in-law, with whom he gets along famously, asks Sid to help his ex with a problem she's gotten into. So we get to see Sid working on all these items at once, as well as the horrible treatment he receives from his ex-wife. Sid puts up with it because he thinks he deserves it.Francis comments throughout about how different we look to others from how we see ourselves, and he ilustrates this pretty well. There is some intermittent psychological insight mixed with attempts to be a "hard guy" who ignores his feelings. It's almost as if the author couldn't decide how much to focus on this stuff. The story sticks to Francis's usual formula of a slow start and a hectic finish. Not great but an enjoyable read.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel introduced Sid Halley, a former jockey who had been injured in a bad fall which resulted in him losing one of his hands. Following his enforced retirement from racing Halley had established himself as a private detective taking small investigations into different aspects of the horse racing world. He soon finds himself embroiled in something rather more serious.As always, Francis makes the racing world come alive. It is a sphere about which i am wholly ignorant, but Francis has a great facility for making it all seem immensely familiar ad plausible. I don't think that this has aged well - the attitudes and platitiudes are a little too redolent of the 1970s, but it was still very enjoyable.

[auntieknickers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've now read twenty-eight of the Edgar Best Novel Award winners, and one thing I've noticed is that the selection committee seems to favor the stand-alone novel over the series entry. Out of the 28 there have been 17 stand-alones as against 11 series novels (one of which, Ed Lacy's ROOM TO SWING, probably shouldn 't count as it did not become part of a two-book series until several years after the award). After what seemed like a zillion international thrillers all in a row, it was fun to read Dick Francis's series book, WHIP HAND, and to know that there are three more books in the Sid Halley series for me to enjoy.

WHIP HAND is the series' second book, continuing the story of Sid Halley, an ex-jockey turned PI with an artificial left hand. With the help of his judo-instructor friend Chico Barnes, Halley investigates primarily racing-related questions, at least in this book. However, he also goes after a conman who has involved Halley's ex-wife in a scheme that might send her to prison if the true perpetrator isn't found. By the end of the book, Halley has not only solved all the mysteries, but has learned a good deal about himself.

WHIP HAND is told in the first person by Halley. A lot of people don't like this POV and even say they won't read a book that uses it. I can't really imagine this book told any other way being as effective as it was. We learn so much about Halley's psyche that helps to illumine the character changes he goes through during the course of the book. Having the story told in third-person omniscient, for example, would just not be as powerful. I did find it difficult to read the portions in which violence is directed at the narrator, but they too were necessary to show the character's feelings.

As this is only the second Dick Francis book I've read, I'm still learning some of the ins and outs of British horseracing. I'm happy that Francis is so good at slipping bits of information into the story without stopping the flow of the plot. I expect I'll know a lot more before I'm done reading Francis.

[idiotgirl · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I like Dick Francis. A reliable and enjoyable read. English horse racing. (Always listen for the voices.) This one about Sid Haley. Ex-jockey (because he lost his hand). Figuring out what's wrong with racing. . . What not to like.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book # 2 in the Sid Halley series. Sid’s career as a top-rated jockey ended when a horse rolled over onto him, crushing his left hand. The hand was later amputated, and he now wears a state-of-the-art prosthesis, but he cannot be a jockey. The plot is intricate and includes a couple of different mysteries, both of which involve unscrupulous business dealings and which involve Sid’s two loves: his ex-wife Jenny and thoroughbred racing. One of these will seriously threaten Sid’s life and his psyche. Both are complicated and require all his skill to ferret out the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice. Sid is forced to face his greatest fears and answer for himself: Is there anything you’re afraid of?I love Sid. He’s determined, inquisitive, courageous, and principled. He’s got a great sidekick in Chico, as well; and his father-in-law has his back, too