As a side plot, there is some discussion about Sid's transplanted left hand and his feelings about it, as well as some marital tension regarding that hand. There are all too many naive and clueless gents (they *are* all guys) in both groups who either are in financial straits or have been indecorous with questionable female acquaintances. Sid Halley, former champion jockey who lost a hand to a terrible fall in a race and subsequent additional injury, now has an astonishing real live, and live is the operative adjective, transplanted left hand, which he has to mind carefully but which seems to be a growing cause of estrangement for his wife. I've not read another novel, where the intrepid investigator has had a hand transplant so I'll note I learned a few things about that along the path to a solution to what happened to Sid's friend Gary. I understand I can change my preference through my account settings or unsubscribe directly from any marketing communications at any time.

I was at a bit of a loss, after a long walk to check out the sights, went to the lounge room which had a bookcase and looked for something to read. The jockey is drawn in by knowing that this particular horse is an outsider anyway, so he takes the cash. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written. I have read other books by Felix Francis but this is the first time I have met Sid Halley, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.Hands Down is pure storytelling, wonderfully written, which had me hooked from the opening pages, it is a read which you need to know what is going to happen next and in which direction is the author going to take you. That and the bravado of the lead character is no where near as likeable as it was in the last century. In 1996 I left Australia fr the first time, arrived in London and had to stay in accommodation for one night before moving to Sydenham for my course the following afternoon. His wife and daughter have left for the Netherlands to see her parents leaving him free to dig to the bottom of this mystery.

Sid was missing his wife and daughter, but he also felt duty bound to sort out who was doing what to rig races. The writing is smoother, but there is a lot that is a bit off putting, which adds up to "I might take it off the shelf at the library if it were right in front of me, but I might not" and I certainly am not seeking them out. Needless to say, that takes Sid to a couple of racetracks he once frequented as a jockey and pits him against several heavyweight nasties who would love nothing more than to get rid of him for good. This was an engaging read, full of suspense, fast paced, gripping, looking at the underbelly of the racing world, but how are these masterminds controlling things without being caught? There were several disparate plot threads and they crossed and intertwined and were sometimes difficult to keep track of.I’m afraid those old shoes were pretty hard to fill, thus my disappointment about the slightly rehashed crime that begs for Sid’s attention and makes him a target of those he tries to thwart. His marriage, on the other hand (pun intended), isn't working quite so well; in fact, his wife Marina has taken their nine-year-old daughter, Saskia, with her to stay with her elderly parents - in part because her father is dying and in part because she needs to get away for a while.