The "hilt" of Francis's delightful 35th thriller refers to the jewel-encrusted, solid gold handle of the ceremonial sword of Scotland's would-be king, Bonnie Prince Charlie. A descendant of the Scottish earl to whom the prince gave the hilt, narrator Alexander Kinloch lives in an unelectrified bothy in the Scottish mountains, supporting himself through his paintings. Al's keen visual sense allows him to draw the faces of the four thugs who beat him...

Presents a story pitting an amateur jockey against a well organized criminal network.

From the New York Times–bestselling“master of crime fiction and equine thrills,” a former jockey takes on the crooked world of horse dealing (Newsday).
 
Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing.
 
For a generous commission, ex-prize-winning jockey Jonah Dereham reluctantly agrees to...

Tor Kelsey, an undercover security operative for the British Jockey Club, is assigned to protect guests on "The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train," individuals whose safety is imperiled by real-life murder and mayhem.

Max Moreton is a rising culinary star, until nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning. At his next obligation, an exclusive luncheon for forty in the glass-fronted private boxes at the 2,000 Guineas, a bomb blast rips through the private boxes, killing some of Max's trusted staff and many of the guests. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his...

Assigned to fly four racing buffs to the track, pilot Matt Shore is forced to make an emergency landing, and he soon finds out that the mob has been tampering with the horseracing industry.

Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings at Royal Ascot. When a man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Ned is thrown into turmoil. He's been told that both his parents died when he was a baby. Barely an hour later, his father is stabbed by an unknown assailant. Before dying, he warns Ned to "be very careful." But of whom? Of what? Ned...

In Decider, inheriting a small share in a successful racetrack means trouble for architect Lee Morris, especially when he finds himself in the middle of a family feud and the target of a ruthless killer.

Slurs in a gossip column jeopardize the business of Holly and Bobby Allardeck. Holly's twin brother, steeplechase jockey Kit Fielding, searches for the person behind the plot.

From a New York Times–bestselling “master of crime fiction and equine thrills,” a horse breeder goes undercover to investigate a horse doping scheme (Newsday).
 
Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing.
 
Australian horse breeder Daniel Roke had resisted the exorbitant sum of money offered by a...