DICK FRANCIS

'I wondered if I was dying. I wasn't afraid to die, but such was the pain in my gut, I wished it would happen soon.' The night before the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket sees the great and the good of the horse-racing community gathered for a black-tie gala dinner at the Hay Net - the racing town's favourite Michelin-starred restaurant - founded by Max Moreton, something of a local celebrity. Spending the night retching in the throes of agony is the last thing Max expected of the evening. But much worse is to come...his food is suspected of putting twenty-four dinner guests in hospital. Within hours, Max's restaurant is forcibly closed, his reputation teeters on the brink of ruin, and a court case looms. But the day is far from over, for soon Max Moreton finds himself desperately fighting for more than just his livelihood...

Dick and Felix Francis team up for another father/son collaboration with the fast-paced thriller SILKS. Their latest page-turner is once again set at a race track, and revolves around a barrister who has regrets after taking on the case of a jockey accused of murder. When he begins to feel pressure to purposely throw the case, he is thrown into a moral crisis of whether to protect himself or go against everything he believes in. Dick Francis is a former jockey, and his many tales of the track have been a huge hit among racing and mystery fans alike.

"Julian Trent, you have been found guilty by this court of perpetrating a violent and unprovoked attack on an innocent family, including a charge of attempted murder. You have shown little or no remorse for your actions and I consider you a danger to society." When defence barrister Geoffrey Mason hears the judge's verdict, he quietly hopes that a long and arduous custodial sentence will be handed down to his arrogant young client. That Julian Trent only receives eight years seems all too lenient. Little does Mason expect that he'll be looking Trent in the eyes again much sooner than he'd ever imagined.Setting aside his barrister's wig, Mason heads to Sandown to don his racing silks. An amateur jockey, his true passion is to be found in the saddle on a Thoroughbred, pounding the turf in the heat of a steeplechase. But when a fellow rider is brutally murdered - a pitchfork driven through his chest - Mason's racing life soon becomes all too close to his working life. The prime suspect is one of their brethren, champion jockey Steve Mitchell; the evidence is overwhelming. Mason is reluctant to heed Mitchell's pleas for legal advice - but soon he finds himself at the centre of a sinister web of threat and intimidation. Mason is left fighting a battle of right and wrong, and more immediately, a battle of life and death...his own.

It's the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day that really troubles super-sleuth Sid Halley. Former champion jockey Halley knows the perils of racing all too well - but in his day, jockeys didn't usually reach the finishing line with three .38 rounds in the chest. But this is precisely how he finds jockey Huw Walker - 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 discreet 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 realise? 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 - both professionally and personally.

"Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in one afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow." It's the third death that really troubles former champion jump-jockey Sid Halley. He knows the perils of racing all too well - but in his day, jockeys didn't usually reach the finishing line with 3.38 rounds in the chest. But this is precisely how he finds Huw Walker - the new winner of the Triumph Hurdle and Halley's friend. Now former friend. Walker was riding one of Lord Enstone's horses in the Hurdle and it was the inimitable owner who invited Halley in the first place. His brief: to make discrete enquiries into alleged race fixing. Are results being rigged? Are bookies taking a cut? And if so, are trainers and jockeys playing a dangerous game with stakes far higher than they realise? 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 - both professionally and personally.

The Grand Master returns in prize-winning form Geoffrey Mason did it for the money. It is obvious that his client Julian Trent is guilty, and it's about time rich boy Trent is taught a lesson for his violent ways. The only thing still bothering Geoff is that he is going to miss participating in the Foxhunter Steeplechase' the "Gold Cup" for amateur riders'because the trial has taken a lot longer than expected. Although still an amateur, Geoff is well known (as "Perry" Mason) among the pro riders, including Steve Mitchell and Scot Barlow'arguably the two top pros. So when Scot Barlow is murdered'with Mitchell's pitchfork nonetheless'Geoff finds himself pulled into the case as a junior barrister.

From award-winning author Dick Francis and his son, Felix, comes Geoffrey Mason--a defense barrister whose true passion is riding his thoroughbred. When a fellow jockey is accused of murdering a colleague, Mason is torn between doing what's right--and what will keep him alive. Available in a tall Premium Edition.

Shell-shocked and missing a foot, lost to an IED during his tour of duty in Afghanistan, Captain Tom Forsyth uses his finely honed military skills to find the person blackmailing his estranged mother--the first lady of British racing--who is being forced to make her horses lose.

On the first day of Royal Ascot, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favourites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker ndash; taking over the family business from his grandfather ndash; so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and he counts his losses. He''s seen the ups and downs before ndash; but, as the big gambling conglomerates muscle in on small concerns like his, Ned wonders if it''s worth it any more.When a grey-haired man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Ned''s life is thrown into far deeper turmoil. He''d been told since he was a baby that his parents had died in a car crash.Barely an hour later his newly found father is stabbed by an unknown assailant in the Ascot car park. Blood oozing from his abdomen, he warns Ned: ''Be very careful''. But of whom? Of what? Ned finds himself in a race to solve his father''s riddles, a race where coming second could cost him more than even money, it could cost him his life.

Royal Ascot''s first day, and bookmaker Ned Talbot watches helplessly as a string of favourites come in. With the punters totting up their winnings, he counts his losses. Then an old man steps forward with a very different claim. The father Ned never knew - long ago believed killed in a car crash - is standing before him. Barely an hour later, Ned''s newly-found father is dying in Ascot''s car park. Stabbed by an unknown assailant, he warns Ned ''be very careful''. But of whom? Of what? Ned races to discover the truth behind his father''s disappearance and sudden reappearance. It''s not just money on the line now. It''s lives.

Captain Thomas Forsyth′s tour of Afghanistan is cut brutally short when he′s badly wounded by an IED - an Improvised Explosive Device - a roadside bomb. Tom′s world is torn apart by the injury - the army is his life. Six months of recuperation leave is a daunting prospect - but not as bleak as the probability of never rejoining his regiment.

Sid Halley, famoso ex fantino inglese e ora detective privato, indaga sulle violenze inflitte ad alcuni cavalli, ai quali un misterioso vandalo ha troncato le zampe anteriori. Una serie di coincidenze e un testimone permetteranno a Halley di individuare il colpevole: il suo amico e rivale Ellis Quint, ex campione dell'ippica e gloria nazionale. Ma, al processo, Quint esibira un alibi di ferro...

Alexander Kinloch, artist, lives alone on a remote Scottish mountain. His peace is shattered when he finds a group of strangers waiting for him at his home. After a scuffle, he is left for dead, with the words "where is it?" ringing in his ears. But, the days that follow contain even more danger.

Three kidnappings take place - one in Italy, one in England and one in the US. All three crimes are connected with horseracing, but is one man behind them all? "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing.Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.