Straight

Derek Franklin, injured steeplechase jockey, is at end of his career when he is thrust into chaos following the accidental death of his brother Greville who was an importer of semi-precious stones.

Discover the classic mystery from Dick Francis, one of the greatest thriller writers of all time

'Grabs you from the first page and never lets go' 5* Reader Review
'Excellent. A well plotted story with plenty of twists and turns' 5* Reader Review
'Flawlessly researched with a gripping plot' 5* Reader Review

Steeplechase jockey Derek Franklin has had more broken bones than he cares to count, but it seems his latest injury could very well bring his days on the racecourse to a screeching halt.

Yet that's the least of his concerns when his brother turns up dead, leaving Derek as the sole inheritor of his estate.

It doesn't take long for Derek to learn that his brother - a magistrate who imported and sold semiprecious stones - was keeping more than his share of secrets.

Now Derek must recover $1.5 million worth of missing diamonds and find out who wanted his brother dead, or else his career won't be the only thing in danger of being cut short . . .

Packed with intrigue and hair-raising suspense, Straight is just one of the many blockbuster thrillers from legendary crime writer Dick Francis.

Praise for Dick Francis:

'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror

'The narrative is brisk and gripping and the background researched with care . . . the entire story is a pleasure to relish' Scotsman

'Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph

'A regular winner . . . as smooth, swift and lean as ever' Sunday Express

'The master of suspense and intrigue' Country Life

'Francis writing at his best' Evening Standard

'Still the master' Racing Post

Auteur

Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National. On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.

During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000.

Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.