Dark Horseis the 7th mystery featuring Sid Halley, written by Felix Francis around characters originated by his late father, Dick Francis. Released 23rd Sept 2025 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
There are only a handful of series, however well written, which keep readers coming back for more year after year. The Dick Francis books are wonderful, highly consistent and satisfying reads. They're well constructed mysteries with a touch of humour, and they can generally be picked up and read in any order, as standalones. After the death of the elder Francis, his protege and youngest son Felix took over primary writing duties and continued the legacy with respectable verisimilitude.
The language is relatively clean with the occasional 'damn / bloody' or similar' but nothing worse. These books are always worthwhile and a treat to be savored. Spelling and vernacular are UK English, but shouldn't pose any problems in context for readers from North America.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours 16 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Martin Jarvis, along with Anna Burnett. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Four and a half stars. It's always a bit of a gamble when other writers take over long established series, but in this case, they're a pleasure to read, and a safe bet.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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