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...

When globe-hopping British ambassador Peter Darwin decides to determine why a vet friend has had too many "patients" die, he is caught in a web.

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...

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...

The book begins with Ben's expulsion from Vivian Durridge's stables; he's removed with a false accusation of glue sniffing. But as Ben soon discovers, it is, in fact, his powerful father's machinations that are behind his ill fortunes. The elder Juliard is "standing for Parliament," and the bachelor candidate needs his son by his side for a year of campaigning if he hopes to win. Ben accedes to his father's wishes. He almost always has, but he soon...

A racehorse owner determines to get even with the trainer who has been cheating him.

From a New York Times–bestselling author, “a supersized action-suspense novel” about a celebrity turned amateur sleuth investigating a horseracing mystery (Kirkus Reviews).
 
Dick Francis, Edgar Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing.
 
Edward Lincoln may be an international film star who plays daring detectives...

Sid Halley, now a private investigator with a bionic hand, finds himself uncovering corruption in the racing world.

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...

Geoffrey Mason 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.