Sid Halley (Odds Against, Dick Francis book 4) returns. I believe that Sid is the only character that Francis repeats; I think he could be a series in his own right - except that Francis does tend to brutalize his heroes rather badly.
If you recall, Sid had concluded his collection of cases so successfully that Radnor was making him a partner in the newly reconstituted Radnor-Halley Agency. Unfortunately, after the end of that book and the beginning of this one, Radnor collapsed and died without completing the partnership papers; a random nephew appeared and took possession; and Sid was out. His sidekick, Chico Barnes, has joined him in his new venture as an independent investigator.
Anyway, multiple investigations, brutal beatings, horses murdered, all the usual. Among other things, Sid saves his ex-wife from a probable prison sentence. No, there is no reconciliation, she isn't really even grateful. Let's face it: Jenny is not a nice girl and is a great disappointment to her father. Sid does hook up with a rather nice girl - Jenny's ex-housemate - but there is not any sense of permanence to that relationship.
Maybe the previous book, Trial Run, struck the general reading public and Dick Francis fans specifically rather as it did me, leaving Francis in need of a solid winner to get everybody back. Bet this one did the job.
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