I started reading Dick Francis' books years ago...I don't remember exactly which one I started with, but I know I own them all now :-) A former jockey (to the Queen Mother), Francis' books are always set around the world of horse racing.

On average, he wrote a book a year from 1962 to 2000 (see his Wikipedia entry for the list of books). But in 2000, his wife Mary died, and the books stopped. Mary Francis had been her husband's researcher and editor for years, and rumors were that there would be no new books.

Last week, as I wandered into a bookstore in Manchester, England, I saw a hardcover by Dick Francis called Under Orders. I was trying to remember if I had read it or not, thinking it might be a new re-release, when I noticed the tagline at the bottom of the cover: The Master is Back!

And back he is :-) I really enjoyed the story, which brings back Sid Halley (himself a former jockey that we've met three times before; this is unusual in itself because Francis rarely brings characters back).

Francis will turn 86 on 31 October 2006. I don't know how many more books there will be, but I was absolutely thrilled to run into my old friend last week.