Friday Memes: Dark Horse by Felix Francis

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

"Don't you bloody touch me!"

Friday 56:

There were twenty-six runners still in the race, and closely bunched, as they jumped the Chair and the water, before setting out on their second circuit, with Hightown Harry still prominently placed in the leading half dozen.

This week I am spotlighting Dark Horse by Felix Francis from my Review stack. I was a longtime reader of Dick Francis and have read some of his son Felix's books. This one continues the adventures of one of Dick's characters Sid Halley. 

Here's the description from Amazon:

Sid Halley is brought in to investigate a stalking turned murder case in this thrilling addition to the Dick Francis novels, perfect for fans of Harlan Coben.

Imogen Duffy is an up-and-coming Irish jump jockey making her mark in steeplechase racing. But not all is well in Imogen's life. Jealous of her success, Imogen’s controlling boyfriend Liam is stalking her and when she tries to break it off with him, he turns violent. Fleeing to England, Imogen hopes to leave Liam behind. But Liam vehemently refuses to let her go–until he’s found dead, stabbed with a knife bearing Imogen’s fingerprints.

Imogen’s father, convinced of her innocence, seeks out Sid Halley to ask for his help uncovering the truth and Sid reluctantly agrees to investigate. The case becomes all too personal soon after, when Sid realizes he is being stalked and threatened – is it the killer? With his life and reputation on the line, Sid races to solve the case before someone else ends up dead.

This pulse–pounding addition to the beloved series will enthrall readers, turning pages at a gallop to discover what the truth is–and who to trust.