Dick Francis published his first mystery, Dead Cert, in 1962. Since then, he has published 42 thrillers until his death, aged 89 in 2010. During his career as a crime writer made the action-suspense-detective story extremely popular and arguably forged the widest fan base of any writer before or since. Each year the new Dick Francis was almost always a guaranteed bestseller.

A former jockey himself, horse racing always plays some part in his books. He achieved success early with several books that are still read today such as For Kicks (1965), Flying Finish (1966) and Forfeit (1968). In range and power as a suspense and mystery writer Francis was probably unequalled. Not only were they good puzzle books, but they had a emotional impact. His books had a strong following internationally, and especially so in the United States were he was a Grand Master. They were often centred on modest hero-figures such as the racing correspondent James Tyrone in Forfeit who looked after his invalid wife (as Frances once did himself). Although he had been been a novelist for over 30 years it had been suggested that his broader scope of his novels in the 1990s were vintage Francis – they focused more on artistic professions – rather than on skulduggery in and around the racing circuit.

Plotline: Movie director Thomas Lyon came to Newmarket to rake the ashes of an old Jockey Club scandal for a new Hollywood film. Too late, he found himself listening to a blacksmith’s dying confession. Found himself watching as the past came violently back to life. Capturing the shockwaves over one woman’s macabre death nearly thirty years before is drama. But a frenzied knife attack on the set of Unstable Times is definitely attempted murder. Who stood to gain from the threats? Between truth and shadowy fiction, Thomas Lyon already knew too much. Following the real story could mean the difference between life and death. His own . . .

Wild Horses combines the racing world and film-making. It is a favourite with Francis fans and was issued in 1994 with a lovely appreciation by awarding winning crime writer and peer of Francis, H R F Keating. Keating reviewed many of the Francis books when he was crime reviewer for the London Times. The print run was 99 numbered and signed copies, plus some deluxe copies for presentation purposes.  All books sold out on publication.