Dick francis - proof (Penguin Books)

This is a classic mystery from Dick Francis, the champion of English storytellers. Wine merchant Tony Beach will do anything for a quiet life. But when a party to celebrate the end of the racing season ends in eight violent deaths, he is drawn reluctantly into the subsequent investigation.

Meanwhile, the police, having evidence of the sale of illicit alcohol at a local club, ask for Tony's help in closing it down. Thanks to his intervention, Tony comes to the attention of the criminal underworld.

And that's when he reluctantly realizes that the deaths and the illicit alcohol are connected. Tony doesn't want to be a hero. But if the choice is that or dying...Praise for Dick Francis: "As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride.

The same is true of his crime writing". (Daily Mirror). "Dick Francis' fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end".

(Sunday Telegraph). "The narrative is brisk and gripping and the background researched with care...the entire story is a pleasure to relish". (Scotsman). "Francis writing at his best". (Evening kanon)."A regular winner...as smooth, swift and lean as ever".

(Sunday Express). "A super chiller and killer". (New York Times Book Review).