Odds Against (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 1965; vuoden 2005 painos)

I'm so glad I saw the movie of this book first. It was part of a four-episode series on British television called The Racing Game. The first episode was an adaptation of this book; the remainder were based on the characters and written by screenwriters in consultation with Mr. Francis. I enjoyed them, especially the first, and liked the casting, so I felt I'd like to read the book to see how it differed (having already read the second in the series, Edgar-winner [book:Whip Hand].

Had I read the book first, I would have been disappointed in the film, because the book is much better. In it, Sid Halley has been "working" in a large detective agency for two years, ever since his hand was smashed in a steeplechase accident, ending his career as a jockey. He is seldom given any assignments and assumes that the job is a bit of charity -- not because he needs the money but just to give him a place to go each day. Then, his soon-to-be-ex-father-in-law inveigles him into helping foil an extremely hostile takeover of a small racecourse, and in the process, Sid discovers that he really does want to be a detective and is good at it. All this character growth is brought out much more fully in the book than in the film. Also, some minor plot changes in the film, while perhaps cinematically apt, seemed somewhat unrealistic to me, and the original incidents in the book are both more believable and just as suspenseful. If you like to see filmed mysteries, do watch the videos first and then read the book. But do read the book by all means. ( )

A great portrayal of what courage is (plus the reference to Flanders & Swann always makes me happy). A gripping story even when rereading it. ( )

I quite enjoyed Odds Against, and found it to be an intriguing and exciting novel. Sid Halley is an unusual protagonist -- an ex-jockey who had been forced to give up his career through a fall from his horse that crippled his hand. Divorced and spiritless, he has been working for his former father-in-law's firm as a private investigator, but doing little for his paycheck.

When a group of ruthless individuals seek to sabotage a local racetrack, Sid takes on the case, and while nearly losing his life, he regains a reason for living. During the extended climax, he races against time to figure out how the racetrack has been sabotaged, being chased all the while by the killers. Oddly, the reader is not drawn into the feelings of the protagonist (despite the first- person narrative, its affect is a bit flat, compared to the pain and terror he must have felt). In addition, while Sid solves the case, the cruelty of the perpetrators is not compensated by a cathartic denouement. Both of these features may reflect the author's goal of writing in the "hard boiled" genre. In any case, as entertainment, this work more than satisfies. I am eager to read other contributions in the Sid Halley series. ( )

I like the way Sid is surprised that others think him brave. I think most heroes are that way just doing what they have to as best they can. ( )

Former hotshot jockey Sid Halley landed a position with a detective agency, only to catch a bullet from some penny-ante thug. Now, he has to go up against a field of thoroughbred criminals--and the odds are against him that he'll even survive.