Listen free for 30 days
-
Front Runner
- A Dick Francis Novel
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Series: Dick Francis Novels, Book 5
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Membership
$14.95 a month
Buy Now for $32.41
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Crisis
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harrison Foster, a crisis manager for a London firm, is summoned to Newmarket after a fire in the Chadwick stables kills six very valuable horses, including the short-priced favorite for the Derby. There is far more to the "simple" fire than initially meets the eye...for a start, human remains are found among the equestrian ones in the burnt-out shell. All the stable staff are accounted for, so who is the mystery victim?
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Crossfire
- Written by: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Thomas Forsyth’s second tour of Afghanistan is cut brutally short when he’s badly wounded by a roadside bomb. Tom’s world is torn apart by the injury – the Army is his life. The thought of never rejoining his regiment is a terrifying prospect and one that he is not willing to entertain. Tom returns to Lambourn, to his childhood home, where his mother is a racehorse trainer and the ‘First Lady’ of racing.
-
-
Another Great Francis Novel
- By Doug Wilkie on 2019-04-20
Written by: Dick Francis, and others
-
Dick Francis's Damage
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Michael Neilson
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Undercover investigator Jeff Hinkley is assigned by the British Horseracing Authority to look into the activities of a suspicious racehorse trainer, but as he’s tailing his quarry through the Cheltenham Racing Festival, the last thing he expects to witness is a gruesome murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place - the administration of illegal drugs to his horses?
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Dick Francis' Refusal
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six years ago, investigator Sid Halley retired for good. He'd been harassed, beaten, shot, even lost a hand to his investigating business, and enough was enough. For the sake of his wife and new daughter he gave up that life of danger and uncertainty, and he thought nothing would ever lure him back into the game. He thought wrong. Sir Richard Stewart, chairman of the racing authority, begs Sid to investigate a series of dodgy races. Sid adamantly refuses, but the following day, Sir Richard is found dead under suspicious circumstances. And then a man with an Irish accent contacts Sid, telling him to deliver a whitewashed report about the suspected race-fixing...or else.
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Silks
- Written by: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When defence barrister Geoffrey Mason hears the judge’s verdict, he quietly hopes that a long and arduous custodial sentence will be handed down to his arrogant young client. That Julian Trent only receives eight years seems all too lenient. Little does Mason expect that he’ll be looking Trent in the eyes again much sooner than he’d ever imagined.
Written by: Dick Francis, and others
-
Comeback
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Darwin was hoping for some quiet leave from the Foreign Office. Instead he found himself in the village of his childhood, at the service of a veterinary surgeon whose operating theater was rapidly acquiring an unwanted reputation as an abattoir. The sudden unexplained death of a string of valuable racehorses from one small area in Gloucestershire was a mystery the police couldn't solve. But Darwin was local. He remembered people and what was at stake. And now he knew enough to get himself killed.
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Crisis
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harrison Foster, a crisis manager for a London firm, is summoned to Newmarket after a fire in the Chadwick stables kills six very valuable horses, including the short-priced favorite for the Derby. There is far more to the "simple" fire than initially meets the eye...for a start, human remains are found among the equestrian ones in the burnt-out shell. All the stable staff are accounted for, so who is the mystery victim?
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Crossfire
- Written by: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Thomas Forsyth’s second tour of Afghanistan is cut brutally short when he’s badly wounded by a roadside bomb. Tom’s world is torn apart by the injury – the Army is his life. The thought of never rejoining his regiment is a terrifying prospect and one that he is not willing to entertain. Tom returns to Lambourn, to his childhood home, where his mother is a racehorse trainer and the ‘First Lady’ of racing.
-
-
Another Great Francis Novel
- By Doug Wilkie on 2019-04-20
Written by: Dick Francis, and others
-
Dick Francis's Damage
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Michael Neilson
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Undercover investigator Jeff Hinkley is assigned by the British Horseracing Authority to look into the activities of a suspicious racehorse trainer, but as he’s tailing his quarry through the Cheltenham Racing Festival, the last thing he expects to witness is a gruesome murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place - the administration of illegal drugs to his horses?
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Dick Francis' Refusal
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six years ago, investigator Sid Halley retired for good. He'd been harassed, beaten, shot, even lost a hand to his investigating business, and enough was enough. For the sake of his wife and new daughter he gave up that life of danger and uncertainty, and he thought nothing would ever lure him back into the game. He thought wrong. Sir Richard Stewart, chairman of the racing authority, begs Sid to investigate a series of dodgy races. Sid adamantly refuses, but the following day, Sir Richard is found dead under suspicious circumstances. And then a man with an Irish accent contacts Sid, telling him to deliver a whitewashed report about the suspected race-fixing...or else.
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Silks
- Written by: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When defence barrister Geoffrey Mason hears the judge’s verdict, he quietly hopes that a long and arduous custodial sentence will be handed down to his arrogant young client. That Julian Trent only receives eight years seems all too lenient. Little does Mason expect that he’ll be looking Trent in the eyes again much sooner than he’d ever imagined.
Written by: Dick Francis, and others
-
Comeback
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Darwin was hoping for some quiet leave from the Foreign Office. Instead he found himself in the village of his childhood, at the service of a veterinary surgeon whose operating theater was rapidly acquiring an unwanted reputation as an abattoir. The sudden unexplained death of a string of valuable racehorses from one small area in Gloucestershire was a mystery the police couldn't solve. But Darwin was local. He remembered people and what was at stake. And now he knew enough to get himself killed.
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Even Money
- Written by: Dick Francis, Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the first day of Royal Ascot, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favorites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker – taking over the family business from his grandfather – so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and him his losses. He’s seen the ups and downs before – but, as the big gambling conglomerates muscle in on small concerns like his, Ned wonders if it’s worth it any more.
Written by: Dick Francis, and others
-
The Danger
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A beautiful Italian girl driving home in an open top sports car, a little boy playing on a South Coast beach and the senior steward of the Jockey Club on his way to a press reception in Baltimore. One after the other they suffer the same nightmare ordeal - kidnapping. But there is one thing connecting these particular cases. For the Italian girl is a jockey, and the little boy an only son of a racehorse owner.
-
-
Favourite Dick Francis Story
- By ej on 2019-05-30
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Odds Against
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amazing what bodily injury could do for a man. A fall from a racehorse had left brilliant jockey Sid Halley dangerously depressed, with a wrecked hand and the need for a new career. And now a bullet wound was helping him find one. He'd been with a detective agency since his racing accident, but it wasn't until some two-bit hoodlum drilled a slug into his side that he was sent out on a case of his own. That was where he met Zanna Martin, a woman who just might make life worth living again.
-
-
Some technical issues with the recording
- By Cr Fraser on 2022-04-05
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Twice Shy
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Computer whiz-kid Peter Keithly, asked to transfer a betting formula onto computer tape, dies shortly afterwards. An old friend of his, Jonathan Perry, finds himself in possession of the tapes, and also discovers that there are greedy, desperate men who will do anything to get their hands on the lucrative software. The evil, bull-faced Angelo goes too far and ends up in jail. Fourteen years later he's free, and very keen not only to get hold of the tapes, but also Jonathan Derry.
Written by: Dick Francis
-
10 Lb. Penalty
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this fast-moving best-seller, 18-year-old amateur jockey Benedict Juliard reluctantly interrupts his exciting career to promote his father in an ambitious political campaign. But suddenly, campaigning becomes more thrilling, and deadly, than steeplechase racing.
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Proof
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At an annual party to celebrate the success of the racing season, everything seemed to be running well to form, including the need for more champagne. Then a runaway horsebox ploughed into the marquee. A witness to the terrible death and destruction, wine merchant Tony Beach knows it is just one of those tragic accidents. But when his expert advice is called into play over sub-standard alcohol in a local night club, connections start to click, and another person dies, horribly.
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Damage
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: Michael Nielson
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeff Hinkley, undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, is looking into the shady activities of a racehorse trainer. But as he's tailing his quarry through the Cheltenham Racing Festival, the last thing he expects to witness is a gruesome murder. Could it have something to do with the reason the trainer was banned in the first place – the administration of illegal drugs to his horses? Days later, many more horses test positive for prohibited stimulants.
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Dick Francis's Gamble
- Written by: Felix Francis
- Narrated by: John Keating
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Felix Francis co-wrote several horse racing mysteries with his late father Dick Francis before the legendary author passed away in 2010. Taking up the reins for his first solo effort, Felix delivers a captivating tale that franchise fans will thoroughly enjoy. Former jockey Nicholas “Foxy” Foxton is at the track one day when he witnesses the execution-style killing of his friend Herb Novak. Worried he might be next, Foxy wonders if there was a dark side to Herb he didn’t know about.
Written by: Felix Francis
-
Decider
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Free choice? There's no such thing, according to Lee Morris. Choice is pre-ordained by your personality. Stratton Park racecourse faces ruin in the hands of a squabbling family. Lee is slowly sucked into the turmoil, unwillingly on the surface but half-understanding the deep compulsions that influence his decisions. One road leads to safety, another to death. How do you know which is which?
-
-
one of the best from Dick Francis
- By Jessica Taylor on 2021-06-16
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Second Wind
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perry Stuart is a TV meteorologist who routinely works before the cameras. His life calm and ordered, his face familiar to every British household, Stuart's profound weather knowledge and accuracy have given him high status among forecasters, but no physical baptism by storm. Not, that is, until a fellow forecaster offers him a Caribbean hurricane-chasing ride in a small aeroplane.
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Reflex
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Philip Nore is nearing the end as a jockey. George Millace is finished in photography. The differnce is, Millace is dead, and Nore has discovered his secret: a set of files which would blow the top off the racing world. Hated by a dying grandmother he has never known and abused by a trainer he knows only too well, Nore is no stranger to shabby morals. And when he begins to decipher the dead man's photographs, he uncovers corruption on a scale he had never imagined.
-
-
spell binding
- By JOHN on 2018-07-05
Written by: Dick Francis
-
Risk
- Written by: Dick Francis
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When he wakes in a pitch-black room with his hands bound, Roland Britten – accountant and champion steeplechase jockey – knows he’s entered a nightmare of someone else’s making. Wracking his brain to figure out who’s out to get him and why, he comes up empty, but somehow manages a death-defying escape. It isn’t long, though, before he’s recaptured.
Written by: Dick Francis
Publisher's Summary
Jefferson Hinkley is back in the newest Dick Francis thriller by the New York Times best-selling author of Damage.
In his role as an undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, Jeff Hinkley is approached by a multitime champion jockey to discuss the delicate matter of losing races on purpose. Little does he know that the call will set off a lethal chain of events, including the apparent suicide of the jockey and an attempt on Hinkley's own life. Never one to leave suspicious events alone, Hinkley begins investigating the jockey and the races he may have thrown. But there are others out there who intend to prevent his inquiry from probing further...at any cost.
What the critics say
More from the same
What listeners say about Front Runner
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bruce
- 2016-04-23
Good read!
The son is starting to get better. I hope he still has a lot of material to write about. The character is likeable but there's just something missing from his inner quality. Can't put my finger quite on it. . I'm sure Mr. Felix Francis will one day get it spot on.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Katherine M.
- 2016-05-26
Not the best
Martin Jarvis is always wonderful but he didn't have a outstanding book this time. The plot was ok, fast at some points and slow at others. The protagonist was a little slow to figure out what was going on, the love story was sappy, and the climax not very climatic.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 2016-04-02
Great story - kept me guessing till the end
Felix Learned well from his father. The stories examine racing for all the good and the bad.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Marni Gable
- 2015-12-30
disappointing... my least favorite so far.
Uneven, hard to follow storyline, obvious lapses in deductive thinking... I spent most of my time wishing he'd just state the obvious and move on.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John H. Hosmer
- 2018-05-24
Silly and tedious
Long inane passages with silly dialogue. The protagonist, supposedly a well trained intelligent agent made foolish decisions that any first year police cadet would have avoided. Where was the editor on this?
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Donna Hellman
- 2017-09-25
A Well Told Story!
This is the first book I have listen to read by Felix Francis. I counted only two extraneous lines in the read, and followed the story completely and easily. It was paced well, kept me interested, and ended happily. A well-told story of the rich and famous. Thank you, Mr. Francis!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dottie Davis
- 2016-11-03
Author and narrator have had better
The flawed logic in the very beginning nearly stopped me reading this, but I persisted, in the end skipping pages at a time. Sorry I bothered! The poor hero kept screwing up, and the poor author kept having him explain in excruciating detail how he missed the obvious. Sorry, Felix!
Martin Jarvis narrated 101 Dalmatians, which I liked very much. That's probably why this effort was so irritating - it's ok for dogs to smirk and simper, not love interests. Sorry, Martin!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jean
- 2016-10-23
Best narrator
Best narrator -- he should do all the Francis' books. He has a beautiful voice and storytelling ability.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan DeHaven Bass
- 2016-04-12
Well plotted, well done, in top Francis style. <br /><br /><br />
After keenly missing Dick Francis' sharp, well researched books, this one delivers. Bravo Felix Francis.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William
- 2015-12-05
Pretty good!
Slow-to-build story but good plot line. This is one of Felix Francis' compositions. I enjoyed listening and will listen again in a year or 2. Martin Jarvis is great.
1 person found this helpful