Odds Against

By: Dick Francis

Narrated by: Tony Britton

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

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. But it was an even-money bet that he'd be killed before he had the chance.

©1965 Dick francis (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A great read (listen.)

I hadn't yet met the central character in this story, a former jocky with a maimed hand, and I found him very sympathetic. His courage, lack of self-pity and sensitivity to the feelings of others similarly afflicted gives him an engaging depth. I took further satisfaction Francis's choice of villians: men who destroy beauty to make money on building ugly houses. He shows them as the villians I feel them to be. The narrator does a wonderful job.

Meet Sid Halley!

This is one of my favorite Dick Francis mysteries, and Tony Britton has done an excellent job of the different voices and accents. Listening to the story brought out nuances that I had not found in the several readings I've done of the book itself. If you haven't read or listened to any of Dick Francis' many mysteries, this is a great audiobook with which to begin.

Dick Francis

I am a Dick Francis fan because his plots have the balance of mystery, suspense and comfortable characters and at a nice pace. This is a typically good story. My one complaint would be that the reader sounded so much older than the characters.

Great Story

I love all the Dick Francis books and this one is no exception. Tony Britton did a great job with the narration.

This is just a great classic British mystery!

Listened again on: 31Mar2022

Excellent as usual. Loved the ending. Beautifully Done By narrator - excellent match. Outstanding pace and diction. A pleasure to listen to.

poor audio

This was a good story and if you like Dick Francis, you'll enjoy Odds Against. Unfortunately the audio transfer from tape to digital is poor. Of all the Tony Briton recordings I've listened to, this is the worst. And whilst Briton is a phenomenal narrator, in this book, his rendering of British accents is so strong that in some cases it is impossible to discern what the characters are saying.

I thought the story got off to a slow start, and the ending seemed to try too hard to make a certain financial situation sound much more dire than I thought believable. Still the characters were vividly real.

So this may be the worst Dick Francis book I've listened to with the worst audio quality. Still, on any day the worst of Dick Francis is far superior to the best of many others. If you have a choice between listening to Odds Against of another Dick Francis title, choose the other Dick Francis title. But if you must choose between Dick Francis and another author, odds are against the other author.

Poor Audio Quality

The quality of the audio production was very poor. Sometimes it sounded as though it was in a tunnel. Sometimes very tinny. The volume varied considerably. The fault was not with the narrator; his variation on the voices was very good. And, of course, this was typically excellent writing by the late, wonderful Dick Francis.
The fault was with the audio book production company. Audible should obtain a replacement copy of this audiobook from the audio book producer.

Worst reading by Tony Britton

I usually enjoy Mr. Britton’s readings of Dick Francis books. However, this performance is dull and lifeless, as though he was very ill or sleep deprived. They have re-recorded many of Mr. Francis’ books. In almost all instances I prefer the earlier recordings. In earlier recordings Mr. Britton seems to try harder to give characters their own voices. In more recent renditions he ‘reads’ more impersonally with far less effort at projecting the characters personalities. A real disappointment as the older, better recordings are replaced by Audible and impossible to access.

Deceptively effortless grace

The genius of Dick Francis lay in his ability to deal with chilling, even grotesque violence and the most visceral of emotions with the kind of sure handed restraint that a great jockey uses to bring a hurtling thoroughbred safely and even stylishly through a madly jostling pack to the finished line and the winner's circle. He created heart stopping action sequences, psychological horror scenes and suspense which is sustained far past what should be the breaking point and did it all in an understated tone which would not be out of place at high tea. The result is an exquisite tension. He also had a habit of constructing action sequences which feature intelligent improvisation from his hero rather than brute force or unerring marksmanship.

Sid Halley is one of the few leading characters who recur in Francis's books, and it is easy to see why he returned to him several times. This outing introduces the injured steeple chase jockey turned investigator, and half way through listening I had already resolved to read all the other books in which he appears. His working class roots, athlete's resilient tenacity and chess player's mind are a fascinating combination. If you have not read anything by Dick Francis, this is as good a place as any to begin.

LOVE DICK FRANCIS

Would you consider the audio edition of Odds Against to be better than the print version?

I have always liked audio books better because of my poor eyesight-but have read this book and couldn't put it down!

What did you like best about this story?

Characters

What about Tony Britton’s performance did you like?

I think he is the best British narrator..wish all Dick Francis' books were narrated by him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no-just enjoyed it.

Any additional comments?

i would like to see all of Dick francis' books on audible.com-I don't know why just a few are not? For instance Forfeit and Comeback!