Sid Halley

Sid Halley

Sid Halley (John Sidney Halley) is a fictional character (a former Champion Jockey) and private detective who is the central character in four Dick Francis novels, Odds Against, Whip Hand, Come to Grief and Under Orders. He is the only central character to appear in more than two Francis novels, and one of only two to appear more than once.

Early life

Halley was born to a single mother, due to her fiance's death at age 20 (though a newspaper report in "Come to Grief" says he was 19) only three days before the wedding in a fall from a high ladder while earning extra money on overtime. Eight months after his father's death, Halley was born. Halley's mother, aged 19 at his birth, was a window cleaner from the Liverpool slums, who later worked as a biscuit packer. Halley's boyhood home was Liverpool. She died when Halley was 15 of an obscure kidney ailment. Before she died, she pulled Halley from grammar school and apprenticed him to a Newmarket racing trainer.

Halley's master not only trained him in horses, but to invest the money that the young jockey earned. In addition, the elderly trainer (who died soon after) educated the young jockey in speech and manners, and in much else in life. The young man was not only a rising jockey by the time he completed his indentures, but also had been reputed to have won a small fortune on the stock market.

Halley became a successful jockey, rising to become champion jockey--a status he held for "five or six years". During his early career, before he achieved success, he married Jenny Roland, daughter of retired Rear Admiral Charles Roland. The marriage produced no children and was never a great success, and while Halley was Champion Jockey, his wife gave him an ultimatum--racing or her. Halley chose racing. The two separated while Halley was still racing, and a divorce followed between the events of the first two books. Despite this, Halley had become close to Charles Roland (after a very rocky start) and the friendship persisted.

Halley was injured in a racing accident, crippling his left hand--making it a useless appendage--and ending his racing career. After a fall, a horse had stepped directly on his hand. Despite several operations, the hand had little utility. It was further damaged by the villain in Odds Against, resulting in its amputation. Throughout most of the rest of the series, Halley struggles to come to terms with the loss of his hand.

In the book "Under Orders" he gets married to Marina Van Der Meer.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Halley — may refer to: People* Edmond Halley (1656 – 1742), English Astronomer Royal * Paul Louis Halley (1934 – 2003), French businessman * Peter Halley (born 1953), American abstract painter * Dave Halley (born 1986), English Rugby League player * Jen… …   Wikipedia

  • Dick Francis — CBE (* 31. Oktober 1920 in Lawrenny, Wales als Richard Stanley Francis; † 14. Februar 2010 auf Grand Cayman) war ein britischer Krimi Autor und Jockey. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Stilistische Elemente …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dick Francis — For the science fiction illustrator, see Dick Francis (illustrator). Dick Francis Born 31 October 1920(1920 10 31) Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales Died 14 February 2010 …   Wikipedia

  • Whip Hand — Infobox Book | name = Whip Hand image caption = The cover of 1st edition author = Dick Francis illustrator = cover artist = country = United Kingdom language = English series = Sid Halley series genre = crime novel publisher = Michael Joseph pub… …   Wikipedia

  • Under Orders — is the title of a novel by Dick Francis, published on 7 September 2006.This is the fourth Francis novel to feature Sid Halley, jockey turned private detective.The title is a reference to the time shortly before the start of the race when the… …   Wikipedia

  • Mike Gwilym — Born Michael Gwilym 5 March 1949 (1949 03 05) (age 62) Neath, Wales Occupation Actor …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Persönlichkeiten aus London — London ist der Geburtsort zahlreicher prominenter Persönlichkeiten. Diese Liste zählt Personen auf, die im Großraum London geboren wurden. Es werden alle Gebiete berücksichtigt, die seit 1965 zum Verwaltungsgebiet Greater London gehören. Dazu… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • 1984 — Para otros usos de este término, véase 1984 (desambiguación). Años: 1981 1982 1983 – 1984 – 1985 1986 1987 Décadas: Años 1950 Años 1960 Años 1970 – Años 1980 – Años 1990 Años 2000 Años 2010 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Shadowrun timeline — This is a fictional timeline of the Shadowrun role playing game. The timeline has been expanded as new material is released by the various producers of Shadowrun. The 2007 Shadowrun video game takes place in its own continuity.… …   Wikipedia

  • Starblazer — Star Blazers is also the name for the American dub of the anime series Space Battleship Yamato Starblazer The Early Style of Starblazer cover with the single pane colour cover This is Issue 1, released in 1979. Publication information …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”