Dick Francis has written thirty-seven international bestsellers and is widely acclaimed as one of the world's finest thriller writers, having first been a champion National Hunt jockey. His awards include the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger for the best novel and the Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the crime genre. The Mystery Writers of America have given him three Edgar Allan Poe awards for the best novel of the year - the latest for Come to Grief - and in 1996 made him a Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement.