Dick Francis has written forty-one novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), his autobiography (The Sport of Queens) and the biography of Lester Piggott. He is justly acclaimed as one of the greatest thriller writers in the world. He has received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and the Mystery Writers of America have given him three Edgar Allen Poe awards for the best novel of the year, and in 1996 made him a Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2000.
