Dick Francis, the best-selling British thriller writer and former champion jockey, died Sunday in his home in the Cayman Islands. He was 89.
A successful steeplechase jockey, Mr. Francis turned to writing after he retired from racing in 1957. He wrote 42 novels, many of which featured racing as a theme. His books were translated into more than 20 languages, and in 2000 Queen Elizabeth II - whose mother was among his many readers - honored him by making him a Commander of the British Empire.
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