Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
London : Penguin, 2011.
Description
Returning to his estranged mother's house for the first time since he joined the army at seventeen, Captain Tom Forsyth discovers that she is being blackmailed and sets out to discover and defeat this hidden enemy using his finely honed military skills. But can he save his mother's reputation and career as "the first lady of British racing", or will he find himself caught in the cross fire?
User reviews
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
Tom Forsyth was badly wounded in Afghanistan. After several months in hospital, he goes to his estranged mother's home in Lambourn to recuperate further. His mother, a highly regarded racehorse trainer, is in financial straits and being blackmailed. Tom takes the law into his own hands in an
A rather disappointing last gasp from Dick Francis, who died last year.
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attempt to resolve things without his mother going to prison for tax evasion.A rather disappointing last gasp from Dick Francis, who died last year.
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LibraryThing member delphimo
I thoroughly enjoy Dick Francis, mainly, because I am interested in horse racing. I am amazed at all the underhanded events still attached to this sport. This is the last novel to be written by Dick Francis and the world will sorely miss his wanderings into the world of horses. This story centers
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on blackmail, taxes, military veterans, money laundering, and horses. I am amazed at the determiniation of England's "IRS". The story shows the mentality of a career army man, plus the remarks by Tom about the Chinese strategy are interesting. This is a quick read. Show Less
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Boring and predictable. No detection done. Unnecessarily uses foul language for effect
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Mr. Francis' protagonist is an injured army vet who lost a foot in Afganistan. The bad guys are typically ruthless and greedy, but Thomas Forsyth is more than a match for them. Many of Mr. Francis' heros are men pushed to the limits of their wits and determination. In this case, Thomas is dealing
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with the emotional aftermath of his amputation. A good read and I wonder if Mr. Felix Francis will continue to write, now that his father has passed on. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Mmm. Don't like it. It's not terrible, but I don't think I'll reread it. Part of the problem is that I don't like the hero - for all the wounded hero bit, he's too self-pitying and too quick to pick a fight with his family. He's also, it becomes clear, an adrenaline junkie - I don't think his final
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disposition will satisfy him for long. Then - the story is rather choppy, and he keeps making assumptions. The first few don't go too badly - they are involved, if not primary actors - but the last one very nearly gets him killed and does kill someone else. And he keeps going off in half-page military...not reminiscences, it's not his memories...history bits? To back up "surprise is the best weapon", the author spends a page discussing Pearl Harbor in detail, not just the attack but exactly what damage was done. Utterly irrelevant - a passing comment about Pearl Harbor would have made sense, but it was written as of none of the readers would have a clue what Pearl Harbor was and as if the details of the attack were important to the story. I find the former unlikely and the latter untrue. There were no characters I really liked here - Mr. Whiny and Mrs. Bossy are majors, all the other women who play any noticeable part are sex-starved... Ian is one of the least unpleasant characters, and he's nothing much. I think I liked Mr. Sutton best, and he's in a nursing home and can't hold a thought for more than a few minutes. Bleah. Not the only Francis I won't reread, but a worrying sign. I hope Felix can do better in the future. Show Less
LibraryThing member SalemAthenaeum
After being wounded at war, Captain Thomas Forsyth is facing six months of leave time to recuperate at his childhood home. Feeling restless and uneasy at the prospect of returning home, Forsyth is not prepared for what he finds back at home. His mother, a champion racehorse trainer, who he has
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never seen eye to eye with, is being threatened with something far more sinister than the loss of a race. His military skills are tested once again as he faces the threat with the same attitude as the battlefield - kill or be killed. Show Less
LibraryThing member Turrean
Bleh. Not worth finishing.
LibraryThing member terran
Capt. Thomas Forsyth is sent home to recuperate after losing a foot when an IED exploded in Afghanistan. After leaving the hospital, he has nowhere to go except to stay with his mother, from whom he has been estranged since the age of 17. She greets him coldly when he arrives at her horse-training
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yard. He discovers that his mother is being blackmailed for tax evasion and puts himself in danger to discover the identity of the blackmailer. Forsyth's injury and search for a new career remind me of Sid Halley, the hero of earlier Frances novels. These admittedly, are old-fasioned, character-driven tales, with MacGyver-like exploits on the part of the hero. People either love them or consider them boring. I love them. I personally hope that Felix Francis will continue writing books similar to those on which he has collaborated with his father. Show Less
LibraryThing member MashaK99
Very good mystery/thriller, pretty typical of Dick Francis writing, although this one takes longer to get rolling on action than most of his work. The audio book narrator does a good job too.
LibraryThing member kmartin802
CROSSFIRE is classic Dick Francis. Captain Tom Forsyth encountered and IED in Afghanistan and lost his right foot. He has just gotten out of the hospital and is beginning a six-month leave. He wasn't a good patient being both bitter and impatient. Because the army has been his life since he was
When he arrives, he finds that his mother is under more than the usual stress and that she is being blackmailed. It doesn't take long for Tom to get deeply involved in trying to find out who is blackmailing her and solving the problem that led to the blackmail in the first place.
This one delves into hedge funds, murder, and modern vices and has Tom using the lessons he has learned as a warrior and the guidance of Sun Tzu's The Art of War as he solves the puzzle.
This was a mystery with a hero who is competent in his own field and who brings that competency to his investigation. Tom is smart and honorable. He is dealing with and adjusting to the probable loss of the career he loved. His mother's problems give him a new focus. While this one is wordier than early Dick Francis books it is still a fast-paced story filled with tension and danger. I really liked it and recommend it to mystery fans.
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seventeen, Tom is at something of a loss about what to do. He decides to go to his mother's home in Lambourn where she is a famous race horse trainer despite the fact that they really don't get along.When he arrives, he finds that his mother is under more than the usual stress and that she is being blackmailed. It doesn't take long for Tom to get deeply involved in trying to find out who is blackmailing her and solving the problem that led to the blackmail in the first place.
This one delves into hedge funds, murder, and modern vices and has Tom using the lessons he has learned as a warrior and the guidance of Sun Tzu's The Art of War as he solves the puzzle.
This was a mystery with a hero who is competent in his own field and who brings that competency to his investigation. Tom is smart and honorable. He is dealing with and adjusting to the probable loss of the career he loved. His mother's problems give him a new focus. While this one is wordier than early Dick Francis books it is still a fast-paced story filled with tension and danger. I really liked it and recommend it to mystery fans.
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LibraryThing member themulhern
It was a bit of a chore to get through this. The efforts to be hard-boiled rang false, and the recollections of the protagonist about his past doings in the army were bizarre and irrelevant. The ending was rushed and pointless. There were a bunch of malapropisms in the text. Felix's mother was so
I never really wanted to go to the races, but earlier Dick Francis novels made it sound enjoyable. This novel makes it sound onerous.
The details about the stable were good, as if those parts were written by the ex-jockey himself.
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much better at this thing than Felix.I never really wanted to go to the races, but earlier Dick Francis novels made it sound enjoyable. This novel makes it sound onerous.
The details about the stable were good, as if those parts were written by the ex-jockey himself.
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LibraryThing member nx74defiant
Injured, having no where else to go Tom goes back to his estranged family. Using his army skills he uncovers the blackmailer and helps his mother.
LibraryThing member Ameise1
Tom, the son of a horse trainer and a stable owner, returns home after 15 years of military service and lost his foot following a bombing in Afghanistan. He is not received with open arms and soon realizes that his mother is being blackmailed, that the racing team's finances are catastrophic and
Very exciting written and it was a great reading pleasure.
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that his mother is making her good racehorses sick with food so they will not win. Tom decides to get to the bottom of everything and catch the culprit without the police being involved.Very exciting written and it was a great reading pleasure.
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LibraryThing member stephanie_M
I've read nearly everything Dick Francis has wrote, including the collaborations he and his son Felix have done. I found them solid, very interesting, and a very good read, though you can always tell who's voice it telling what part of the story. Dick's gentlemanly ways shine through, no matter the
Felix is a newer generation of author, and quite a good one, actually. I, too, am betting that Felix wrote most of this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I had been wondering through their collaborations if I would care for Felix's voice, and style of writing; and I couldn't be happier.
Felix really comes through with this novel, and was able to make such a thrilling, tightly wound storyline that I literally could NOT wait to get home and finish it, after dropping the kids off at school, so I could see how it ended. This is after staying up until 3 am, just to read "one more page".. I am quite tired, but very happy.
It's thoroughly researched, quite gripping, and totally in the style of Dick's works, but in a new, younger voice. I am hooked, and I want more! :D
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story line, or words. Felix is a newer generation of author, and quite a good one, actually. I, too, am betting that Felix wrote most of this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I had been wondering through their collaborations if I would care for Felix's voice, and style of writing; and I couldn't be happier.
Felix really comes through with this novel, and was able to make such a thrilling, tightly wound storyline that I literally could NOT wait to get home and finish it, after dropping the kids off at school, so I could see how it ended. This is after staying up until 3 am, just to read "one more page".. I am quite tired, but very happy.
It's thoroughly researched, quite gripping, and totally in the style of Dick's works, but in a new, younger voice. I am hooked, and I want more! :D
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010
Physical description
344 p.; 17.8 cm
ISBN
9780241954263
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en løkke af tovværk
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Omslagsillustration: Girt Gailans / The Gailans Collection
Omslaget viser en løkke af tovværk
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Omslagsillustration: Girt Gailans / The Gailans Collection
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Pages
344
DDC/MDS
| 823.914 |