The Danger

This is a vintage Dick Francis thriller, from 1983. It focuses on Andrew Douglas, who works for a group of kidnap specialists. They provide consulting and training for those who may be targets of kidnappers, arrange for kidnap insurance, negotiate should a kidnapping occur, and rarely, assist in recovery of kidnap victims. He is called in when golden girl jockey, Alessia Cenci, is snatched from her home in Italy where she lives with her father, a wealthy industrialist. We follow Andrew through three cases, Alessia's, then the kidnap of a toddler in England whose father is told to sell a prize racehorse to raise a ransom, and then the kidnapping of the chief steward of the Jockey Club while at a promotional international racing event in show more Washington. It becomes clear that they have all been planned by someone VERY ruthless with ties to the racing world. And the hunt is on.

Once again, Francis' research into the topic is meticulous (even though the sources for this one requested anonymity) and the suspense is intense. Despite its age, it doesn't feel dated. Very nicely done, indee show less

Andrew Douglas works for a firm that negotiates the release of kidnapping victims. As the book opens, he is on the case of kidnapped Italian jockey Alessia Cenci at the request of her father. After that case is resolved, Andrew is called on to work the case of a 3-year-old boy who had been kidnapped on an English beach. When he learns that Alessia knows the boy’s father from racing circles, he suspects that the same person is behind both kidnappings. Andrew doesn’t know who the kidnapper is, but he knows what he looks like. Unfortunately, the kidnapper also knows what Andrew looks like. A third kidnapping takes Andrew to Washington, D.C., where he hopes to catch the kidnapper before the kidnapper catches him.

Most Francis novels are show more page-turners, and this is no exception. It’s not without its flaws, though. The connection to racing circles seems more contrived to fit the Francis formula than a necessary element of the crime. The pacing is also off. It starts and ends with a bang, but it leaves things unresolved for the hero. Can Andrew go back to work after his experience of being kidnapped, and will he and Alessia become a couple? show less

The professional narrating this mystery is a kidnap councilor who helps the family of the victim negotiate with kidnappers, interact with police and deal with the aftermath. The characters are real, the action deliberate until it becomes frantic, and the subject matter inherently interesting. This is at least the 3rd time I have read this, and thanks to a poor memory, I still found it exciting.
Added January 21, 2020
Because the narrator is a bold young man in a profession where life and death choices are real, this book has one of the most credible of Francis' plots and a very strong flow. Almost all the men in the company he works for are ex-military and ex-police specialists, and it is shown how he models his choices on what they do, show more which does have something to do with putting him in danger. I do love how [[Dick Francis]] can deliver a story so compactly! show less

Obligatory cheesy romance involving phlegmatic, courageous, compassionate, gentlemanly Englishman. Lots of people tell him how great he his, and he is impressed by their perceptiveness. On the other hand, the details of the different kidnappings are generally well-thought out, and the book actually provokes some thought about the vulnerability of people to kidnap.

When the protagonist is acting as his employer's chauffeur he plays dumb, pretending he doesn't know what is going on. The kidnapper falls for this, inexplicably; I would have stabbed him on the spot. Ending is cliche.

"The Danger" was definitely my favourite Dick Francis novel so far. I liked that the protagonist was not tied to the racing industry. Instead, Andrew Douglas was a partner in a firm called Liberty Market which specialised in kidnappings - how to prevent them and how to respond when they do, and their main goal was to return victims back to their families.

As usual, the hero was calm, capable and intelligent, and I really liked Andrew and the other characters he interacted with to find the kidnapper.

I also liked that the action moved from Italy, England and then America. The novel started well and the tension continued to the end. Overall, "The Danger" was a terrific page-turner which I thoroughly enjoyed.

This was a very exciting read. It's about kidnapping in the horse scene, where these kidnappings take place in different countries and yet all are interconnected. Andrew Douglas has his hands full to reduce the ransom demands, but also to liberate the victims.
The story is fast-paced, you can hardly catch your breath.

Dick Francis is good at writing a cracker of a thriller and this is no exception. As usual there's horses involved but this time it's almost as a peripheral idea. The story revolves around a man, Andrew Douglas, who helps rescue kidnap victims and a couple of the people he helps rescue. It not only deals with the kidnapping itself but also the aftereffects of the kidnapping on Alessia Cenci.

It's interesting and engaging but pretty predictable.