Crossfire

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 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 show more Felix Francis will continue writing books similar to those on which he has collaborated with his father. show less

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 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 show more 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 show less

Tom Forsyth comes back from Afghanistan sans one foot. On leave for 6 months he goes to the one place they have to take him in... home. But the world of horseracing isn't as simple as he thought it would be and before he knows it he is up to his neck in danger.
I had read half of this book once before. I can't imagine why I didn't finish it. It was entertaining and a fun read with little military tidbits sprinkled throughout. A pleasure.

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 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 show more 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. show less

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 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 show more 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 if 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

The central character was not as likable as Dick Francis's usual protagonists. Returning Afghanistan vet. Good read with some surprises. I listened to the audio and Martin Jarvis was great.

Early in the collaboration between Dick and Felix Francis the book is a little rough around the edges. In later novels and those written by just Felix Francis you can see an increased comfort in the writer with how he likes to present his material.

Tom Forsythe is a career soldier injured in Afghanistan. Discharged from both the hospital and the army due to his amputated leg and lacking any home outside the army barracks he aimlessly wanders back to his mother's house. While there he tends to fall back into the slightly adversarial relationship with his mother and step-father and begins to examine his reactions while learning to adjust to life with his prosthetic leg. It turns out that his mother, a successful racehorse trainer, is show more being blackmailed for not paying her taxes due to advice from a new accountant. It becomes dangerous when Tom attempts to recover his mother's money and subsequently "lost" in a bad financial investment by the questionable and now dead accountant. Tom begins to investigate and discovers a false investment scheme and begins to untangle the many strings of deceit.

The self-reflection by Tom during the course of events feels appropriate for one who is experiencing great upheaval due to drastic changes in their life's pattern. So there is comparison on how he would act as a soldier given an enemy's actions.

I would like to see this character again in another book, especially now that Felix Francis has developed a smoother writing style. show less