Crossfire

By: Dick Francis

Narrated by: Martin Jarvis

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

An exhilarating new novel from The New York Times best-selling authors.

Shell-shocked and missing a foot-lost to an IED during his tour of duty in Afghanistan, Captain Tom Forsyth has been sent "home" by the army and, at loose ends, returns to his estranged mother's house for the first time since he joined up at 17. But Josephine Kauri, the "first lady of British racing", has always put the horses she trains first and her family last. Tom soon finds himself strained to the breaking point with his mother and stepfather. 

But there's another reason for the stifling tension at Kauri House Stables: Josephine is being blackmailed for a hefty sum every week - and forced to make her horses lose. Retirement is not an option, as she has been warned that it will result in the thing she most fears: exposure and ridicule...and prison, when the government finds out what she's been hiding.

Tom 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, or will he find himself caught in the cross fire?

©2010 Dick Francis (P)2010 Penguin Audiobooks

Ho Hum

I can't say I was disappointed by this title but then again I wasn't expecting very much to begin with. I bought it and I did read it from cover to cover (so to speak) but I found it lacking. I didn't hate it but I most assuredly did not love it. The language is mundane; gone the finely tuned diction, that product of an old school English education, that was so much in evidence when Dick was writing with his wife Mary (who some say was the actual author). The characters were disappointing and in some cases not even believable (like the hero's mother). I won't go on. You get the picture. This is not the Dick Francis I had come to know and love; this is definitely the next generation.

Now that we have established that Felix is not his parents, let me also comment that Crossfire is also not the best of Felix's work. I much preferred DEAD HEAT and SILKS.

Crossfire

Found the title interesting as it can have different meaning by different professions and both were in use in this story, military and horse racing. This was a bit different than other Francis books but I noted the son Felix was a co-writer. I enjoyed the book and the personal questioning of what can he do after being injured in Afghanistan. Wish there was more about the horses but there was information about horse racing stables. Looking forward to more stories from Francis.

Ho Hum

I really miss Dick Francis. Unfortunately, Felix Francis is a poor writer working his father's formula but without the page-turning magic Dick Francis was so good at. The character in this book was off-putting as well. Nuts. I was really hoping Felix could carry it off.

Poorly written, badly performed

This book was supposedly written by Dick Francis during the period that he was handing the reins over to his son Felix. But anyone who is familiar with Francis Senior's writing will know he had very little to do with this one. Even when his central character had flaws and problems, there was none of the handwringing and whiny self-examination that permeates Felix's main characters. Martin Jarvis's overblown reading only accentuates the problems, making even the most innocuous internal question sound like a decision of cosmic importance. Felix's writing has improved in recent years, but this book is one of the worst. There is none of his father's keen observation of human behavior and delightful ability to describe it, none of the beautifully rendered backgrounds of countryside and racecourses, nothing that made the Dick Francis books wonderful stories of the human condition.

Really liked the direction and the crafting of the lead character!

Well done! Great plot... It had me thinking the story was going in a different direction at the end! Surprised

Not Dick Francis, that’s for sure

This story, my first of the combination Felix and Dick Francis, is plain awful. Francis Junior writes in a similar style of utility and adventure, but he doesn’t have the same talent or ability for you to like his characters. I kept hoping it was a development story where the main protagonist would come to be a decent human being. Didn’t happen.

never disappoints

Would you consider the audio edition of Crossfire to be better than the print version?

No just different - not the voice I hear in my head but still good

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

definitely

Did Martin Jarvis do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

yes

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the explosion - my fear for the child

Any additional comments?

Can't read print, grateful for audio versions

All Dick Francis Books are a must read

I think, he has never put out a bad book in his entire collection of endevers. This one was a Great Read and Listen. Recommend to all ages. Five Star.

Loved it!

Would you listen to Crossfire again? Why?

I've never read/listened to a Dick Francis story I didn't like. Some are better than others but every one of them is enjoyable. While Mr. Francis co-wrote with is son, it is a Dick Francis story through and through. If you are a Dick Francis fan you'll not be disappointed.

What does Martin Jarvis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator, Martin Jarvis, does a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life and giving them each their own unique voice. It just wouldn't be as enjoyable without his British accent help to set the story.