The Fox

By: Frederick Forsyth

Narrated by: David Rintoul

Brought to you by Penguin

Most weapons do what you tell them. Most weapons you can control.

But what if the most dangerous weapon in the world isn't a smart missile or a stealth submarine or even an AI computer programme?What if it's a 17-year-old boy with a blisteringly brilliant mind, who can run rings around the most sophisticated security services across the globe, who can manipulate that weaponry and turn it against the superpowers themselves? How valuable would he be? And what wouldn't you do to get hold of him?

The Fox is a race-against-time thriller across continents to find and capture, or protect and save, an asset with the means to change the balance of world power. Whatever happens he must not fall into the wrong hands. Because what follows after that is unthinkable...

'Forsyth has lost none of his storytelling finesse and geopolitical grasp . . . this is Forsyth at his spellbinding best' Daily Mail

'An ingenious, expertly written and serious look at international conflicts which threaten the future of the world' Washington Post

© Frederick Forsyth 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

Critic reviews

Forsyth deserves his place among the thriller greats

The pages virtually turn themselves (Barry Forshaw)

The five year wait for Forsyth’s latest sensation has been worth every second.

Forsyth has lost none of his storytelling finesse and geopolitical grasp . . . this is Forsyth at his spellbinding best

Ripped from today’s headlines . . . Forsyth fashions our contemporary reality into an assured thriller

A thriller that’ll have you checking your PC’s security . . . with plenty of detail on the world of cyber-security and fine pacing and characterisation, Forsyth delivers another lesson in how it should be done

[I]ngenious, expertly written and a serious look at international conflicts that threaten the future of the world…Forsyth is supremely well-informed about world affairs, politics, diplomacy, weaponry and the mysteries of spycraft. In “The Fox,” as in all his novels, he lays them out in brilliant detail

‘Outstanding … Frederick Forsyth does it again. For a story like this to work, the details have to be on point, and it’s clear that the author has done his homework as he breaks down how hackers work, often detailing their various methods and the different virtual traps they can set … just the kind of stunning, relevant, full-throttle story that thriller fans have been waiting for, and nobody delivers quite like Frederick Forsyth, one of the very best writers the genre has ever known’

Entertaining

FF seemed a bit careless at times in this one ; not as tight a narrative as other works and even some quite lame and inappropriate romance. Plus the unnecessary and biased political comments that frankly made me doubt this authors overall veracity.But definitely entertaining and just disappointed there wasn’t more dimension to the story and more details of the actual hacking on which the entire narrative hangs.

Love the narrator

The story is great, although the hacking part is a byline, hardly explained. But the idea of the story is well crafted. Love the details, political viewpoints on issues.

A lively romp, but a but clunky...

Really enjoyed this story with all the ingredients of a good espionage tale. But, thinly veiled references to current government members, and a professor Baron Cohen were faintly ridiculous. David Rintoul's sonorous reading gave extra gravitas that the narrative really needed. His soft Scottish accent had echoes of the Flemming readings he has done. A pleasure to listen to. I say listen, have fun and enjoy. It's like a movie you are glad you watched, but really don't take away too much and will probably never watch again.

Interesting lead, failure in execution.

The leading character Sir Adrian Western had me looking forward to future books, but the ending in this novel made me think of a student hitting a word limit in an academic essay. Well read by the narrator.

Truly fantastic!!

Frederick Forsyth is a master writer and this book is further proof of his excellence!!