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Crisis: the action-packed Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller

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The lead up to the last two chapters had me squirming in my seat wondering what the hell would happen next, only to then turn the page and read a very underwhelming ending. Shot 6 times at close range while on assignment in Saudi Arabia in 2004, left severely wounded and dependant on a wheelchair. With his extended stint in the military, it made sense he could handle himself in a rough situation and had plenty of organizational skills and a sharp mind. In 2009 he published Far Horizons, a much praised account of his life as an inveterate traveller and explorer. Readers who want a high level of realism and a modern story should find this really suits their tastes.

Drawing on his years of experience reporting on security matters, CRISIS is Frank Gardner’s debut novel. Drawing on his years of experience reporting on security matters, CRISIS is Frank Gardner's debut novel. It is from the Frederick Forsyth school of thriller writing – a brilliantly fashioned, but unlikely tale – executed by an adrenaline-fuelled cast of characters.We don’t need to spend time with the man organising the Rememberance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph, or need to know so much about the welder working for the bad guys to help them build their bomb (another entirely unrealistic character).

I found it really bland and totally lacking in suspense - there was no point that I didn't think Luke would be completely safe and obviously they were going to find the bomb; slightly enjoyed that the villains were Colombian narcos and not the usual Middle Eastern, but really, that's about the best I can say for it. I was hooked from start to finish: fast-paced, action-packed, thrilling, full of suspense and drama this book has it all. You just presume that his telling of how MI5, MI6, and the other security services work is as accurate as it can be. I will be giving the next thrilling installment of Luke "Babes" Carlton's adventures a very wide berth indeed.This effects the pace of the plot as well as character development and due to the underdeveloped characters and character relationships I didn't really feel connected to any of them throughout.

For those of you who do not know, Frank was severely wounded in an Al Qaeda attack in Yemen in 2004 – his cameraman was killed, and he was left for dead with eleven bullets in him. I didn’t find many of the characters to be overdrawn or caricature-like, which in itself was refreshing. With impeccable Spanish from a large part of his childhood spent in South America and a razor-sharp mind, Luke is happy to see where this leads him.Unfortunately by introducing her and then finding ways to shoehorn her into the plot, all Gardner does is slow down the narrative unnecessarily, add yet another unrealistic and ultimately superfluous, yet entirely predictable, subplot (from the moment in the opening chapters that you find out Elise knows martial arts you’re just waiting for her to be placed in a situation where she needs to use them) and irritate the reader. BBC’s fulltime Security Correspondent reporting on events from Afghanistan to piracy off the Somali coast to Arctic challenges.

I suspect I'm not really the target audience for this book but I like a good thriller so thought I'd give it a go. Combining insider knowledge up-to-the-minute hardware fly on the wall insights with heart-in-mouth excitement CRISIS boasts an irresistible visceral frisson of authenticity: smart fast-paced and furiously entertaining here is a thriller for the 21st century.

I also enjoyed the fact that Luke’s personal history was where a lot of his talents lay – having spent much of his childhood in South America it made sense he knew the local scenes, customs and languages very well. I felt a bit more of a connection with the setting of this novel as it is based in London and that is where I am living at the moment. However, I can't help but wonder why his friends and (particularly) his editor didn't have a quiet word in Frank's ear before he contemplated publishing "Crisis". He has written for the Economist, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Time Out and has been published in The Best of Sunday Times Travel Writing.

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