Frank Gardner has written a fast and exciting story rooted in the present horrifying dangers that surrounds us. Crisis is brimful of an insider's insights and reeks of authority." -- GERALD SEYMOUR Crisis, as the cover itself might give you an idea, is about a weapon targeting London. Intel from the investigation into the killing of a case handler reveals that much. And over the course of the novel, various agencies work to stop that weapon. Given the perpetrators are led by a ruthless Colombian drug baron, MI6 send Luke Carlton to Bogota. Frank Gardner has penned a great first novel that combines all the attributes of a riveting thriller. The main character of Luke Carlton is likeable but not always invincible and that adds to his attraction. Other characters, particularly within the annals of MI6, are also recognisable and substantial within the overall plot. Deep within the Arctic Circle, three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter. They see a cabin ahead. It appears abandoned. No lights. No snowmobile outside. But as they push open the door, the smell hits them. Rank and foetid: there's something bad inside.

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. It is quite exciting being able to read a novel and know exactly where the main character's workplace is because you have been in that area before in real life. I haven't had that type of setting connection before when reading a novel, coming from New Zealand I haven't read many books which are set in New Zealand. I guess I should probably change that hey. Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex Gardner can walk with callipers but sounds discouraged, finds them pretty useless (his 'walking piece to camera' for the BBC may have been impressive, as was his advance along the red carpet to receive an OBE from the Queen last year, but callipers cannot return him to the active man he was). This is an action adventure story: as such, to ask whether the listener had an emotional reaction is not really relevant - but I did find it very exciting.

Al-Suwaidi is a quiet, unexceptional area with creamy villas, flowering bougainvillea. The killer seemed similarly innocent, at first glance. He had 'a nice smiling face and looked as if he knew me', Gardner says. 'He said, "Assalaamu aleikum," (Peace be upon you/I mean you no harm),' before pulling out his gun. 'I always tell Westerners they must offer this greeting,' he continues. 'For me, it has always been a passport to a conversation. This time it was a betrayal of everything I held dear in the Middle East.'

When action hero-by-numbers Luke meets a soldier ex-colleague and they exchange the type of lame homoerotic repartee beloved of the military. Paragraph break - "Banter over, the two men walked in silence....." Holy moley. Frank Gardner has written a fast and exciting story rooted in the present horrifying dangers that surrounds us. Crisis is brimful of an insider's insights and reeks of authority. GERALD SEYMOUR I’m not sure what I was expecting when I bought this book, but with the name of Frank Gardner attached I was probably expecting more. He is a keen birdwatcher [35] and presented a September 2009 BBC Archive Hour programme on Sir Peter Scott. [35] In 2019 he was elected President of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). In September 2012, he revealed that Queen Elizabeth II had been upset some years earlier that Abu Hamza al-Masri could not be arrested. The BBC apologised later that day for the revelation. [22] Other media work [ edit ]BBC apology to Queen over Abu Hamza disclosure". BBC News. 25 September 2012 . Retrieved 9 September 2020. Sherwin, Adam (10 March 2012). "BBC star quits 'awards dinner for arms dealers' ". The Independent . Retrieved 9 September 2020.

Written by someone who has been there, done that and knows what it’s about, Crisis is a thriller you just can’t put down. Sir ROGER MOORE Gardner, Frank (31 August 2003). "Memories of a veteran explorer". BBC News . Retrieved 17 July 2012.This is the first of currently three books about Luke Carlton and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. The writing style has a very solid British spy/espionage feel to it and more than a few times throughout the full-length novel I was reminded of a Bond sort of storyline or feel to the atmosphere. At the same time, though, there was a strong touch of the current world circumstances and a very modern feel to it all. This is not a cheesy style of story, but just a very British type of espionage thriller. Readers who want a high level of realism and a modern story should find this really suits their tastes. Being Frank: The Frank Gardner Story was broadcast by BBC Two on 5 November 2020. The documentary explores what is it like to be suddenly disabled. [27]

Within hours, a full-scale operation to contain this contagion is underway. Samples are rushed to the laboratories at Porton Down on high alert. What they discover changes everything. Supported by phone and data intercepts, British Intelligence reaches a terrifying conclusion: that Russia has been developing a new generation of bio-weapons. Czech Sentries Shoot British Official, Embassy Employee". Sydney: The Sunday Herald. Australian Associated Press. 16 December 1951 . Retrieved 29 July 2023. Sent into the steaming Colombian jungle to investigate the murder of a British intelligence officer, Luke finds himself caught up in the coils of a plot that has terrifying international dimensions.Another example of this comes later in the book, when we are supposed to believe that a pair of Colombian gangsters from the barrio would be able to navigate a make-shift mini-submarine with pin point accuracy, at night, through Force 5 seas to a tiny Cornish beach and arrive spot on time to make their rendezvous. This is a feat that would challenge the skipper of a Trident submarine, yet these two bozos manage it with ease - without any navigation equipment more sophisticated than a compass.