Customer Reviews

The Danger

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This highly enjoyable mystery is unusual in many ways, from the main character who is NOT a detective or police officer to the villains (kidnappers), plus the clever way Dick Francis worked the milieu he knows best (horses and horse racing) into each of the three kidnappings.
The main character, Andrew Douglas, is a partner in a firm which negotiates for the release of kidnap victims/hostages by working as an "advisor" to police, governments, and occasionally taking things into his own hands (unofficially) as demonstrated in the second kipnapping in the story. Andrew shares many traits with other Dick Francis heroes--he is honest, likeable, an all-around good guy who trumps the criminals and gets the girl in the end. In this novel, Andrew himself is not connected with horses or horse racing, but rather the connection comes from the fact that all of the kidnapping victims share a connection to the horse racing world, be it as a female jockey, a part-owner of a promising race horse, the owner of a race track, and the head of the Jockey Club. From these tenuous links, Andrew and his partners realize that the perpetrator is probably known to the horse racing world, and begin to try to trap him, but not before one more kidnapping takes place!
Like his other novels, this one too is a very easy, fast read, and takes readers from Italy to England to America before winding up most satisfactorily.
I also liked the other characters in the novel, particularly some of Andrew's partners (described and fleshed out thoughtfully and with humor) and his love-interest.
Readers will also learn something about horse racing, this time mostly from the perspective of a trainer and a jockey, as well as come away from the novel with a good sense of what it is like to go to the races, even if they have never attended.
If you have never read anything by Dick Francis, this novel is an excellent place to begin.

Dick Francis' knows the horse racing industry well. Anyone who's read his mysteries knows that horses and money mean trouble and great stories. But for my money, Francis' true talent lies in seamlessly melding unusual mystery elements around horses. Such is the case with "The Danger", a taut, sobering but enthralling look at the risk of being rich and associated with horse racing. The hero works as a "consultant" to families and employers of kidnap victims. And just how kipnapping and horse racing are related exhibits Dick Francis' genius at research. The hero weaves slowly through the chase - advising families on how to get their loved ones back unharmed, tightrope-walking between overly-aggressive police and exceptionally nervous kidnappers and counseling the victims as they adjust to the real world again. When the pieces finally fall together for our hero and the firm he represents, Francis' opens the starting gate and rushes the reader page after page through a frightening resolution - and a totally unexpected one. I've read a number of Dick Francis' mysteries. Sid Halley stories held the top place on my Dick Francis list - until I read "The Danger". Be sure to read it when you have lots of time - put it down and you might get the creeps until you finish it and the villain(s) (I won't say how many) is/are caught.

One of the things I like about Dick Francis is that even though his stories involve horses and race courses, etc., you don't have to know anything about horses to understand and enjoy his books.

I believe 'The Danger' is one of his best. It's amazing how this man capures so well the emotions of all the characters in this book: the kidnapped girl jockey, her grieving father, the insensitive father of the kidnapped child, and the mother who was made to feel guilty, even the sinister and very dangerous kidnapper. Everyone!

I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. I tell you Dick Francis is superb.

The bestselling author of BANKER scores a new triumph in this galvanizing spellbinder of crime, punishment, and the many faces of terror.

His name is Giuseppe. Though some call him Peter. He is warm, reassuring, courageous, and superb at his multi-million-dollar job. Once you meet him, you never forget the force of his presence, for he is a natural-born leader, with the temperament of an executive or top-level diplomat. But Giuseppe-Peter is neither of these. Giuseppe-Peter is Europe's most elusive and cold-blooded kidnapper.

His name is Andrew Douglas. He is warm, reassuring, courageous, and superb at his vitally important job. Once you meet him, you like him immediately, for he is a sensitive and decent man, a bit reserved perhaps, the type of fellow who's more afraid, say, of falling in love than of putting his personal safety on the line in the cause of others. Although he has the brilliance and insight of a psychiatrist or a priest, Andrew Douglas is neither of these. He is Europe's most successful anti-kidnap operative on his toughest, most dangerous mission to date: stop Giuseppe-Peter.

Following a treacherous trail that takes him from the medieval back streets of Bologna to the lavish grounds of a Washington, D.C. racetrack, Andrew stalks a mysterious master criminal who preys exclusively on the habitués of the racing world. Among his victims: a lovely young Italian heiress who is also Italy's most adored female jockey, and the three-year-old son of an English horse owner. As the trail loops and deepens and the hunter and the hunted draw ever closer to confrontation, Andrew will find himself assaulted by a barrage of dangers -- the danger of violence, the danger of romance, and, ultimately, the danger of almost certain death.

In THE DANGER, perhaps his most compulsive page-turner to date, Dick Francis has created characters and situations so fascinating and so profoundly human that you will never forget them. Here is vintage Dick Francis, brimming with mystery, romance, and utterly stunning suspense.

First Sentence: There was a God-awful cock-up in Bologna.

Andrew Douglas works for a company specializing in returning kidnap victims to their families. Italy's foremost woman jockey is kidnapped, then a racehorse owner's son and finally the Senior Steward of the Jockey Club. Douglas is brought in to deal with these cases.

Very well done. I reread this for mystery group. I was delighted to find I felt it was a well-written as I remembered.

He does character development very well, but more, really gives a sense of who they are emotionally. Although you know horses are likely to be involved in the story, he takes what could have been a coincidence from another author, and makes it the crux of the plot.

The international settings provide an excellent, and distinctive, sense of place. The information on kidnappings for profit, and the philosophy of those to deal in it, both on the right-and wrong-side of the law, as well as the impact on both the victims and their families, was fascinating.

The research done by Francis' is evident, but not intrusive. Reading him again reminds me why I loved his writing from the beginning.

THE DANGER (Susp-Andrew Douglas-Int'l-Cont) - VG+
Francis, Dick - 22nd book
Michael Joseph, 1983, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 0718123409

This is one of Francis' best. As with most of the best ofDick Francis' books, the hero here is truly human and has doubts and worries and feels pain and desire while also acting fairly super-human when confronted with difficult situations. This time the plot is tight and excellent and the characters are well-developed and grow in the course of the novel. There are good supporting characters and a good romantic story. I recommend this on if you are just finding Dick Francis.

I feel The Danger is perhaps Dick Francis' best book. I have read it at least three times and finally purchased it on unabridged tape so I can listen to it on trips. Buy it!

This book was my first read of a Dick Francis novel (may he rest in peace). A friend recommended it as one of her favorites, and it didn't disappoint. The plot was exciting and the main character was especially engaging. I did giggle a bit at the prevalent use of telephone booths and running to "find a phone" in today's age of cell phones in every pocket, but other than that, the story was still timely.

I would definitely recommend it.

This is Dick Francis at his best. The hero, Andrew Douglas, is a partner in a company that advises families and companies in cases of kidnapping.

Andrew understands the psychology of both kidnappers and victims. He gets involved in ransom negotiations, recovery of the victim and helping the rescued victim reintegrate into ordinary everyday life.

When we meet Andrew, he's working in Italy (his highly specialized profession takes him all over the world). Alessia Cenci, world-class champion girl jockey, has just been kidnapped. The daughter of a rich, devoted father, Alessia is young, beautiful and brilliant. (If you sense the potential for romance here, you are correct!)

There are lots of things to love about this book. The hero is low-key, thoughtful, cool headed in a crisis and wonderfully compassionate - a rock with a soft heart. The methodology of dealing successfully with kidnappers is fascinating, and we see this unfold on more than one case. All the supporting characters are well drawn. And the plot has a symmetry about it that's truly elegant.

In particular, Dick Francis does a tremendous job of portraying the emotional damage a victim of abduction suffers and the subsequent symptoms of posttraumatic stress.

This is not a particularly horsy book, but rather a thriller that feels totally real - and a love story of ineffable charm. I recommended it wholeheartedly.

The story of Dick Francis has a Cinderella quality. He was jockey for the Queen Mother of England when he was injured and turned to writing. All his novels have racing as a backdrop.

This is my favorite of half a dozen Dick Francis suspense novels I have read. Andrew Douglas works for Liberty Market, a firm that specializes in advising family members or business associates of kidnap victims. Andrew is called to Bologna when Alessia Cenci, rising young jockey and daughter of a wealthy Italian businessman, is snatched and held for ransom. The case has been bungled by the carabinieri, who besieged the kidnapers at the drop site only to have one of them get away with the ransom, while Alessia remains a hostage. Her father pays a second ransom, and Alessia is dropped off, drugged and naked except for a plastic raincoat. She is in shock and decides to accompany Andrew back to London, where she will stay with a woman trainer she knows from the racing circuit.

They have barely arrived in England when Andrew is called to a seaside resort where another kidnapping has taken place, this time a 3 year old boy, son of the owner of a famous racehorse (coincidence? No, thinks Andrew, and it turn out he is right). Alessia accompanies him and comforts the boy's mother, awash in guilt and the object of her husband's blame and anger. As Andrew and a colorful bunch of Liberty Market associates track down the kidnapers, a warm friendship grows between Andrew and Alessia, who is recovering slowly from the shock of her own kidnaping. The scene in which Andrew and a partner rescue the boy in the middle of the night is one of the most suspenseful I have read.

Again the mastermind of the kidnaps eludes the authorities. As Andrew and his colleagues continue to search for clues, a third kidnap occurs in Washington, D.C. where the president of the Jockey Club has traveled for a race (Alessia meanwhile is there too to ride in the race). Hot on the trail of the kidnaper, Andrew himself is snatched and handcuffed to a tree in a lonely grove. He manages to escape, and along with a sympathetic D.C. cop, closes in on the kidnaper, whose identity is a surprise to everyone.

The Danger is a great read with masterful writing, appealing characters (especially Alessia who starts off irresistibly tender and vulnerable in the wake of her ordeal, and gradually blossoms into the racing champ with style she was on her way to becoming when the story began). There is a low-key romance between Alessia and Andrew that apparently will be consummated after the book closes. Alessia's recovery as a jockey is a subplot that moves alongside the suspense story. The human beings in this novel are intensely alive and sympathetic (except for the hateful crooks and a few like the father of Dominic, the kidnapped boy, though we assume that he has learned a lesson or two by story's end). The racing demimonde provides a colorful and glamorous backdrop for the action. A five-star read.