Golden Fox [Mass Market Paperback]

Wilbur Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1993

"Fascinating...Stunning...Seduction and betrayal. Politics and treachery. Wilbur Smith's THE GOLDEN FOX combines these elements and more with the beauty and violence of the African continent.... Compelling."
THE FREE LANCE-STAR (Fredericksburg, VA)
The Courtney family blood has long run hot--as hot as the passion and turmoil boiling in war-torn South Africa. When one of their own succumbs to the worst kind of evil, those ties are put to the ultimate test.
Isabella Courtney, dazzling daughter of South Africa's ambassador to England, is passionately obsessed with Ramon, the Marques de Santiago y Machado--also known as the Golden Fox, one of the world's most ruthless terrorists. When she secretly bears his child, Ramon kidnaps the boy and persuades powerful, yet reluctant, Isabella to betray South Africa and her beloved family...until the truth at last comes out, and the explosive Courtneys rally to her side and strike back with a raging vengance....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Smith's ( A Time to Die ) 22nd novel, already a bestseller in England, adds to his reputation as a writer of suspenseful, knowledgeable thrillers. Isabella Courtney is the only daughter of a wealthy, influential South African family. Ramon de Santiago y Machado is the calculating, cold-blooded villain who skillfully pursues, seduces and impregnates her, then uses the child as a pawn to force her to participate in his cause: a violent revolution against capitalism. In desperation, Isabella is forced to seek help from her family, and it is here that Smith's skill in building tension shifts into high gear. The final chapters are fast-paced and action-filled, augmenting the effects of realistic settings and exemplary prose throughout. Though Smith sometimes focuses too long on unnecessary detail, this is an entertaining novel by a gifted, intelligent raconteur.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Smith's newest novel about the Courtney family centers around Isabella, the only daughter of Shasa Courtney, South Africa's ambassador to England. Ramon de Santiago y Machado, secretly known as El Zoro Dorado or the Golden Fox, concocts an elaborate plan to seduce Isabella, impregnate her, and then use the child as a pawn to further terrorist plots against South Africa. She gives birth to a son, Nicholas, whom Ramon kidnaps when he is one month old, setting in motion Isabella's betrayal of her beloved family and country. Smith excels at creating finely drawn characters; descriptive settings in London, Europe, and Africa; and a masterful development of an action-packed thriller that gets better as each new predicament unfolds. Expertly written, this novel engulfs readers until the very last page. --Nancy Bard, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA-
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449149064
• ISBN-13: 978-0449149065
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Men's Adventure

More About the Author

Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. He was educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. After the successful publication of WHEN THE LION FEEDS in 1964 he became a full-time writer, and has since written 30 novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His books have been translated into twenty-six different languages

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't Read This First-- it's the 11th and Last in a Series!, February 1, 2004

By 

Chris Ward (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Golden Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

It's also the least of the series-- all others I've read warrant at least 4 stars, and some 5. "The Courtneys of Africa" series is as follows: Birds of Prey, Monsoon, Blue Horizon, When The Lion Feeds, A Sound of Thunder, A Sparrow Falls, The Burning Shore, Power of the Sword, Rage, A Time to Die-- and THEN Golden Fox. So you'd be unwise to start here; I'd even say you could dispense with it altogether, as it's a weak ending to the story. But it ties up some loose ends of the 20th century version of the clan-- Centaine, born with the century, and her son Shasa, and his four children, Sean, Garry, Isabella, and Michael. The story runs from 1969 to the late 70s, and is rife with minor anachronisms-- Smith wrote this in the early nineties and forgot that kids didn't have videos to pop in and watch back then, etc. The plot is turgid romance and espionage, and the weakest book I've found from Smith-- start anywhere else but here. "Birds of Prey" is a solid adventure story, and will serve as an entree to the Courtneys, if you've a mind to get to know them....

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read but flawed, December 7, 2004

By 

Toby (Deal, Kent) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Fox (Hardcover)

I agree with many of the comments already made. This is an exciting, readable book but the central premise is flawed. Given how close Bella is to her family and how unrebellious she appears, it seemed totally out of character for her to betray her country and family in this way. Also I found the rescue far-fetched. Smith has written many better books (personally I prefer his non-Courtney books anyway) but I think if you like action and family drama this will still prove difficult to put down.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not like Smith, August 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Golden Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is nothing like Wilburth Smith.
The story has no secuence with his previous work on the Courtney series.
Compared with the masterly way in wich Smith weaves history and fiction in the Power of the Sword (giving a clear picture of South Africa during WW2 and the Apartheid}, or the narrative power of Burning Shore this books is a complete nothingness.
So don't judge Smith by this, his least fortunate book.