CROSSFIRE is classic Dick Francis. Captain Tom Forsyth encountered and IED in Afghanistan and lost his right foot. He has just gotten out of the hospital and is beginning a six-month leave. He wasn't a good patient being both bitter and impatient. Because the army has been his life since he was seventeen, Tom is at something of a loss about what to do. He decides to go to his mother's home in Lambourn where she is a famous race horse trainer despite the fact that they really don't get along.When he arrives, he finds that his mother is under more than the usual stress and that she is being blackmailed. It doesn't take long for Tom to get deeply involved in trying to find out who is blackmailing her and solving the problem that led to the blackmail in the first place. This one delves into hedge funds, murder, and modern vices and has Tom using the lessons he has learned as a warrior and the guidance of Sun Tzu's The Art of War as he solves the puzzle. This was a mystery with a hero who is competent in his own field and who brings that competency to his investigation. Tom is smart and honorable. He is dealing with and adjusting to the probable loss of the career he loved. His mother's problems give him a new focus. While this one is wordier than early Dick Francis books it is still a fast-paced story filled with tension and danger. I really liked it and recommend it to mystery fans.
