The Fox

By: Frederick Forsyth

Narrated by: David Rintoul

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best-selling master of international intrigue takes readers into the bleeding-edge world of technological espionage in a propulsive thriller that feels chillingly real.

Former chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service Adrian Weston is awoken in the middle of the night by a phone call from the prime minister. Her news is shocking: the Pentagon, the NSA, and the CIA have been hacked simultaneously, their seemingly impenetrable firewalls breached by an unknown enemy known only as "The Fox". Even more surprisingly, the culprit is revealed to be a young British teenager, Luke Jennings. He has no agenda, no secrets, just a blisteringly brilliant mind. Extradition to the US seems likely - until Weston has another idea: If Luke can do this to us, what can he do to our enemies?

After conferring with both the American president and the prime minister, Weston is determined to use "The Fox" and his talents to the advantage of the two nations. But doing so places the boy on a geopolitical minefield. Adrian must stay one step ahead of multiple invisible enemies, all while finding a way to utilize the most powerful - and most unpredictable - weapon of all.

With his trademark research and deep knowledge of the rules and practices of international intrigue, Forsyth takes on tomorrow's threats in this race-against-the-clock thriller.

©2018 Frederick Forsyth (P)2018 Penguin Audio

A Master of action storytelling has lost his touch

The hallmark of Forsyth's books has always been his attention to detail. You always felt like he had researched the topic because he brought nuanced tidbits to the narrative that made it feel real. Unfortunately, this book does not live up to that standard. The author makes repeated technical mistakes on both cybersecurity and physical systems. Simple research, and reading a few books on the topic, would have added substantial detail. For example, cybersecurity penetrations typically involve human factors. An air gap is really an air gap. There's no way you can sit in London and hack your way through an air gap someplace else. The only way to do it is to get somebody to take the software on a flash drive across the air gap or connect the isolated system to the internet. The sad part about this, is that the real story, recruiting or tricking a human participant, would be a lot more interesting the sterile "hacker at a distance" approach that Forsyth used.

This is one of several similar mistakes throughout the book. As a result it's not realistic, and you keep getting jarred by a lack of understanding on how these sophisticated systems work.

Not my favorite Forsyth

I listened to the whole book and was very pleased with the narration and Forsyth's ability to keep the plot moving. He is a wonderful writer. Also, it was nice that the contemporary cyber theme was relevant. My problem with the plot was with the autistic cyber genius. I agree with the reviewer who said this character was not as strong as needed to get a solid, final twist at the end. The ending seemed a bit of a let down, a quick way to end that part of the story line. Also, an underlying issue for me is that with the queasy state of cyber security and a President I distrust, I was hoping that the book's final resolution would offer a more comforting way forward. Alas, that is not something I can expect Forsyth to provide.

Best Cloak and Dagger Book Ever!

Brilliant story with some of the most compelling heroes and villains wrapped in the terrors of today’s complex tech driven world. Deeply satisfying! Also perfectly narrated! A non stop pleasure !

excellent performance. interesting story

Very fine reading by David Rintoul. The story was interesting, though the ending was somewhat contrived. Still, an engaging yarn.

Why are you hesitant, load and listen now?

Good listen. Unlike another critic, I think this scenario is possible in the near future. I hope it happens soon. I found this to be most a most fulfilling escape from everyday pressures. A must listen

Outstanding story and performance

This story, like many of his earlier works, is a world class account of deception and the subtle nature of the 3D chess of the great game. I was reminded of the subtle yarn of LeCarre. I listened to this at the end of 2022 and the relevance of the story seemed as much like the news as it did a novel. Well done.

If I could have only one criticism. it would be this story gives our services far too much credit and appear to be much more efficient than what reality tells us if you have ever been backstage behind the curtain.

Unique integration of history, politics & technolo

Revealing. Story telling takes me by storm. Utmost understanding of the history, political situation and integrating technological knowledge into woven story is indeed unparalleled.

Very slow moving

I’ve listened to many of this Auther’s novels. I was very disappointed. I hope the next novel is better

Great Book

I really enjoyed listening to this book, performance, very English but fun to pick up some of their "lingo" and the accent was not negative

great story, not a great finish.

Great story overall. very relevant to current times. Amazing build up, not a great finish.