The Fox by Frederick Forsyth

 

I've read a handful of Forsyth's novels, some from the 1960s, and it's nice to find some of his later work. This feels a bit sketchier than I remember some of his older novels being, but there's still some neat exploration here of what a veteran spymaster would do with someone who could get into any computer system, and how he might use his skills from a lifetime of playing that particular game to keep that asset safe and secure. There are some interestingly developed characters, here but there's not as much tension in the narrative as I at least would have hoped for--though the old man still managed some neat and striking turns of phrase. Forsyth always based his speculation on research and fact, which makes some of the things he says here ... interesting to see, seven years after he wrote them.