Those in Peril: Hector Cross 1 Paperback – June 28, 2018

I bought my first Wilbur Smith novel "A sparrow falls" at a garage sale in Dallas Texas for 25 cents. And was hooked on his Ballantyne/Courtney saga's located basically in South Africa. This was in 1978 and i have avidly followed his tomes ever since. I've been reading him for over 40 years, watched him go through 3 wives (I've gone thru only 2) and heartily recommend any of the Courtney and/or Ballantyne sagas. Some of his standalone novels aren't quite up to his usually "stay up all night finishing the book" but the standalone books beat a lot of Times bestseller's who subsist only of an authors name written with "new name" I don't believe James Patterson has written a book by himself in probably 20 years and he was one hell of an author back in the day but now he just puts his name on books written with "john doe" and amazingly enough, sells a bunch of books. Mr Smith has also started doing some of the same but uses care in the additional author but to a much better storyline vice Mr Patterson's pick of the week. In Mr. Smith's defense, He is in his 80's so should slow down bit and enjoy life more. But, I certainly hope that he continues writing well into his 100's!

I've read all the Wilbur Smith books I can get my hands on and was happy to see this one on kindle. I noticed a lot of the reviews were somewhat derogatory due to graphic scenes of a sexual nature. Personally, I didn't find it too distracting as it was part of the flow of the story and gave a realistic explanation for the events that unfolded.. I did find the writing tedious in some conversational segments, but that is nothing new for this author. He has such a talent for vivid imagery, that I find myself gasping on occasion and this has been the case for all of his books. The story is gripping and maybe it's the strong female character in this book that makes it so enjoyable for me but it's easy to tell it was written from the male perspective which must be taken into account as well. All that aside, I found it to be a page turner that I was sad to finish although it was a satisfying book with hints of a sequel if he should so desire. I found that I cared about the central characters and was able to empathize with them throughout. The author definitely paints a picture that stays with you. I found the story itself to be disturbing in nature and thought provoking. While it provides a nice escape, there are also a lot of undertones that make for uncomfortable speculation as to the state of the world. I've always found that to be the case in a Wilbur Smith novel. Not just eye candy, but a means of opening the mind to injustice and the correct course of action. You'll either agree or disagree as to the appropriateness of the decisions that are made, but you won't be unmoved. I recommend this book and this author in particular.

This indeed is my second reading of this book. I enjoyed it as much this time as the first. Thank you Wilbur.

Wilbur Smith is a South African writer. I discovered him in the '70's on a trip to New Zealand when a friend there gave me a copy of "Sunbird". It was so unlike the norm, such a non-formula adventure that I had to read more. Couldn't find Wilbur Smith in the US in those day's and there was no Amazon. So I had to buy up all I could find on subsequent trips abroad."Those in Peril" is also a non-formula adventure novel of the very personal fight against terrorism for the Bannock Oil family. It ranges from Colorado to Houston to the Middle East and on the high seas. At times the sex is very graphic and the violence very gruesome, but unfortunately for us living today the danger is all too real. But, as has become typical of Wilbur Smith, just when you think the good guys have emerged victorious, hang on to your seat; another whole adventure is just beginning.

Like many I have read all of Wilbur Smith's books many timesI enjoy the adventure and the action even if the dialogue and the love stuff often makes me cringeHere I just got lost the first part the hero with the unlikely name of Hector Cross is disliked by his rich employer Hazel.But as her daughter Cayly get kidnapped, he is then the only one capable of sorting the problem out.The daughter starts of being a pretty revolting figure.So it's of to the desert to lose a lot of men, with lots of high adventure battles. This parts is readable and pacy.Then in the middle section Hector and Hazel get married (good job she was not called Victoria). The daughter turns in to the sweetest thing, accepting Hector as step dad and all in the garden is lovely.If find the pages of description of this nice relationship and the dialogue between the family particularly painful and annoying.Then avoiding spoliers disaster strikes and it's back to the pirates bay to deal with the threat once and for all. The planning here is very readable, some interesting characters get added. Then the climax falls down a hole and you can see it all coming a long way off.This is a very violent novel indeed, with some pretty hard scenes to read, but then so was Dark of the Sun or Wild Justice.The characters remain static through out the book, they don't develop and introspect in the way that others great charachters of his have. There is to much sentimentality on one page to be met with brutality on the next.It is not unenjoyable though

I have read every book by Wilbur Smith, but he seems to have lost that trait that made his books page turners. He has become obsessed with blood and gore to the point of being sadistic and revolting to read. It just makes the story lines unrealistic. A great shame, but I hope maybe the next book might be less of a point scorer for shocking the reader

Having read every Wilbur Smith Book several times and since christmas I have re-read all the Ballantyne and Courtney novels in chronological order I looked forward to his next offering. I bought it several weeks ago and kept it on my kindle to read on my summer holiday but eagerness took over and I had to read it. I read it over four or five days.I have to say the WS is my favourite author in this genre. I read most of the reviews on Amazon of this book and became a bit concerned about the reviews of it. Yes, Quest was a bit of a stinker when compared to his other novels and unfortunately his Ballantyne and Courtney novels are to sweeping (and too expensive) to be filmed properly.ToP started well but doubts began to creep in when you read through some of the dialogue. Surprisingly the dialogue grew more syrupy as the story 'progressed'. Yes, there were some issues regarding character credibility, especially the hero and heroine. I would also cancel the contract for 'Cross Bow security' if they didn't realise that the daughter remained a target, if not for terrorists then at least kidnappers then they're not worth hiring. The sexual narrative was a bit embarrassing. There is room for this but some of it was unnecessary. Dennis Wheatley suffered from the same thing in his last few 'Roger Brook' stories. The action was up to Mr.Smith's usual high standard and the end was extremely satisfying.I hope that the author continues to have total input into his books and not allowing his name to be put to books that frankly could damage his reputation and brand. Needless to say I and his legions of fans will await his next offering and buy it purely for the fact that the cover has his name on it.

I have been Wilbur's fan since I was 19 and have read almost all his novels of the Courtney series.After quite a long break since I read his novels I ordered Those in Peril last week against the majority opinion as expressed by reviewers.Today I almost tore up the book when, after reading a few pages from p18 Wilbur's moral decadence broke loose, may be due to ageing or maybe he has been enticed by the big financial returns of the perverse porno market segment.He wrote like a man gone insane, bordering on criminality. For 5 pages he relentlessly rumbled on with such perverse graphic narrative buoyed and unchecked by irresponsible capitalistic editors and official commentators.Against this threat to my spiritual well-being I dread going on.Please Wilbur you stand to lose your traditional market of God-fearing fans who love decent adventure, without a corrupting influence.

After reading 'Those in Peril' I feel disappointed in the author, no wonder this trash can be bought for £0.99 on Kindle.Wilbur Smith wrote some excellent fiction back in the 70s before his downward spiral into the now long familiar, money spinning, "Mills & Boon Meets Graphic Violence and Gore", genre and started inserting as many blatantly obvious plugs for commercial products such as watch and whiskey brands as he thought he could get away with.His 1960s and 70s Characters like Colonel Flynn O'Flynn and Sebastian Oldsmith in 'Shout at the devil' where thoroughly engaging, deeply flawed, outrageously funny and hence enormously likable. Two of those early books 'Shout at the Devil' and 'Goldmine' also translated well for the movies.Hazel Bannock and Hector Cross are just shallow, tired and utterly implausible, Prototypical, Smith characters he has churned out to formula since the 80s. Hazel is apparently so stupid, she never makes the connection between her terrible misfortunes and her association with Hector who is the object of an arabic vendetta (A poor reiteration of the theme from Ranulph Fiennes novel 'The Feather Men' now reprinted as 'Killer Elite")Insertion of rambling passages of totally irrelevant and gratuitous pornography bear some testimony to his desperation to substitute originality for a tried and tested crowd pleaser. Such a tactic betrays Mr. Smith's low regard for the intelligence and tastes of his current target group readership, a group I would imagine, most of his earlier readers would now not care to be included in.

I think that Wilbur Smith has now lost his way, if like me you are a huge fan of his early works such as the Courtney series or my personal favourite The Sunbird, this book is not for you. Many aspects of Smith's writing do irk me something fierce, and all of them are present in this book.The characters have no depth what soever, the typical Wilbur Smith formula of his protagonists being absolutely perfect in every conceivable way. Hazel Bannock is the most beautiful and most successful business woman in all of America, a pro tennis player who marries a rich and much older man. when this ancient husband of her's dies she wages a legal battle with her step son for control of the company. How is that supposed to endear us to the character? her daughter is also one of the most irritating and grating creations that i have ever encountered, a spoilt rich girl and quite stupid to boot.Hector Cross is the superb fighter and savvy operator yatayatayata, boring sums him up quite well.The characters are also completely unbelievable in the sense that they become emotionally attached extremely quick, Hector and Hazel go through the cycle of i hate you, but damn you're fit, everything i hated about you i now love, oh darling this oh darling that. in what seems about five minutes. immensely annoying. and hector begins to think of himself as the girls father almost immediately without even meeting her, and then when they do meet within the space of a few hours they had formed this wonderful father daughter bond, even though the daughter had no idea he was her potential step father at the time, it made me sick. also the perfection factor this time has gone much too far, marrying the CEO of a major multi-billion dollar corporation and being made a vice president as a result is ridiculous, further more after running a small security company how can you possibly dander into a board room and make the partners "applaud" at your glorious insight, once again it made me feels sick.the characters are immensely irritating, the plot is weak and struggles to hold the readers attention.