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Dick Francis was one of the most successful postwar steeplechase jockeys, winning more than 350 races and riding for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. After his retirement from the saddle, he published an autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write more than forty acclaimed books, including the New York Times bestsellers Even Money and Silks. A three-time Edgar Award winner, he also received the prestigious Crime Writers Association s Cartier Diamond Dagger, was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen s Birthday Honours List in 2000. He died in 2010 at age eighty-nine, and remains among the greatest thriller writers of all time.

Felix Francis is the younger of Dick Francis s two sons. Over the last forty years Felix has assisted with the research of many of the Dick Francis novels, not least Twice Shy, Shattered, and Under Orders. Since 2006, Felix has taken a more significant role in the writing, first with Dead Heat and then increasingly with the bestsellers, Silks and Even Money. Crossfire is the fourth novel of this father-and-son collaboration. Felix Francis lives in England.

Steeplechase jockey Christmas "Kit" Fielding has had more than his share of close calls both on and off the course. But trouble hits close to home when a grudge between his family and his sister's in-laws turns into a blood feud.

Publishers Weekly

Francis's 25th thriller is suavely handled and full of suspense. The narrator, Kit Fielding, wins handily as a steeple-chase jockey and enjoys the friendship of the princess who owns the horses he races. But trouble threatening his twin Holly and her husband Bobby Allardeck interrupts Kit's routine. As horse trainers, the Allardecks are about to go bankrupt after a scandal sheet prints the false report that they can't pay their debts. Determined to discover the motive for the attack, Kit enlists the help of people in the princess's circle, which includes her niece, Danielle. A romance develops between the jockey and Danielle, interrupted by villains sent to kill him. Thanks to Kit, the Allardecks' business is saved and he outwits the perpetrators of a shameful conspiracy. The love story, as well as the author's colorful descriptions of English jump racing and newspaper tycoons, add zest to the intricate novel. Literary Guild and Reader's Digest Condensed Books selections. (March 21)