Book Review - Crossfire

Crossfire by Dick Francis and Felix Francis is the story of Thomas Forsyth who is wounded in the Afghan War and goes home to heal for six months. He's not excited about returning to his childhood home, and his mother and stepfather aren't too excited about him being there either. While he's home, he finds out life for his well-known hire trainer other hasn't been the winner's circles she's used to. This was a great story wrapped around the British racing industry, the British tax system, and the effect of the Afghan War on British citizens. This was Dick Francis' last novel before he passed away in 2010.

As a writer what I liked about the way the story was the way the story unfolded. It wasn't easy to put all the pieces together to figure out who did it, but after it was revealed, there was still a lot of story left in the mystery.

Another plot device that makes this mystery different from many I've read lately is the catharsis that both the main character and his mother go through during the story. In the end, Thomas gets past his demons being second to the horses while growing up. His mother also goes through a change that is refreshing by the end of the story.

If you're a writer friend reading this post, my question for you is, do you find reading novels outside genre helpful or a hindrance to your writing?

If you're on another goal journey reading this post, my question for you is, do you routinely read outside of your favorite genre, or do you stick with what the same thing most of the time?

I'd love to hear your comments, have a great day!