Special forces stories have largely replaced Bond-type heroes at the top of the action/espionage genre thanks to authors like Andy McNab and Chris Ryan. But Gardner is clearly determined to highlight the little publicised role of the Special Forces in protecting the country in increasingly troubled times. He has also fully taken on board the P7 mantra of the units – and the ‘teeth’ regiments which provide most of their manpower – Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performance – and has produced an absolutely irresistible debut: smart, authentic, and always entertaining. Gardner's bestselling first novel, Crisis, featuring the fictional SBS officer-turned MI6 operative Luke Carlton and a ruthless Colombian drug lord, was published in June 2016. [29] [30] His second novel, Ultimatum, was published in June 2018 followed by the third Luke Carlton novel, Outbreak in 2021. [31] Honours and awards [ edit ] Few thriller debuts possess the confidence and verve of Frank Gardner's CRISIS . . . a book of exhilarating panache. SUNDAY TIMES Introducing Luke Carlton – ex-Special Boat Service commando, and now under contract to MI6 for some of its most dangerous missions. Frank Gardner has written a fast and exciting story rooted in the present horrifying dangers that surrounds us. Crisis is brimful of an insider's insights and reeks of authority." -- GERALD SEYMOUR

Crisis by Frank Gardner | Waterstones Crisis by Frank Gardner | Waterstones

Saudi Arabia execute inmate who shot BBC journalist Frank Gardner and killed cameraman Simon Cumbers". The Independent. 4 January 2016 . Retrieved 30 June 2017. Sent into the steaming Colombian jungle to investigate the murder of a British intelligence officer, Luke finds himself caught up in the coils of a plot that has terrifying international dimensions. and China is massing troops on its coast across the Strait from Taiwan. This time it looks like they're serious about invasion - an act that would result in war between the People's Republic and the US and its allies, including the UK.On June 6, in the year 2004, he was shot six times by al-Qaeda sympathizers, and his cameraman (who was Irish and was named Simon Cumbers) was killed. Most of the bullets that hit him in his torso missed anything vital, except one, which hit him in the spinal nerves. He now uses a wheelchair due to being partially paralyzed in his lower extremities. Later on, Adel al-Dhubaiti (the gunman that shot them) was caught and later killed by Saudi authorities in early 2016. All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate. The average person, I suggest, is as ignorant about what it means to be disabled as about living in the Middle East. Gardner agrees. After the London bombings, he made a sensitive programme about its victims. He talked to many of them off-air too. The key to being disabled, he has learnt, is to focus on what you can do, not dwell on what you can't.

Invasion - Penguin Books UK

Frank Gardner has written a fast and exciting story rooted in the present horrifying dangers that surrounds us. Crisis is brimful of an insider's insights and reeks of authority. GERALD SEYMOUR One of the gunmen who shot Gardner and Cumbers, Adel al-Dhubaiti, was captured and executed by Saudi authorities in January 2016. [21] Gardner remains an enthusiastic skier despite his injuries. After his spinal injury and having attended a training course for disabled skiers, he resumed skiing using a sitski, a device that allows disabled people to ski while seated. In November 2011 he was elected honorary president of the Ski Club of Great Britain for six years. He is now a Patron of Disability Snowsport UK (DSUK).His book is as much a travel writer's as a journalist's - a thank you letter for all the good experiences he has had in the Middle East. We talk about his special fondness for Egyptians. 'Brits and Egyptians have this in common: they laugh at themselves.' And it is easy to see how this bond developed: Gardner delights in sending himself up. My favourite story could be called the Tunisian Debacle. He relives the embarrassment of mispronouncing the traditional greeting 'laa bas' (meaning 'no harm', 'no evil') as 'libas', which turns out to mean underwear. As he says, 'Touring a country saying "Pants" to everyone you meet is not the best way to ingratiate yourself.' Written by someone who has been there, done that and knows what it's about, Crisis is a thriller you just can't put down." -- Sir ROGER MOORE Gardner can walk with callipers but sounds discouraged, finds them pretty useless (his 'walking piece to camera' for the BBC may have been impressive, as was his advance along the red carpet to receive an OBE from the Queen last year, but callipers cannot return him to the active man he was). He is a keen birdwatcher [35] and presented a September 2009 BBC Archive Hour programme on Sir Peter Scott. [35] In 2019 he was elected President of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).