We arrive in the British Telecom building where I lose Gardner to a glass lift, but not before an old man has come forward to congratulate him. 'One of the many things I admire about you is the way you manage to be so apolitical about the Middle East,' he said. 'It is a magnificent quality.' Gardner thanks him. He goes on to give a short talk about his life, with polish, without notes. He is light and humorous, but explains to his audience: 'There is plenty wrong with the Arab world. I am not starry eyed about it. There are some extremely ugly, unpleasant trends and atrocities being done in the name of Islam.' But he holds on to his idealism. He finishes by urging the audience: 'It is a mountain we all need to climb to convince everyone that we can all live happily together - as we can.' In 2016, Gardner appeared on Channel 4's coverage of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in his role as President of the GB Ski Club. Gardner was born on 31 July 1961. His father and mother, Robert Neil Gardner (1922–2010) and Evelyn Grace Rolleston (1923–2014), were both diplomats, [1] and when he was six he moved from the UK to the Hague in the Netherlands. In 1951, while second secretary at the British Embassy in Czechoslovakia, his father was expelled from the country for espionage activities after an incident in a prohibited military area where he was shot at. [2] [3] His grandfather was physician John Davy Rolleston. Educated at Saint Ronan's School, and Marlborough College, Gardner was pushed by his teachers into taking up biathlon, which enabled him to travel to Austria to train with the British Army biathlon team. [4] This is, by some distance, the worst novel I have read this year. A novel so pedestrian, trite and unintentionally funny that it reads better as a satire on the genre than as genuine thriller. With that pedigree, therefore, I was expecting something a little more interesting than what Gardner gives us in “Crisis”.

Gardner obviously has an up-to-the-minute understanding of contemporary warfare and he is also a very good writer. This is a thrilling adventure." * LITERARY REVIEW * Deep within the Arctic Circle, three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter. They see a cabin ahead. It appears abandoned. No lights. No snowmobile outside. But as they push open the door, the smell hits them. Rank and foetid: there's something bad inside. On 11 November 1993, Gardner was appointed a captain in the Regular Army Reserve. [11] He returned to the Territorial Army on 24 April 1997, serving in the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps. [12] He was promoted to major in the Territorial Army on 1 July 2006, [13] and retired on 30 July 2021. [14] Banking [ edit ] This is an action adventure story: as such, to ask whether the listener had an emotional reaction is not really relevant - but I did find it very exciting. Its a shame therefore, that such details are wasted on a plot that never feels entirely credible, lead characters who are either bland, misconceived or one dimensional and some very questionable decisions regarding both pacing of the story and individual dramatic developments.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. Frank Gardner could, over time, become a half-decent thriller writer. His inside knowledge certainly gives him an edge, and Crisis does have some areas of promise. He just needs to tighten up his plotting, take some more time in crafting his characters and find a ruthless editor who will cut out the narrative deadwood and keep his stories focused and moving forward. Impressive . . .Gardner's debut begins at speed and scarcely draws breath thereafter." * The Times *

The technical information is so injudiciously rationed that reading it feels like getting waterboarded by Q.

Retailers:

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).

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 The explosive new thriller featuring MI6 operative Luke Carlton on his most terrifying mission yet. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I bought this book, but with the name of Frank Gardner attached I was probably expecting more.

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. Gardner, Frank (31 August 2003). "Memories of a veteran explorer". BBC News . Retrieved 17 July 2012. Big cheese El Pobrecito – ‘poor little thing’ – has decided that enough is enough. The US, and particularly the UK, have been interfering with his narcotics business for far too long, and it has cost him too much money to carry on doing nothing about it. In co-operation with a rogue state, and using the attributes of his mini-submarines usually used for smuggling the drugs, he has concocted a plan that will wipe the smile off the faces of those gringos – literally! Within hours, a full-scale operation to contain this contagion is underway. Samples are rushed to the laboratories at Porton Down on high alert. What they discover changes everything. Supported by phone and data intercepts, British Intelligence reaches a terrifying conclusion: that Russia has been developing a new generation of bio-weapons. What might have helped though, would have been a central character with enough charisma or complexity to let the reader overlook the inherent implausibility of the villainous conspiracy. Instead we get Luke Carlton, and instead of complexity we are given what can best be described as bland competence. Again, I understand that Gardner is trying hard to keep things within the bounds of the plausible, and ex-SBS officer Carlton fits that mold to a tee. However, just because the hero needs to be realistic and human doesn’t mean he needs to be dull, and giving him a tragic childhood or a slightly compliictedd love life is not enough to make him instantaneously more interesting or automatically grant him depth. Gardner needed to work far harder to create a more rounded, and complex lead character, rather than relying on lazy shortcuts. By resorting to the latter Crisis is left with a bland-cypher where its hero should be.

Sherwin, Adam (10 March 2012). "BBC star quits 'awards dinner for arms dealers' ". The Independent . Retrieved 9 September 2020. In September 2012, he revealed that Queen Elizabeth II had been upset some years earlier that Abu Hamza al-Masri could not be arrested. The BBC apologised later that day for the revelation. [22] Other media work [ edit ] 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.' Introducing Luke Carlton – ex-Special Boat Service commando, and now under contract to MI6 for some of its most dangerous missions. Al-Suwaidi is a quiet, unexceptional area with creamy villas, flowering bougainvillea. The killer seemed similarly innocent, at first glance. He had 'a nice smiling face and looked as if he knew me', Gardner says. 'He said, "Assalaamu aleikum," (Peace be upon you/I mean you no harm),' before pulling out his gun. 'I always tell Westerners they must offer this greeting,' he continues. 'For me, it has always been a passport to a conversation. This time it was a betrayal of everything I held dear in the Middle East.'Introducing Luke Carlton - ex-Special Boat Service commando, and now under contract to MI6 for some of its most dangerous missions. This is the first of currently three books about Luke Carlton and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. The writing style has a very solid British spy/espionage feel to it and more than a few times throughout the full-length novel I was reminded of a Bond sort of storyline or feel to the atmosphere. At the same time, though, there was a strong touch of the current world circumstances and a very modern feel to it all. This is not a cheesy style of story, but just a very British type of espionage thriller. Readers who want a high level of realism and a modern story should find this really suits their tastes. 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 But he adds: 'I have to say it is not that easy because I am in pain a lot of the time, and when I am in pain I can't be a good husband or father. If I am having to deal with agony in my legs or am exhausted and have to lie down, I can't take part in the children's games, which is tough.'