Penguin Readers Factsheets l e v e l E T e a c h e r’s n o t e s 1 2 3 The Danger 4 5 by Dick Francis 6 S U M M A R Y INTERMEDIATE he Danger is a crime thriller set in the international began to work for the Sunday Express newspaper, where T horse-racing world. The narrator of the story, he stayed for 16 years. Andrew Douglas, works for an organization called His first novel, Dead Cert, appeared in 1962. He has Liberty Market, which rescues victims of kidnappings. written approximately one book per year ever since, Andrew is called to a kidnapping in Bologna, Italy. The spending six months on research and six months on the victim is Alessia Cenci, a jockey. When the police rescue writing. Most of his novels have been translated into more attempt goes wrong, Andrew has to renegotiate with the than 30 languages. kidnappers, collect the victim, and take her home. He and his wife live in the Caribbean, returning to Britain Alessia visits a girl friend at her stables in England. While every year to attend the Grand National. she and Andrew are visiting the races in Brighton, England, another kidnap takes place. This time it is the young son of a racehorse owner. Andrew and his B A C K G R O U N D A N D T H E M E S colleague, Tony, manage to rescue the little boy and it The Danger was written in 1983. It deals with the crime of becomes clear that the same person is behind the two kidnapping, which, in the 1970s and 80s, became more kidnappings. frequent among criminals and terrorists around the world. Then in the USA a third kidnap takes place. Andrew is Kidnappers are usually well-organized but extre m e l y again asked to help, and in the process gets kidnapped ruthless and violent people. himself. By this time, however, the identity of the The story begins in Italy. Criminal kidnappers here have kidnapper has been discovered by the police and there is often taken children, beginning in 1973 with Paul Getty III, a dramatic and violent showdown. grandson of one of the richest men in the world. When the family at first refused to pay the ransom, the kidnappers ABOUT DICK FRANCIS cut off the boy’s ear. He was eventually released after a ransom of $2.5 million was paid. Some politically Dick Francis, an award-winning author, is one of the most motivated kidnappings have also been carried out in Italy. successful and popular British crime writers of all time. He For example, in 1978 the Red Brigades, a student terrorist always writes about the world of horse-racing. group, kidnapped a former Italian Prime Minister, Aldo He has had an extraordinary life, just as daring and Moro, and later murdered him. courageous as those of his heroes. Born in 1920 the son Kidnapping presents a difficult problem: how do you of a jockey, he dropped out of school at 15 and started to ensure the safety of the victim and at the same time catch substitute for his father in riding competitions. During the the criminals? In The Danger, the police in Italy are Second World War he volunteered for the Royal Air Force, p a rticularly unsuccessful. Their actions result in an where he was a pilot. increase in the ransom and threats to the life of the victim. After the war he returned to horse racing. He became a In England, one policeman co-operates with the Liberty professional jockey and won more than 350 races during Market personnel, while others are unhelpful to the point his racing career. In 1953/4 he was Champion Jockey of endangering the life of the little boy. Only in the US, and, as a result of this, rode for Queen Elizabeth the where the authorities have had long experience, do the Queen Mother. In 1956, the Queen Mother’s horse fell police seem more capable of dealing with this crime. seconds before he was going to win the Grand National Kidnappers always instruct victims’ families not to Steeplechase in Britain, one of the most famous and involve the police, so it is easy to see how a security dangerous of all horse races. After this, Francis was asked business such as Liberty Market might play an important to write his autobiography. In 1957, however, he had to role. Certainly Andrew Douglas and his colleagues are retire from horse racing because of a riding accident. He © Pearson Education 2000 l e v e l Penguin Readers Factsheets 4 T e a c h e r’s n o t e s very skilled at rescuing kidnap victims and dealing with the photo. The other student(s) then look at the photos kidnappers. Andrew is typical of Dick Francis’ heroes. He and try to decide which photo Student A described. is young, single and a tough character. Although as the Chapters 7–10 narrator we know only a little about him, he is clearly Put students into pairs or groups. Ask them to write the c h a rming, reliable and a thorough gentleman. His end of the story about the kidnapping of Dominic Nerrity. Get students to read out their endings and have a class relationship with Alessia, the first kidnap victim, is an vote on the most likely ending. important link between the three kidnap stories. Will they fall in love? The reader is kept guessing until the end. Chapters 11–14 Put students into pairs or small groups. Ask each group to Alessia herself is an interesting character. First of all she think of new names for the chapters and to write them is a successful female jockey, which is perhaps rather down. They read out their new chapter names, but not in unusual. Secondly, through her, Francis shows us the the right order. Can the other students guess which chapter the new name is for? Which chapter names are excitement and enthusiasm felt by people who take part the best? in competitive sports, something he had himself Chapters 15–19 experienced. At the same time, Francis also explores the Ask students to work in pairs or threes. Teach the word emotional problems faced by victims of kidnapping. script. They should choose a suitable section of the book Alessia finds it very hard to return to normal life. In to make a script for a play or a film. The section should be particular, she cannot face a relationship with a man until quite short and consist mainly of conversation, but not telephone conversations. Possible sections are: a process of healing has taken place. • Page 41, lines 3 to 21. The kidnapper is a young man from a wealthy horse- • Page 46, lines 10 to 20. owning family who has fallen out with his father. We are • Page 49, lines 1 to 30. not told why he has turned to crime, but presumably for Students should copy out the dialogue, changing the money. Or is Francis suggesting that it is the world of format to that of a script and adding more words where racing itself which is responsible for him turning to crime? necessary. They can also add stage directions. After this Many types of people are involved in racing from the they can act out the section to the whole class. richest in society to the humblest and poorest. Perhaps ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK this exciting world, in which huge sums of money regularly Put students into groups of three or four. Ask them to change hands, provides the perfect breeding ground for write a different ending for the story. Ask the groups to corruption and evil. read their ending aloud to the whole class. Have a vote on the best new ending. Communicative activities G l o s s a r y The following teacher-led activities cover the same It will be useful for your students to know the following new words. sections of text as the exercises at the back of the reader, They are practised in the ‘Before You Read’sections of exercises at and supplement those exercises. For supplementar y the back of the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman exercises covering shorter sections of the book see the Active Study Dictionary.) photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet. Chapters 1–6 These are primarily for use with class readers but, with the jockey (n) someone who rides horses in races exception of discussion and pair/groupwork questions, Madonna (n) a figure of the mother of Jesus can also be used by students working alone in a self- mask (n) something that covers your face in order to hide it access centre. ransom (n) the money paid to free somebody who is being kept as ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK prisoner shrine (n) a place that people visit to pray Write the names of the chapters in Part 1 on the board in victim (n) someone who has been hurt or killed by someone or a jumbled order. Put students in small groups or pairs and something ask them to arrange the names of the chapters into a Chapters 7–10 suitable order. Ask each group to say why they have locker (n) a cupboard where you leave books, clothes etc, at school chosen their particular chapter order. or a sports club for example ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION Chapters 11–14 burglar alarm (n) this makes a loud noise when a burglar gets into a Chapters 1–6 building Take in to class a selection of photos of different types of listening device (n) a piece of equipment which picks up noises so people.