What do you think?
Rate this book
The Abigail Affair
The fast-paced, zany thriller from British author Timothy Frost that's sold over 30,000 Kindle copies worldwide.
Toby Robinson, twenty-two and broke, lands a job as deckhand on a Russian billionaire's yacht. On his first night aboard he is framed for the murder of a guest. And that's just the start of his problems. His attractive crewmate Julia seems to be the only one on his side - but can he trust her? With his mobile phone confiscated, armed only with a winning smile and a flair for mixing cocktails, can Toby foil the sinister international conspiracy that threatens to entangle him? It's New Year's Eve and something terrible will happen at midnight. Time is running out, and so are Toby's options ...
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2010
77 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 12, 2011
If you enjoy well-paced adventures, tales of amateur sleuths making good and have a soft spot for British characters and humor, then `The Abigail Affair' by British author, Timothy Frost, is sure to appeal.
`The Abigail Affair', Frost's second novel since ditching a successful career as an advertising copywriter, has a lot going for it.
Its plot has been well structured, with an exciting prologue and an adventure-genre suitable ending. Frost uses appropriate descriptive detail and tension-creating foreshadowing to keep readers interested from chapter to chapter.
Protagonist, Toby Robinson, becomes involved with high-seas espionage after he applies for a job as a deckhand on a Russian oligarch's luxury yacht. Through the use of internal dialogue, colloquial language and humor, Frost has created a likeable and everyday-casual anti-hero, who deals with all sorts of calamities with wit, charm and admirable gumption.
As you'd expect from an adventure/thriller, particularly those featuring amateur sleuths, spies or heroes, there are times in this novel when it is necessary to suspend belief. However, there are no major loose ends or details that Frost does not return to.
It's an oft-used phrase `I could see this book as a movie', but it's a statement I don't make flippantly. This novel is visual and exciting and I would like to see it transferred to the Big Screen, preferably by a British director, or one sensitive to the charm-value of irony, used so well in British literature and film.
Does Toby save the day and the world from disaster?? Does he win the beautiful girl?? Read `The Abigail Affair' to find out. It will be time well spent.
3 1/2 stars.
`The Abigail Affair', Frost's second novel since ditching a successful career as an advertising copywriter, has a lot going for it.
Its plot has been well structured, with an exciting prologue and an adventure-genre suitable ending. Frost uses appropriate descriptive detail and tension-creating foreshadowing to keep readers interested from chapter to chapter.
Protagonist, Toby Robinson, becomes involved with high-seas espionage after he applies for a job as a deckhand on a Russian oligarch's luxury yacht. Through the use of internal dialogue, colloquial language and humor, Frost has created a likeable and everyday-casual anti-hero, who deals with all sorts of calamities with wit, charm and admirable gumption.
As you'd expect from an adventure/thriller, particularly those featuring amateur sleuths, spies or heroes, there are times in this novel when it is necessary to suspend belief. However, there are no major loose ends or details that Frost does not return to.
It's an oft-used phrase `I could see this book as a movie', but it's a statement I don't make flippantly. This novel is visual and exciting and I would like to see it transferred to the Big Screen, preferably by a British director, or one sensitive to the charm-value of irony, used so well in British literature and film.
Does Toby save the day and the world from disaster?? Does he win the beautiful girl?? Read `The Abigail Affair' to find out. It will be time well spent.
3 1/2 stars.
January 21, 2011
I'm afraid, I found this almost laughable.
It might be really cheap; but that is probably one of its only saving graces. This reads as if it aimed at 12 year olds. Toby is an immature idiot, the plot is both unbelievable and dreadful - one particular part making me laugh out loud. Given the total swearing in this book is limited to 'bleeding' and one or two s-words, I suspect it is a kid's book: yet the plot descends imto over-complex narcotics and business stuff in the middle which has no place in a child's book, so I am rather confused.
And then the catchphrases. Oh, heavens, the catchphrases. I have one more to add: "Just when you needed it... the bleedin' end of the book!" - and not a moment too soon.
(Tim Frost, the author, commented to this review on Amazon by saying: "Doesn't look like my tongue-in-cheek story scored a hit with you, James, and I'm sorry it confused you - but at least you finished it!" ... not sure it's tongue-in-cheek, being honest.)
It might be really cheap; but that is probably one of its only saving graces. This reads as if it aimed at 12 year olds. Toby is an immature idiot, the plot is both unbelievable and dreadful - one particular part making me laugh out loud. Given the total swearing in this book is limited to 'bleeding' and one or two s-words, I suspect it is a kid's book: yet the plot descends imto over-complex narcotics and business stuff in the middle which has no place in a child's book, so I am rather confused.
And then the catchphrases. Oh, heavens, the catchphrases. I have one more to add: "Just when you needed it... the bleedin' end of the book!" - and not a moment too soon.
(Tim Frost, the author, commented to this review on Amazon by saying: "Doesn't look like my tongue-in-cheek story scored a hit with you, James, and I'm sorry it confused you - but at least you finished it!" ... not sure it's tongue-in-cheek, being honest.)
September 14, 2010
Twenty-two-year-old Toby Robinson joins a Russian yacht as crew, clueless to what he's signed up for. Ruthless Russians, subterfuge and dead bodies abound.
The Abigail Affair is an action-packed and enthralling contemporary nautical thriller. There's no fluff or flat spots and the story is always moving. What stood out most about this book, though, was Toby's voice and larrikin sense of humour - distinctive yet not contrived.
Highly recommended.
The Abigail Affair is an action-packed and enthralling contemporary nautical thriller. There's no fluff or flat spots and the story is always moving. What stood out most about this book, though, was Toby's voice and larrikin sense of humour - distinctive yet not contrived.
Highly recommended.
December 15, 2011
Well done. Given that I've published the first book in my Caribbean-based thriller series, I was fascinated to find someone else working along similar lines. The writing and editing were top notch, and the story was great.
October 1, 2010
I really enjoyed this book..
Poor Toby gets himself into all sorts of trouble in his new job on a luxury yacht, and I had to keep on reading to see how he would get himself out of this one.
Poor Toby gets himself into all sorts of trouble in his new job on a luxury yacht, and I had to keep on reading to see how he would get himself out of this one.
September 12, 2011
Good thriller
January 17, 2012
Fast paced thriller. Like author's style and look forward to reading more by him.
June 27, 2012
Fun summer read!
April 24, 2019
Twisted plot
This book definitely kept me on the edge until the very end. Toby was a good hero. I liked the energy of the book.
This book definitely kept me on the edge until the very end. Toby was a good hero. I liked the energy of the book.
January 24, 2020
It was different from what I usually read, so it was a struggle until I got a little farther into it . I liked it.
February 2, 2012
I downloaded this about a week ago as it was listed as free on Amazon ( it's now £1.25) so it was a bit of a bargain really and the synopsis and positive reviews really drew me in. Normally I quite like thrillers but this one just didn’t do it for me, it didn’t really grip me until the last chapters and even then it was more a mild curiosity rather than an I can’t put it down page turner. It’s also described as ‘zany’ and ‘humorous’ in the comments clipped from Amazon reviews so I was expecting some laughs or at least a smile but sadly nothing about it struck me as funny.
The plot was almost over complicated involving murders, drugs and bombs with little real connection until the villain explains at the end so you do have to read the whole book to find out what’s going on, and while I stuck with it I wasn’t blown away.
The writing is clunky, and there are occasional attempts at writing dialogue in local accents and some token rhyming slang for the Londoner as of course he couldn’t be a cockney otherwise. I’m not against accents but sometimes it’s less jarring if we are told the character has an accent and left to imagine it, rather than being given a few words in an accent scattered amongst standard dialogue. If you feel the need to write an accent phonetically then stick with it through the whole book and do it for all the characters who are supposed to have accents, and for me the mismatched dialogue just felt like it lacked polish.
The characters themselves fell a bit flat too I didn’t feel that any of them were really developed in to people and they all felt a bit two-dimensional. The protagonist, Tony Robinson, didn’t engage me (one of the dullest hero's ever?), and the motivation for some of his decisions seemed flimsy at best. He had a lot of useful skills, quite convenient really that all his previous dead-end jobs had prepared him so thoroughly for murder and intrigue.
The overcomplicated plot began to bore me about half way through as there were no obvious connections between the various developments and I started feel like progress wasn’t really being made in the story. However the book does improve a bit during the latter half as things slowly start to come together, and while it seems a bit contrived at times it just about works. Despite the many elements to the story it feels well researched but it lacked atmosphere and failed to build then tension required for a thriller. The reader is only given the information that Tony has and it's presented in a very straight, this happened the this happened, manner. Had the reader been told he felt something about this, other than what seemed to be mild annoyance (I would expect some fear or concern even if he got over it), it might have added a level of peril that was sadly missing.
This does get good reviews on Amazon (as do his other titles) but it just wasn’t rounded enough for me as I tend to be drawn to a book through character development rather than plot alone, and I often find modern thrillers have either clichéd or flat characters that I just don’t care enough about to engage with.
The plot was almost over complicated involving murders, drugs and bombs with little real connection until the villain explains at the end so you do have to read the whole book to find out what’s going on, and while I stuck with it I wasn’t blown away.
The writing is clunky, and there are occasional attempts at writing dialogue in local accents and some token rhyming slang for the Londoner as of course he couldn’t be a cockney otherwise. I’m not against accents but sometimes it’s less jarring if we are told the character has an accent and left to imagine it, rather than being given a few words in an accent scattered amongst standard dialogue. If you feel the need to write an accent phonetically then stick with it through the whole book and do it for all the characters who are supposed to have accents, and for me the mismatched dialogue just felt like it lacked polish.
The characters themselves fell a bit flat too I didn’t feel that any of them were really developed in to people and they all felt a bit two-dimensional. The protagonist, Tony Robinson, didn’t engage me (one of the dullest hero's ever?), and the motivation for some of his decisions seemed flimsy at best. He had a lot of useful skills, quite convenient really that all his previous dead-end jobs had prepared him so thoroughly for murder and intrigue.
The overcomplicated plot began to bore me about half way through as there were no obvious connections between the various developments and I started feel like progress wasn’t really being made in the story. However the book does improve a bit during the latter half as things slowly start to come together, and while it seems a bit contrived at times it just about works. Despite the many elements to the story it feels well researched but it lacked atmosphere and failed to build then tension required for a thriller. The reader is only given the information that Tony has and it's presented in a very straight, this happened the this happened, manner. Had the reader been told he felt something about this, other than what seemed to be mild annoyance (I would expect some fear or concern even if he got over it), it might have added a level of peril that was sadly missing.
This does get good reviews on Amazon (as do his other titles) but it just wasn’t rounded enough for me as I tend to be drawn to a book through character development rather than plot alone, and I often find modern thrillers have either clichéd or flat characters that I just don’t care enough about to engage with.
October 9, 2016
Okay, this was a read that was full of mystery and comedy. It wasn’t silly comedy. It was the comedy of watching a very unique character and get inside their mind. Their views of a situation had me chuckling even when death was on the line.
You see the story through the first person eyes of a young man who is on a yacht thinking it will be something way different than what he finds himself in. He has a knack for losing jobs and spending his family’s money rather easily. But now he finds that he might be in a large international affair with his own life on the line along with millions of other people.
The characters were well done. You only get to know the main character real well while you guess at the others and if they are really trustworthy.
The plot kept me guessing. I honestly didn’t know who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. It kept switching up on me. Well done!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Note: I purchased this book with my own funds with no expectation of a positive review.
You see the story through the first person eyes of a young man who is on a yacht thinking it will be something way different than what he finds himself in. He has a knack for losing jobs and spending his family’s money rather easily. But now he finds that he might be in a large international affair with his own life on the line along with millions of other people.
The characters were well done. You only get to know the main character real well while you guess at the others and if they are really trustworthy.
The plot kept me guessing. I honestly didn’t know who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. It kept switching up on me. Well done!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Note: I purchased this book with my own funds with no expectation of a positive review.
December 31, 2014
Getting towards the end of the challenge but struggling because I can't both write and read so I looked for some simple things and found this. It's probably the second or third sea story I've read and I must say I don't see the fascination but it was an all right story.
Told in third person restricted which kept it tight but occasionally made Toby seem like a complete moron, and all the other characters very superficial. There was also occasional head hopping, a massive 'as you know Bob' style info dump and Frost did not always suspend my disbelief, there were quite a few 'Yeah right' moments. Oh and lets not forget the final few inches to end all Penelope Pit-stop final few inches.
But it was fun and had a good ending.
Told in third person restricted which kept it tight but occasionally made Toby seem like a complete moron, and all the other characters very superficial. There was also occasional head hopping, a massive 'as you know Bob' style info dump and Frost did not always suspend my disbelief, there were quite a few 'Yeah right' moments. Oh and lets not forget the final few inches to end all Penelope Pit-stop final few inches.
But it was fun and had a good ending.
April 16, 2012
The descriptors "fast-paced", "entertaining", "tongue-in-cheek", and "dose of humor" drew me to this book. Add to it the idea of evil Russians and I'm there. I was disappointed. The prologue was the best part. I really wanted to quit reading this by a quarter of the way through but I really hate to not at least give the book a fair chance. The end redeemed it in a way but there was way too much "stuff" in between that just made me want to gnash my teeth in frustration.
February 25, 2011
This book was ok but nothing more. I thought the author expected readers to blindly accept all the far fetched predicaments the main character got into and then got out of it. I lost interest through in the middle because I found it too hard to accept, but I muddled through. The end actually picked up a bit, but all in all I was disappointed. I hoped for more.
July 10, 2012
Ehh...a decent read. The last 20% was the best part of the book as with many mysteries. Since it was a free download, no complaints. If I had paid for the book, I would think it worth mentioning that the middle seemed to drag a little, and it seemed pretty unlikely that the main character would change decisions as he did.
April 24, 2014
Had it not been for a friend's recommendation, i probably would never have read this book. After the first few pages, I found myself unable to put this book down, despite some parts being far fetched. Loved the character of Toby.
February 18, 2012
Even though this isn't the type of book I normally read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had to stop and catch my breath a few times, as the action is non-stop.
Toby and I have the same kind of luck, and I can only hope that I would be as resourceful in his situation.
Toby and I have the same kind of luck, and I can only hope that I would be as resourceful in his situation.
May 2, 2016
A decent enough story, although why he didn't leave the boat at the first chance was a bit far fetched.
December 29, 2011
Found it almost silly. Elaborate conversations at illogical times. Would not recommend.
August 30, 2012
An OK Kindle cheapie. Not as thrilling as I would have liked, and I didn't relate the main character, but a light read for a holiday.
October 28, 2012
A little far fetched having a young, broke, inexperienced 22 year old bar tender run into adventure after adventure on the high seas!
January 4, 2013
This is a quick and easy read and a decent enough thriller. Some parts are a bit far-fetched!
September 15, 2017
A good read. Found it a little drawn out but has a good pace. Set in the Caribbean.
May 14, 2011
Thriller set in the Caribbean seas. Enjoyable plot but I couldn't really warm to the protagonist
May 16, 2013
A little unbelievable.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews