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Summary: English Snow?
Review: p. 209. "Powdery flakes of wet snow..."I've seen powdery flakes of snow, and have seen flakes of wet snow. But "powdery flakes of wet snow"? Come on, Jack! Well, it's another word to be counted.
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Summary: Been there, done that
Review: Same old stuff. The book has the same level of entertainment as his past books, but how about coming up with some new twists.
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Summary: The fantasy is great!
Review: Some of you guys are tough! It's Jack Higgins, for heaven's sake. When I want a quick, exciting read, I turn to him. And he usually delivers. This one is totally 'out there', but so entertaining you can't put it down. Just because the shooter is a 60ish y.o. woman with money and connections (good ones) you have to make believe this could really happen. Her son is killed and thrown into a cement mixer and she goes after the Sons of Erin who did him in. Aiding her is her loyal chauffeur and friend, Hedley. This guy is one mean dude; she couldnt get along without him. Sean Dillon and crew are there to add to the mix. Great, good fun. Stop looking for the Book of Life. This was one good time!
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Summary: Come on!
Review: Super-granny killing gangsters, never getting killed herself.
Please
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Summary: Jack is going downhill!
Review: The first books written by Higgins were excellent. They were realistic and fast paced. Unfortunately he is going downhill fast! The characters are so shallow they are almost cardboard and the plot is foolish. And does any really think that the Secret Service would let anyone in the same building, much less in the same room with the President without going through metal and weapons checks? I'm sorry that Higgins has sunk to the level of writing for money instead of producing good work.
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Summary: smoker
Review: The plot of this book is simplistic: a mother wants revenge for her son, and gets it. Other than that, nothing much happens. The whole story is predictable. I don't think I will spoil anybody's surprise by disclosing that the mother -- loved by all -- dies when revenge is complete and has a lovely funeral. This is a book peopled by ... caricatures, such as the troubled soul with a difficult past, and bizarre habits only to be hinted at. Imagine! one character has a Gurkha batboy named Kim. I bet the author stayed up all night trying to think that one up. You can get cancer just by reading this book, with all the smokers in it. If you cut out every time somebody lights up, or asks for a cigarette, you would reduce the book's volume by a good 10 per cent. The dividers tell you that this section takes place in New York or London, or something. Beyond that, and a few street names, the book does not produce any sense of place. It doesn't help that the "Americans" sound British. Read James Lee Burke and you're squarely in rural Louisiana; Ian Rankin places the reader right in Scotland. I have never visited either place, but feel I know them, just from the authors' skill. Jack Higgins' writing makes you feel you are sitting in a chair at home, wondering, isn't New York any different from London? It rains a lot in this book. Characters slip through walls and out windows. They like to do nothing so well as to tell about battles they have fought, and they do so almost every time they speak. Two characters (Hedley and the Secret Service agent) even review their battle resumes as they slug it out: My war was bigger than your war! Fortunately, the Gurkha orderly doesn't get a speaking part. Otherwise, he too would be telling us about battles he fought: "Here's your tea, sir. Reminds me of the time I was in Nam." There is an interesting line; the author refers to types you see 'anywhere in the world, from New York to London.' The world is a lot larger than the shores of the North Atlantic, but Mr Higgins is probably surrounded by so dense a cloud of cigaret smoke that he cannot see very far or very deep. Would I recommend that you read this book? Well, I hear there's a new Robert Parker out, if you get my drift. Let's go see what Michael Connelly is up to.
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Summary: Predictable!
Review: The White House Connection is a predictable story. And not very suspensful. The novel is about a mother who avenges the death of her son at the hands of the IRA. The mother, in her late fifties, is the least believable of the characters in the book. When she finds out that her son was done in by treachery, she traipses between the US and England killing the bad guys. Huh? Where did she suddenly develop this uncanny ability to stalk and kill? This character, Lady Lang, threw me off the book from the start. I just wished that Jack Higgins had developed a better story than this. It would seem that he is running out of fresh ideas. I stayed, painfully, with the book until the end because of Sean Dillon and gang. It was nice to have them back again. Dillon was a bit laid back this time around. More action next time, Dillon. Higgins should go back to his WWII themes. They were his best. Try harder next time, Jack!
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Summary: What happened to Higgins?
Review: This book was not worth the time I spent reading it. The plot is totally predictable and doesn't challenge the reader in the least. A trite, boring story. What happened to Higgins?
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Summary: A Good Summertime Read....
Review: This is a good book to take to the beach or the lake and relax and travel off to England, Ireland and the USA and enjoy the trip. Sean Dillon, Blake Johnson, Lady Helen Lang are good companions for your travels. It is a good story and a good read....
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Summary: Solid Higgins storyline
Review: This is solid Higgins stuff with a good plot that kept me turning the pages. My only complaint is that if he's going to write about Americans, he needs to make them speak like Americans. Having the Americans speak like they're British distracts from an otherwise good story. A great quick read.
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