Rating: Summary: Jack Higgins marries history and fiction Review: Jack Higgins has done a great job of marrying the shady end of World War II with a great action-packed yarn with Sean Dillon leading the way. A great summer book you can read in a day!
Rating: Summary: Intriguing from the start. Terrorism/Govt. ..difference is.. Review: No fancy gadgets and gizmos needed here to get the interest and rush going. Governments, friends, adversaries, lovers...who do you trust? This is the first book of Mr. Higgins' that I have read. Completed in one sitting! My interests and attention were contained by the excellently developed plot. The realistically portayed WW-II history to support the story was well conceived. I don't want to give up the story so I must stop here. If suspense and mystery is the game, then this definitely scores! Bravo Mr. Higgins...so when does the movie get released?
Rating: Summary: As Usual, Higgins Doesn't Disappoint Review: Once again, Jack Higgins uses his knack for merging past history with modern day thrills in the high-octane adventure, Thunder Point. Featuring everyone's favorite IRA terrorist turned hero Sean Dillon, this yarn takes to the dangers of the high sea as Dillon is hired by the British government to recover documents missing since World War II. These papers aren't just old political red tape rubbish--quite the contrary. They were property of Adolf Hitler and they contained the names of many members of the British establishment who were friendly to the Nazi cause. Now nearly fifty years later if these documents fell into the wrong hands they would have a devastating impact on Britain's aristocracy and Parliament, as kin of the people on the list were working their way up the ranks in British societal order.In the Caribbean, rumor has it that a U-boat that sank in 1945 which carried Hitler's associate Martin Bormann was discovered by a lone diver in a treacherous remote location. Coincidentally, the diver is killed in a freak accident just days after finding the U-boat and so he takes to his grave the secret of its whereabouts. Soon the hunt is on as Dillon and a barrage of enemies are in a race to find it first, thus obtaining the documents Bormann was thought to carry. The Sean Dillon series is always addictive action-packed stay up all night reading. Thunder Point is only a slight notch below Higgins' best Dillon tales. Even Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt can't hold a candle to Sean Dillon's considerable scuba diving talents in Thunder Point. But then again, is there any area where the illustrious Dillon doesn't excel? After all, this man is an accomplished theatre actor who speaks fluent German, Spanish, French, Arabic, Italian, and Russian, not to mention English and Irish. He's a master of disguises, transforming his looks, voice, and mannerism to suit the occasion. He's an expert skydiver, scuba diver, martial artist, and airplane pilot. He single-handedly can take down an entourage of men with his fists. He's one of the best pistol shots on the globe. He's been a gun for hire not only for the IRA but also for the PLO and KGB. Oh, and did I forget to mention that women find him to be fantastic between the sheets? Do men like this exist in real life? I think not, but if one does please send him my way. Thank God for fiction and thank you Jack Higgins for giving me a dose of the unreal.
Rating: Summary: As Usual, Higgins Doesn't Disappoint Review: Once again, Jack Higgins uses his knack for merging past history with modern day thrills in the high-octane adventure, Thunder Point. Featuring everyone's favorite IRA terrorist turned hero Sean Dillon, this yarn takes to the dangers of the high sea as Dillon is hired by the British government to recover documents missing since World War II. These papers aren't just old political red tape rubbish--quite the contrary. They were property of Adolf Hitler and they contained the names of many members of the British establishment who were friendly to the Nazi cause. Now nearly fifty years later if these documents fell into the wrong hands they would have a devastating impact on Britain's aristocracy and Parliament, as kin of the people on the list were working their way up the ranks in British societal order. In the Caribbean, rumor has it that a U-boat that sank in 1945 which carried Hitler's associate Martin Bormann was discovered by a lone diver in a treacherous remote location. Coincidentally, the diver is killed in a freak accident just days after finding the U-boat and so he takes to his grave the secret of its whereabouts. Soon the hunt is on as Dillon and a barrage of enemies are in a race to find it first, thus obtaining the documents Bormann was thought to carry. The Sean Dillon series is always addictive action-packed stay up all night reading. Thunder Point is only a slight notch below Higgins' best Dillon tales. Even Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt can't hold a candle to Sean Dillon's considerable scuba diving talents in Thunder Point. But then again, is there any area where the illustrious Dillon doesn't excel? After all, this man is an accomplished theatre actor who speaks fluent German, Spanish, French, Arabic, Italian, and Russian, not to mention English and Irish. He's a master of disguises, transforming his looks, voice, and mannerism to suit the occasion. He's an expert skydiver, scuba diver, martial artist, and airplane pilot. He single-handedly can take down an entourage of men with his fists. He's one of the best pistol shots on the globe. He's been a gun for hire not only for the IRA but also for the PLO and KGB. Oh, and did I forget to mention that women find him to be fantastic between the sheets? Do men like this exist in real life? I think not, but if one does please send him my way. Thank God for fiction and thank you Jack Higgins for giving me a dose of the unreal.
Rating: Summary: A worthwhile read but ... Review: Readers of Higgins' previous works would have been introduced to Sean Dillon, ex-IRA turned mercenary, a man who had his own codes regarding keeping of one's word but kills ruthlessly. The background to the plot is this : a long lost sunked German U-boat from WW2 was found, and somewhere inside is a briefcase containing a list of secret bank account numbers to fund Nazism after the war, and a list of British secretly supportive of Nazi Germany, including the abdicated former monarch Duke of Windsor. The potential embarassment and backlash led the British PM to give the job for Group Four under BG Ferguson, who in turn sought the assistance of Sean Dillon, given the delicate nature of the job, the sub being in Virgin Islands, US territory and all. However, the operation is not as secret as it should be, for already, descendants of people named in the list were urgently seeking to get the briefcase first. Higgins' flair in his work lies in keeping his story short, quick-moving with not too complicated characters who are just about credible. Unfortunately, there were some loopholes in this one. First of all, the capture of Sean Dillon was rather hard to believe given the past records about him. If he was a chameleon who travels constantly under various guises, it would have been rather hard to believe that Ferguson could have known to bait him in Vienna. Second, how the actual site of the wreck was discovered was rather incredible, given how no one thought of it earlier. Most divers would have come to it sooner. Third, given the resources available to G4, and the critical nature of the job, it seems hard to believe that such a small force was despatched and they kept being tangled by simple hoodlums. People of experiences like Ferguson and Dillon should have been able to prevent most of their mishaps through simple but effective precautions. What is satisfying though was how the villains were terminated. What I could not forget though, was the promise of Martin Brosnan in a previous book, Eye of the Storm, who intended to hound Dillon down. Of course, it was not widely known where Dillon was, but if Dillon was going to come out in the open after completing his job, Brosnan would find him sooner or later to settle the debt. Can't wait for that to happen, hope it does, in a later book.
Rating: Summary: Sean Dillon goes to work for Brigadier Ferguson. Review: Sean Dillon is saved from a Yugoslavian firing squad if he will help the British recover Martin Borman's briefcase from a U-Boat at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Once again Jack Higgins has done the unbeleivable by turning the most dangerous terrorist that the British Government has ever opposed, into a highly skilled, although intractable, agent on the side of good. Skilled as a pilot, scuba diver, and a deadly killer, Dillon turns his energy toward the salvage of the most controversial documents to come out of the war. Along the way, Dillon spars with Scotland Yard detective, seconded to Ferguson, Hanah Bernstien. She is both attracted and repelled by Dillon. Jack Higgins books are always suspenseful, and with the added tension of Sean Dillon, and whether he is on the level, or planning some other agenda, makes this one of his all time best books
Rating: Summary: A fantastic, gripping thriller Review: Sean Dillon, once IRA gunman, now persuaded to work for the British government takes on the task of rescuing highly sensative documents from a recently discovered WW2 U-Boat. But he isn't the only one after the papers. Gripping, thrilling, I couldn't put this book down untill it was finished...Fantastic.
Rating: Summary: Another Good Yarn from Higgins Review: The two-tape abridgment read by Roger Moore keeps the story moving. It's a good quickie for a small road trip. The fanciful plot involves secrets from World War II that could ruin a lot of people. The great thing about Higgins: He's never dull and never stupid. You'll like this.
Rating: Summary: Quaint yarn as only Higgins can create Review: This is a little yarn. But don't let the adjective fool you. In these days of sweeping techno-thrillers that rely heavily on (and are often weighed down by) techno ga-ga, Higgins' "little" yarns are a breath of fresh air. Everything about this book, except the pre-title sequence in Serbia could be written in the 1960s. Lets see there's a sunken German U-boat, a plush locale, sharks (aquatic and bipedal), seaplanes, exploding yachts, dastardly villains, able henchmen (if only just), and a love interest that is little more than a devise for the story. Yep, that's 1960s fair...gotta love it! Much of the story is a bit predictable, not many plot twists - but who cares. You bounce along with the protagonist, Higgins' loveable Sean Dillon, former IRA terrorist, and his new employer, Brigadier Ferguson (who gets an unusually large part in this story considering he's usually the spymaster that sits back and manipulates the game) as they race against time to unearth documents from the Third Reich that may implicate many in Britain's and America's upper crust in Nazi efforts to thwart the allies plans during World War II. I say again, pure 1960s fair. I especially enjoyed the dialogue among Dillon and Ferguson, they definately seem like old warriors. Plus Higgins has a way of making even readers from Peoria read with a Scottish brogue or a Belfast cockney. Unfortunately, his characters from other cultures seem to adopt the same idioms. The hispanic villians can be heard calling Dillon a "bloody bastard", probably not the epithet of choice in Cuba. And another thing...yet another hold over from the 60's, why is the protagonist always referred to in dialogue by his last name. "I say, Dillon, have a look at this," "I'm with you, Dillon," "Oh, Dillon, do take care dear, I don't know what I'd do without you." Even in the most intimate scenes, he's always referred to as Dillon. If I were in bed with a feme fatale I would know to look out if she referred to me as Rakr, and not Muun. Overall, a sheer anachronistic joy. Read it! Questions? email me.
Rating: Summary: Quaint yarn as only Higgins can create Review: This is a little yarn. But don't let the adjective fool you. In these days of sweeping techno-thrillers that rely heavily on (and are often weighed down by) techno ga-ga, Higgins' "little" yarns are a breath of fresh air. Everything about this book, except the pre-title sequence in Serbia could be written in the 1960s. Lets see there's a sunken German U-boat, a plush locale, sharks (aquatic and bipedal), seaplanes, exploding yachts, dastardly villains, able henchmen (if only just), and a love interest that is little more than a devise for the story. Yep, that's 1960s fair...gotta love it! Much of the story is a bit predictable, not many plot twists - but who cares. You bounce along with the protagonist, Higgins' loveable Sean Dillon, former IRA terrorist, and his new employer, Brigadier Ferguson (who gets an unusually large part in this story considering he's usually the spymaster that sits back and manipulates the game) as they race against time to unearth documents from the Third Reich that may implicate many in Britain's and America's upper crust in Nazi efforts to thwart the allies plans during World War II. I say again, pure 1960s fair. I especially enjoyed the dialogue among Dillon and Ferguson, they definately seem like old warriors. Plus Higgins has a way of making even readers from Peoria read with a Scottish brogue or a Belfast cockney. Unfortunately, his characters from other cultures seem to adopt the same idioms. The hispanic villians can be heard calling Dillon a "bloody bastard", probably not the epithet of choice in Cuba. And another thing...yet another hold over from the 60's, why is the protagonist always referred to in dialogue by his last name. "I say, Dillon, have a look at this," "I'm with you, Dillon," "Oh, Dillon, do take care dear, I don't know what I'd do without you." Even in the most intimate scenes, he's always referred to as Dillon. If I were in bed with a feme fatale I would know to look out if she referred to me as Rakr, and not Muun. Overall, a sheer anachronistic joy. Read it! Questions? email me.
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