Rating: 
Summary: Quick, Enjoyable Read, but not Tolstoy
Review: Hey fellow readers, this is another of Jack Higgins action-packed thrillers. It is not Tolstoy and it was never intended to be. How do you think Higgins got so many of these things published? He sure doesn't spend a lot of time on them. These books are to action adventure fans what popcorn and Coke are to theater goers. In this action adventure thriller, Higgins reprises former IRA enforcer Sean Dillion, Brigadier Charles Ferguson and Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Hannah Bernstein. Later on in the book, the author also recalls from retirement that old IRA legend Liam Devlin. His cunning, wit and skill (despite his advanced age) were a welcome intrusion into the story line as it moved toward its conclusion. The President's Daughter is another one of those Higgins stories that really requires a major suspension of disbelief. The plot's premise is that the US President, as a young Army officer in Vietnam, met a beautiful French woman who was searching for her husband thought lost when ambushed by the NVA. It just so happens that the woman is married to a French Foreign Legion captain who retains a noble title and significant wealth. Thinking her husband dead, she has a one night affair with young Lt. Jake Cazalet. The very next morning, she finds out that her husband, Captain (Count) de Brissac is alive and out of a sense of duty, returns to him. Jake is heartbroken but the two of them agree to part. What neither one knows is that the one night liaison has resulted in the conception of a child. After the child's birth, the Comtesse de Brissac convinces her husband that the child is his and life goes on. As the years pass, Jake Cazalet returned to Harvard where he completed his doctorate and law school. He enters politics and eventually becomes a Senator. Later, he is elected President. After he becomes President, Jake finds out that the Count de Brissac, a former French general, has passed away. He eventually meets his long-lost love and she tells him a secret, her daughter was not 'the general's daughter,' but his own. Jake's wife, who had died years earlier of leukemia, had never been able to bear children and now the POTUS has one 28 years old, who he cannot acknowledge. Enter the complication. Someone else finds out Marie de Brissac's identity and they kidnap her. The kidnappers are not the usual PLO, IRA or former Communist thugs Higgins has employed in these roles in the past. They are Israelis who want to force the President to sign an order that will result in the nuclear destruction of Syria, Iran and Iraq. They give him a time limit and with that clock ticking, the tension also starts to build. In his own way, Higgins chooses to involve Sean Dillon, Brigadier Ferguson and Hannah Bernstein. He also introduces a new character, Blake Johnson, an FBI agent who runs "The Basement" in the White House. He is the President's special action team and as a result of the kidnapping, he and Dillon join forces. Readers will meet him again in THE WHITE HOUSE CONNECTION. While the entire premise for this book is truly far-fetched, the way in which Dillon and Blake Johnson resolve the crisis is what makes for the most interesting reading. It is in the problem solving stage where Higgins provides most of the action, tension and enjoyment. That is why he has so many fans around the world. This is not great or memorable literature. What it is is an enjoyable, mindless, escapist way to pass some time. Higgins is spare with his wording and his details. That is also another factor in why his books are so quick and fast paced. If you're looking for a quick way to escape your everyday existence, then Higgins (and this book) is a good place to start. Sean Dillon and the rest of the characters in these books have become like old friends. It's always good to visit with them every once in a while. Higgins fans will like this installment. It's full of everything they expect from this extremely prolific author. Cast aside the critical eye. Sit back, put your feet up and visit with old friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Anothe Quick and Fun Read from Jack Higgins
Review: A good read that gets you right into the action from page one. This is the second "Sean Dillon" book that I have read by Jack Higgins though I preferred "Drink With the Devil". Here, Dillon has been asked to rescue the daughter of the President from some Israeli extremists. Like other Higgen's books, the characters are net very complex (with the exception perhaps of Sean Dillon). What I liked about this book is, like an old B-movie, it never slows down. Dillon and his connections have almost no time to solve a mystery and prevent an international crisis...and he's only in it for the money and the fact that he would hate to see a nice woman like the President's daughter get rubbed out by a crazy man. Reserve this book for the beach. Don't expect Wuthering Heights and prepare to turn some pages real fast.
Rating:
Summary: Standard Higgins, but not nearly as good as he used to be
Review: I have been a Higgins fan for a long time, but I am somewhat mystified as to why I still read him at this point. I think it's because I was so enthralled by "The Eagle Has Landed" years ago, and some of his other older books and the quick read that you get. However that being said, Higgins follows the same formula for every book and if you have read at least 3 of his books, then you know what is coming at every stage of the game. "The President's Daughter" is no different from a dozen other Higgins novels I have read. What I do appreciate is it's a quick read that's entertaining and doesn't make you think hard. If you want to give one Higgins book a shot, then read "The Eagle Has Landed", this was when he was at his best and is a quality novel. If you are a Higgins fan, then you'll read this book regardless, just don't be surprised that it doesn't stand out from many of his other books. So what's the recommendation overall. If you are looking for a quick mindless read with adventure, then this is for you. If you want a book with a lot more substance and a believable adventure tale, then you need to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: The President's Daughter
Review: Ever since I read "The Eagle Has Landed" in the 70's, I have been a fan of Jack Higgins. Sean Dillon returns in "The President's Daughter". The President of the United States, Jake Cazalet, fathered a child during a brief affair while he was in Vietnam. Only he and the child's mother knew her true paternity, or so they thought. Almost thirty years later, the president's daughter, Marie de Brissac, is kidnapped by Israeli terrorists who hope to get Cazalet to support an effort by the US government to bomb Arab countries like Syria and Iraq. Cazalet opposes the initiative, and calls on Sean Dillon, ex-IRA enforcer now working for the British to try to find Marie and rescue her. In the meantime, this group kidnaps Dillon's colleague, Chief Inspector Hannah Bernstein. After finding out where the women are held, Dillon and American Blake Johnson stage a daring rescue. The suspense is taut, and I found it impossible to put down this excellent novel by the master of the thriller, Jack Higgins.
Rating:
Summary: Standard Higgins, but not nearly as good as he used to be
Review: I have been a Higgins fan for a long time, but I am somewhat mystified as to why I still read him at this point. I think it's because I was so enthralled by "The Eagle Has Landed" years ago, and some of his other older books and the quick read that you get. However that being said, Higgins follows the same formula for every book and if you have read at least 3 of his books, then you know what is coming at every stage of the game. "The President's Daughter" is no different from a dozen other Higgins novels I have read. What I do appreciate is it's a quick read that's entertaining and doesn't make you think hard. If you want to give one Higgins book a shot, then read "The Eagle Has Landed", this was when he was at his best and is a quality novel. If you are a Higgins fan, then you'll read this book regardless, just don't be surprised that it doesn't stand out from many of his other books. So what's the recommendation overall. If you are looking for a quick mindless read with adventure, then this is for you. If you want a book with a lot more substance and a believable adventure tale, then you need to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Less 1 star from his usual 3 (or 4 for his best works)
Review: The scenario : an extremist pro-Israel terrorist group has access to the most sensitive Intelligence of the UK and the US, and also the US President's secret - an illegitimate daughter. They kidnapped her to force the President to launch surgical nuclear strikes against Israel's primary adversaries in the Middle-East. Then, the plot just went on a completely wrong angle. They kidnapped Sean Dillon to act as their messenger to the President. Though what happened later were not bad for an action thriller, I keep wondering why did they want to get a man like Sean Dillon, and more importantly, Charles Ferguson, involved. They could have convinced the President they got the girl and they mean business without involving people who eventually caused their downfall.
Rating:
Summary: Review by Barney
Review: In 1969, Jake Cazalet saved the life of a Frenchwoman in Vietnam, and a brief passionate affair ensued. Years later in Paris, he was introduced to another beautiful young woman, his daughter. For many reasons, their relationship remained a secret. Some of these reasons include that fact that Cazalet is now the President of the United States. The American populous does not take kindly to illegitimate children when it comes to politicians. As I said before, Cazalet is now the president of the United States. Somehow, someone has discovered the truth about his daughter, and she is seized by a vicious extremist group. This group of men call themselves Macabees. They believe they are going to free Israel from its oppressors as Judas and his Macabees did in the fifth century. If the president does not comply with the kidnappers' demand, or uses any of America's security agencies to track them down, they will execute her. This forces Cazalet to make the toughest decision of his life. However, he only has ten days to decide. Desperate he turns to British operative Sean Dillon and Brigadier Charles Fergesun. If these two men cannot find hi daughter, the president will have to make the toughest decision of his life. He must choose between his daughter, whom he loves more than anything, and doing his duty to his country and not complying with terrorist demands. This is a great book for anyone who likes action and suspense. I would recommend this book to anybody, the reading is very easy and the story is never dull. This book forces you to keep reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Read!
Review: I am beginning to become a fan of Sean Dillon. He has been used very effectively by Higgins as a hero role. This book held my attention throughout. The President has a daughter who is in turn kidnapped by some Israeli extremists. Their on the President is that he nuke several Arab countries. Faced with this dilemna he is forced to call for help. Who else to save the day but Sean Dillon. As I had said before he has become an effective hero figure for Jack Higgins. Don't worry because Sean Dillon saves the day. This is a very good book. It has good action sequences as well as a good plot. Be sure to read it.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: A true marvel. Written by the master, Jack higgens. About a ex-terrorist that joins with a FBI agent to undertake a mission that can change everyone's life. It's a great plot of terror, espionage, and suspense which all contributed to turn it into a one heck of a book. The different types of themes are what all attracted me and pulled me into this book. If you are a true fan of undercover, MI5, CIA type of books this is what you're looking for. For me it is probably one of the top books on my list of favorites. Higgens uses a wonderful tactic by switching from one story to another. And for the first of couple of chapters, you get some what lost because there are lots of characters to memorize right off the bat. It's like a puzzle where the farther you get into it , the more that you are going to understand about it. But after a while all the pieces come together to form a terrific story line. I, myself, have never read a book of this genre. But I have heard so much about Tom Clancy type books that I decided to take a shot and it was a good one. The characters pull you in more and more as you go. Although the book moves at a slow pace, it does on the other hand add a lot of suspense drop by drop. In my opinion, I believe that this book could have received more five stars. But there is one problem. Just the fact that the book end way too fast and goes flat as an ending for such an awesome book. The climax of the story end in a couple of pages with no real change in the characters personality of personal life. But the plot of the story keeps you turning page after page.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie plot
Review: I really liked this book. The pacing was fast and kept my attention at all times. I liked the main characters. I've read so many books lately with flawed, complex main characters that I've sometimes thought the author should kill off a few for a better book. I read the book in one day, and went to the bookstore immediately to find another Jack Higgin's book. I'm tired of over long books with minute print by authors in love with their own rambling dialogue. I can see a terrific movie from every Jack Higgins book that I have ever read. This book is out of my usual genre and I attribute that to an unusually skilled author.
|
