Rating: 
Summary: Jack Higgins: There is no there there
Review: It amazes me that Jack Higgins has managed to become such a best-selling author considering the simplistic drivel that he churns out.
Higgins has found a formula that stems back to his best-seller, "The Eagle Has Landed," and stuck with it, with minor alterations for character and plot. You have the supposedly washed-up protagonist, usually a former Spec Ops operator. He has a highly developed sense of "Honor." Then there is his long-lost love interest. Then there is the foil, usually Irish, usually IRA or ex-IRA, often with a "wry smile," but a sense for what is morally right.
The antagonists are stereotypically evil, manipulative and invariably come to a fitting end. We can usually count on the protagonist to "shoot them in the spine, spinning them around," and then delivering the coup de grace either to the head or the heart.
Sound familiar? It should. Higgins has been employing these cardboard cutouts for years, and yet no one seems to mind. In an age where there are plenty of writers who can craft a more sophisticated tale of espionage and intrigue (Le Carre, or even Clancy), it surprises me that anyone would settle for this former Oxford (!!!) don.
Why do I read him? To quote Alexander Pope, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast." I keep waiting for Higgins to come up with something substantial.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Typical Jack Higgins, well written, action packed, and a very good read. I Could not put the book down. The only thing I found wrong with the story was that he (Higgins) has made hero's out of IRA terrorists. I understnad terrorists can be reformed but couldn't we find a better hero
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: 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: 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: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: "The Presiden's Daughter"
Review: If you like books that have a lot to do with the CIA and the secret service this is for you. There was much talk of different types of government officials. It started out really good. The plot line was flowing and it got very interesting. After the first few chapters the book started to drag. It got boring and slow. There were many non understandable details. There are many confusing scenes and people. Jack Higgins had a great plot idea, but put too many unnecesary details. This book is definetly a guy book. As a girl I did not enjoy it. There were too many different places in this book. Higgins skipped from place to place without reason. I got lost in different ideas that the president and his advisors had. Somethings were very well explained, but others were not explained enough. This book could have been better if I understood the way the system works more. Also, the plan of action that they were taking could have been explained better. It was never told in full detail. It made it a little confusing. The character Marie (the president's daughter) was very interesting to me. The president though was not described as well as he should have been. This book disturbed me in a way. I could not believe that people who are out of the system and the computer system, could know so much about it and practically control it. I recomend this book to people who enjoy government related books. Mainly guys. If you do not understand the computer system, then I would not read it. If I were to say one good thing about this book it would be that the idea of the plot was a very good one.
Rating:
Summary: A Unique Thriller from Higgins
Review: The president of the US has a daughter from an affair with a French woman in Vietnam. When a terrorist group learns the girls identity, it's up to British agent, ex-terrorist Sean Dillon to save her from the mastermind named Judas. This is an exciting romp as Dillon uses his abilities to find and rescue the girl from her kidnappers before they can bend the President to do their bidding.
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