- Hardcover: 178 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday (Aug 1974)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385041209
- ISBN-13: 978-0385041201
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.5 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,543,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Breakheart Pass
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘Explodes with action’
The Mirror
‘Alistair MacLean is a magnificent storyteller’
Sunday Mirror
Product Description
A magnificent tale of heart-stopping suspense from the highly acclaimed master of the genre.
The Rocky Mountains, Winter 1873…
One of the most desolate stretches of railroad in the West. Travelling along it is a crowded troop train, bound for the cholera-stricken garrison at Fort Humboldt. On board are the Governor of Nevada, the daughter of the fort’s commander and a US marshal escorting a notorious outlaw. Between them and safety are the hostile Paiute Indians – and a man who will stop at nothing, not even murder…
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well the cynical would say that this book is simply a WW2 story rewritten for cowboys and indians.Not true.Personally i enjoy a book when the writer is not being over elaborate with words but is being gramatically correct (as you would expect with the author's history!).This book is a classic ,old fashioned page turner that kept me rolling along until the very last page. I recently decided to re-read these classic tales and I am enjoying every one of them.For those of you that have never read a Maclean tale may I point this book out as a good start!!!
Once you have read the book maybe you should see the film........
Once you have read the book maybe you should see the film........
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I loved this book, possibly not enough for 5 stars but nearly.... :)
A multiple murder mystery set in 1873 and situated in the rocky mountains. A train is bound for a cholera stricken fort but things start to go wrong as people start dieing and going missing.
Who is the killer? The novel unravells at a rapid speed with various twists and turns that hook you until the dramatic outcome.
Def one worth trying as an introduction to maclean.
A multiple murder mystery set in 1873 and situated in the rocky mountains. A train is bound for a cholera stricken fort but things start to go wrong as people start dieing and going missing.
Who is the killer? The novel unravells at a rapid speed with various twists and turns that hook you until the dramatic outcome.
Def one worth trying as an introduction to maclean.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Watch that first step!
29 Mar 2000
Format:Hardcover
When I was a kid, I read every single one of MacLean's novels -- and this was the one I found hardest to put down! With a plot involving a Pinkerton agent on board a train in the American West, it is somewhat different from other MacLean novels -- but just as authentic and exciting! If you're a MacLean fan, it'd be well worth your time to track down an edition of this overlooked gem.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Western action thriller
25 May 2007
Format:Paperback
Master action adventure author Alistair Maclean goes away from his usual World War II setting using a 1870's Western theme for his 1974 novel "Breakheart Pass". While not written with the intricate plots or character descriptions of his earlier work, the book contains enough misdirection and intrigue to keep you guessing. Maclean's writing style is which he displays an erudite command of the English language, gives us small bits and pieces of information slowly advancing the plot.
"Breakheart Pass" involves a perilous winter railroad journey through the Nevada territory in the midst of a frightful blizzard. Aboard the train are Nevada governor Fairchild and his niece Marica, along with U.S. cavalry colonel Claremont and two carloads of troops. Joining them are U.S. marshal Pearce and the governor's aide and Pearce's old army buddy Major O'Brien. Pearce, a venerable lawman and Indian agent was transporting dangerous murderer and gunman John Deakin. Their destination was the remote Fort Humboldt nestled deep in the Nevada mountains. Their trip was a mercy mission as a cholera outbreak in the fort had decimated the troops who were in need of relief and medical supplies. Dr. Molyneaux, a tropical disease expert was accompanying the aforementioned entourage.
As the journey continues we slowly learn that all is not what it seems. Maclean has meticulously obliterated the lines defining exactly who were the good guys and who were the bad. A nefarious plot had been hatched and the train passengers were mostly all integral parts of it. As the story winds down the cunning deviousness nature of the plan is finally revealed.
"Breakheart Pass" involves a perilous winter railroad journey through the Nevada territory in the midst of a frightful blizzard. Aboard the train are Nevada governor Fairchild and his niece Marica, along with U.S. cavalry colonel Claremont and two carloads of troops. Joining them are U.S. marshal Pearce and the governor's aide and Pearce's old army buddy Major O'Brien. Pearce, a venerable lawman and Indian agent was transporting dangerous murderer and gunman John Deakin. Their destination was the remote Fort Humboldt nestled deep in the Nevada mountains. Their trip was a mercy mission as a cholera outbreak in the fort had decimated the troops who were in need of relief and medical supplies. Dr. Molyneaux, a tropical disease expert was accompanying the aforementioned entourage.
As the journey continues we slowly learn that all is not what it seems. Maclean has meticulously obliterated the lines defining exactly who were the good guys and who were the bad. A nefarious plot had been hatched and the train passengers were mostly all integral parts of it. As the story winds down the cunning deviousness nature of the plan is finally revealed.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A Western For All Seasons
25 July 2011
Format:Paperback
When I first read this I was surprised because Alistair Maclean had written Cold War thrillers, novels located in Arctic locales, some contemporary novels and some with World War II in the background. This was his first, and only, venture into the American West.
Always thought this was one of his best novels. After this, the author sadly began to decline. But in "Breakheart Pass" his prose was still sharp and so was his plot. As in many of his novels, his characters are on a ship or outpost or, in this case, a train and a number of mysterious deaths occur. Clearly one or more of the characters are killers.
This was made into a movie with Charles Bronson and it's one of the few MacLean books that Hollywood didn't screw up. That's probably because MacLean wrote the script and it adheres closely to the novel. A very suspensful tale. In his prime there was no one better than MacLean. The novel is a fitting tribute to the old West.
Always thought this was one of his best novels. After this, the author sadly began to decline. But in "Breakheart Pass" his prose was still sharp and so was his plot. As in many of his novels, his characters are on a ship or outpost or, in this case, a train and a number of mysterious deaths occur. Clearly one or more of the characters are killers.
This was made into a movie with Charles Bronson and it's one of the few MacLean books that Hollywood didn't screw up. That's probably because MacLean wrote the script and it adheres closely to the novel. A very suspensful tale. In his prime there was no one better than MacLean. The novel is a fitting tribute to the old West.
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