- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (3 Sep 2009)
- Language Unknown
- ISBN-10: 0007320450
- ISBN-13: 978-0007320455
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 922,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Wolf at the Door
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Product Description
Review
‘Open a Jack Higgins novel and you’ll encounter a master craftsman at the peak of his powers … first-rate tales of intrigue, suspense and full-on action.’
Sunday Express
‘Higgins is a master of his craft.’
Daily Telegraph
‘A thriller writer in a class of his own.’
Financial Times
‘The master craftsman of good, clean adventure.’
Daily Mail
Review
'Open a Jack Higgins novel and you'll encounter a master craftsman at the peak of his powers ! first-rate tales of intrigue, suspense and full-on action.' Sunday Express 'Higgins is a master of his craft.' Daily Telegraph 'A thriller writer in a class of his own.' Financial Times 'The master craftsman of good, clean adventure.' Daily Mail
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the sequel to "A Darker Place", which itself wasn't published that long ago. The jacket blurb/plot summary provided above is actually quite misleading. The Russians decide to assassinate most of the members of General Ferguson's team and all this action happens within the first 50 or so pages. The rest of the book is the story of how the attacks were planned, told in flashback. Within this flashback is another flashback which explains the life story of Daniel Holley, the ex-IRA arms runner (i.e. Dillon #2) who the Kremlin tasks with arranging the executions. Consequently, Dillon & co don't feature at all in the majority of the book and there is no Ferguson-led "hunt" for the perpetrators, the fate of all of whom we know by page 50. Anyone expecting the violent deaths of half the team followed by Dillon ruthlessly hunting down those responsible for the rest of the book (and I had hoped) will be disappointed.
Why Mr Higgins decided to structure the book this way is anyone's guess. By having the attacks first and then their background told in flashback, the author robs the book of any real tension and excitement - we know what the outcome of those attacks is (I won't reveal it, but have a guess...) so there is little drama in reading about how they were planned. Holley's back story is Higgins' standard "good guy witnesses something ghastly and so joins the IRA for revenge" template. He is essentially a new Sean Dillon and one wonders whether this book is designed to introduce him up for new adventures. I noted that this time the American president isn't named and there is a hint that Jake Cazelet has finally left office. Other details remain the same as before - everyone spends large amounts of time wearing Zeiss glasses and drinking champagne.
The attacks on Ferguson & co should have been tagged on to the end of "A Darker Place" and the rest of the story dispensed with; maybe that was the original intention before someone suggested spinning it out into a whole new book. I found myself skip-reading the last quarter of the book because it simply wasn't interesting. I kept hoping for a riverting twist in the tale - there is one of sorts, but like most of the denouements in the Sean Dillon series it is all over in the blink of eye and leaves you wondering why it is that all the good guys wear body armour and all the bad guys don't. It's been some years now since Hannah Bernstein was killed off - Jack Higgins really needs to take an axe to some other characters if he wants to keep the Dillon saga going, because as it stands now this series is completely out of steam and devoid of interest. That said, I'm sure I'll read the next one...
Why Mr Higgins decided to structure the book this way is anyone's guess. By having the attacks first and then their background told in flashback, the author robs the book of any real tension and excitement - we know what the outcome of those attacks is (I won't reveal it, but have a guess...) so there is little drama in reading about how they were planned. Holley's back story is Higgins' standard "good guy witnesses something ghastly and so joins the IRA for revenge" template. He is essentially a new Sean Dillon and one wonders whether this book is designed to introduce him up for new adventures. I noted that this time the American president isn't named and there is a hint that Jake Cazelet has finally left office. Other details remain the same as before - everyone spends large amounts of time wearing Zeiss glasses and drinking champagne.
The attacks on Ferguson & co should have been tagged on to the end of "A Darker Place" and the rest of the story dispensed with; maybe that was the original intention before someone suggested spinning it out into a whole new book. I found myself skip-reading the last quarter of the book because it simply wasn't interesting. I kept hoping for a riverting twist in the tale - there is one of sorts, but like most of the denouements in the Sean Dillon series it is all over in the blink of eye and leaves you wondering why it is that all the good guys wear body armour and all the bad guys don't. It's been some years now since Hannah Bernstein was killed off - Jack Higgins really needs to take an axe to some other characters if he wants to keep the Dillon saga going, because as it stands now this series is completely out of steam and devoid of interest. That said, I'm sure I'll read the next one...
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This particular recording was of a very poor standard for such a well known publishing organisation.
Either the production team did not get it right or the narrator Jonathan Oliver was having problems. Long pauses between sentence's and split words (broken words), which spoilt the enjoyment of listening
Either the production team did not get it right or the narrator Jonathan Oliver was having problems. Long pauses between sentence's and split words (broken words), which spoilt the enjoyment of listening
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found this book to be very disappointing and a most unsatisfactory read. In the first place it is described as the latest Sean Dillon thriller. Dillon only appears in the first chapter and then briefly at the end and plays no significant roll in the story. Early on in the book we learn the so called outcome and the rest of the book is taken up with who and how it came about. Everything was too easy to see and I now feel that Jack Higgens is working to a simple repeat formula and I can only hope that in future he will take greater care in producing his stories and thus get back to his original excellent form.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An excellent Sean Dillon novel
Jack Higgins does it again, this book follows on from A Darker Place, I wanted to know what would happen from this book as the ending was left perfectly open ready for a follow on... Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. Mcalpine
Utter rubbish
What a load of drivel. I've never read a Higgins novel before and I certainly won't be in the future. I gave up half way through. The characters were awful, no depth, no realism. Read more
Published 17 months ago by OAGamer
Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is one of my husband's favourite authors. Makes excellent reading... must do if he reads a book while having a bath. Highly recommended!
Published 18 months ago by S B DEMPSTER
Wolf at the door
Very disappointed in what was a poorly written, rambling story. Billed as a Sean Dillon thriller, yet he hardly appears in the book at all. Read more
Published 20 months ago by buckiesc
SAD TO SAY
I know Jack Higgins has not been well so maybe it's time for him to retire from writing. This is just about the worst book I have ever read and I gave up half way through. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Stodge Melvin
dillion continues to please
True Higgins fans are always eager to snap up any book with Dillion in.This book brings all the favorites together including Putin who wants to wipe out all the basement security... Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. williams
Disapointing
Feels as if Jack was writeing for the sake of it, hardly a Sean Dillon novel, iv spent longer stading at trafic lights than Sean spends in this novel, i felt the last Dillon book... Read more
Published on 22 May 2010 by R. Mc Crudden
A Bullet for Dillon please!
I used to love Jack Higgins thrillers. 'Solo', 'Confessional','Storm Warning', 'The Savage Day'. I was younger then and so was Jack. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by richard Brown
Higgins, still one of the best
Higgins has done it again. The plot is good, and as usual is Sean Dillon the best "enforcer".
Published on 9 Jan 2010 by Poul Thisted Kristensen
Never miss
Never miss a Sean Dillon. This is a good yarn but not enough of Sean in it. Still up to The Master's standard.
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by Mrs. Christine Hoyle
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