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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pure fiction,but still his best in years., 28 April 2008
Two stars but his best book in some time. How Jack Higgins has fallen from the heights of his great war/adventure/thriller novels such as 'The Eagle has Landed','Confessional' and 'Night of the Fox'.But to be fair to Mr Higgins at the age of 78 and with a reported 60 million in the bank(Times Rich List)he has been pretty busy.'Rough Justice' comes hot on the heels of 'The Killing Ground' published just 8 months ago and is one of the longest books he has written.The good points are that Dillon does not dominate, what a boring one dimensional character he has become, and the pace and action are as ever fast and furious.The story isnt bad but if I was former President Putin I would be suing for defamation of character. Higgins has a serious dislike for Putin and the Russians and even links him to Bin Laden.Higgins also persists to keep the US President in office for what must be his 11th year. He never names the current Prime Minister, though he is obviously a conservative. He writes dreadful dialogue.Bad guys are killed and sent to the crematorium within minutes as in all the Dillon novels.......and yet I still quite enjoyed it, because at the end of the day it is pure fiction. I prefer the intellegence of Le Carre or Seymour but for a fast action packed read Higgins still has the style that makes you turn the pages faster and faster as the story unfolds.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Better than "The Killing Ground", but only just., 11 Aug 2008
I do wish that Higgins would retire gracefully rather than continuing to produce this formulaic nonsense. As another reviewer has suggested, he doesn't need the money and is simply destroying his reputation.
Specifically, the characters are one-dimensional and well past their sell-by date, the plot is just a re-hash of previous books, it is full of factual inaccuracies and preposterous situations.
Like Colin Forbes, who died last year, Higgins has never written a decent novel in the post Cold War era. There are many modern authors who can and do.
The saving grace is that this book is better than the last one but that is no basis for a recommendation. Avoid.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sean Dillon Meets Two Interesting New Characters, 1 Nov 2008
If you like thrillers that feature Sean Dillon, you won't like this book as much as I did. Sean doesn't have a very large role.
If you like Sean Dillon as the unrepentant avenger, you won't like this book as much as I did. Sean shows a vulnerable side.
If you feel that the Sean Dillon books need some interesting new characters, you'll feel like Rough Justice provides a badly needed breath of fresh air.
If you wish that Jack Higgins would stop matching his avengers against the same bad guys, you'll be disappointed that Higgins goes over a lot of old ground in Rough Justice.
So what's it all about?
President Jake Cazelet's point man, Blake Johnson, is back early from Kosovo to report that the Russians are stirring the pot. He also tells a provocative tale about running into a British MP, Major Harry Miller, there who shot and killed Russian Captain Igor Zorin after Zorin molested a young woman. Cazelet tells Charles Ferguson, the PM's point man, that he should get to know Miller. Ferguson is intrigued and the two team up . . . with significant consequences.
Zorin is well connected in Russia and President Putin is alerted to his death. Although it's best to bury the incident, Putin doesn't like the interference with his plans to extend Russian influence.
From there, we learn a lot about Miller who has been an undercover agent for many years, beginning in Northern Ireland. In fighting skills, he's a lot like Dillon . . . but there the similarities end. Miller is married to a famous actress who doesn't know what he really does for a living. She expects him to attend nightly performances which he does his best to sandwich in between sanctions. As Miller's activities for Ferguson increase, the marriage's roots are shaken. Fortunately, Miller can rely on his sister, Monica, for sympathy and support.
Miller is a lot like Dillon: Shoot first and sort out the consequences later. As a result, his actions cause an escalation in tensions between the Russians and the British . . . and escalation that has personal consequences when he becomes a target.
In the background, a shadowy figure called the Broker is pulling the puppet strings to do the Russians' will . . . but not getting very good results. What will be the consequences for him?
Before the book is over, there's a classic battle in a familiar setting.
I thought that Rough Justice was the best Sean Dillon book in many years. The book was a little less predictable and contained two interesting characters, Major Miller and his sister, that were reasonably well developed by describing their deeds and words. The book's ending also suggests good things for future books in the series.
When a series starts to go downhill, it normally just keeps doing so. I am pleased to see new life breathed into what had become a series that offered too little variety and surprise.
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