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Sheba
by
Jack Higgins's most exciting novel of World War II intrigue since his smash bestseller The Eagle Has Landed.
The lost Temple of Sheba is not just a biblical legend.
A German archaeologist has found it. The Nazis have claimed it.
And one American explorer has stumbled upon their secret--a plot that could change the course of World War II...
The year is 1939. An American archaeo ...more
The lost Temple of Sheba is not just a biblical legend.
A German archaeologist has found it. The Nazis have claimed it.
And one American explorer has stumbled upon their secret--a plot that could change the course of World War II...
The year is 1939. An American archaeo ...more
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Paperback, 272 pages
Published
January 1st 1995
by G.P. Putnam's Sons
(first published 1963)
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A friend gave me a box of books to read and pass on. The only book in the box I had not read was “Sheba” by Jack Higgins. So, I sat down to enjoy it. I have read a number of Higgins’ books and have enjoyed them. Higgins is a British writer.
The book is about Nazis, an archeologist and the Suez Canal. It is a World War II action novel. The book is well written and fast paced. The first part of the book has more description and a great build up to the second half which has lots of action and suspen ...more
The book is about Nazis, an archeologist and the Suez Canal. It is a World War II action novel. The book is well written and fast paced. The first part of the book has more description and a great build up to the second half which has lots of action and suspen ...more

A fun Raiders of the Lost Ark type adventure read. Great escapism. Originally written in 1963 when Higgins was writing as Hugh Marlowe and this updated edition fleshed out in 1995. Very enjoyable, despite some stock characters. Set during WWII.
An exotic locale, smuggling, archaeology, and Nazi's. How does the invasion of Poland, a plot to blow-up the Suez Canal and a search for the temple of the Queen of Sheba come together? Higgins tries to pull it off but the scheming and search for a lost adv ...more
An exotic locale, smuggling, archaeology, and Nazi's. How does the invasion of Poland, a plot to blow-up the Suez Canal and a search for the temple of the Queen of Sheba come together? Higgins tries to pull it off but the scheming and search for a lost adv ...more

Well, I'm a sucker for a novel about an archaeological dig. I subscribe to BAR and I really will have to spend a summer in the field one day. Until then, I pick up as many of these tales as possible. I'm not sure what attracts me. There's nothing too deep in this one, and it's quite formulaic. The desert sands, the strong and intelligent protagonist, the touch of romance, the quest for the long-lost temple of Sheba, they're all there. Good summer reading for around the pool.
...more

I enjoy a good WWII thriller. I grew up on Alistair MacLean gems like The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare. One of my favorite novels in this genre is Jack Higgins The Eagle Has Landed, the classic story of a Nazi attempt to kidnap British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
In Sheba, Higgins returns to the WWII thriller in this story about a Nazi attempt to destroy Britain's life line to its eastern colonies, the Suez Canal, on the first day of the war. To do so, they use a German archeologi ...more
In Sheba, Higgins returns to the WWII thriller in this story about a Nazi attempt to destroy Britain's life line to its eastern colonies, the Suez Canal, on the first day of the war. To do so, they use a German archeologi ...more

Excellent adventure that becomes addictive as the plot unfolds. Set in the context of WW2 gives some credibility to the events. If you like archaeology you will enjoy it.
Not as fast paced as Raiders of the lost ark but along the similar lines. Main character has a good morals. Nothing seedy.
Recommend it for younger boys.
Not as fast paced as Raiders of the lost ark but along the similar lines. Main character has a good morals. Nothing seedy.
Recommend it for younger boys.

I really didn't like this book and couldn't finish it. It was a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. Unfortunately, the characters were all pretty one-dimensional and adhered close to stereotype. I'll try more of his novels as I know he is highly regarded, but this was just not for me.
...more

I'm fast running out of Jack Higgins books to read. I'll have to start reading them again.
I loved Sheba. At first, I thought it was going to run along the same lines as The Eagle Has Landed, but the story took a different route to its conclusion.
Nazis, ancient treasure, skulduggery and the inevitable love interest for the main male character all came together in a really fast paced World War Two adventure.
Hitler wants the Suez Canal put out of action on the same day as the Panzers roll into Pol ...more
I loved Sheba. At first, I thought it was going to run along the same lines as The Eagle Has Landed, but the story took a different route to its conclusion.
Nazis, ancient treasure, skulduggery and the inevitable love interest for the main male character all came together in a really fast paced World War Two adventure.
Hitler wants the Suez Canal put out of action on the same day as the Panzers roll into Pol ...more

My fourth Higgins read. It’s very different than the other ones I’ve read. “Night of the Fox” was a full-on Nazi / espionage action thriller, so it was a suitable introduction to the author for me. Next was “Drink With the Devil”, a violent story about Irish political conflicts and the search for some sunken gold. Then came “Solo”, a dark psychological thriller about a famous concert pianist who is a serial killer behind the scenes.
These all are very different and distinct books, showing Jack H ...more
These all are very different and distinct books, showing Jack H ...more

During WW II the lost temple of Sheba is found by a German archaeologist but Hitler has other plans for this discovery to help win the war. A US archaeologist vanishes when visiting the area and his wife hires a boat captain who is also an archaeologist to find her husband. The trail is filled with danger and many times were their lives threatened. It is a fast paced book, a bit hard to put down. Just when it all seems hopeless it all comes to an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

Having already read " The Edge Of Danger" by Jack Higgins, I preferred Sheba. It turned out to be a wonderful action adventure. Gavin Kane, our hero is no less than Indiana Jones. This plot is set during the second world war with Hitler, the Fuhrer planning to attack Poland. In order to prevent the English to help Poland, the Fuhrer plans to attack the Suez Canal. It is during that period that Muller finds out an ancient temple of Sheba. Hans Ritter device a plan to bomb the Suez Canal using Cat
...more

Well this read like a screen script for a Humphrey Bogart movie. WWII movie where Germans are plotting to blowup the Sues canal. Our hero along with a beautiful local girl spoil the plot and our hero rides off On a camel with the beautiful native girl. The end .This was a mediocre read gave it three stars

This Jack Higgins novel was originally published in 1963 with the great title SEVEN PILLARS TO HELL. Why they chose to retitle it to SHEBA is mystery to me.
With Nazis, beautiful women, and archeology, it obviously influenced the Indiana Jones franchise.
Like all Higgins books, even with the new bland title, SHEBA is a great story and a fast read.
With Nazis, beautiful women, and archeology, it obviously influenced the Indiana Jones franchise.
Like all Higgins books, even with the new bland title, SHEBA is a great story and a fast read.

Felt like just another Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I don't know what the chronology is, but it's a "type" that to me has been done many times, and sometimes better. ...more
I don't know what the chronology is, but it's a "type" that to me has been done many times, and sometimes better. ...more

Jan 18, 2021
Murray Moore
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classic-spy,
war-fiction,
world-war-2-fiction,
adventure,
books-i-own,
pulp,
historical-fiction
Sheba is a fun read, it felt like an old Saturday movie serial, it's set set just before the start of World War 2. Great fun.
...more

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A 1995 Higgins I came across. A Nazi plan to blow up the Suez Canal at the same time they move in to Poland. Plot foiled in Indiana Jones fashion by an American Expatriate archeologist and friends. Desert chases captured by desert Arabs, women to rescue and the lost temple and treasure of the Queen of Sheba. Non stop action for an afternoons read.

Fast paced, thrilling adventure in the true style expected of this author. One of his better WW2 reads. Great plot and all round characters. Higgins is the best in this genre. Tells the story without padding it out. I'd recommend anyone looking for an adventure story to read this book.
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One of the many pseudonyms used by Henry Patterson. See Jack Higgins for more complete information.
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