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Simon Vaughn #2
The Savage Day
A mission to reclaim a fortune in gold leads a man into the hair-raising heart of a terrorist underworld.
Simon Vaughan's life of adventure and arms trafficking came to an abrupt end the day the police threw him into a jail cell in Greece. But then the British Army comes calling with an offer he can't refuse. In exchange for his freedom, Vaughan must recover a bounty of gold stolen by the IRA in Belfast, and extinguish the organization's ruthless leader in the process. Now Vaughan must brave a new kind of war zone, one where he'll fight to hang on to his freedom, and his life.
Simon Vaughan's life of adventure and arms trafficking came to an abrupt end the day the police threw him into a jail cell in Greece. But then the British Army comes calling with an offer he can't refuse. In exchange for his freedom, Vaughan must recover a bounty of gold stolen by the IRA in Belfast, and extinguish the organization's ruthless leader in the process. Now Vaughan must brave a new kind of war zone, one where he'll fight to hang on to his freedom, and his life.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
251 people are currently reading
361 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
484 books1,280 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Jack Higgins was best known of the many pseudonyms of Henry Patterson. (See also Martin Fallon, Harry Patterson, Hugh Marlowe and James Graham.)
He was the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.
Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures—such as John Dillinger—and often center around significant events from such conflicts as World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Patterson lived in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
Jack Higgins was best known of the many pseudonyms of Henry Patterson. (See also Martin Fallon, Harry Patterson, Hugh Marlowe and James Graham.)
He was the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.
Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures—such as John Dillinger—and often center around significant events from such conflicts as World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Patterson lived in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 7, 2021
“Up the Republic!”
This is Jack Higgins’s first novel in the Simon Vaughan series (published in 1972), though folks like myself who’ve read the second book in the series,
“Day of Judgement” (published in 1979 but with a storyline taking place roughly a decade before “The Savage Day”’s timeline) might notice that Vaughn’s character, as well as that of his professional associate Julius Meyer, were rebooted and retconned slightly from the first book to the second one. Not to mention this novel is written in first-person narrative, as opposed to the third-person narrative of “D.o.J.”
The book also introduces Brigadier Ferguson, who would go in to appear as a supporting character in future Higgins novels featuring other protagonists (and once again, seems to be slightly retconned in the process, at least in terms of physical description).
That said, an action-packed, fast-paced, and engrossing novel, which is typical of Mr. Higgins’s works. I had read part of this novel as an elementary school-age kid way back in circa 1987, but am only finally finishing it now after all these decades…though the names of Simon Vaughan and especially Binnie Gallagher remained imprinted on my memory through all these years.
Written during the height of “The Troubles,” it gives a fair and balanced portrayal of both the British and Irish perspectives on that infamous conflict.
CENTRAL CASTING:
—Sir Roger Moore as Simon Vaughan
—Ron Howard (the younger, “Happy Days” version, of course) as Binnie Gallagher
—Ali McGraw as Dr. Norah Murphy
—Peter Lawford as Frank Barry
—Milton Reid (played Sandor in “The Spy Who Loved Me”) as Dooley the mute henchman
—Donal Donnelly (Irishman in real life, portrayed Archbishop Gilday in “The Godfather Part III”) as The Small Man
—Geoffrey Weeks (played Mr. Braithwaite in “Enter the Dragon”) as Brigadier Ferguson
This is Jack Higgins’s first novel in the Simon Vaughan series (published in 1972), though folks like myself who’ve read the second book in the series,
“Day of Judgement” (published in 1979 but with a storyline taking place roughly a decade before “The Savage Day”’s timeline) might notice that Vaughn’s character, as well as that of his professional associate Julius Meyer, were rebooted and retconned slightly from the first book to the second one. Not to mention this novel is written in first-person narrative, as opposed to the third-person narrative of “D.o.J.”
The book also introduces Brigadier Ferguson, who would go in to appear as a supporting character in future Higgins novels featuring other protagonists (and once again, seems to be slightly retconned in the process, at least in terms of physical description).
That said, an action-packed, fast-paced, and engrossing novel, which is typical of Mr. Higgins’s works. I had read part of this novel as an elementary school-age kid way back in circa 1987, but am only finally finishing it now after all these decades…though the names of Simon Vaughan and especially Binnie Gallagher remained imprinted on my memory through all these years.
Written during the height of “The Troubles,” it gives a fair and balanced portrayal of both the British and Irish perspectives on that infamous conflict.
CENTRAL CASTING:
—Sir Roger Moore as Simon Vaughan
—Ron Howard (the younger, “Happy Days” version, of course) as Binnie Gallagher
—Ali McGraw as Dr. Norah Murphy
—Peter Lawford as Frank Barry
—Milton Reid (played Sandor in “The Spy Who Loved Me”) as Dooley the mute henchman
—Donal Donnelly (Irishman in real life, portrayed Archbishop Gilday in “The Godfather Part III”) as The Small Man
—Geoffrey Weeks (played Mr. Braithwaite in “Enter the Dragon”) as Brigadier Ferguson
February 26, 2013
An awsome early Higgins. He was honing his skills and doing a wonderful job. The main character, Simon Vaughan, appears to be a prototype for Higgin's most famous character Sean Dillon. Vaughan is bribed into joining a British intelligance group by none other than Brigadier Harry Ferguson (Sean Dillon was lured in the same fashion by Brigadier Charles Ferguson).
The story is fast paced and exciting.
If you like Higgins you will really enjoy this one.
The story is fast paced and exciting.
If you like Higgins you will really enjoy this one.
September 14, 2020
Splendid yarn! One of Higgins' first, I think, so not as formulaic.
September 20, 2022
A wise-cracking firearms specialist hero who laughs in the face of death. An IRA villain who laughs maniacally seemingly for the hell of it. This is a tightly written tale of terrorism, guns, gold and death defying escapes. Normally I tend to avoid Jack Higgins, but this was a captivating adventure ride. Like his fictional hero, Higgins was half English, half Irish and could see both sides of the story, so that gave this novel an authentic feel.
Four stars, in spite of the maniacal laughter.
Four stars, in spite of the maniacal laughter.
October 11, 2017
Jack Higgins is like reading comfort food. It is well written, action packed with a variety of interesting characters. This is one of a series (do I detect a pattern in some of my reading?) with Simon Vaughan as the main character.
This is set during “The Troubles” in Northern Island. Simon was busted as an arms trafficker in Greece and now the British army has recruited him to act as an arms trafficker for the IRA.
His mission is to recover stolen gold bullion that the IRA is using to finance its terrorism operations. This will not be a simple matter. The IRA is highly factional and Simon is caught between two factions. Both hold an interest in the bullion and both will ruthlessly kill to get it.
The story is set in Belfast and outlying areas in Northern Ireland. The story is a bit dated given that troubles have subsided in recent years but it is still an interesting read.
This is not a long book, nor is it a literary masterpiece. It is just a damn good story from a damn good storyteller.
This is set during “The Troubles” in Northern Island. Simon was busted as an arms trafficker in Greece and now the British army has recruited him to act as an arms trafficker for the IRA.
His mission is to recover stolen gold bullion that the IRA is using to finance its terrorism operations. This will not be a simple matter. The IRA is highly factional and Simon is caught between two factions. Both hold an interest in the bullion and both will ruthlessly kill to get it.
The story is set in Belfast and outlying areas in Northern Ireland. The story is a bit dated given that troubles have subsided in recent years but it is still an interesting read.
This is not a long book, nor is it a literary masterpiece. It is just a damn good story from a damn good storyteller.
April 13, 2020
This novel is a stunning suspense thriller that captures the tensions during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, showing how splinter groups of the IRA competed rather than co-operated with one another, and illustrating the collateral damage in the tragic loss of civilian lives.
This story is not so much about the scenes and locales as it is about the plot and characters. It is an action-packed page-turner, with interesting characters, including the witty yet deadly Major Simon Vaughan, the shrewd yet paternal Julius Meyer who continually listens to Al Bowlly records, the Harvard Medical School graduate Norah Murphy, the hard-nosed but soft-centred Michael Cork, the loyal and well-meaning idealist Binnie Gallagher, and the smiling yet psychopathic Frank Barry, whose eyes are observed to suddenly change colour upon being insulted in the penultimate scene at Spanish Head.
I first read this novel as a 10-year-old and again recently, and I remember now 32 years later why I loved it so much back then. Its first-person narrative is terrific: there is just enough witty humour amid the perspicacious observations and insights of the protagonist. Apparently it is one of Harry Patterson’s personal favourites; if so, I can understand why.
There are similarities between Jack Higgins novels which are always interesting: young Binnie has deep respect for Vaughan, as the naive but loyal Johnny Murphy has for Martin Fallon in ‘Cry of the Hunter’; Vaughan hides his Mauser in a hidden flap in the vessel’s wheelhouse, similar to Jack Savage’s trick in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’; Cohan’s Select Bar, where Vaughan and Murphy first meet, is mentioned in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’; Vaughan’s uncle, Michael Fitzgerald, is said to have left the cover of a school to meet a dusty death, similar to Savage’s father leaving the cover of his house to meet his fate in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’; Meyer’s terrifying demise is redolent of that of Tewak, the loyal keeper of Rose Graham, who is tied to a chair and tortured to death in ‘Sad Wind from the Sea’. If you know of other similarities, please comment.
Feel free to read my other reviews.
© François
This story is not so much about the scenes and locales as it is about the plot and characters. It is an action-packed page-turner, with interesting characters, including the witty yet deadly Major Simon Vaughan, the shrewd yet paternal Julius Meyer who continually listens to Al Bowlly records, the Harvard Medical School graduate Norah Murphy, the hard-nosed but soft-centred Michael Cork, the loyal and well-meaning idealist Binnie Gallagher, and the smiling yet psychopathic Frank Barry, whose eyes are observed to suddenly change colour upon being insulted in the penultimate scene at Spanish Head.
I first read this novel as a 10-year-old and again recently, and I remember now 32 years later why I loved it so much back then. Its first-person narrative is terrific: there is just enough witty humour amid the perspicacious observations and insights of the protagonist. Apparently it is one of Harry Patterson’s personal favourites; if so, I can understand why.
There are similarities between Jack Higgins novels which are always interesting: young Binnie has deep respect for Vaughan, as the naive but loyal Johnny Murphy has for Martin Fallon in ‘Cry of the Hunter’; Vaughan hides his Mauser in a hidden flap in the vessel’s wheelhouse, similar to Jack Savage’s trick in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’; Cohan’s Select Bar, where Vaughan and Murphy first meet, is mentioned in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’; Vaughan’s uncle, Michael Fitzgerald, is said to have left the cover of a school to meet a dusty death, similar to Savage’s father leaving the cover of his house to meet his fate in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’; Meyer’s terrifying demise is redolent of that of Tewak, the loyal keeper of Rose Graham, who is tied to a chair and tortured to death in ‘Sad Wind from the Sea’. If you know of other similarities, please comment.
Feel free to read my other reviews.
© François
December 3, 2019
More Run of the mill fayre from Jack Higgins. Which is not to say this novel is bad. It's a very fast-paced tale. Which adequately shows why Jack Higgins was considered by many to be the master of the modern thriller. Maybe in my View in the 70s, When this book was published, he was, times change however & I doubt many would put Jack Higgins on such a lofty pedestal now.
After surviving the war in Korea, Simon Vaughan decided the only loyalty he had was to the man in the mirror. For a while, the high-risk job of arms dealing seemed to be just the life for him. Too bad the Greek authorities didn’t see it that way when they tossed him in prison.
But now he’s gotten a reprieve from an unlikely source: the British Army. And if he wants out, he’s going to have to play their game.
It seems that the Irish Republican Army has made off with a half-million dollars in gold bullion. The Brits want it back. And their best bet is to send someone tough, resourceful, and completely expendable—which is Vaughan to the letter.
Venturing into the bloody underground of a violent rebellion, Vaughan must navigate a deadly maze of friends, foes, and those in between, if he’s going to get the gold, get the bad guys, and get out in one piece . . .
I don't know if you'd say this story seems dated now? It's certainly not the Belfast I know & love, But this was the 1970s & things were a lot different then, Jack Higgins captures the atmosphere of the time brilliantly, & the story is good. My only grumble would be there seems very little difference in Mr.Higgins main characters in his Books. Sean Dillon, Liam Devlin & in this novel Simon Vaughn could almost be the same person.
After surviving the war in Korea, Simon Vaughan decided the only loyalty he had was to the man in the mirror. For a while, the high-risk job of arms dealing seemed to be just the life for him. Too bad the Greek authorities didn’t see it that way when they tossed him in prison.
But now he’s gotten a reprieve from an unlikely source: the British Army. And if he wants out, he’s going to have to play their game.
It seems that the Irish Republican Army has made off with a half-million dollars in gold bullion. The Brits want it back. And their best bet is to send someone tough, resourceful, and completely expendable—which is Vaughan to the letter.
Venturing into the bloody underground of a violent rebellion, Vaughan must navigate a deadly maze of friends, foes, and those in between, if he’s going to get the gold, get the bad guys, and get out in one piece . . .
I don't know if you'd say this story seems dated now? It's certainly not the Belfast I know & love, But this was the 1970s & things were a lot different then, Jack Higgins captures the atmosphere of the time brilliantly, & the story is good. My only grumble would be there seems very little difference in Mr.Higgins main characters in his Books. Sean Dillon, Liam Devlin & in this novel Simon Vaughn could almost be the same person.
October 14, 2022
The thirty-second #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson #jamesgraham novel #thesavageday published in 1972. One of the better Higgins novels I have read for a while. Higgins is very familiar with the troubles in Ireland and the novels set there always seem a little better. Write what you know I guess. This one involves a brigadier from English military intelligence getting #simonvaughan out of prison to work for him against the IRA. A plot device he would expand on later with his Sean Dillon novels. Vaughan is tasked with retrieving stolen gold and getting the leader of the group by infiltration via selling and smuggling arms. Twists and turns and betrayals aplenty. Good action. Some reasonable character work. Particularly Vaughan’s fondness for a young man who wants fight for his country without becoming a monster. A little bit of politics. Plenty of morality. Fantastic atmosphere. The classic Higgins tropes of morally grey priests, medical brandy/whisky, rain, gun fights and diving for treasure. Really well done though. Engaging and entertaining. Vaughan is very competent but not invincible. His sense of humour and the fact that he doesn’t fall in love with the only woman in the novel is a pleasant surprise.
April 14, 2018
I’m reading the older Jack Higgins books and this book is pretty good. It style is very similar to the later Dillon novels, including a Brigadier named Ferguson. This book finds Simon Vaughn, rogue and arms dealer going into Northern Ireland to try and recover a shipment of gold hijacked by the IRA. Good back and forth in a typical Higgins plot.
May 16, 2019
I have read several of higgins books over the years; some were very good, some weak but this one was a very entertaining read; well written, great ending & a good story about troubles in ireland with the IRA & the british; maybe the best higgins book i have read so if you like higgins, i recomend this one for your reading pleasure
June 6, 2019
Great action and adventure
As always the action, in Jack Higgins books, start fast and stay fast all the way to the end. The characters are interesting and are well developed. The plot is not new, but the pace of the action, and a few twist help to keep you entertained right to the end. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action and adventure stories.
As always the action, in Jack Higgins books, start fast and stay fast all the way to the end. The characters are interesting and are well developed. The plot is not new, but the pace of the action, and a few twist help to keep you entertained right to the end. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action and adventure stories.
March 22, 2022
Loved this book. It was full of action and ingenuity.
Ex Major Simon Vaughan get recruited by Brigadier Harry Ferguson to go under cover in Ireland to find where a shipment of gold has gone and to make sure that it does not get into IRA hands.
The story hooks you right from the beginning right through to the last page.
Ex Major Simon Vaughan get recruited by Brigadier Harry Ferguson to go under cover in Ireland to find where a shipment of gold has gone and to make sure that it does not get into IRA hands.
The story hooks you right from the beginning right through to the last page.
June 20, 2017
Another Higgins IRA spellbinder
Great plot with never ending action from beginning to end with plots with in plots and great ever changing characters
Great plot with never ending action from beginning to end with plots with in plots and great ever changing characters
July 7, 2017
Another masterpiece
Smooth! Each story stands alone, captivating. This is another fast paced example, a must read for all Higgins fans! You be the judge.
Smooth! Each story stands alone, captivating. This is another fast paced example, a must read for all Higgins fans! You be the judge.
November 5, 2017
Easy reading story about fighting the IRA. The storyline is now very dated, but it takes you back to the early 1970s.
March 28, 2018
I've forgotten how very brutal Higgins's writing can be.
August 14, 2018
The Savage Day.. Jack Higgins... Not the best of his... Slow read.
May 27, 2020
Interesting
May 27, 2021
Higgins kept me wondering what new twist would make it harder for Vaughan to complete his mission without getting killed. Higgins really seems to like rain as a part of his stories.
May 31, 2021
Good book
A good read very much in the Higgins style. Not among my favorites so I only gave it four stars.
A good read very much in the Higgins style. Not among my favorites so I only gave it four stars.
January 3, 2023
Well written suspense novel. Keeps you interested from the first. I enjoy these books
January 3, 2024
Another Jack Higgins work as I continue to wind my way through his bibliography.
OK book nothing too remarkable but entertaining enough for when you are sitting on your big bum.
OK book nothing too remarkable but entertaining enough for when you are sitting on your big bum.
August 21, 2024
Book and the writing seemed to get better in the second half when most of the action started to take place.
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September 20, 2024Simon Vaughn book 1
August 16, 2017
Jack Higginsin "Veressä vihreät niityt" (Gummerus, 1986 - 2. painos) on nopealukuinen perusjännäri, jossa Korean sodan irlantilaistaustainen veteraani soluttautuu IRA:han asekauppojen varjolla. Vaarallisia tilanteita ja kovia otteita piisaa alusta loppuun asti.
Lopputulos on kovin keskinkertainen tapaus kaikilla mittapuilla, mutta menihän tämä tämmöisenä kevyenä kesäviihteenä, etenkin kun 1970-luvun levoton Pohjois-Irlanti miljöönä on ihan kiinnostava.
Lopputulos on kovin keskinkertainen tapaus kaikilla mittapuilla, mutta menihän tämä tämmöisenä kevyenä kesäviihteenä, etenkin kun 1970-luvun levoton Pohjois-Irlanti miljöönä on ihan kiinnostava.
August 14, 2014
Ah the first book I read that was not geared toward teens. That was 14 years ago. I was 14 at the time. Being a boy who loved action films and with an Irish heritage as well as a fan of Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games," this pulp-looking book featuring an unknown male wearing a ski mask and sunglasses did appeal to me. Wondering if the book was still good after all these years piqued my curiosity.
The book is still good, but not necessarily great. It is indeed a thriller. And being that my mindset and worldview has definitely changed in the 14 years since I read this book, I do see it as more or less of a "time-passing" book. However, it is an enjoyable one. The characters are interesting, the philosophies are also quite dualistic in nature, and the story itself does have some really great twists and turns. This book was written 40 years ago, when the Troubles in Ireland were almost in full-force. The British not too well looked upon, the Irish fighting for a cause. Either way, blood was shed. Higgins has kind of adapted this motif to most of his stories following this one (mind you, I haven't read a Higgins book since "The White House Connection"), especially when a certain Sean Dillon is involved. However, Higgins (who has over 40 books published) has recycled plots from his 1970s novels and just changes names and locations, which is why I stopped reading him in the first place. This one does offer a taste of originality as it was put out around the time of his World War II classic "The Eagle Has Landed."
The main protagonist is Simon Vaughan, a former British soldier who fought valiantly in Korea, and then garnered a reputation as a vicious soldier in the Middle East and Africa. After his moment of glory, Vaughan goes from respected a Major to top notch gunrunner, until he is shot down over Greece and left to rot in a Greek prison for the rest of his life. He is visited by the Brigadier Harry Ferguson (soon renamed Charles in subsequent novels if my memory serves correctly) who offers him a deal: he will be set free if he aids the British Army in taking down a splinter faction of the IRA led by renegade idealist Frank Barry. The IRA doesn't want him. The British Army wants him gone. And Vaughan is the best man for the job. Being that Vaughan is half-Irish, he holds some sway in dealing with potential areas deemed too dangerous for a Brit. Going back into his job as a gun runner, he meets up with Norah Murphy, an Irish-American revolutionary who is niece to one of the IRA's top leaders who has stolen a shipload of British gold and buried it at sea, and Binnie Gallagher, a young IRA enforcer who has romantic views on the struggle for Ireland's independence. Believing the legends to be without flaw, Binnie is one of the more interesting characters in the book. Willing to kill, but never murder without reason, he fights for his cause, he kills only evil men attempting to rain chaos on the people he is trying to liberate. Vaughan goes undercover to infiltrate Murphy's organization in an attempt to retrieve the stolen gold, but unforseen circumstances lure Barry into the limelight, and Vaughan will come face to face with him as well as the Small Man, Norah Murphy's uncle.
The plot is kinda vague until you get into a few chapters. At times you do wonder what exactly Vaughan is doing. Sometimes he is just sitting there sipping Jameson and making snide remarks about Irish idealism. Other times he is seriously contemplating the moral ambiguities of the Troubles, arguing with Murphy and Gallagher on their own points. Sometimes these discussions are quite fascinating, like Higgins is attempting to deliver his standpoint on the subject, other times they fall flat but seem necessary to further the plot. There does seem to be a larger favor with the British in this novel, and depending on your own understanding of what happened in Ulster in the 70s, some might not share Higgins's particular view. But keeping in mind that this is a fiction, and an action-oriented fiction at that, it should not be taken seriously.
Despite my original 4-star review (given at age 14). I would maybe drop it down to a 3. However, the memories I have associated with my first "real book" (once again, a 14-year-old's perspective) still gets this book a recommendation from me. If you can find it, read it.
The book is still good, but not necessarily great. It is indeed a thriller. And being that my mindset and worldview has definitely changed in the 14 years since I read this book, I do see it as more or less of a "time-passing" book. However, it is an enjoyable one. The characters are interesting, the philosophies are also quite dualistic in nature, and the story itself does have some really great twists and turns. This book was written 40 years ago, when the Troubles in Ireland were almost in full-force. The British not too well looked upon, the Irish fighting for a cause. Either way, blood was shed. Higgins has kind of adapted this motif to most of his stories following this one (mind you, I haven't read a Higgins book since "The White House Connection"), especially when a certain Sean Dillon is involved. However, Higgins (who has over 40 books published) has recycled plots from his 1970s novels and just changes names and locations, which is why I stopped reading him in the first place. This one does offer a taste of originality as it was put out around the time of his World War II classic "The Eagle Has Landed."
The main protagonist is Simon Vaughan, a former British soldier who fought valiantly in Korea, and then garnered a reputation as a vicious soldier in the Middle East and Africa. After his moment of glory, Vaughan goes from respected a Major to top notch gunrunner, until he is shot down over Greece and left to rot in a Greek prison for the rest of his life. He is visited by the Brigadier Harry Ferguson (soon renamed Charles in subsequent novels if my memory serves correctly) who offers him a deal: he will be set free if he aids the British Army in taking down a splinter faction of the IRA led by renegade idealist Frank Barry. The IRA doesn't want him. The British Army wants him gone. And Vaughan is the best man for the job. Being that Vaughan is half-Irish, he holds some sway in dealing with potential areas deemed too dangerous for a Brit. Going back into his job as a gun runner, he meets up with Norah Murphy, an Irish-American revolutionary who is niece to one of the IRA's top leaders who has stolen a shipload of British gold and buried it at sea, and Binnie Gallagher, a young IRA enforcer who has romantic views on the struggle for Ireland's independence. Believing the legends to be without flaw, Binnie is one of the more interesting characters in the book. Willing to kill, but never murder without reason, he fights for his cause, he kills only evil men attempting to rain chaos on the people he is trying to liberate. Vaughan goes undercover to infiltrate Murphy's organization in an attempt to retrieve the stolen gold, but unforseen circumstances lure Barry into the limelight, and Vaughan will come face to face with him as well as the Small Man, Norah Murphy's uncle.
The plot is kinda vague until you get into a few chapters. At times you do wonder what exactly Vaughan is doing. Sometimes he is just sitting there sipping Jameson and making snide remarks about Irish idealism. Other times he is seriously contemplating the moral ambiguities of the Troubles, arguing with Murphy and Gallagher on their own points. Sometimes these discussions are quite fascinating, like Higgins is attempting to deliver his standpoint on the subject, other times they fall flat but seem necessary to further the plot. There does seem to be a larger favor with the British in this novel, and depending on your own understanding of what happened in Ulster in the 70s, some might not share Higgins's particular view. But keeping in mind that this is a fiction, and an action-oriented fiction at that, it should not be taken seriously.
Despite my original 4-star review (given at age 14). I would maybe drop it down to a 3. However, the memories I have associated with my first "real book" (once again, a 14-year-old's perspective) still gets this book a recommendation from me. If you can find it, read it.
February 15, 2013
This is a well written if improbable thriller set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. In the early 1970s, disgraced former Army officer Simon Vaughn is sprung by British Intelligence from a Greek prison where he is serving time for gun-running. However in exchange he has to help them retrieve a shipment of gold stolen by a particularly vicious group of dissident Republicans. Needless to say, nothing goes quite according to plan. The action never lets up and there are a decent number of twists and turns in the plot. The dialogue is decent, the characterization is brief but effective and there is a refreshing tone of irreverent humor running through the whole story. Fans of the author won't be disappointed and overall this is a good escapist fun.
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December 1, 2013Simon Vaughn knows what it's like to fight a dirty war, he's had first-hand experience in Korea. Now he languishes in a Greek jail. When it comes to firearms and gun-running nobody does it better, but those days are behind him, until the British army proposes a deal. His freedom for his help against the IRA in Belfast. He doesn't have a choice, if he wants his freedom back he'll have to conquer a new battleground.
The woman he is working with is actually on the side of the rebels, a splinter group from the IRA.
The woman he is working with is actually on the side of the rebels, a splinter group from the IRA.
April 24, 2009
This is one of my favorite Jack Higgins novels. While he became best known for "The Eagle has Landed," (based on an actual Nazi plot to assissnate British Prime Minister Winston Churchill), HIggins had been writing adventure novels for years before, and even since then he has stayed in the field of action-adventure novels rather than historical novels. But this is one of my favorites.
April 17, 2016
It was a little slow getting into it from the beginning, but it was like a snowball rolling downhill with momentum. As it progressed it became more thrilling and suspenseful and finished with a rousing conclusion.
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