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UNACO
Alistair Maclean's Time of the Assassins
The apparent resurrection of a long-dead international terrorist and the murder of a CIA agent finds another American agent running for his life. Original.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
3 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Alastair MacNeill
38 books37 followersAlastair MacNeill was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1960. His family emigrated to South Africa when he was six, settling in the coastal city of East London.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1985 hoping to pursue a career as a writer. He submitted a manuscript to HarperCollins Publishers and, on the strength of it, was offered the chance to write a novel based on an outline by the late Alistair MacLean. He eventually wrote seven novels based on MacLean synopses and has also written five novels under his own name.
He lives in Sheffield.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 1985 hoping to pursue a career as a writer. He submitted a manuscript to HarperCollins Publishers and, on the strength of it, was offered the chance to write a novel based on an outline by the late Alistair MacLean. He eventually wrote seven novels based on MacLean synopses and has also written five novels under his own name.
He lives in Sheffield.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 24, 2025
3.5 stars for me including the nostalgia.
Sixth adventure in a long series that started in the early 1980's. The adventure conceptualized by the redoubtable Alistair Maclean and written by various authors is a bit dated when it comes to the circumstances but basic core of espionage and spy craft doesn't change with generations, only the technology changes. Series lovers will be able to connect well with the characters and understand their camaraderie and actions, for new readers the characterizations and reactions would seem weak and shallow. I owned this as a hard copy but finally finished it as a digital copy.
I have read Alastair Macneil earlier and several of the UNACO series novels, was and am a big fan of Alistair Maclean who passed on in 1987, and whose first book I read in 1989 having got it as a gift.
Sixth adventure in a long series that started in the early 1980's. The adventure conceptualized by the redoubtable Alistair Maclean and written by various authors is a bit dated when it comes to the circumstances but basic core of espionage and spy craft doesn't change with generations, only the technology changes. Series lovers will be able to connect well with the characters and understand their camaraderie and actions, for new readers the characterizations and reactions would seem weak and shallow. I owned this as a hard copy but finally finished it as a digital copy.
I have read Alastair Macneil earlier and several of the UNACO series novels, was and am a big fan of Alistair Maclean who passed on in 1987, and whose first book I read in 1989 having got it as a gift.
couldnt-finish
April 9, 2010I gave up on this one halfway through....isn't as thrilling or gripping as his other books.....
March 18, 2024
I really wanted to like this book but frankly it’s got a lot going against it.
First of all, there’s too many characters. Trying to remember everyone’s names, callsigns, allegiances, it was all just too much, and I definitely felt some of the characters could have been condensed or combined.
Alistair MacNeill’s writing style is pretty good but he definitely gets a bit too flowery at times, and there were portions of the book where my eyes glazed over while he was going on and on describing things in far too much detail.
I think my biggest issue with this book was the fact that the main villain, Bernard, is unbelievably generic. For my money, spy adventures should have maniacal villains with grandiose plans and certain traits that set them apart. Bernard is so unmemorable that it really hurts the book, and it doesn’t help that there are also a bunch of minor side villains who draw the attention away from him by doing their treacherous little deeds. I probably won’t remember anything about Bernard within the course of a week, and that is absolutely a fatal flaw when it comes to a spy story.
First of all, there’s too many characters. Trying to remember everyone’s names, callsigns, allegiances, it was all just too much, and I definitely felt some of the characters could have been condensed or combined.
Alistair MacNeill’s writing style is pretty good but he definitely gets a bit too flowery at times, and there were portions of the book where my eyes glazed over while he was going on and on describing things in far too much detail.
I think my biggest issue with this book was the fact that the main villain, Bernard, is unbelievably generic. For my money, spy adventures should have maniacal villains with grandiose plans and certain traits that set them apart. Bernard is so unmemorable that it really hurts the book, and it doesn’t help that there are also a bunch of minor side villains who draw the attention away from him by doing their treacherous little deeds. I probably won’t remember anything about Bernard within the course of a week, and that is absolutely a fatal flaw when it comes to a spy story.
July 10, 2017
A novel of international espionage and suspense
April 10, 2020
Great concept; poorly executed: characters had potential, plot was shakey, editing seemed weak.
February 19, 2021
A new president of an African nation comes to visit the U.S. & C.W. is put in charge of his protection. Meanwhile, Mike is after his wife and child's killers.
January 16, 2025
Intricate story set in the Middle East, central Africa, and New York City, involving civil war, the CIA's assassination program, and the UN's response.
January 10, 2024
Not the book that I will remember in a few years. Not that it's really anything wrong with it, it's just that I felt that there was nothing new to be found here. It seems like it's possible to pick pieces from a handful of other books in the genre and then you have the whole book. While reading, I found myself wondering whether time has been unkind to this one. Maybe it was more innovative when it was written, but that it has been degraded by all the action-fiction that has been created since then.
(Also, the cover of the copy I had depicted an event from the last 15 pages of the whole book. How is that even possible to get away with?)
(Also, the cover of the copy I had depicted an event from the last 15 pages of the whole book. How is that even possible to get away with?)
October 22, 2011
Alphonse Mobuto has ruled the state of Zimbala for forty-five years. On his death, the Presidency passes to his eldest son, Jamel. Determined to introduce democracy and rid Zimbala of his father's oppressive regime, Jamel faces retribution from those who once benefited from it.
In New York to deliver an important speech at the UN, Jamel is an obvious target for an assassin's bullet. The time and place of the assassination are known by only one man, Jean Jacques Bernard, an international terrorist and now a CIA operative.
Clearly a case for UNACO. But deputy director Serge Kolchinsky realizes he has a potentially explosive situation on his hands. For he discovers crack team member Mike Graham has gone AWOL. Graham is in Beirut on a strictly illegal mission of personal vengeance - to track down and kill Bernard.
In New York to deliver an important speech at the UN, Jamel is an obvious target for an assassin's bullet. The time and place of the assassination are known by only one man, Jean Jacques Bernard, an international terrorist and now a CIA operative.
Clearly a case for UNACO. But deputy director Serge Kolchinsky realizes he has a potentially explosive situation on his hands. For he discovers crack team member Mike Graham has gone AWOL. Graham is in Beirut on a strictly illegal mission of personal vengeance - to track down and kill Bernard.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews