Bad Company

Sean Dillon #11

by Jack Higgins

Jack Higgins's previous novels Edge of Danger and Midnight Runner put British intelligence agent Sean Dillon through "a lot of thrills [and] wild action" (Los Angeles Times). Now a new enemy has emerged with a dark secret from World War II--and a score to settle with agent Dillon.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Action, Historical Fiction, Espionage, Adventure

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2003

About the author

There 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.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay yarn with a half decent plot featuring Sean Dillon. 5 of 10 stars

[Mike Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up at local rail station en route to Gatwick for flight to see mate in Switzerland. Wanted a filler read before opening a Peter Hoeg on the flight.

Book 16 of a Sean Dillon series that I won’t be trying to locate the previous 15 in a hurry. Totally implausible series of chance encounters and overheard conversations. Hitlers diary is spirited away at the end of the War. I don’t want to write anymore. Need to pull out the Peter Hoeg.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Higgins has definitely done better!

In the waning hours of World War II in Europe, Hitler is holed up in his bunker with Eva Braun contemplating his own personal ultimate solution. Just before committing suicide, he entrusts his diary to a young aide for safekeeping and provides him with the financial means to leave Germany and hide himself and the diary until the right time comes to resurrect it. The diary, which contains details of a meeting between Roosevelt and Hitler and their efforts to negotiate a truce in order to combine their efforts against the Soviet Union, might now be used as a political weapon against the current president of the United States. Sean Dillon, former IRA terrorist and current bad boy consultant to British Military Intelligence is looking to recover the diary and to make sure that doesn't happen.

Jack Higgins is a fine author. Goodness knows he's got nothing to prove and he's more than good enough to prepare a plot, dialogue and action that ensure the pages of BAD COMPANY fly by quickly enough. But, frankly, it just never lives up to its potential as a thriller; it isn't even close to the quality of many of his previous novels such as THUNDERPOINT or THE EAGLE HAS LANDED; and, frankly, it's eminently forgettable once the final page is turned.

Good beach or airplane reading but weak fare indeed compared to what it could have been if Higgins and this plot had fulfilled their potential.

Recommended with suitably modified expectations.

Paul Weiss

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hitler's secret diary holds a secret which might destroy the President of the United States.

The whole thing seemed pretty nonsensical to me. Higgins has a lot of fans, but I can't seem to get into his work

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Company Jack Higgins Solid fiction action story clips along at a frantic pace. Revolves around the Hitler Diaries with a whole raft of villains all laid low in the end by Dillion. The German Baron my highlight character very interestingly with very staunch morals, principled beyond hopelessness actually, with a real hatred for evil unfortunately enslaved, and honour bound to duty. Fought against every enemy and respected by his men right to the day they surrendered. For awhile he floundered in a broken land but eventually got his business interests back on track and after years of hard work, was wealthy and successful, again.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I was so inclined it would be possible to review this novel using a single cheesy line from the very book I'm now writing about: "It's like a bad novel, the whole thing." That pretty much sums up my thoughts on this title, but nonetheless I shall expand below.

This current plot arc started with the Rashid Family in "Edge of Danger" two books ago, some unbearably bad judgement and an epic plot hole saw the arc extend into "Midnight Runner", the entire book of which was spent trying to fix the bad judgement exhibited in the prior book (we all know that if we attempt to assassinate the US President but then our family dies the authorities will let us go with sympathy, right? right?).

Well, continuing on with the epic plot holes "Bad Company" introduces us to Baron Max von Berger who was been a silent partner of the Rashid Family all this time to the tune of two billion dollars. However, despite the Rashid Family attempts at destroying the world oil markets, conspiring to assassinate a US president and various other nefarious activities such as arms smuggling and what not, no one, anywhere, in the US Government nor UK Government security services bothered to run a simple computer check on the company Rashid Investments until this book... then oh what do you know there's a silent partner.

We then continue the utterly ludicrous bad judgement and let Baron Max von Berger get away with his plans for awhile before a climax in a castle in Germany.

Oh, and Hitler's missing diary is involved in what seems a bad Clive Cussler-esque attempt at tying current action to past events, but it's never really used per se just hangs around at the edges of the story as apparent motivation for them to chase Baron Max von Berger down because being a part of a conspiracy to corner the world oil markets and arms smuggling is apparently A-OK.

Deeply unimpressive novel with an even more uninspiring plot that the last two novels.

[Carl Alves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bad Company starts off in World War 2, and for the most part chronicles the life of Baron Max von Berger. An SS officer in the war, he was summoned by Adolf Hitler, who gave von Berger his diary as well as access to funds that would launch an extremely successful industrial career that provided the baron great wealth. Fast forward to present day, and he enters an alliance with the Rashids, Arab oil moguls who operate on the opposite side of the law. Sean Dillon, ostensibly the main protagonist, has killed all of the Rashids, including Kate, which infuriates von Berger. He vows revenge on Dillon and British black ops commander Charles Ferguson. He also comes in contact with his son, Marco, who he did not even know existed, and mayhem ensues.

The book teases about this deep dark secret that von Berger is holding, which can be found in Hitler’s diary. They built this up like it was going to be a big deal, but when it was revealed, I felt incredibly underwhelmed. Spoiler alert: The secret is that toward the end of the war, Hitler reached out to President Roosevelt to join together, end the war, and turn on Russia before they took over Eastern Europe. Roosevelt sent the father of the current president of the United States to be his emissary. Something that would horribly damage the president. I thought this was a yawner. I didn’t see why the president’s father under the orders of Roosevelt sent to hear out Hitler was a big deal. I’m sure negotiations happen in war all the time. Also, Dillon is maybe in 25% of the book, even though he is the protagonist. Von Berger gets far more screen time and character development. He wasn’t as villainous as one might expect since he was very big on honor. The action was solid but the plot wasn’t terribly interesting, and the character of Marco was a little over the top. This was just an okay novel that is hard to get excited about.

Carl Alves – author of Reconquest: Mother Earth

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

April 2025 Higgins fascinating style of blurring the brutality of some of the “good” guys vs the bad guys.

January 2023 Sean # 11. Good 5 year old review.


June 2018 Is it splitting hairs to differentiate between Nazi SS soldiers and those that are specifically members of the Nazi Party and those that refused to join the Nazi party but still fought and killed under the swastika? I believe the Nurenberg Trials did just that, as did the US government when dealing with war criminals and so did Jack Higgins. I actually started to feel some sympathy for non-party members who were, in fact nazis. I think the criteria for the membership was more as to who staffed Concentration Camps vs those who simply BOMBED London!?!?!!?!?. Besides all that, it was a terrific story.

[Chie Akura]

6/23=30minutes 6/25= 30minutes

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should we be held accountable for the faults, mistakes, sins, and aggressions of our fathers?
Baron Max von Berger, aid to Adolph Hitler during the final months of the Third Reich, is given a task, a heavy burden, and a golden opportunity when he is ordered to flee Berlin hours before its collapse, fly to the west and the American forces and surrender. He has with him the only copy of Hitler’s diary and he is to keep it hidden until such time it can be used against the powers that implemented Germany’s destruction. He is also given Swiss bank account numbers, providing him with almost unlimited funds to rebuild an empire. That is exactly what he did…..
Sean Dillon is a jack of all trades when it comes to intelligence, counterintelligence terrorism, assignations, and liquidations, and has played on many different teams in his career. The one time Northern Irish activist to a valued member of British Intelligence, Jack has seen and done it all. He is ordered to recover the diary and ensure that its contents remain secret as they may, even today fifty-five years after they were written, cause global upheaval.

This is the first Jack Higgins book I’ve read published in the Twenty-first Century. The form remains the same, as does the reading appeal, but I do have a problem…. What do you do when you like ALL of the characters? I found myself rooting for both sides, in total consternation as to who were the good guys and who were the bad. Halfway through the book, I picked a side and rode the story out to its end. I really enjoyed this book and feel sure many other readers will agree.

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the final days of WWII Hitler gives his diary to a young aide for safekeeping. Now it's
threatening to resurface with explosive contents. It has the details of a meeting between
emissaries of Hitler and Roosevelt to reach an armistice and turn their collective efforts
against the Soviet Union.The American representative is a close relative of the current President
Jake Cazalet and powerful enemies of Cazalet will do anything to get their hands on this diary.
It's up to White House operative Blake Johnson and his British colleague Sean Dillon to make
sure that they don't. This is book 11 from 2003 in the Sean Dillon series and Jack Higgins once
again has it full of twists and turns with plenty of action. Sean Dillon is out there again
killing everyone in sight. I liked it and gave it a 4.

[Roger Scherping · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the worst books I've ever read. The plot was stripped down to nothing but the actions of the many faceless characters. There was no inner dialogue, no setting of a mood or describing a scene, and no pausing to let a decision sink it. It read more like an OUTLINE for a book, not a finished book. It was just zoom - zoom - zoom, from one action to another. It was like watching an entire movie on fast forward, with no sound.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give this 3 1/2 stars if I could. Of all the Jack Higgins novels I’ve read, I’d put this somewhere in the middle. Sean Dillon (the serial assassin with a heart of gold) is still a little hard to believe, but the Baron character was realistically complex and conflicted. Not something I’d recommend setting aside time to read, but entertaining enough as an audiobook on a road trip.

[Jjean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read because I really wanted to know how all the parties involved were going to come together & their outcome - plenty of twist & turns from the "secret" diary of Hitler to arms deals, oil deals across the counties and possible "skeleton in the closet" for the president - From WWII - Gulf War - to present..... Well written.

[Dave Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a lot of non-fiction, reading Higgins and Cussler books always a good respite. Ferguson, Dillon,Hannah & Roper, and the Salters, like old home week. Time frame, from Hitler's last days to the Gulf War.

[Suresh Vijendran · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Get me a cigarette". this is the constant dialogue that comes throughout the book, and also the drinks.

Full of dialogue and no action. they threaten each other and go from UK to US, that's all.

Though the initial story of Berger was nice, apart from that, it is a boring book.

[Arnold Kanarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hitler's diary has secrets that can ruin the US President. Dillon and his colleagues have a mission to find and destroy the diary. The mission is very dangerous and seemingly impossible, and that is why the job goes to Dillon.
Another wonderful addition to this series.

[Brett Milam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, a straightforward, no muss, no fuss book is just what I need. That’s exactly what you get with Jack Higgins’ books, as I mentioned in my previous first-time read of his book, The President’s Daughter. No muss, no fuss is also what’s on offer with Higgins’ 2003 book, Bad Company, even with a former Nazi in the mix.

Given the cover with the swastika, I figured the Nazi connection would be more overt. Instead, Max von Berger, a young man at the end of WWII, was not so much an avowed Nazi, despite being in the bunker when Hitler was in his final days with the Russians approaching from the east and the Americans and the British from the west. Hitler entrusted Max with his diary, dictated to a secretary over the past six months. It includes information that could potentially harm President Roosevelt: That Roosevelt entertained Hitler’s notion of conditional peace and teaming up against Stalin’s Russia. Roosevelt’s mouthpiece in that potential endeavor was Senator Jake Cazalet. His son, also Jake Cazalet, is the President of the United States in the present story. That’s what gets the attention of the British, General Ferguson, and Sean Dillon, Higgins’ long-running protagonist. Dillon is a former member of the Irish Republican Army, who now works for the “good guys” in Britain, like General Ferguson. He’s as straight forward as they come: he will kill you, if that is the objective.

Thanks to Hitler and Nazi money, Berger is able to escape Germany and eventually through the West as an extremely wealthy man of industry. He mostly spends his time with the Rashid family, also wealthy industrialists and also, arms dealers. Dillon, incidentally, would go on to kill all three brothers and Kate, the sister, who was close to Berger. In fact, she saved Berger from certain death by an Iraqi mob when Berger was in Iraq to potentially sell weapons to Saddam Hussein (he wanted plutonium, and Berger wasn’t willing to give it to the “madman”). Later, Berger learns he has a son, Rossi, who is rather sociopathic, to say the least. He’s all about the game, and the game to him is to best Dillon. He starts by killing Sarah, the aforementioned secretary to Hitler who dictated his diary. That sets Dillon off, who blows up Rossi’s cargo ship that was delivering weapons to a faction in Ireland, which would have instigated a civil war.

Rossi’s next move in the chess game he’s built in his head is to kidnap Ferguson to lure Dillon in. Which works, leading to much bloodshed in Germany (they took Ferguson back there). After the bloodshed, Ferguson forces Berger to give him Hitler’s diary. Ferguson promptly burns it. Then, as Dillon, Ferguson, and others are escaping on a plane, Rossi and Berger give chase. Berger gives up, though, and forces the plane to nosedive into the ground, killing them both. He’s simply had enough of the game.

Bad Company, which is actually in reference to Dillon and Ferguson and not the Nazis, is almost a gentlemanly game of one upmanship between Dillon and Rossi, with Berger a bit put off by it all. They randomly encounter each other and taunt with essentially, “I’m going to kill you the next time I see you,” and welp, it bloody well happens. Like I said, no twists and turns, no surprise revelations. Even the stakes about FDR and Cazalet are not exactly the most earth-shattering of revelations. But all in all, for a Saturday/Sunday read, Higgins’ work continues to be a nice palate cleanser.

[Alex Gherzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first several books in the Sean Dillon series by Jack Higgins are excellent action thrillers, with great plots and characters. Then there was lull. Day Of Reckoning, Edge Of Danger and Midnight Runner were Higgins on autopilot. The plots were okay, but the characters were flat and the dialogue was awful. They were serviceable if you needed and action fix, but didn't reach the heights of their predecessors. The only saving grace, in fact, was Dillon himself. It was as though Higgins wrote for Dillon himself and someone else took care of the rest of the books. Luckily, Dillon is such a wonderful character that the books are still worth reading. I'm happy to say that Bad Company, the eleventh book in the series, is a return to form for Higgins. This is a terrific Sean Dillon adventure, albeit with a few minor flaws.

Towards the end of World War II, Adolph Hitler sent Baron Max von Beger, a young sturmbahnführer (roughly the equivalent of a major) in the SS -- though never an official member of the Nazi party -- on a mission to the West. He was given access to a vast amount of wealth and Hitler's personal diary, which contained a shocking secret. Von Berger was to surrender, serve time and eventually be let free, then use the resources given to him by his Führer to further their cause in the future. Today, the Baron is an old, wealthy man who makes even more money from weapons dealing throughout the world. After the events of the previous novel, Midnight Runner, he takes control of the Rashid empire and sets in motion a plan to bring down the American Presidency and destroy the men responsible for killing Kate Rashid and her brothers. As per usual, the only man who can stop him is former IRA terrorist and current British operative Sean Dillon.

Spoilers follow...

The first thing about Bad Company that struck me was how much care was put into the non-Dillon characters. Von Berger's history is told in a 90-plus-page flashback. After the last few books, I was dreading so much time spent away from Dillon, but it turned out to be a gripping account of the man's life. The Baron's last days as a young SS officer really humanize him in a way that Higgins didn't bother with for the last few villains. He may be evil, but he's also a man who lost his family and spent the rest of his life desperately trying to find a new one. He loved a woman romantically, but just as he was about to commit to her, she left him. He began to love Kate Rashid as though she were his daughter, but she was taken from him by force. And when he finally meets his son, he is overjoyed to have a family again but discovers that he has brought evil into this world. Von Berger is much more a tragic figure than a Snidely Whiplash.

If von Berger is a sympathetic villain, Marco Rossi serves as the despicable monster whom everyone wants Dillon to destroy. He represents the legacy of the Nazis, as well as of modern day Muslim terrorists. Von Berger, although he isn't technically a Nazi, is overjoyed to be chosen by Hitler to continue his works. Later, when the Rashids are killed, he takes up their mantel as well and tries to further their cause. It's no accident that, just as he's about to bring his plans to fruition, his long-lost son comes into his life to help him bring about his machinations. Everything he's wanted his whole life is here, and it's not what he envisioned. Just as Hitler and the Rashids, the people to whom he was loyal, would only bring about evil, his son turns out to be a sociopath who would murder an old lady and kill other innocent people if it suited him. He can't trust Rossi, just as Nazis and terrorists can't be trusted. And in the end, it's all too much for him.

General Ferguson, the man in charge of the Prime Minister's private army, is also fleshed out this time. We learn about an adventure from his youth, and how his act of heroism cost him the woman he loved. Dillon and company gain a newfound respect for the general, and Dillon now sees him not only as his superior or the guy who railroaded him into fighting for the crown, but as a fellow soldier, a man in whose hands he can entrust his life. Ferguson has always been a cool character, but something of a cipher. In Bad Company, he comes to life.

Some interesting things happen with our hero in this book as well. Sean Dillon is always cool, calm, completely in command. But this time he really starts to lose it, and it comes from his dealings with Sara Hesser. He first does one of the darkest things he's ever done while playing for the good guys when he shakes her with memories of the SS to get her to cooperate. While he's doing it he hates himself, and to make up for it, he promises her that he will protect her, that no harm will come to her. Then she's murdered. Dillon isn't someone who fails... well, ever, and to see him unable to uphold his promise to this woman is a bit jarring, for him and for the reader. Dillon isn't his cool self from that point out. He's got a lust for vengeance that causes him to make rash decisions, to such an extent that Ferguson even considers dropping him from his employ entirely. Higgins does this very well, as he manages to bring out this side of Dillon while still including all the things we love about him: humor, charm and a willingness to circumvent procedure, kill a bad guy and be happy about it (much to Superintendent Hannah Bernstein's chagrin), all sprinkled with a healthy dose of Bushmill's Irish whiskey. Even in the lesser books, Higgins knew how to write Dillon, and as of book eleven, he's still got it.

There were a couple of things I didn't like about the book. First, the subplot of Ferguson getting a tracking device implanted into him. The problem is that he has it done minutes before the bad guys decide to kidnap him. Literally, minutes! That's a little too convenient for my taste. It would've been better if he had it done in the beginning, that way it wouldn't look like quite as much of a plot device. It still would've been convenient, I guess, but it'd be much easier to take if the two events were spaced out a little. More egregious, though, is the climax. One thing for which this series can always be counted on is a good comeuppance for the bad guys. Sean Dillon is a big believer in justice, and he always makes his enemies pay for their crimes. And this time they set it up like never before. Dillon absolutely DESPISED Rossi! He wanted to kill him like he's wanted to kill few others. And Rossi wanted to face Dillon as well. Higgins built up the confrontation for much of the book, then in the end they didn't face off. I sort of understand the point of having the Baron kill himself and his son; he's finally realized his son's evil nature, and that of his own life's work, and he couldn't bear it anymore. But I'd rather they did something like have him realize this and give his son's location to the good guys so Dillon could find him and give him the violent death he so richly deserved. Ultimately, the rest of the novel was strong enough that this didn't ruin it, but I did decide to take off a star because of it.

I love the Sean Dillon series. Even the lesser entries are worth a read. And Bad Company, despite a couple of missteps, is a really good one.

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baron Von Berger, Kate Rashid'in cenaze törenine yardımcısı Marco Rossi ile beraber gelmiştir. 2. Dünya savaşı sırasında Hitler'den bir günlük alan Berger, günlüğün içindekileri okuyup malikanesine gelir ve savaş sonuna doğru Ukraynalı SS birliklerinin karısı ve çocuğunu öldürdüğünğ öğrenir. Amerikalılar onu teslim almaya geldiğinde önce SS birliğini yok eder ve sonra teslim olur. Sara Hesler adında bir sekreterden aldığı günlükte Hitler'in Roosevelt'e yaptığı barış çağrısı ve Ruslara karşı beraber karwket etmek için Schellenberg ile şimdiki ABD başkanı Jake Cazalet'in babası Jake'in görüşmeleri de yer almıştır. Hitler'in verdiği hesap bilgileri ile Berger çeliği büyüten Berger 90lı yıllarda Paul Rashid ile Kate vasıtasıyla tanışıp bir anlaşma yapar. Kate'den etkilenir. Sonra zamanında yakınlık duyduğu Rossi adlı kadın onu bırakıp gider ama oğlu olduğunu öğrenir. Marco'yu bağrına basar. Kate de ölünce Rashid organizasyonu ona kalır ve amacı önce onun intikamını almaktır. Rossi çalışmaları ile Sean ve diğerlerinin işe karıştığını anlar. Sean, Ferguson, Roper, Hannah ve Salter ailesi de İngiltere'de olan Sara'ya ulaşır ve günlüğü öğrenirler. Ertesi gün Sara Rossi tarafından öldürülür. Kadına zarar gelmeyeceğini söyleyen Sean çok kızmıştır. Berger de ABD başkanını günlük ile tehdit eder. Rossi ve ekibi Salter'ın gemisini batırınca Sean da onların Ulster'in Kızıl Eli'ne silah götüren gemisini havaya uçurur. Ama Rossi Ferguson'u kaçırır. Sean onu kurtarmak için Berger malikanesine Uçar. Burada bir çatışma olur. Acaba Sean patronunu kurtarabilecek midir? Günlüğü bulabilecek midir? Rossi ve babası ne yapacaktır? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I'd read most of the Sean Dillon thrillers, but this eleventh instalment of the story explains what happened to the Mona Lisa, a fishing boat, just off the coast of Derry.
Baron von Berger is observed attending Kate Rashid's funeral in a small English village. Brigadier Charles Ferguson is intrigued and wants to know the connection between them.
von Berger had been in Hitler's bunker at the end of the war. Hitler had given von Berger a diary, which he was to protect and use when the time was right.
Returning to the book's present, Ferguson's crew are tasked with finding out all they can about the Baron, a former Waffen SS man come extremely wealthy businessman. The deeper they get into his business dealings, the more danger they're in. As usual, it's left to Sean Dillon to sort the problem out.
Ferguson's team face danger and death as part and parcel of their daily working lives, but the Baron's son, Marco Rossi, is in a class of his own.
We travel between Northern Ireland, London and Germany as the action to stop von Berger hots up.
Jack Higgins is one of my all time favourite authors. After reading The Eagle has Landed, I was hooked. I've read a lot of Higgins' books, even re-reading some of them. I enjoy every one.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Looking for a thriller, and having never heard of Jack Higgins, I picked up this book at the library, thinking that it looked promising. I'd no idea it was part of a continuing series. By around page 3, I said to myself, "Put this down, John. This is gonna be a turkey." Then the book segues to Hitler's secret bunker, and we learn of Hitler's secret diary. The setting and premise, in the hands of even a half-decent writer, are rife with possibilities, so I stuck with it. (In my defense, there was nothing else in the house that I hadn't already read, anyhow.) Big mistake. The dialogue is bad--at times almost laughably so. The characters are flat--so much so that they'd need some fleshing out just to be considered one-dimensional. In a thriller, these things can be forgiven. What can't be forgiven is how downright boring this book is. Around 2/3 of the way through, Higgins sets himself up brilliantly for a scene that another writer would've gotten 10-20 nail-biting pages out of. Here, the matter is disposed of in 2 matter-of-fact pages. Likewise, the final showdown is perfectly set up but comes across dull and lifeless. Wish I'd listened to my gut instinct around page 3 on this one.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I thought we were done with the Rashids.

First, as the cover hints at, a former Nazi is introduced to the usual main characters -- because in 2003, it was still possible that a WWII teenager would still be running around causing trouble.

Then, the rest of the first 35% of the book explains the Baron's lengthy escape from Hitler's bunker.

The rest of the first half of the book has the Baron going to Iraq in the 1990s. There he meets the Rashid brothers (who were killed two books ago) and the sister Kate (who was killed in the last book). Kate takes the Baron to meet Saddam Hussein and blah blah.

The second half of the book is in the current moment, but it takes until the final 20-25% of the book before there is any action (and it is good).

Maybe this was more interesting in 2003, but I have been disappointed with Higgins' last three books. I read the description of the next book, where Dillon teams up with Johnson, the Secret Service agent. Maybe we will return to normal programming with that book.

[Nik Morton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Jack Higgins’s eleventh Sean Dillon thriller published in 2003 and overall it is, sadly, a bad book.

I have read very few Dillon novels so found the rehashing of earlier escapades helpful, notably his involvement with the Rashid family, but really for any fans it must have felt dire to have it all regurgitated again as filler. The most interesting aspect was the background to von Berger’s wartime German past, because Higgins did his wartime descriptions very well.

The idea of a secreted diary dictated by Hitler which reveals negotiations between the US President and the dictator was essentially a Hitchcockian MacGuffin. Len Deighton did something similar with a secret meeting between Churchill and Hitler in 1981 (XPD).

Disappointing. For Sean Dillon completists.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 11 of the Sean Dillon saga is a sort of coda to the dreary two-volume story told in ‘Edge of Danger’ and ‘Midnight Runner’. That, and the fact that Dillon remains offstage for a good 100 pages, didn’t bode well. Fortunately, though, Higgins dips his toe back into the “hidden secret from the war that threatens to change the course the course of history” narrative that he’s utilised so effectively elsewhere (gee, momma, see how nicely I said that Higgins is a shameless recycler of his own material?) and ‘Bad Company’, while curiously light on the big action set pieces, does achieve a sense of pace that’s been lacking for the last few instalments.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember reading Jack Higgins 30 - 40 years ago and enjoying his thrillers, but this one was just so boring and a piling up of dead bodies. It wasn't helped by the narration, which was done by that wonderful actor Patrick MacNee (for those of you too young to know him look at the original Avengers - a TV show with wit and charm!), but done very poorly. Accents were all over the place - he couldn't do an American accent - and seemed to often get his characters confused. All in all a major disappointment.

[Johan Syahriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baron Max Von Berger was Hitler's aide. Took an oath to protect Hitler's diary. But I'm not so sure what was Hitler's aim. All I know is that the Baron used the money to become one of the most successful business man after WWII and he just kept doing and expanding his business to arms dealing and oil.he doesn't even care what's in the diary at some point.He just kept working to distract himself and filling the void in his life due to the death of his wife and kids.

Then his bastard son came into the picture. A loose canon so to speak. The stupid one. Then everything just went to hell.

[Isabelle Tremblay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quelle magnifique histoire! Premier contact avec Sean Dillon, je suis définitivement accrochée. La traduction est pour le moins divertissante, disons que ça rend certaines scènes un peu moins sérieuses (exemple : se traiter de menu-fretin, de truand et de voyous). Je n’ai pu le poser en 48h, il fallait que je le finisse. Il s’agit somme toute d’une histoire d’espionnage assez « vanille », mais j’ai adoré.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat disappointing. I've been a fan of Higgins since the '70s, when I found him to be a superb writer of thrillers. This one seemed to be filled with what I suspect was unrealistic dialogue and a rather contrived plot. Nonetheless, the characters were well developed. Disappointing, but I've read lots worse.