Bloody Passage

by James Graham, Jack Higgins

Oliver Grant is an American intelligence officer, a hero of the Vietnam War. But when the Mafia kidnaps his sister, his life is turned upside down and he agrees to complete a dangerous assignment for the powerful mob boss Dimitri Stavrou in order to gain her freedom: Grant must save Stavrou’s son from a secret cliff-top prison in Libya.   To accomplish this mission, he must scale the rocky crag and somehow get Stavrou’s son out alive. His sister’s life—and his own—hang in the balance.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Mystery, Adventure, Audiobook, Suspense

221 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1974

About the author

One of the several pseudonyms of Henry Patterson. See Jack Higgins for more complete information.

Reviews

[Brenda]

Oliver Grant had only one thing in his life that made him vulnerable – his sister Hannah. Hannah was quite a bit younger than Oliver and while she lived with her grandmother, Oliver made it his responsibility to care for her financially. Hannah was blind - but a magnificent pianist and a sweet and gentle girl.

Oliver’s past was one which had been filled with all manner of actions he wasn’t all together proud of – a decorated Major in Military Intelligence, it was his job as a mercenary that gave him pause. But when Grant was abducted by a mafia boss and kept in solitary confinement for a week, he had no idea they were softening him for a job he most certainly didn’t want. It was learning that Hannah was also a captive that had him agreeing to the job, albeit reluctantly and with murder in his heart.

The rescue of the mafia boss’ stepson from a Libyan prison was a dice with death – the prison was completely isolated and surrounded on three sides by a furious ocean and sheer cliffs. The ratio of soldiers to inmates meant their mission was suicide. But the boss was adamant – and Grant had no choice. The plan was made – there were too many “ifs”, but they had to go with it. Would Grant and his few dependable men succeed in their attempt? Would Hannah survive?

Bloody Passage by Jack Higgins is another brilliant thriller by this writer. Originally published in 1974 under the pseudonym James Graham, it was reprinted in 2012. I love Higgins’ work and when I discovered another I hadn’t read, it was quickly snapped up! Filled with tension, twists and turns, it’s a fast paced thriller that kept me turning the pages late into the night. Highly recommended.

[Christian D. D.]

A rose (or Jack Higgins novel) by any other name…

I read this novel twice in paperback form way back in my preteen years circa 1986-1987, under the original title of “The Run To Morning.” Certain scenes
and characters have stuck with me over the years (
especially the Langley character and my introduction to the Russian Stechkin machine pistol).

Now, re-reading it as a 46 year-old fan with world travel experience under my belt, I can appreciate it ever more. Fun, exciting, fast-paced, and action-packed, and with some interesting insight into Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan Armed Forces during the mid-1970s. I could totally picture either Matthew McConaughey or Christian Bale portraying protagonist Oliver Grant in a filmic adaptation. Aldo Barzini is such a lovably roguish supporting character. And the weasel character Justin Langley (I wonder if Mr. Higgins deliberately named him for the location of CIA HQ?) is someone I picture as looking like Mr. Van Driessen, the hippie teacher from Beavis & Butt-Head…only with a British (Eton) accent.

[Alan Goswell]

Easy read you wont have to reach fo the dictionary! Very predictable comic book style of James Bond with very rough edges. Hate to admit it but I was drawn in and read it quickly.

[Oli Turner]

The thirty-fourth #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson #jamesgraham novel #bloodypassage originally published in 1974 as #theruntomorning
A mercenary is hired/blackmailed to rescue a man from prison. A really exciting fast paced novel that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. It’s short and packs in a tremendous amount. Plenty of background for the protagonist’s character depth. So much action and betrayal. Plenty of tension, suspense, peril and threat. The first half of the book details the planning/set up of the prison break. The main set piece is pretty terrific. The final showdown is a surprise. Great stuff. Nothing deep and meaningful but it really achieves what it sets out to do. Many interesting side characters. And the romance subplot is handled with an impressive amount of nuance given Higgins previous track record. Certainly one of his best novels so far.

[Jenna]

HOARDER CHALLENGE #21-PEOPLE ON COVER
This was technically a re-read.
I remembered the first & last chapters but not much else.
Oliver is an ex-military guy w/special skills. He's retired from rescuing/breaking people out of impenetrable prisons. Then the bad guy holds his sister hostage forcing him to break-out his step-son from a Libyan prison.
It had all the Higgins hallmarks: likeable hero who isn't always law abiding, the girl (b/c of course there's always a woman), a suicide mission and lots of action w/twists & turns.

[Chris Birdy]

Not what I expected. Not the usual Jack Higgins.

[Andrew Cowen]

I'm getting to like Jack Higgins, even though his books are mostly nonsense. This one concerns an ex-Special Ops guy blackmailed by a mafioso into breaking the guy's nephew out of prison. All he has to do is:--stop me if you've heard this one--

1) Assemble a team of guys, each with a special
special skill to contribute.

2) Scale the sheer face of a high cliff.

3) Break into a high security prison on top of
said cliff.

4) Break the nephew out of prison.

5) Skedaddle back down the cliff.

Easy, right? Maybe, maybe not, but I think you can probably guess the outcome.

It was quite a silly book, but a lot of fun to read and it reminded me of all the 60s and 70s action movies that I used to watch (and still watch).

[Dr. Trevor B. Harvey]

Brilliantly Written

There is within these pages a continual movement that keeps one turning the pages, because one is not sure, although there may be an idea of what is coming next. The scenes are themselves so pictorial one has the sense of being present, an observer of all that is happening. One final thing, truly like the ending.

Would recommend this book to any one who loves adventure.

[Terri]

Always good

Jack Higgins is always a good choice for a fast paced, exhilarating, attention grabbing read. The plots have lovely, winding curves, and the resolutions are generally satisfying.

[Varun Ramesh]

Bloody Passage, Indeed

Riveting characters, a plot that unravels in twists and turns and, as always, the story takes us over land and sea with a railway track thrown in for good measure. Page-turner to the very end.

[John W Tice]

Bloody Passage by Higgins

Good action book. Good character development. A little confusing skipping around at times. A number of spelling errors, which is uncharacteristic for Jack Higgins’s.

[Mary Wilson]

What a gripping premise! The blend of military action, suspense, and personal stakes makes this sound like an unforgettable thriller. The synopsis alone has me eager to discover Oliver Grant's story. Congratulations on creating such an intriguing setup, it's officially on my reading list!

[Jackie Martello]

3.75 stars rounded up.
A character driven adventure that was a fun read. A solid old-fashioned protagonist and a story that some would argue is throughly dated. The book is definitely worth reading and the audiobook is masterfully executed. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

[Yemic]

fast pace and action packed from the beginning, but it felt predictable. funny thing is I liked Langley's character than the main protagonist.

[Steve]

Another edge of your seat thriller from Jack Higgins.

[Paul]

A cracking read

[Skimpythong]

absolutely awesome action and great plot a real page turner unlike most novels since 1989!

[William McKeon]

A good read.

Another good story from a insightful storyteller. His description of place and circumstances will open the reader’s imagination and give life to the story.

[Michael R Clarke]

Review for Bloody Passage.

A new novel and new characters by a precious and much beloved author. Many thanks for the new tale and new characters and their adventures.

[Nathan Woll]

A little dated but quite good

[Mark Green]

Stand alone Novel which has an interesting plot. Fairly plausible.

[Rick]

Very enjoyable read.

[Bradhernandez]

Fun quick easy read. Love the old jack Higgins novels

[Vincent Darkhelm]

Typical Jack Higgins. Good fun, but nothing else to recommend it.

[Yellow Duck]

I love it 😍

[George West]

It started of rather slow, but by end I was completely hooked. What an ending

[John]

Faast paced and exciting.

[Serdar Poirot]

Eski istihbaratçı ve sonrasında para için çalışan Vietnam görmüş asker Oliver Grant bir bar kavgasında tanıştığı Simone Delmas ile sevgili olur. Sonrasında evlerine bir suikastçi gelir. Onu öldürür ve Simone onu terk eder. Yüzmeye gittiğinde batda dövdüğü Justin Langley onu yakalar. Gözünü açtığında kendini Sicikya'da bulur. Amerika'dan kovulan mafya babası Stavrou, ondan bir iş ister ve Simone de 6 aydır ona çalışmaktadır. Libya'da bir hapiste tutulan üvey oğlunu kurtarmasını ister. Oliver bunu reddeder ama sonra kabul etmek zorunda kalır. Çünkü Stavrou, Grant'in görme engelli kız kardeşi olan Hannah'ı yanında tutmaktadır. Arapça bildiği için Justin de onunla gelecektir. Burada hapse fahişe getiren bir gece girmeyi planlayacaktır. Bunun için önce eski dostu Aldo Barzini ile görüşür. Onun yeğeni Nino ve kadına benzeyen karate ustası Angelo gelir. Libya'ya giderler ve orada tarihi eser arıyor gibi yaparlar. Ama Langley, Angelo'nun burnunu kırdığı için mecburen tekneye gizlice giren Simone girecektir. Albay Mashdoui onu yanına almak ister. Ama ekip kaleye girer ve üvey oğul Stephen Wyatt'ı kaçırır. Zor da olsa askerlerden kurtulurlar ve tekneye binerler. Ama Wyatt'ı anlattıkları ilk edicidir. Annesi her şeyi ona bıraktığı için 25 yaşına gelmeden Stavrou onu öldürürse bütün para ona kalacaktır. Langley de bunu yapmaya çalışır ama Grant, onu Angelo da dahil olacak şekilde öldürür. Sicilya'ya gelirler ve burada takas olacaktır. Bilmiyor gibi yaparlar. Nino uçurumdan tırmanıp kurtaracaktır Hannah'ı. Ama Wyatt elinde bir el bombası ile gelir. Hannah kurtulur. Stavrou ve Wyatt ölmüştür. Bundan sonra ne olacaktır? Hannah'ya gerçeği anlatacak mıdır? Oliver Simone ile ne yapacaktır? Soluksuz okunan bir roman.

[Lois]

Jack Higgins' books are exciting and real page turners but I don't like the language and sex part of his books. I didn't have a book to take to the gym to read while I work out and so I grabbed this one. It was exciting and I had to finish it to see what would happen but the language bothered me. If you don't mind some strong language, you will probably enjoy reading his books.

[Stephen Oxenham]

This bok is a-btween James Bond type and Mercinarie type a rolling good read located in the med, with small group of people and a twist in the tail good reading