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Liam Devlin #2
Touch the Devil: A gripping spy thriller
Classic adventure from the million copy bestseller Jack Higgins
If there’s such a thing as a grade A terrorist then his name is Frank Barry. His ideology is money and his track record is flawless.
When the Russians want review copies of the latest NATO missile system, Barry’s the man to deliver them.
Stopping him will be near enough impossible, but one man knows all the moves. Martin Brosnan is a poet, scholar and trained killer. A graduate of Vietnam and polished in the ranks of the IRA he could be the key to ending Barry’s reign.There’s one problem, Brosnan is languishing in a French prison, and only the powerfully persuasive Liam Devlin can get him out and working for British intelligence.
If there’s such a thing as a grade A terrorist then his name is Frank Barry. His ideology is money and his track record is flawless.
When the Russians want review copies of the latest NATO missile system, Barry’s the man to deliver them.
Stopping him will be near enough impossible, but one man knows all the moves. Martin Brosnan is a poet, scholar and trained killer. A graduate of Vietnam and polished in the ranks of the IRA he could be the key to ending Barry’s reign.There’s one problem, Brosnan is languishing in a French prison, and only the powerfully persuasive Liam Devlin can get him out and working for British intelligence.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 1982
525 people are currently reading
1151 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
479 books1,274 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 110 reviews
August 29, 2018
After reading "the Eagle has landed" the classic WWII war adventures written by Higgins about the attempt by the Nazis in abducting Winston Churchill from an English village which in the end was foiled. one of the surviving people from that affair was one Liam Devlin who got away and managed to survive the war was one of the founding members of the IRA but he was more of a romantic than a butcher and found his faith in the cause slipping away when the bombing started. He decided to distance himself and became a professor.
Liam Devlin is the quintessential Irishman a hero, romantic and a just man. He gets kind kidnapped or pulled in by a special division of the British security forces to free another younger version of himself and friend by the name of Brosnan from a French Prison island. The opposite of Devlin and Brosnan from the IRA one Frank Barry who after a blood drenched history with the IRA has been chosen to be eliminated due to his more freelance nature these days working for anybody who pays a decent dollar/pound . The three men are already enemies so an assassination is not so far fetched.
The book has some very decent high notes in adventure, it is in essence a grown up Biggles book, with indeed some flying involved. It is an adventure novel in which there is really little character development in which the Troubles in Northern Ireland are made way too romantic, which could be considered an point of criticism, and all characters play their designated roles. The book is wel written and the action is very well done. The story is predictable but fun.
No great literary piece of work but a well written and thought out little adventure that once more highlights the person of Liam Devlin, you cannot escape the iconic character without the voice and face of Donald Sutherland who did play him so well in the original movie based upon "the Eagle has landed".
Fun reading.
Liam Devlin is the quintessential Irishman a hero, romantic and a just man. He gets kind kidnapped or pulled in by a special division of the British security forces to free another younger version of himself and friend by the name of Brosnan from a French Prison island. The opposite of Devlin and Brosnan from the IRA one Frank Barry who after a blood drenched history with the IRA has been chosen to be eliminated due to his more freelance nature these days working for anybody who pays a decent dollar/pound . The three men are already enemies so an assassination is not so far fetched.
The book has some very decent high notes in adventure, it is in essence a grown up Biggles book, with indeed some flying involved. It is an adventure novel in which there is really little character development in which the Troubles in Northern Ireland are made way too romantic, which could be considered an point of criticism, and all characters play their designated roles. The book is wel written and the action is very well done. The story is predictable but fun.
No great literary piece of work but a well written and thought out little adventure that once more highlights the person of Liam Devlin, you cannot escape the iconic character without the voice and face of Donald Sutherland who did play him so well in the original movie based upon "the Eagle has landed".
Fun reading.
February 19, 2021
Πάντα μου άρεσαν τα βιβλία του Χίγκνς, κυρίως λόγω της μεγάλης μου αγάπης για το έργο "The eagle has landed", βασισμένο στο πιο γνωστό βιβλίο του. Αλλά και τα υπόλοιπα είναι αρκετά αξιόλογα, για αυτό που αγοράζεις φυσικά. Περιπέτειες κατασκοπίας, "παλαιάς κοπής" γεμάτες με τα στερεοτυπικά κλισέ του είδους, που σχεδόν πάντα λειτουργούν, εφόσον ο αναγνώστης είναι πρόθυμος να τα αποδεχτεί. Έτσι λοιπόν και εδώ ο Χίγκινς, γράφει για μια ιστορία εκδίκησης, βάζοντας τον γνωστό του ήρωα Λίαμ Ντέβλιν (του ο οποίου η μορφή θα είναι πάντα ο Ντόναλντ Σάδερλαντ) σε ρόλο διαιτητή. Αρκετά ευχάριστο και άνετο ανάγνωσμα, παρά τα χρόνια του.
October 5, 2010
I recently reread, and rather surprisingly enjoyed Higgins' classic WWII thriller The Eagle Has Landed -- and that led me to seek this out. One of the most engaging elements of that book was the Irish-terrorist-turned-German-agent Liam Devlin, and this book visits him some thirty or so years later, in the midst of the Cold War. After a rather strange Vietnam War-set prologue involving the rescue of a lovely French photographer by an immensely skilled special forces solider, the story shifts to the sometime around 1980 or so. We meet a freelance terrorist who has been paid to assassinate the British Foreign Secretary during a visit to France. This opening is the kind of procedural operation that Higgins excels at, as the master-terrorist Frank Barry puts together a plan and lays his trap. However, there's a British secret agent in on the plot, and the story takes a twist that leads Prime Minister Thatcher to authorize Barry's execution.
This task falls to the Brigadier in charge of such black ops, who, in delving into Barry's past, discovers connections to Liam Devlin, and the Irish-American special forces fella' from the prologue (Martin Brosnan, who apparently appears in some other Higgins' books). The good old "set a thief to catch a thief" plot is brought forth, and the Brigadier coerces Devlin and Brosnan to take out Barry. This sets the stage for two other lovely set pieces: an SAS-ssnatch team renditioning Devlin to England, and an good old-fashioned prison break to spring Brosnan from an island prison off the coast of France. This involves fun stuff like the Corsican mafia, and much more. Meanwhile, Barry has been hired by the KGB to steal a revolutionary new anti-tank rocket weapon that the West Germans have developed and represents a severe blow to Soviet tank supremacy in the European Theater. So, that's yet another fun procedural set piece, as Barry works on that heist while Devlin, Brosnan, and the British try to track him down.
As with "The Eagle Has Landed", Higgins does not plumb particularly deeply into any of the character's psyches. Their motivations are pretty linear and there's nothing unexpected along the way -- however, that's not really much of a concern in a thriller like this. The set pieces are all pretty fun, and the Cold War setting is kind of interesting in its own retro way. The book concludes with another fun set piece, that, while predictable, puts just the right cap on things. All in all, if you like Higgins, you'll probably like this.
This task falls to the Brigadier in charge of such black ops, who, in delving into Barry's past, discovers connections to Liam Devlin, and the Irish-American special forces fella' from the prologue (Martin Brosnan, who apparently appears in some other Higgins' books). The good old "set a thief to catch a thief" plot is brought forth, and the Brigadier coerces Devlin and Brosnan to take out Barry. This sets the stage for two other lovely set pieces: an SAS-ssnatch team renditioning Devlin to England, and an good old-fashioned prison break to spring Brosnan from an island prison off the coast of France. This involves fun stuff like the Corsican mafia, and much more. Meanwhile, Barry has been hired by the KGB to steal a revolutionary new anti-tank rocket weapon that the West Germans have developed and represents a severe blow to Soviet tank supremacy in the European Theater. So, that's yet another fun procedural set piece, as Barry works on that heist while Devlin, Brosnan, and the British try to track him down.
As with "The Eagle Has Landed", Higgins does not plumb particularly deeply into any of the character's psyches. Their motivations are pretty linear and there's nothing unexpected along the way -- however, that's not really much of a concern in a thriller like this. The set pieces are all pretty fun, and the Cold War setting is kind of interesting in its own retro way. The book concludes with another fun set piece, that, while predictable, puts just the right cap on things. All in all, if you like Higgins, you'll probably like this.
June 26, 2023
I read The Eagle Has Landed and liked it well enough to try another Liam Devlin novel by Jack Higgins. Unfortunately, this one is set over 30 years later (wtf?) and the MC here is really Martin Brosnan, a 30-something member of former IRA royalty, who teams up with Devlin to go after the bad guy. Liam, just FYI, is now 61yo and more or less out to pasture.
As if that wasn't enough of a kick in the pants, the premise is that an old adversary from Devlin's terrorist days has been hired by the KGB to steal some cutting-edge German tech: a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, lightweight enough for a regular infantryman to wield. And it holds 12 heat-seeking rockets at once! oooohh, ahhhh
Military tech is so far advanced that it just makes the Unobtainium in here plain eye-rolly, not even considering all the silly running around described. Not a super fun or interesting read.
As if that wasn't enough of a kick in the pants, the premise is that an old adversary from Devlin's terrorist days has been hired by the KGB to steal some cutting-edge German tech: a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, lightweight enough for a regular infantryman to wield. And it holds 12 heat-seeking rockets at once! oooohh, ahhhh
Military tech is so far advanced that it just makes the Unobtainium in here plain eye-rolly, not even considering all the silly running around described. Not a super fun or interesting read.
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June 21, 2023The forty-second #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson #jamesgraham novel #touchthedevil published in 1982. Featuring #liamdevlin once more as well as brigadier Ferguson. The Higgins shared universe continues to expand. This means that Solo, eagle has landed and the Simon Vaughan & Sean Dillon novels all take place in the same timeline. Some of the usual tropes for Higgins - an isolated farmhouse for the base of operations, atmospheric rain, war veteran, terrorists, assassination attempts, getting the bad guy by breaking a worse guy out of prison. The prologue set in Vietnam introduces quite the accomplished female photo journalist tough and capable. So it’s a bit of a surprise that she ends up playing the damsel in distress, but perhaps that shows how formidable the bad guy is. Considering how short his novels are he has a very efficient style that still allows for plenty of plot, action, locations as well as character work. Some of the characters are typical Higgins tropes: warriors that are also scholars, hard violent men that will happily kill but have a moral objection to abusing women and will protect them. Certain situations always occur frequently in Higgins novels such as the random woman that needs protecting so the hero/villain can step in and rescue her and simultaneously / efficiently show the reader how tough and moral the character is. Although Higgins uses certain tropes, themes, plots, archetypes frequently in his novels they never go quite where I expect. Most of them build the tension and anticipation but subvert it ever so slightly in the last act so that you think it’s going to be a massive climax but instead it’s slightly smaller, more intimate and character based. The final act of this novel involves an exciting chase by plane and the finale was a surprise but very fitting.
May 8, 2021
Classic Higgins, bringing back the protagonist from The Eagle Has Landed. Not quite as far reaching in terms of plot, but a fun and exciting read.
December 17, 2015
“Touch the Devil and you can’t let go.”
— Old Irish Saying
Both the title and the theme of this book — Jack Higgins’ third entry in the Liam Devlin series he started with The Eagle Has Landed — come from this old Irish saying. It is a story of violent men who have grown tired of the violence and wish to leave it behind.
But they can’t.
Devlin, Martin Brosnan, and Frank Barry once fought together in the Irish Troubles but have long since gone their own ways.
Barry is now one of the world’s most notorious guns-for-hire; a man British intelligence would go to any length to eradicate from the face of the world. Barry, however, has plans for one last contract, one that will allow him to retire safely in his native Ireland.
Liam Devlin left behind the revolutions of his youth and now lives as quietly as he can in Ireland where he is a professor at Dublin’s Trinity College. His quiet life is disrupted when British intelligence kidnaps him and forces him into a plot to assassinate Barry.
Martin Brosnan, former American Army Ranger and Vietnam vet, is doomed to spend the rest of his life in a French prison for killing a police officer in France. But the British believe Brosnan may be the only man who can bring down Barry. It’s up to Devlin, however, to figure out how to get Brosnan out of prison.
All three have grown tired of their violent lives but, having touched the Devil, they can’t let go of the violence.
In Liam Devlin, Higgins created one of the most likable bad guys in literature. Even in The Eagle Has Landed, in which Devlin works with the Nazis in a plot to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the reader can’t help but root for the witty and flippant Irishman. In Martin Brosnan, an American war hero of Irish heritage, Higgins has created another approachable and sympathetic bad guy who, despite his violence, isn’t really that bad. There are even moments when the reader can feel bad for Frank Barry who, unlike Devlin and Brosnan, really is bad.
Anyone who enjoyed the first Liam Devlin novel will enjoy Touch the Devil.
— Old Irish Saying
Both the title and the theme of this book — Jack Higgins’ third entry in the Liam Devlin series he started with The Eagle Has Landed — come from this old Irish saying. It is a story of violent men who have grown tired of the violence and wish to leave it behind.
But they can’t.
Devlin, Martin Brosnan, and Frank Barry once fought together in the Irish Troubles but have long since gone their own ways.
Barry is now one of the world’s most notorious guns-for-hire; a man British intelligence would go to any length to eradicate from the face of the world. Barry, however, has plans for one last contract, one that will allow him to retire safely in his native Ireland.
Liam Devlin left behind the revolutions of his youth and now lives as quietly as he can in Ireland where he is a professor at Dublin’s Trinity College. His quiet life is disrupted when British intelligence kidnaps him and forces him into a plot to assassinate Barry.
Martin Brosnan, former American Army Ranger and Vietnam vet, is doomed to spend the rest of his life in a French prison for killing a police officer in France. But the British believe Brosnan may be the only man who can bring down Barry. It’s up to Devlin, however, to figure out how to get Brosnan out of prison.
All three have grown tired of their violent lives but, having touched the Devil, they can’t let go of the violence.
In Liam Devlin, Higgins created one of the most likable bad guys in literature. Even in The Eagle Has Landed, in which Devlin works with the Nazis in a plot to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the reader can’t help but root for the witty and flippant Irishman. In Martin Brosnan, an American war hero of Irish heritage, Higgins has created another approachable and sympathetic bad guy who, despite his violence, isn’t really that bad. There are even moments when the reader can feel bad for Frank Barry who, unlike Devlin and Brosnan, really is bad.
Anyone who enjoyed the first Liam Devlin novel will enjoy Touch the Devil.
December 19, 2015
This is the second book in the Liam Devlin series. The first being The Eagle Has Landed. I was somewhat disappointed in this outing. The book centers around three men ... Devlin, Martin Brosnan, and Frank Barry who once fought together in the Irish Troubles. Liam Devlin is now a professor at Dublin’s Trinity College. Brosnan is now in a notorious prison off the French coast for shooting a policeman during an IRA arms deal. Barry is now working as a gun-for-hire to left-wing European terrorist groups and the KGB.
When Barry attempts to assassinate the British Foreign Secretary during a visit to France the Prime Minister decides he must be dealt with, once and for all. Group 4, the PM's special missions unit headed by Brigadier Charles Ferguson, is given the task. He arranges to have Devlin kidnapped and brought to England. The next step is to get Brosnan out of a French island prison. There is bad blood between Devlin, Brosnan, and Barry. Especially the latter two and Ferguson's plan is to use that to his advantage in dealing with Barry.
The prologue of this book takes place during the Vietnam war where Martin Brosnan, an American Army Ranger, saves the life of a female photographer, Anne-Marie Audin. She has a minor role throughout the story and mostly it revolves around her relationship with Brosnan and how he has changed ... from Army Ranger to member of the IRA to prisoner.
The title of the book is apparently take from an old Irish saying “Touch the Devil and you can’t let go.” And that is the theme. It is the story of violent men who have grown tired of the violence and wish to leave it behind. But they can’t.
When Barry attempts to assassinate the British Foreign Secretary during a visit to France the Prime Minister decides he must be dealt with, once and for all. Group 4, the PM's special missions unit headed by Brigadier Charles Ferguson, is given the task. He arranges to have Devlin kidnapped and brought to England. The next step is to get Brosnan out of a French island prison. There is bad blood between Devlin, Brosnan, and Barry. Especially the latter two and Ferguson's plan is to use that to his advantage in dealing with Barry.
The prologue of this book takes place during the Vietnam war where Martin Brosnan, an American Army Ranger, saves the life of a female photographer, Anne-Marie Audin. She has a minor role throughout the story and mostly it revolves around her relationship with Brosnan and how he has changed ... from Army Ranger to member of the IRA to prisoner.
The title of the book is apparently take from an old Irish saying “Touch the Devil and you can’t let go.” And that is the theme. It is the story of violent men who have grown tired of the violence and wish to leave it behind. But they can’t.
May 13, 2020
Liam Devlin! Need I say more? The old veteran, now in his 60s returns for another spectacular performance along with one of his protégés (Martin Brosnan), settling personal scores and causing mayhem along the way. Ofcourse, there's Brigadier Ferguson answering to Margaret Thatcher for all the no holds barred operations being orchestrated by his ultra secretive branch inside the British Secret Intelligence Service. There's an amazing old world charm about this book(like most of Higgins's works). I think the only reason I tried(and immensely liked) Bushmills Irish Whiskey was because of Liam Devlin 😅
Strictly recommended for Higgins's fans and those who enjoy 70s/80s (quite possibly the best era for spy/crime thrillers) action thrillers.
Strictly recommended for Higgins's fans and those who enjoy 70s/80s (quite possibly the best era for spy/crime thrillers) action thrillers.
January 1, 2016
I was in one of my favorite haunts once again, the library when I came across one
of my favorite authors books. It's an oldie from 1982 but if you like Jack Higgins's
I'm sure you will like this one. He always manages to keep your fingers moving and
it's a good way to start off the New Year. I gave it a 4.
of my favorite authors books. It's an oldie from 1982 but if you like Jack Higgins's
I'm sure you will like this one. He always manages to keep your fingers moving and
it's a good way to start off the New Year. I gave it a 4.
January 8, 2023
Necesitaba algo "de transición", un libro entretenido pero que no me apasionara, me hiciera amar u odiar, algo ligero. Eso es justo lo que he encontrado por aquí, una novela de espías al uso, muy bien contada y con muchas vueltas y acción. El protagonista es un "pistolero" del IRA que acaba enredado en una trama que se extiende en el tiempo durante más de diez años. Si no lo es, que no lo sé, fácilmente podría ser la típica película de espionaje de serie B de finales de los 80 que te ponen un domingo a medio día. 📚☕♥️
April 6, 2017
Liam Devlin, Martin Brosnan, and Frank Barry are ruthless, highly trained killers. All three are veterans of the IRA, but their paths have diverged widely by 1979. Devlin, now sixty-one years of age and still a believer in the cause of a united Irish nation, surfaces from time to time on university campuses in Ireland and the United States, where he is an occasional professor of English literature. Brosnan, convicted four years earlier in France in a near-successful attempt to assassinate Charles de Gaulle, has been confined to a cell on Belle Isle in the Mediterranean, the successor to the notorious Devil’s Island. For his part, Barry has turned mercenary. His current employer is the KGB.
The IRA was yesterday’s ISIS
If you’re under the age of fifty or so, you may be unaware that, in the eyes of the British, the IRA in the 1960s and 70s was regarded with as much fear and disgust as ISIS is today. Earlier in 1979, an IRA bomb had killed Lord Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Phillip, commander of Allied Forces in Southeast Asia in World War II, and the last Viceroy of India. If the IRA had assassinated the Queen, it’s unlikely that the furor would have been much greater. This is the “army” from which Devlin, Brosnan, and Barry have all emerged into their divergent careers. Now, when Barry murders the brilliant MI5 agent sent to end his life, Devlin and Brosnan are recruited to take out Barry — an assignment they cherish because of long-standing rivalry.
Enter the KGB and the Corsican mob
MI5 (called DI5 in the novel) approaches Devlin with a seemingly impossible challenge: to persuade Brosnan that MI5 can arrange for him to leave Belle Isle and join Devlin in pursuit of Barry. However, Brosnan isn’t easy to convince. Further compounding the problem, his cellmate is the aging former head of the Union Corse, the Corsican mob, and the two have grown close. Meanwhile, Barry has taken on a high-priority assignment for the KGB: to hijack a truck in England carrying an advanced weapon coveted by the USSR and the USA. To add glamour and love interest, a beautiful and courageous young French photojournalist gets involved as well as all sides come together in a spectacular series of collisions.
It’s all a glorious cockup, suspenseful and entertaining all the way.
About the author
Jack Higgins, a pseudonym of bestselling British author Harry Patterson, has been writing thrillers and novels of espionage since 1959. According to Wikipedia, “His 84 novels in total have sold over 150 million copies and have been translated into 55 languages.” Four of those novels have featured Liam Devlin, of which Touch the Devil is the second. A much longer running series features another Irish terrorist named Sean Dillon. To date there are twenty-one novels in that series.
The IRA was yesterday’s ISIS
If you’re under the age of fifty or so, you may be unaware that, in the eyes of the British, the IRA in the 1960s and 70s was regarded with as much fear and disgust as ISIS is today. Earlier in 1979, an IRA bomb had killed Lord Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Phillip, commander of Allied Forces in Southeast Asia in World War II, and the last Viceroy of India. If the IRA had assassinated the Queen, it’s unlikely that the furor would have been much greater. This is the “army” from which Devlin, Brosnan, and Barry have all emerged into their divergent careers. Now, when Barry murders the brilliant MI5 agent sent to end his life, Devlin and Brosnan are recruited to take out Barry — an assignment they cherish because of long-standing rivalry.
Enter the KGB and the Corsican mob
MI5 (called DI5 in the novel) approaches Devlin with a seemingly impossible challenge: to persuade Brosnan that MI5 can arrange for him to leave Belle Isle and join Devlin in pursuit of Barry. However, Brosnan isn’t easy to convince. Further compounding the problem, his cellmate is the aging former head of the Union Corse, the Corsican mob, and the two have grown close. Meanwhile, Barry has taken on a high-priority assignment for the KGB: to hijack a truck in England carrying an advanced weapon coveted by the USSR and the USA. To add glamour and love interest, a beautiful and courageous young French photojournalist gets involved as well as all sides come together in a spectacular series of collisions.
It’s all a glorious cockup, suspenseful and entertaining all the way.
About the author
Jack Higgins, a pseudonym of bestselling British author Harry Patterson, has been writing thrillers and novels of espionage since 1959. According to Wikipedia, “His 84 novels in total have sold over 150 million copies and have been translated into 55 languages.” Four of those novels have featured Liam Devlin, of which Touch the Devil is the second. A much longer running series features another Irish terrorist named Sean Dillon. To date there are twenty-one novels in that series.
June 3, 2017
Early 80's thriller, nice mix of villains and good guys!
Our introduction to the prolific Jack Higgins was his early (1969) thriller "A Fine Night for Dying". That novel, while mildly entertaining, was short and pretty tame by modern standards. With "Devil" we moved ahead several years to a Higgins' work written in 1982 and set in roughly that same time frame. Based on other reviews, apparently the lead characters -- Martin Brosnan, Liam Devlin, and Frank Barry -- appear in several other Higgins stories; but their appearances stand by themselves just fine in this story. A flashback prologue set in Viet Nam during the war introduces us to Brosnan and a female photographer, Anne-Marie Audin, who plays a minor role throughout the book. But the main focus is on Barry, who spends most of his time as a paid assassin with seemingly little loyalty to any cause or country. When he nearly offs a British Foreign Secretary on a visit to France, and slays an important agent instead, the Prime Minister orders her Secret Service to retaliate. The guy in charge, Brigadier Charles Ferguson, deciding it takes a killer to kill one, in effect hires (now) death row convict and ex-IRA terrorist Martin Brosnan to attempt the deed. Brosnan figures Ferguson will never pull off getting him out of the slammer, and so stages a stunning escape instead, setting up a climax where it's bad guy versus bad guy for the suspenseful latter section of the book.
"Devil" is a fun read: it's long enough and complex enough to build and sustain your interest; the characters are interesting; and in the end we're not completely sure which bad guy we want to root for!! Along the way a number of bystanders and lesser characters get knocked off by our author, but some twists and turns fool us on more than one occasion. A somewhat philosophical but stunning denouement even gives us pause for thought. Presuming this is more representative of Higgins' work than our first read, we can see why he has built a loyal following. Enjoy "Touch the Devil"!
Our introduction to the prolific Jack Higgins was his early (1969) thriller "A Fine Night for Dying". That novel, while mildly entertaining, was short and pretty tame by modern standards. With "Devil" we moved ahead several years to a Higgins' work written in 1982 and set in roughly that same time frame. Based on other reviews, apparently the lead characters -- Martin Brosnan, Liam Devlin, and Frank Barry -- appear in several other Higgins stories; but their appearances stand by themselves just fine in this story. A flashback prologue set in Viet Nam during the war introduces us to Brosnan and a female photographer, Anne-Marie Audin, who plays a minor role throughout the book. But the main focus is on Barry, who spends most of his time as a paid assassin with seemingly little loyalty to any cause or country. When he nearly offs a British Foreign Secretary on a visit to France, and slays an important agent instead, the Prime Minister orders her Secret Service to retaliate. The guy in charge, Brigadier Charles Ferguson, deciding it takes a killer to kill one, in effect hires (now) death row convict and ex-IRA terrorist Martin Brosnan to attempt the deed. Brosnan figures Ferguson will never pull off getting him out of the slammer, and so stages a stunning escape instead, setting up a climax where it's bad guy versus bad guy for the suspenseful latter section of the book.
"Devil" is a fun read: it's long enough and complex enough to build and sustain your interest; the characters are interesting; and in the end we're not completely sure which bad guy we want to root for!! Along the way a number of bystanders and lesser characters get knocked off by our author, but some twists and turns fool us on more than one occasion. A somewhat philosophical but stunning denouement even gives us pause for thought. Presuming this is more representative of Higgins' work than our first read, we can see why he has built a loyal following. Enjoy "Touch the Devil"!
February 23, 2015
#2 in the Liam Devlin series. This 1982 thriller set in 1979 follows IRA gunman Liam Devlin some 35 years after the events in The Eagle Has Landed (1975). The plot device was used here first, but with a gender change for the Prime Minister, the Russian agent, and the British security cleared clerk, the precise Russian honey trap will be used again in Eye of the Storm (1992), in which novel Liam Devlin and Martin Brosnan will again appear. An exciting read.
Liam Devlin series - Liam Devlin is now semi-retired, working as a professor of English Literature at Trinity College in Dublin. Martin Brosnan is in an island jail off the French coast for shooting a policeman during an IRA arms deal. Frank Barry is now working as a gun-for-hire to various left-wing European terrorist groups, and sometimes the KGB. After he attempts to kill the British Foreign Secretary on a visit to France, the Prime Minister decides Barry must be dealt with, once and for all. Group 4, the PM's special missions unit headed by Brigadier Charles Ferguson, is given the task. Ferguson enlists the aid of Devlin and, after he breaks out of the prison, Brosnan, in the mission. There is personal bad blood between Brosnan and Barry. In the final confrontation, Barry tries to escape England with a stolen rocket-launcher prototype with Brosnan and Devlin hot on his heels.
Liam Devlin series - Liam Devlin is now semi-retired, working as a professor of English Literature at Trinity College in Dublin. Martin Brosnan is in an island jail off the French coast for shooting a policeman during an IRA arms deal. Frank Barry is now working as a gun-for-hire to various left-wing European terrorist groups, and sometimes the KGB. After he attempts to kill the British Foreign Secretary on a visit to France, the Prime Minister decides Barry must be dealt with, once and for all. Group 4, the PM's special missions unit headed by Brigadier Charles Ferguson, is given the task. Ferguson enlists the aid of Devlin and, after he breaks out of the prison, Brosnan, in the mission. There is personal bad blood between Brosnan and Barry. In the final confrontation, Barry tries to escape England with a stolen rocket-launcher prototype with Brosnan and Devlin hot on his heels.
December 12, 2014
This is the second of four novels featuring Liam Devlin, Irish soldier of fortune. This is essentially two stories in one: a prison break and a pursuit plot. The characters are well developed and the story moves along at a fairly quick pace. I got what I wanted out of the book (i.e. a decent Cold War thriller) and found it a satisfying read.
May 29, 2015
Once again very well written, Higgins creates good plots as always.
Still, in my opinion, probably the weakest element in the Liam Devlin Series as it introduces Martin Brosnan as the new romantic hero but does not create a convincing nemesis for him. Liam Devlin also looses a bit of his usual wits and humour. Good novel and nice reading nonetheless!
Still, in my opinion, probably the weakest element in the Liam Devlin Series as it introduces Martin Brosnan as the new romantic hero but does not create a convincing nemesis for him. Liam Devlin also looses a bit of his usual wits and humour. Good novel and nice reading nonetheless!
June 5, 2012
back when Higgins could still really bring it.
This one i have read 3 or 4 times now.
For the longest time Higgins was my favourite author.
I read all his stuff and i dont usually have anything bad to say about him
if you are a spy novel/historic fiction fan
you will enjoy this one
This one i have read 3 or 4 times now.
For the longest time Higgins was my favourite author.
I read all his stuff and i dont usually have anything bad to say about him
if you are a spy novel/historic fiction fan
you will enjoy this one
October 14, 2013
For me, this is one of those guilty pleasure reads. I've read this book a number of times over the years. Like to cycle it back through my reading list every two-or-so years. Just finished it, again. Still enjoy it. Have always loved the ending paragraph. Great open-ended finish.
July 7, 2024
We’re off on another long, summer trip and a frequent companion is a lightweight paperback by Jack Higgins. I do this for three reasons: 1) I need not worry about whether the airplane will have power to run electronic books—or whether the power will work. 2) They are very light and don’t add significant burden to the detritus of necessary travel items, and 3) I love the feel of a paperback novel in my hands on an airplane. This one I largely completed on the non-stop trip from IAD to HND.
Higgins, over his life as an author, started with sort of adventure thrillers, then moved to thrillers set in World War II, and finished concentrating more on political thrillers. This is an earlier book but is of the political thriller type that foreshadows much of what he wrote later in life. Martin Brosnan is an American of Irish extraction and Bostonian wealth who puts it all aside and heads to Viet Nam as an enlisted soldier. We meet him in book’s prologue, lunging out of hiding to rescue a war photographer, Ann-Marie Audin, who is the only survivor of a helicopter shot down by Viet Cong forces disguised as Americans in trouble. From that beginning the story of Martin Brosnan unfolds and becomes intertwined with Ann-Marie’s and Liam Devlin, another frequent character in Higgins’ books.
Yet another frequent Higgins character—Brigadier Charles Ferguson—recruits Brosnan and Devlin to find and kill Frank Barry, an Irish revolutionary and former colleague who is well-known to both Brosnan and Devlin. The story winds through the Mediterranean and Europe until its fateful end, bringing readers along with it at its high speed. Both Brosnan and Devlin are typical Higgins characters: cynical about live, courageous beyond normal because they have little care for their own life, but highly dedicated to justice, if not exacting legal means to pursue it. They are perfect tools in the hands of Brigadier Ferguson who, in this story, is far less a sympathetic character than he becomes in later novels.
Very typical Higgins. Very entertaining.
Higgins, over his life as an author, started with sort of adventure thrillers, then moved to thrillers set in World War II, and finished concentrating more on political thrillers. This is an earlier book but is of the political thriller type that foreshadows much of what he wrote later in life. Martin Brosnan is an American of Irish extraction and Bostonian wealth who puts it all aside and heads to Viet Nam as an enlisted soldier. We meet him in book’s prologue, lunging out of hiding to rescue a war photographer, Ann-Marie Audin, who is the only survivor of a helicopter shot down by Viet Cong forces disguised as Americans in trouble. From that beginning the story of Martin Brosnan unfolds and becomes intertwined with Ann-Marie’s and Liam Devlin, another frequent character in Higgins’ books.
Yet another frequent Higgins character—Brigadier Charles Ferguson—recruits Brosnan and Devlin to find and kill Frank Barry, an Irish revolutionary and former colleague who is well-known to both Brosnan and Devlin. The story winds through the Mediterranean and Europe until its fateful end, bringing readers along with it at its high speed. Both Brosnan and Devlin are typical Higgins characters: cynical about live, courageous beyond normal because they have little care for their own life, but highly dedicated to justice, if not exacting legal means to pursue it. They are perfect tools in the hands of Brigadier Ferguson who, in this story, is far less a sympathetic character than he becomes in later novels.
Very typical Higgins. Very entertaining.
July 3, 2024
Vietnam'da meşhur fotoğrafçı Anne-Marie Audin, Vietkong askerlerinin eline düşer ama yarı İrlandalı yarı Amerikan Martin Brosnan tarafından kurtarılır. Yıllar sonra IRA Elemanlarından Frank Barry, KGB aşanı Nikolai Lebov ile ortak çalışıp kaos çıkarır ve Ferguson'un adamlarından birini öldürür. Batı Almanya'nın roket sistemini Salter adlı bir adamın yanına gidip Varley ve Preston ile kaçırır. Bu sırada Brosnan, bir polisi öldürmekten Belle Isle adında bir ada hapishanesine girmiştir. Ferguson, Barry'yi yakalamak için önce Liam Devlin'i alır. Onu Brosnan'ın kuzeni Norah Cassidy'yi Barry'nin öldürdüğünü söyler. Devlin de adaya Audin ile avukat kılığında gidip görüşür. Hapishane arkadaşı Union Corse üyesi Jacques Savary ile anlaşan Brosnan, Ferguson yerine hapisten kendi kaçar. Zor da olsa kurtulan Brosnan intikam için çalışacaktır. Ama Ferguson'un evrakları bir görevli tarafından KGB'ye ulaşır ve Barry, Devlin ile Brosnan'ı öldürmek için çalışmalara başlar. Nice şehrindeki köy evinde Devlin'i vurup yanındaki adamlara Brosnan'ı öldürmesini söyler. Ama ikisi de kurtulur. Audin'i kaçıran Barry İrlanda'ya gider ve sakladığı roket başlığını almak ister. Savary'nin oğlu sayesinde Devlin ve Brosnan da gider. Barry'yi öldürür ama son anda Norah'yı onun öldürmediğini öğrenir. Ferguson ve kadın başbakanı sorumlu tutar. İntikamını alacaktır. Daha öndeki eylemlerinde Gül bırakan Brosnan başbakanı odasına kadar garson kılığında girer. Öldürecek midir? Yoksa Gül mü bırakacaktır? Ferguson en son fırçayı ne zaman yemiştir? Anne Marie ile bir daha görüşecek midir? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2024
I was a little hesitant at first when I picked this up. I enjoyed The Eagle Has Landed. However, I have such an extensive reading list. I almost wish I had not read The Eagle Has Flown. While that was a good read, I expected this to be similar. This is by far the superior follow up to The Eagle Has Landed. It has a faster pace and captivating characters. Albeit, we're following around a group of misfit and hellbound romantics. That's what makes it great though. Liam Devlin steals the show. However, Barry makes a great villain. Higgins blurs the lines of good and evil in the Devlin novels. All of these characters are killers in their own right. Excellent read. You'll notice I give a lot of novels high ratings or low ratings. It's rare that I'm in the middle. That's because I'm careful about what I read. I have so much to read that I don't want to waste my time reading something I won't enjoy. This is gold. If you're like me and you enjoy good thrillers, pick this one up. Only after reading The Eagle Has Landed though.
December 25, 2020
When a prototype West German missile is hijacked in England by a mercenary, the British Security Service is compelled to call on the semi-retired Irish shootist Liam Devlin. Devlin is asked to motivate a former protégée of his to take out the hijacker before the theft must be officially acknowledged. Martin Brosnan, a U.S. Army Ranger in Vietnam, is a younger, taller version of Devlin and equally resourceful. But, before he can go after terrorist-for-hire Frank Barry, Brosnan has to escape (with Devlin as mastermind) from a French prison more formidable than Alcatraz. Two Higgins page-turners published seven years apart both include a kill mission against a British prime minister – why not? “No one is safe…The kind of world we’ve created” (p571) says the old counter-espionage spook Brigadier Ferguson. Jack Higgins has no trouble in TOUCH THE DEVIL ginning up similar excitement and interesting characters as he did in THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.
August 19, 2023
A book involving so-called "noble criminals", those who commit crimes in what they believe is the service of a higher cause. But to be a criminal is to cause hardship for someone else, no matter what the cause. To kill is to kill. Should we say it is something better because someone calls it justified? If you do it for the protection and safety of the lives of millions, perhaps. And perhaps I am more cynical about this book than I would be at other times because of all the criminality that is being called out at this time in the USA. Still, I didn't have any sympathy for any of the main characters, with the possible exception of Jack Corder.
May 12, 2025
Venía de leerme Requiem por los que van a morir y es parecido... pero sin lo que lo hace bueno.
Me ha parecido soso, solo coge ritmo, por momentos, a mitad de la historia pero lo pierde rápido.
¿Por qué debería empatizar con Anne Marie, Liam o Martin? Tampoco puedo tenerle asco a Barry porque me lo diga el autor... y tampoco es capaz de ser la típica obra en que todos tienen sus razones para ser mejores o peores.
De nuevo sosa, trata temas como el terrorismo o el poder banalmente y ni siquiera aprovecha un personaje bien insertado como Jenny.
La obra la salva mínimamente que Higgins mal no escribía, precisamente, pero la historia es muy floja
Me ha parecido soso, solo coge ritmo, por momentos, a mitad de la historia pero lo pierde rápido.
¿Por qué debería empatizar con Anne Marie, Liam o Martin? Tampoco puedo tenerle asco a Barry porque me lo diga el autor... y tampoco es capaz de ser la típica obra en que todos tienen sus razones para ser mejores o peores.
De nuevo sosa, trata temas como el terrorismo o el poder banalmente y ni siquiera aprovecha un personaje bien insertado como Jenny.
La obra la salva mínimamente que Higgins mal no escribía, precisamente, pero la historia es muy floja
May 16, 2021
When men are raised by war, violence follows them. Martin Brosnan’s life has seen him rescuing a war photographer in Vietnam and defending his beliefs all over Europe. Now, he resides in the Alcatraz of France. While an old compatriot and former lover conspire with a British spy to release him, the man they want him to remove from the equation plots his own devious acts. Will any of them come out of this alive?
Action-filled and well-crafted, this peek into the lives of spies and politicians definitely entertains.
Action-filled and well-crafted, this peek into the lives of spies and politicians definitely entertains.
January 29, 2023
Liam Devlin, (almost) retired
A very readable adventure involving Devlin, plus some new characters, years and years after the events of “The Eagle has Landed”. The political events behind the plot — purloined advanced weaponry and KGB mischief — may seem a bit dated, but it’s still the same old Devlin. His principal adversary comes across as a bit too invincible, until the dénouement of course. Perhaps not Higgins’ best work, but certainly worth your time if you are at all a fan of his.
A very readable adventure involving Devlin, plus some new characters, years and years after the events of “The Eagle has Landed”. The political events behind the plot — purloined advanced weaponry and KGB mischief — may seem a bit dated, but it’s still the same old Devlin. His principal adversary comes across as a bit too invincible, until the dénouement of course. Perhaps not Higgins’ best work, but certainly worth your time if you are at all a fan of his.
January 21, 2018
In Touch the Devil, Liam Devlin returns in a Cold War adventure that pits two IRA veterans against a
terrorist-for-hire Frank Barry, who has been wreaking havoc in Germany and France, with backing from the KGB. His next mission might be his deadliest, as Barry plans to steal a state-of-the-art missile and sell it to the highest bidder. Retired IRA gunman Liam Devlin and his ally Martin Brosnan, orchestrated by a British black ops unit, are the only men that can prevent the missile from falling into the wrong hands. But first Devlin must stage a thrilling jailbreak to free Brosnan before the men set off on a gripping race against the clock to eliminate Barry and his reign of terror. This is again like the first Liam Devlin book a fast passed thriller, with any number of twists and turns in the plot. The final twist is the most jaw dropping!! On to the next one........
terrorist-for-hire Frank Barry, who has been wreaking havoc in Germany and France, with backing from the KGB. His next mission might be his deadliest, as Barry plans to steal a state-of-the-art missile and sell it to the highest bidder. Retired IRA gunman Liam Devlin and his ally Martin Brosnan, orchestrated by a British black ops unit, are the only men that can prevent the missile from falling into the wrong hands. But first Devlin must stage a thrilling jailbreak to free Brosnan before the men set off on a gripping race against the clock to eliminate Barry and his reign of terror. This is again like the first Liam Devlin book a fast passed thriller, with any number of twists and turns in the plot. The final twist is the most jaw dropping!! On to the next one........
December 2, 2018
Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first in the series. It does stand alone, though, as a book - - I found it had moments of elegant prose or high adventure but for the most part felt too predictable. The characters felt stock, not unique. There's nothing particularly bad about the book but nothing either, that struck me as outstanding. It's a basic espionage thriller with women characters that seem trapped in stereotype.
April 5, 2023
The second Higgins book in which Liam Devlin appears, although as in the first he shares the major protagonist role with another character. TTD is similar in structure to The Eagle Has Landed, and is a good thriller, but not quite up to its predecessor. Higgins still has the ability to make the reader cheer for the underdog, even if they are bad guys themselves. Not the best, but perfectly adequate for plane or beach reading.
December 2, 2018
RDC-M, V.1-83, @ 82, Read 1/84. Successful terrorist Frank Barry will deliver the NATO Missile Defense System to the Russians. Trained in Viet Nam, scholarly killer Martin Brosnan languishes in a French island prison. Best friend and IRA colleague Liam Devlin rescues him to help stop Barry. 4*'s = Very Good.
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