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Sean Dillon #1
EYE OF THE NEEDLE
COD available. Used book in good condition, above image is a rerpresentative one
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 5, 1992
548 people are currently reading
5573 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
480 books1,279 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 232 reviews
October 9, 2017
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought as I have listened to some of the other, "Dillon," stories, but to this point found none as good. I now have a clearer understanding of this character who originated in '92. Michael Page is superb as narrator. This story is not for the faint of heart. 10 of 10 stars
April 13, 2020
This was fun, but not great. Things moved a little too quickly & easily most of the time. I was also disappointed because I expected a different main character. That's on me, though. Well narrated.
November 5, 2021
Though ‘Eye of The Storm’ is premised on a real event (the 1991 mortar attack on 10 Downing Street), and an interesting exercise in filling out fictionally what might have been the story behind it, this book felt a workman-like product. Well-enough plotted and with some good characterisation, the writing was, however, in places flat and uninspired. From ‘a thriller writer in a class of his own’ it says on the cover, but one might expect to find a teacher’s comment in the margins ‘could do better... see me after class’.
April 6, 2017
In Eye of the Storm, British thriller writer Jack Higgins reimagines the story behind the mortar attack on 10 Downing Street that took place in 1991 shortly after John Major succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. The attack took place during the early days of the First Gulf War, when Baghdad was under attack from the air and a land invasion was imminently expected. The Provisional IRA engineered the attack, which mirrored its tactics in Northern Ireland. Instead, Higgins puts the blame on a former Provisional IRA hit man named Sean Dillon working as a mercenary for the KGB and its client, Saddam Hussein.
Saddam Hussein gets the blame
Eye of the Storm reflects the historical record in many respects, including the details of the attack. The fanciful hinge on which the story turns is the role of Saddam Hussein, who appears as a minor character in the novel. The hardened mercenary Sean Dillon takes the honors at the center of the plot. Two other favorite characters from Higgins’ stable round out the cast: Martin Brosnan and even the now aging Liam Devlin, both of them reformed ex-IRA terrorists now reincarnated as university professors. The three-way relationship among Dillon, Brosnan, and Devlin is at the heart of the story. All three, and even the many lesser characters in the novel, are brilliantly drawn; their personalities leap off the page. Higgins tells the tale with supreme command of pacing and momentum, building suspense steadily to a crescendo. He makes terrorism credible.
About the author
British novelist Harry Patterson has written most of his 84 novels under the pseudonym Jack Higgins. Though he began writing in 1959, his breakthrough came only in 1975, with the publication of The Eagle Has Landed, which sold fifty million copies. The book introduced the Irish terrorist Liam Devlin and was followed years later by three additional novels about him. Clearly, Higgins was enamored of Irish terrorists. Following his first appearance in 1979 in The Judas Gate, the younger IRA gunman Sean Dillon was the central character in twenty-one subsequent novels. Eye of the Storm, published in 1992, was the first of those.
Saddam Hussein gets the blame
Eye of the Storm reflects the historical record in many respects, including the details of the attack. The fanciful hinge on which the story turns is the role of Saddam Hussein, who appears as a minor character in the novel. The hardened mercenary Sean Dillon takes the honors at the center of the plot. Two other favorite characters from Higgins’ stable round out the cast: Martin Brosnan and even the now aging Liam Devlin, both of them reformed ex-IRA terrorists now reincarnated as university professors. The three-way relationship among Dillon, Brosnan, and Devlin is at the heart of the story. All three, and even the many lesser characters in the novel, are brilliantly drawn; their personalities leap off the page. Higgins tells the tale with supreme command of pacing and momentum, building suspense steadily to a crescendo. He makes terrorism credible.
About the author
British novelist Harry Patterson has written most of his 84 novels under the pseudonym Jack Higgins. Though he began writing in 1959, his breakthrough came only in 1975, with the publication of The Eagle Has Landed, which sold fifty million copies. The book introduced the Irish terrorist Liam Devlin and was followed years later by three additional novels about him. Clearly, Higgins was enamored of Irish terrorists. Following his first appearance in 1979 in The Judas Gate, the younger IRA gunman Sean Dillon was the central character in twenty-one subsequent novels. Eye of the Storm, published in 1992, was the first of those.
July 26, 2024
not amazing. not bad but not really intersting. things we have seen and read too many and some not in good taste. like the russian kgb agent who opens her legs from some idiot british clerk. realy.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
May 25, 2021
Terrifically exciting (usual for this author). No cliffhanger, clean, and entertaining. Very well narrated.
November 1, 2019
I read this book, and others by this author, long ago, and only remember that i enjoyed them enough to read several, but mainly as I came across them in used book stores, never really seeking them out. But this was way back before Goodreads, and before ebooks.
June 5, 2008
Having read The Eagle Has landed, and having my expectations high, I was amazed to discover that old Jack only had one book in him! This and several others among his efforts show a recycling of the same character types, story lines: I can't figure why he hasn't been denounced loudly for it. I read a few and came to believe I could write a Jack Higgins novel myself using his templates. Unlike Jack, I won't be so cruel. Don't bother reading anything he wrote apart from "Eagle".
August 19, 2020
A rough start to be expected as the first book, but I found the whole prmise Jackel-like and not imaginative. It picked up speed near the 75% reading mark but remained bland. I have reservations in going to book #2 in the series. If no other books come in and there is a void in my reading material, I may attempt but as of now, so many interesting authors out there.
September 5, 2017
Won't read the rest in this series
Just bad. Dillon is supposed to be an elite criminal. Yet, he makes mistake after mistake. Tells everyone his plans. Fails twice.
Won't waste my time continuing this series.
Just bad. Dillon is supposed to be an elite criminal. Yet, he makes mistake after mistake. Tells everyone his plans. Fails twice.
Won't waste my time continuing this series.
July 3, 2016
Not bad. Took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. Think it's the first one I,ve read by him. Onto the next one now, Thunder Point.
September 6, 2021
Wow, this was one that I didn't like. There are some that I do and some that I don't. Sean Dillon is a mercenary for hire. He's hired by an Iraqi who wants to make a demonstration. Sean decides to take out the British War Council. Apparently, this is based on a true event.
It was just so...boring. It was all people talking to each other and making plans. Very little action and yet...so many people died. I didn't really care. I would have rather the mission had been more successful just so that it would have been more interesting.
It was just so...boring. It was all people talking to each other and making plans. Very little action and yet...so many people died. I didn't really care. I would have rather the mission had been more successful just so that it would have been more interesting.
September 29, 2023
Very entertaining spy thriller. Action packed but also slow in some spots.
January 28, 2016
Sean Dillon is a bad man. A very bad man. A former IRA gunman, Dillon now hires himself out as an assassin to any terrorist group or intelligence agency with enough money to meet his price. In this Jack Higgins' thriller, Eye of the Storm, the man meeting Dillon's price is Saddam Hussein, Iraq's embattled dictator besieged by an international Coalition of countries during 1991's Operation Desert Storm.
Hussein wants to lash out beyond his country's borders to show the Coalition he can strike at will in any of their countries. Dillon's way of fulfilling that wish is to attack the British war cabinet during their daily morning briefing in No. 10 Downing Street. (Higgins admits the plot was inspired by the real life IRA mortar attack on Downing Street during the war.)
British intelligence, however, is on to Dillon. The problem is Dillon is a ghost. No current photo of him exists and no one knows what he actually looks like. Moreover, he is a trained actor and a master of disguise. Brigadier General Charles Ferguson, had of Section 4 in MI6, convinces another former IRA gunman – Martin Brosnan, a one time colleague of Dillon's – to join the hunt for the killer.
Higgins grew up amid the Irish Troubles and he is at his best writing thrillers about former IRA members. His character Liam Devlin, first seen in Higgins' classic The Eagle Has Landed, is one of literature's more memorable rogues. But Dillon is a killer of another color.
Where Devlin and Brosnan – both of whom appear together in previous Higgins thrillers – are disillusioned IRA men who left the movement when it turned into wholesale murder, Dillon is a remorseless killer. And that puts me into a conundrum.
After this book, Dillon goes on to become the center character of another Higgins series. But unlike Devlin and Brosnan, I don't like Dillon. He has none of the glib Irish humor of Devlin, nor any of the introspective intellectualism of Brosnan. I simply don't want to spend more time with him. Though because I enjoy Higgins' books, I probably will. I only hope in subsequent novels, Dillon grows a conscience.
Hussein wants to lash out beyond his country's borders to show the Coalition he can strike at will in any of their countries. Dillon's way of fulfilling that wish is to attack the British war cabinet during their daily morning briefing in No. 10 Downing Street. (Higgins admits the plot was inspired by the real life IRA mortar attack on Downing Street during the war.)
British intelligence, however, is on to Dillon. The problem is Dillon is a ghost. No current photo of him exists and no one knows what he actually looks like. Moreover, he is a trained actor and a master of disguise. Brigadier General Charles Ferguson, had of Section 4 in MI6, convinces another former IRA gunman – Martin Brosnan, a one time colleague of Dillon's – to join the hunt for the killer.
Higgins grew up amid the Irish Troubles and he is at his best writing thrillers about former IRA members. His character Liam Devlin, first seen in Higgins' classic The Eagle Has Landed, is one of literature's more memorable rogues. But Dillon is a killer of another color.
Where Devlin and Brosnan – both of whom appear together in previous Higgins thrillers – are disillusioned IRA men who left the movement when it turned into wholesale murder, Dillon is a remorseless killer. And that puts me into a conundrum.
After this book, Dillon goes on to become the center character of another Higgins series. But unlike Devlin and Brosnan, I don't like Dillon. He has none of the glib Irish humor of Devlin, nor any of the introspective intellectualism of Brosnan. I simply don't want to spend more time with him. Though because I enjoy Higgins' books, I probably will. I only hope in subsequent novels, Dillon grows a conscience.
December 7, 2019
2.5/5 Jack Higgins was the first author of thrillers that I read. The Eagle Has Landed remains a must-read WW2 thriller. It was a book that has been copied by other authors and by Higgins himself repeatedly !
Although he repeated the same basic storyline - someone had to be rescued/assassinated in his novels, they were fun reads because of the fast pacing, the protagonists (Liam Devlin and later Sean Dillon) and the style. This one was read more for the sake of nostalgia but clearly the style is out-of-date.
Although he repeated the same basic storyline - someone had to be rescued/assassinated in his novels, they were fun reads because of the fast pacing, the protagonists (Liam Devlin and later Sean Dillon) and the style. This one was read more for the sake of nostalgia but clearly the style is out-of-date.
November 7, 2023
The fiftieth #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson #jamesgraham novel #eyeofthestorm published in 1992. The first appearance of #seandillon who would go on to feature in the vast majority of Higgins’ subsequent novels. Dillon is a great character charming and deadly. I read most of the sean Dillon novels when I was younger and gave up as they started to get repetitive. It might be the bias of nostalgia but this first entry in the series is Higgins in top form. Brigadier Charles Ferguson makes another appearance as does Martin Brosnan whom we haven’t seen since Higgins 42nd book touch the devil. Brosnan is back to hunt another killer as before. But this time the killer is so compelling he takes over Higgins work for this next stage in Higgins writing career. Higgins had slowly been developing what would become the Dillon character over many years, taking different qualities of previous characters and mixing them together to get his most popular/recurring protagonist. Liam devlin also makes an appearance. It’s interesting that Higgins shows how ruthless Dillon can be, but also how mistakes can be made. Despite failure Dillon is still formidable. It would have been good to see him succeed in at least one mission (perhaps something without such major stakes) so the reader can appreciate how capable Dillon is before having him coerced into working for the government in the next book. However, the fact that Dillon is always a half step ahead is probably enough to prove his skills, especially as the failures are always caused by external factors not Dillon. Always fun having real history examined through fiction.
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
July 23, 2022
Not any fun. This was an audiobook. You know, a good narrator can make a mediocre book worth listening too. The opposite of this is true also. A poor narrator can make a good story a chore to listen to. This book falls into that category. The narrator reminds me of an over the top Shakespearian actor... sort of like William Shantner with a thick British accent. Every. Thing. Was. Said. With. Emphasis! He tried to make every different person's voice- well- different. With miserable results. He'd use a loud voice then answer it with a barely audible whisper. Throw in an attempt at a French accent and it spelled disaster. In a word he was ANNOYING.
Another beef I had was the author's choice of character names. I feel he violated a very basic rule: don't give characters names that start with the same initial. He had two F's (Fergusson and Flood), three D's (Dylan, Devlin, Danny) and amazingly FIVE M's (Moira, Mary, McGuire, McKeeve, and Mordecai). It was really hard to keep all of them straight. In fact the story had too many named characters.
In short this was not an enjoyable story to listen to- and that doesn't even consider the plot which was all over the place and hard to follow. I finished it- but it was a chore... thus it "earned" two stars.
Another beef I had was the author's choice of character names. I feel he violated a very basic rule: don't give characters names that start with the same initial. He had two F's (Fergusson and Flood), three D's (Dylan, Devlin, Danny) and amazingly FIVE M's (Moira, Mary, McGuire, McKeeve, and Mordecai). It was really hard to keep all of them straight. In fact the story had too many named characters.
In short this was not an enjoyable story to listen to- and that doesn't even consider the plot which was all over the place and hard to follow. I finished it- but it was a chore... thus it "earned" two stars.
June 20, 2018
June 2018 Sean #1 but my 5th Jack Higgins. I think I appreciate Sean more as a person part of the Ferguson team than as an ruthless independent contract.
Read
October 16, 2024I've been having a hard time getting through books recently, so this was a refreshing change. Even though you know what is going to happen because the book starts out telling you that it's the theoretical way that a real bombing on 10 Downing Street could have been carried out, it was still interesting.
July 5, 2017
Had to put this one down. 30% into this book and nothing much is happening.
When I picked it back up it was a slow read up until 50% into the book.
The last 50% moved much better.
When I picked it back up it was a slow read up until 50% into the book.
The last 50% moved much better.
September 2, 2014
Jack Higgins The story is very interesting. The story is written in typical Jack Higgins format. It is a novel about an IRA hit man Sean Dillion who goes public for hire. The story is very fast paced and easy to read. The book is one in a series featuring the villain Sean Dillion who becomes a very likeable character. The name of the books in the Sean Dillion series are listed below. It seems all the Jack Higgins novels follow a similar story line, and if you enjoy his writing style you will enjoy his novels. I would not put this novel in the same category as The Eagle has Landed, but that being said it is a very interesting novel well worth reading.
Eye of the Storm (1992) a.k.a. Midnight Man
Thunder Point (1993)
On Dangerous Ground (1994)
Angel of Death (1995)
Drink with the Devil (1996)
The President's Daughter (1997)
The White House Connection (1998)
Day of Reckoning (2000)
Edge of Danger (2001)
Midnight Runner (2002)
Bad Company (2003)
Dark Justice (2004)
Without Mercy (2005)
The Killing Ground (Feb 2008)
Rough Justice (Aug 2008)
A Darker Place (Jan 2009)
The Wolf at the Door (January 2010)
The Judas Gate (2010)
A Devil is Waiting (2012)
The Death Trade (2014)of three.
Eye of the Storm (1992) a.k.a. Midnight Man
Thunder Point (1993)
On Dangerous Ground (1994)
Angel of Death (1995)
Drink with the Devil (1996)
The President's Daughter (1997)
The White House Connection (1998)
Day of Reckoning (2000)
Edge of Danger (2001)
Midnight Runner (2002)
Bad Company (2003)
Dark Justice (2004)
Without Mercy (2005)
The Killing Ground (Feb 2008)
Rough Justice (Aug 2008)
A Darker Place (Jan 2009)
The Wolf at the Door (January 2010)
The Judas Gate (2010)
A Devil is Waiting (2012)
The Death Trade (2014)of three.
February 27, 2024
When I first got into reading, this type of book was my bread and butter. I wanted action, intrigue, a bit of romance, and lots of explosions (or the threat of one; usually, it's a famous building like the White House or something). This genre satiates a core element of why I read in the first place, to escape regular life and dive into the fantastical.
Eye of the Storm has all the components of this genre. An ex-IRA assassin plots to blow up the British War Cabinet meeting at Downing Street. Our rogue protagonist, Sean Dillon (which must be said with a manly grunt and maybe flex your biceps), is the bad guy -- but we're supposed to root for him because his intentions are valid -- and because there are 26 more books in this series.
The plot gets clunky, all of the supporting characters are mid, but the thrills are there, the pacing of the action sequences is decent, and generally, it delivers on its mandate as an airport thriller.
Eye of the Storm has all the components of this genre. An ex-IRA assassin plots to blow up the British War Cabinet meeting at Downing Street. Our rogue protagonist, Sean Dillon (which must be said with a manly grunt and maybe flex your biceps), is the bad guy -- but we're supposed to root for him because his intentions are valid -- and because there are 26 more books in this series.
The plot gets clunky, all of the supporting characters are mid, but the thrills are there, the pacing of the action sequences is decent, and generally, it delivers on its mandate as an airport thriller.
June 6, 2013
A disappointing thriller. The plot is not believable. There is really no climax (as the author tells you on page one how its going to turn out). The characters are mostly pretty thin and the writing formulaic.
Give this one a pass.
Give this one a pass.
August 10, 2016
An entertaining read.
November 28, 2012
masterpiece. first Dillon book i read. i dont have a copy though. theres little i wouldnt do to get a library edition or even a hardback of this or its renamed version: Midnight Man.
February 15, 2014
Though not as thrilling as Eagle Has Landed, this novel is still captivating enough to keep you glued to the pages.
December 24, 2017
Very much your average spy thriller, I didn't find it particularly enthralling. Hoping the series improves as it goes along.
March 7, 2025
Eye of the Storm is the first novel in the Sean Dillon Series by Jack Higgins and is set around the real mortar attack on the official residence of the UK Prime Minister in February 1991.
This is not the first time I have read Eye of the Storm, however the first time was an abridged audio version when the novel was released.
So while the general gst of the story was known to me and certain scenes have stuck in my mind, it was such a long time ago, added to that the additional content that was not in the abridged version.
It would be classed as an almost reread.
In addition another thing that could have an affect on me as a reader was this was based on true events. The UK was at war with Iraq, (as part of a coalition with the USA), to free Kuwait, Britain had recently changed its Prime minister from Thatcher to Major and there was a mortar attack on 10 Downing street.
Which means the major outcome of the peak event which the story was set around is known either by memory or a quick look on Wikipedia.
Having said that Jack Higgins is a writer that has written novels set around real events and people before and has been successful.
Jack Higgins who sadly passed away in 2022, and is up there with the best British writers in his genre and generation (such as Fredrick Frosyth and Alistar Maclean), at their heights.
Eye of the Storm is an above average suspense thriller which is told through two main perspectives.
The first being Sean Dillion the titular name of the series, who is a terrorist for hire while he is introduced in the novel and you get to no him it is more about the facts of the character, rather than any in depth character detail while the characters are not 2 dimensional as their is more to them than that, it is not a character study of a terrorist.
Which is the same for most novels of this genre.
As for the other one Martian Brosnan who is set to catch Sean Dillion, also appears in another book by Jack HigginsTouch the Devil, the plot of this is discussed in the novel.
This is quite common with Jack Higgins novels as a number of characters who appear in this are also in a number of his novels, such as Liam Devlin and Brigadier Ferfguson.
As for the plot itself and the execution by the writer, given the fact that the outcome of the novel can be known beforehand. Higgins is very good at bringing the tension in the novel by making a majority of the story about the surrounding events.
So if you enjoy suspense thrillers that concentrate on the planing and the aftermath of the operation rather than the event itself then Eye of the Storm by Jack Higgins is well worth reading even after 30 years from its publication.
This is not the first time I have read Eye of the Storm, however the first time was an abridged audio version when the novel was released.
So while the general gst of the story was known to me and certain scenes have stuck in my mind, it was such a long time ago, added to that the additional content that was not in the abridged version.
It would be classed as an almost reread.
In addition another thing that could have an affect on me as a reader was this was based on true events. The UK was at war with Iraq, (as part of a coalition with the USA), to free Kuwait, Britain had recently changed its Prime minister from Thatcher to Major and there was a mortar attack on 10 Downing street.
Which means the major outcome of the peak event which the story was set around is known either by memory or a quick look on Wikipedia.
Having said that Jack Higgins is a writer that has written novels set around real events and people before and has been successful.
Jack Higgins who sadly passed away in 2022, and is up there with the best British writers in his genre and generation (such as Fredrick Frosyth and Alistar Maclean), at their heights.
Eye of the Storm is an above average suspense thriller which is told through two main perspectives.
The first being Sean Dillion the titular name of the series, who is a terrorist for hire while he is introduced in the novel and you get to no him it is more about the facts of the character, rather than any in depth character detail while the characters are not 2 dimensional as their is more to them than that, it is not a character study of a terrorist.
Which is the same for most novels of this genre.
As for the other one Martian Brosnan who is set to catch Sean Dillion, also appears in another book by Jack HigginsTouch the Devil, the plot of this is discussed in the novel.
This is quite common with Jack Higgins novels as a number of characters who appear in this are also in a number of his novels, such as Liam Devlin and Brigadier Ferfguson.
As for the plot itself and the execution by the writer, given the fact that the outcome of the novel can be known beforehand. Higgins is very good at bringing the tension in the novel by making a majority of the story about the surrounding events.
So if you enjoy suspense thrillers that concentrate on the planing and the aftermath of the operation rather than the event itself then Eye of the Storm by Jack Higgins is well worth reading even after 30 years from its publication.
November 25, 2023
For an assassin supposedly the equal of the great "Carlos", Jack Higgins' Northern Irishman Sean Dillon certainly seems ineffective. Handy with a handgun and a master of disguises definitely, but if the two attempts described in "Eye of the Storm" are any indication, he's in for a short career. Of course, Higgins wrote over 20 more in the Dillon series after this, but still....
Eye of the Storm begins with a botched attempt by Dillon on the life of ex-PM Margaret Thatcher and ends with a botched attempt on the lives of the British war cabinet, including PM John Major (based on real events). In between, killer Dillon is hand-picked by an Iraqi businessman (the action occurs during the Gulf War) to make some sort of noisy hit on the Brits and Dillon dreams up an audacious attack that would show the world Saddam Hussein cannot be pushed around. Of course, Dillon didn't care about that, he just loved the challenge and the $2M coming his way. Unfortunately, the level of detail required to pull an attack on the heavily fortified 10 Downing Street off doesn't seem to be his forte, so it comes to naught in the end.
I've read several Higgins books over the years and generally enjoy them, as I did this one, but they're showing their age a bit. The writing in Eye of the Storm is OK but seems dated, the dialogue is corny at times, and although the action moves quickly it seems like the mistakes on both the intelligence side and Dillon's are almost comical. I know I'm jaded by all the technology that can be thrown at terrorists in today's world so I have to control my expectations when I read an older novel like this, but even back in those days I'd find it hard to believe the attack written about here would've gotten as far as it did. However, it apparently did, in the real world, though I don't remember it and should do a little research.
Eye of the Storm is entertaining but has a lot of holes. 3.5 stars rounded down.
Eye of the Storm begins with a botched attempt by Dillon on the life of ex-PM Margaret Thatcher and ends with a botched attempt on the lives of the British war cabinet, including PM John Major (based on real events). In between, killer Dillon is hand-picked by an Iraqi businessman (the action occurs during the Gulf War) to make some sort of noisy hit on the Brits and Dillon dreams up an audacious attack that would show the world Saddam Hussein cannot be pushed around. Of course, Dillon didn't care about that, he just loved the challenge and the $2M coming his way. Unfortunately, the level of detail required to pull an attack on the heavily fortified 10 Downing Street off doesn't seem to be his forte, so it comes to naught in the end.
I've read several Higgins books over the years and generally enjoy them, as I did this one, but they're showing their age a bit. The writing in Eye of the Storm is OK but seems dated, the dialogue is corny at times, and although the action moves quickly it seems like the mistakes on both the intelligence side and Dillon's are almost comical. I know I'm jaded by all the technology that can be thrown at terrorists in today's world so I have to control my expectations when I read an older novel like this, but even back in those days I'd find it hard to believe the attack written about here would've gotten as far as it did. However, it apparently did, in the real world, though I don't remember it and should do a little research.
Eye of the Storm is entertaining but has a lot of holes. 3.5 stars rounded down.
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