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Rich and Jade #3
Sharp Shot (Junior Library Guild Selection
author Jack Higgins’ Chance twins are back in action! Rich and Jade Chance are once again on the run— but this time, trouble finds them while their father is away on his own mission. After a breathless chase through an amusement park, Jade is taken hostage by a man from Chance’s past who is plotting a dastardly political coup in the Middle East with nuclear weapons as a threat. Worse still, the President of the United States is on his way to the region for a summit meeting. It will take all of the Chance family’s wits and skills to find the bomb and defuse the threat—and time is running out. Executed to perfection, this gripping adventure featuring two regular teens is a seamless addition to Higgins’ masterful young adult series.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
28 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
479 books1,277 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 34 reviews
May 8, 2015
The brown haired blue eyed John Chance was on a top secret mission while his kids were home alone. Then when the kids were doing their homework a bloody faced, dark haired. and green eyed man came breaking in. He said he was looking for John and said he was being chased. He claimed to be Ferdy McCain but they later found out he was the psycho mercenary of Mike Darrow. He had kids and was ,"Being chased" and they ended up in an amusement park where Rick a dark haired high schooler and his sister, a blonde haired blue eyed teen, were running from the ,"Chasers" and Rick got caught. He later found out they were C.I.A. Then jade caught on to what was happening and got drugged by Darrow. They were keeping her hostage in Crown Prince Ali's mansion. Darrow called chance and said he wanted back a statue they left in the desert years ago. They made the exchange and got stranded in the middle of the desert. Then they found the desert people that owed Chance or John a camel. The said they could use their radio if they could keep the camel, and with no hesitation John said "Deal." They stormed the mansion with brand new helicopters and found out the statue had nuclear material inside of it. They found Darrow and Rick subdued him. Then they made him think the bomb went of and got him to tell them where it was. They found it and stopped it.Then they went to the kings party where they found Darrow trying to assassinate the king and President. Chance or John made a camera flash and Darrow shot the Crown Prince Ali, his companion, instead of the president. Then Darrow grabbed Jade as a hostage, again, and was going to leave. Then she ducked and John shot Darrow in the chest. I would rate this book 5 stars because it was very interesting. I would recommend this book to any one who like military things and action packed books.
November 23, 2020
Third part of the Chance family's adventures.
Rich and Jade are at home while their father is away working for MI6. A former SAS colleague of John's turns up, claiming to need help from his former friend. The twins are forced to go along with Darrow, believing him to be one of the two unidentified men in an old photo.
The three are chased all over the locality, ending up in a theme park, where there are different groups trying to catch the twins and Darrow. Eventually Jade ends up in East Araby, which borders Iraq, and Rich joins his father.
All the family are reunited in East Araby, where Darrow hopes to finish what he started---helping Crown Prince Ali prevent his nephew, King Hassan, from holding democratic elections. There's the usual gunfights and skullduggery and the Chance family eventually win.
There are certain far fetched parts of the story, especially concerning the twins. In the real world, any pupils missing excessive amounts of their schooling would be indeep trouble. The book was still good, though.
Rich and Jade are at home while their father is away working for MI6. A former SAS colleague of John's turns up, claiming to need help from his former friend. The twins are forced to go along with Darrow, believing him to be one of the two unidentified men in an old photo.
The three are chased all over the locality, ending up in a theme park, where there are different groups trying to catch the twins and Darrow. Eventually Jade ends up in East Araby, which borders Iraq, and Rich joins his father.
All the family are reunited in East Araby, where Darrow hopes to finish what he started---helping Crown Prince Ali prevent his nephew, King Hassan, from holding democratic elections. There's the usual gunfights and skullduggery and the Chance family eventually win.
There are certain far fetched parts of the story, especially concerning the twins. In the real world, any pupils missing excessive amounts of their schooling would be indeep trouble. The book was still good, though.
February 8, 2017
Jack Higgins “Sharp Shot” was an incredible book. There were really intense parts in the book that really keep me interested in the book. I liked the book, because the action is really good. It was also a good book, because after the really intense parts it kind of dulls out, and then after a chapter ramps back up. The book was really short which was nice. However, the book was still amazing.
My favorite part in the book is when Rich, Jade, and McCain are being chased. They get chased in multiple vehicles, and take many different routes through fields and roads as possible to get away from their chasers. The main objective in the book is to find a bad guy that is trying to get something from Rich and Jade’s dad. The best character in this book is Rich. Through all the stuff that is going on he is really chill about it, and he says the funniest things at times.
My favorite part in the book is when Rich, Jade, and McCain are being chased. They get chased in multiple vehicles, and take many different routes through fields and roads as possible to get away from their chasers. The main objective in the book is to find a bad guy that is trying to get something from Rich and Jade’s dad. The best character in this book is Rich. Through all the stuff that is going on he is really chill about it, and he says the funniest things at times.
August 29, 2018
Not the greatest in the series, and it might even be the worse. Sharp Shot just seemed too predictable. I was able to figure out the statue had a nuke in it before halfway through the book. Certain things did surprise me, like how Rich and Jade got their IQ reduced in this third book, and Jade just acts weird when they trade the statue. Even though its the real Jade, she definitely doesn't seem like it. There were some plot points that did surprise me, but they were far and few between. The reason I say their IQ is lowered is that they just didn't act like the kids they were beforehand, and they fell for tricks they didn't fall for in the first book. This all really centers around Jade. Her character is just off in this book. Read this book for the book after this, because it's much better. The idea of it was neat, but it would have been more effective under different circumstances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2020
This is an appalling attempt to rewrite the history of the Gulf War. Do young readers today recall the scam that the US government pulled off, about "Weapons of Mass Destruction" in Iraq. This manufactured lie was used to justify a war for oil that killed thousands of US American soldiers and millions of Iraqis, including hundreds of thousands of children. (Who were killed by US sanctions.) The book relies on stock World War II and James Bond stereotypes of the Good Guy, that is, the British are good (because they were the "Allies" of the United States.) I hope young readers and their teachers look up and use the curricula developed by the Zinn Education Project (yes, the very project recently attached by President Trump). Please, study real history and reject racist "fake news."
April 22, 2019
This book was a great read and the perfect third installment of this series. I am excited to read the next book!
March 30, 2025
Ahh... that was a good one...!!!
October 23, 2017
I really like this book is a great book to read and i don't have a copy at home
January 12, 2018
“Just so long as you two don’t get in any trouble there.” This saying doesn’t go along well with the Chance family, a group of secret agents working for the government. Rich, Jade and their father, John travel around the world stopping people from doing horrible things. This mission takes them to the Middle-East where they have to put the pieces together in order to stop one of John’s old friend, Mark Darrow from detonating a bomb in an American army base. If the bomb goes off, the entire world would suffer. Everyone has to work together to solve the problem in a short amount of time. The Chance family is in such a hurry to get the job done that they don’t have much time to relax and think. For the most part, the whole group gets along well. They had to make sacrifices and compromises.
I really enjoy Jack Higgins’ books because they are realistic fiction. The books allow me to use my imagination, but I also still learn a little bit from the writing. I have already read First Strike by the same author. I have yet to read the rest of the books in the series. Some parts of the book were not as fluent as others, but things really picked up towards the end. Some parts in the beginning of the book emerge in the end of the book, so the reader needs good comprehension skills in order to receive the full experience of the book. I read the book little by little and still understood the whole thing. For this type of book, I do not recommend reading it fast because you are able to miss important parts. Sharp Shot gave me the idea of how things play out in chronological order. One bad mistake can ruin more that what I thought it could. Anybody from the ages of 12 up to 100 can get that out of this great book. People who really enjoy non-fiction books would probably not enjoy it as much as fiction readers. Jack Higgins is one of the world’s best authors, and I can see why. His writing is so in depth, passionate, and adventurous that it takes the reader right into the book as if they are experiencing the plot for themselves.
The author writes in third point of view so that the reader gets the ideas of all of the characters. His form of writing isn’t dry, but it isn’t fast paced either. After most quotes, he puts the thoughts of the characters and what they are going to do next, almost foreshadowing. What did you think of the book? Who was your favorite character? This book is great to read whenever you get the chance to relax and read. I would definitely recommend this book.
I really enjoy Jack Higgins’ books because they are realistic fiction. The books allow me to use my imagination, but I also still learn a little bit from the writing. I have already read First Strike by the same author. I have yet to read the rest of the books in the series. Some parts of the book were not as fluent as others, but things really picked up towards the end. Some parts in the beginning of the book emerge in the end of the book, so the reader needs good comprehension skills in order to receive the full experience of the book. I read the book little by little and still understood the whole thing. For this type of book, I do not recommend reading it fast because you are able to miss important parts. Sharp Shot gave me the idea of how things play out in chronological order. One bad mistake can ruin more that what I thought it could. Anybody from the ages of 12 up to 100 can get that out of this great book. People who really enjoy non-fiction books would probably not enjoy it as much as fiction readers. Jack Higgins is one of the world’s best authors, and I can see why. His writing is so in depth, passionate, and adventurous that it takes the reader right into the book as if they are experiencing the plot for themselves.
The author writes in third point of view so that the reader gets the ideas of all of the characters. His form of writing isn’t dry, but it isn’t fast paced either. After most quotes, he puts the thoughts of the characters and what they are going to do next, almost foreshadowing. What did you think of the book? Who was your favorite character? This book is great to read whenever you get the chance to relax and read. I would definitely recommend this book.
January 18, 2016
Sharp Shot by Jack Higgins is a good book for young adults interested in action books. If you do read this book I suggest you read the epilogue. It gives a lot of backstory to how this book began. The book begins in Iran where Chance and his team are trying to take out a suspected nuclear facility. This mission is successful and a member of the team takes a ceramic lion which he thinks is worth money. It turned out the lion is to heavy and they bury it in the desert for later. While this is happening Rich and Jade, twins, are at home waiting for there father to return when a man shows up. This leads to an entire chase through an amusement park resulting in Jade being kidnapped. All of the clues lead to Jade being taken back to the middle east. Now the family must channel their inner soldier and travel to the middle east. After they find Jade they discover that there is something much more important going on. Crown Prince Ali is trying to overthrow his Uncle, King Hussan, for the thrown. They discover that the lion they found was actually lead lined and contained a small nuclear weapon. Chance and his kids go on a mission to find this nuclear bomb and save the President of the US, the King of Iran and the peace and tranquility between the two. Will they find the bomb or will there be a catastrophic event that will lead to war? Read the book to find out. Two things that I liked about this book was its pace and description of the scenes. There was always something happening, there was never a blank space in the book. The actions were very descriptive and led to complete understanding of the book. One thing I disliked about the book was that I wasn't aware that it was a series. It probably would have been even better had I read the first book.
October 23, 2015
The book I read was called Sharp Shot it is the best book I have ever read mostly because I don't read a lot at home or anywhere the book is written by Jack Haggins, he is the principal pseudonym of British novelist Harry Patterson. He is a great writer. I liked the book because it an action book and I like action book and movies. Jack Higgin is a great writer because he make the book more exciting by putting in hooks and clip hangers, this makes the reader more interested in what is going to happen next.
I thinks Jack Higgins action books are gonna be my favorite book until I find a better book which is not a comic book. I like action movies and book which is why Jack is one of my favorite writers. I have read 2-4 books,but Jack is my favorite writer so far maybe it might change when I start reading "There's a boy in the Girls Bathroom" by Louis Sachar. I liked how Jack made Darrow act like Ferdy McCain so he can assasinate the president named Ali. He did get to kill the prince of another country but not Ali. I also like how McCain ask John Chance's kids for help but actually they were bait for the president to come with John Chance. Jack was able to make me say a good thing about reading for the first time.
I strongly recomende this book to people who likes guns and action movies because this book has a lot of action. Starting from the kidnapping and the killing of the prince. This book is really good I prefer you to read it if you like action more than boring old romantic books.
I thinks Jack Higgins action books are gonna be my favorite book until I find a better book which is not a comic book. I like action movies and book which is why Jack is one of my favorite writers. I have read 2-4 books,but Jack is my favorite writer so far maybe it might change when I start reading "There's a boy in the Girls Bathroom" by Louis Sachar. I liked how Jack made Darrow act like Ferdy McCain so he can assasinate the president named Ali. He did get to kill the prince of another country but not Ali. I also like how McCain ask John Chance's kids for help but actually they were bait for the president to come with John Chance. Jack was able to make me say a good thing about reading for the first time.
I strongly recomende this book to people who likes guns and action movies because this book has a lot of action. Starting from the kidnapping and the killing of the prince. This book is really good I prefer you to read it if you like action more than boring old romantic books.
November 7, 2012
I thought the book Sharp Shot was an action packed thriller that was sort of hard to put down. I could relate to the main characters Jade and Rich really well because they were kids in the story just like me. Jade and Rich are twins and they sort of get tricked into helping out a person their dad used to work with. However, that person turns out to be a phony. McCain who they think is their dad's friend is being followed, chased, shot at for some unknown reason to Jade and Rich and the twins are trying to help McCain stay ahead of those trying to hurt McCain. McCain came to the kids because he thought their father John Chance could help him get out of this trouble, but his real intent was to use the kids as protection. While at a amusement park, Rich gets picked up by his father's team, and Jade remains hostage with McCain. He drugs her because she has figured out that McCain is not who he claims to be. Then McCain leaves Jade in the desert with a kind Arab family while he gets ahold of John Chance. It turns out the McCain who is Darrow left a statue back in Iraq and he needs that statue back to pay off a huge debt. The only way he can get John Chance to help him is if he uses his daughter as a hostage. John agrees so that he can get Jade back.
I really enjoyed the book because it does give it that kid perspective. I felt that I was in the story and I could really related to the events that were taking place. It was a good easy read that was hard to put down.
I really enjoyed the book because it does give it that kid perspective. I felt that I was in the story and I could really related to the events that were taking place. It was a good easy read that was hard to put down.
October 18, 2013
I read the book Sharp Shot and it was by Jack Higgins. It was about Jade, Rich, and their father. Their dad is a military operative and a national criminal poses to be a old partner of their dad looking for help. The criminal kidnaps Jade, and Jade's father makes a trade with an old statue. The Father doesn't know that inside the statue is a very critical element that is needed to build a nuclear bomb. Now not only are they in danger but the fate of humanity as well.I thought this book was very exciting and made you guess what will happen next. (Spoiler Alert) An example would be when Jade is drugged in a restaurant and she passes out. After 3 days later she wakes up and realized that she is not in the restaurant but in the middle of desert. I would recommend the book to thrill loving teens that want to be put in spots that make you want to read more, and die to find out what happens next. the reason why is because jade is kidnapped and you don't know where she is or how she got there.
September 24, 2010
The books Jack HIggins has co-authored with Justin Richards for the Young Adult market have, in many respects, been some of the best work he's done in years. Mainly because he's doing the outlines and leaving the writing to Richards, who brings excitement and freshness.
In this one, the twins--Jade and Rich--find themselves chased through an amusement park, with Rich getting away and Jade being kidnapped. A switch from the previous book--Death Run.
Higgins and Richards are using solid current events to give life to these books. In this case, an incident that happened during the first Gulf War comes back to haunt their father, John Chance.
The kids use their resourcefulness to pull themselves out of trouble. And Higgins and Richards are adept and not letting anything go to waste. If something is mentioned, it's going to be used later on.
Great for adventure lovers. The team don't write down to their audience, which means adults can enjoy these books too.
In this one, the twins--Jade and Rich--find themselves chased through an amusement park, with Rich getting away and Jade being kidnapped. A switch from the previous book--Death Run.
Higgins and Richards are using solid current events to give life to these books. In this case, an incident that happened during the first Gulf War comes back to haunt their father, John Chance.
The kids use their resourcefulness to pull themselves out of trouble. And Higgins and Richards are adept and not letting anything go to waste. If something is mentioned, it's going to be used later on.
Great for adventure lovers. The team don't write down to their audience, which means adults can enjoy these books too.
April 27, 2011
Looking for an adventure novel with action, suspense, criminals, and heroes? Then Sharp Shot, the third book about the Chance twins, by Jack Higgins with Justin Richards is the book for you. The year is 1990; John Chance is on a mission with fellow British Special Forces to take out a nuclear site in Iraq. When one of his peers is seriously injured they must make a decision to leave things behind in order to save his life. Flash forward to present day…the Chance twins (Jade and Rich) are at home in England while their hardworking father, John Chance, is on another secret mission. An unexpected visitor arrives with his enemy shooting in right on his heels. Before the twins know it, they are swept up in a life or death situation linked to their father’s 1990 mission. This is a great recommendation for Alex Rider fans looking for another thriller.
October 27, 2011
Entry 1-
Jamie, Rich, and their dad Chance are the main characters and are also the protagonists. Chanace is an SAS member for the British Intelligence, but Rich and Jamie get brought in to. The antagonist is Mark Darrow, who is a killer and his colleagues and followers. Rich, Jamie, and Chance are knoen worldwide for saving countries and even the world from disaster.
Entry 2-
The setting is always where all the action is which is important because it means at every moment there is a climax. The point of view is from Jade and Rich.
Entry 3-
Mark Darrow disguises himself as Ferdy McCain who is a good guy that Mark shot. He takes Jade and Rich hostage although they think that Darrow is helping them. In the end Rich, Chance, and Jamie save the President and tens of thousands of people.
Jamie, Rich, and their dad Chance are the main characters and are also the protagonists. Chanace is an SAS member for the British Intelligence, but Rich and Jamie get brought in to. The antagonist is Mark Darrow, who is a killer and his colleagues and followers. Rich, Jamie, and Chance are knoen worldwide for saving countries and even the world from disaster.
Entry 2-
The setting is always where all the action is which is important because it means at every moment there is a climax. The point of view is from Jade and Rich.
Entry 3-
Mark Darrow disguises himself as Ferdy McCain who is a good guy that Mark shot. He takes Jade and Rich hostage although they think that Darrow is helping them. In the end Rich, Chance, and Jamie save the President and tens of thousands of people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2013
This book is action packed with lots of cool things in it. It is about two twins named Jade and Rich. A guy named McCain comes to them for help because guys are chasing him. He wants help from his friend who was their dad. But there dad was on a business trip. So the twins help him but what they don't know is he is a bad guy. So McCain takes them to Iraq and kidnaps them. Their dad comes and saves them but McCain takes his daughter and drugs her up. But McCain forgot he needed a statue back at Iraq so he goes back and the twins dad was their waiting for him. Then he takes his daughter back and they go back to a normal life. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure and action books.
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August 9, 2016.This third gripping novel about the adventures of teenage twins Rich and Jade Chance takes the action and adventure to a new calibre - then pulls the trigger...With their secret agent dad in trouble, Jade and Rich are flung into a headlong series of chases, fights and captures that leads them to the arid deserts of the Middle East. There, the pair come up against terrifying new villains and surprising allies as an assassination attempt threatens international relations and a buried secret of the first Gulf War comes explosively to light..
August 21, 2012
This is a great book. When I was reading this book I couldn't take my eyes off the page and when I was forced away from it I couldn't wait to get home so I could read more. Once I finished the book I was actually sad that there wasn't more of the book to read. I'm usually not desperate to read a book, but this book made me crave reading. I would recommend this book to someone who likes action/comedy books.
February 5, 2014
Sharp Shot is 2nd in this series, which, when I've missed the first, is frustrating....however, it was a fun adventurous ride nonetheless......I think I will give this to all the kids who want shoot'em up thrill rides.......it's perfect for that reader (especially ones who aren't too critical of thin plot lines) =)
September 28, 2011
I thought it was and awesome book. It takes a REALLY good book to get me to read it in under a year! There where some confusing parts like near the beginning where the book kept switching from Rich to Jade and "Ferdy McCain" in the Theme Park chase. Other wise, it was an easy read.
February 18, 2013
Two teenage twins escaping from the impossible, fighting bad guys and nearly getting killed by a atomic bomb, who would want more? It's a very action filled and enjoyable book but not to be read before the others in the series.
May 1, 2015
This was a really great book. It started out action packed and stayed that way till the very end. There was a lot of surprises and from the beginning I had a hunch that it was really Darrow with rich and jade. Over all it had a great story and kept me interested the whole time.
July 7, 2010
Action packed and an awesome adventure.
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November 23, 2010cool
April 25, 2011
Its a pretty good light read. Nothing to serious but still entertaining.
April 27, 2012
i think the book gets more interesting as i read it. It also explains the the specific details in order.
February 26, 2013
A good book. I think co-author Justin Richards probably did most of the writing but the story line is very much Higgins.
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March 17, 2014i sort of liked it in parts it just got so boring that i just felt like just closing the book and throwing it out of the window
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews