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In this thriller, Tweed, Paula Grey and Bob Newman face the most professional enemy they have ever encountered. Subjected to overwhelming and murderous pressure, Tweed's desperate task is to identify this mysterious opponent before it is too late. A nightmare scenario unfolds.

535 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

5 people are currently reading
190 people want to read

About the author

Colin Forbes

157 books117 followers
Raymond Harold Sawkins was a British novelist, who mainly published under the pseudonym Colin Forbes, but also as Richard Raine, Jay Bernard and Harold English. He only published three of his first books under his own name.Sawkins wrote over 40 books, mostly as Colin Forbes. He was most famous for his long-running series of thriller novels in which the principal character is Tweed, Deputy Director of the Secret Intelligence Service.

Sawkins attended The Lower School of John Lyon in Harrow, London. At the age of 16 he started work as a sub-editor with a magazine and book publishing company. He served with the British Army in North Africa and the Middle East during World War II. Before his demobilization he was attached to the Army Newspaper Unit in Rome. On his return to civilian life he joined a publishing and printing company, commuting to London for 20 years, until he became successful enough to be a full-time novelist.

Sawkins was married to a Scots-Canadian, Jane Robertson (born 31 March 1925, died 1993). Together they had one daughter, Janet.Sawkins died of a heart attack on August 23, 2006.

Sawkins was often quoted as personally visiting every location he features in his books to aid the authenticity of the writing. As a result, there is detailed description of the places where the action in his books takes place.

Fury (1995) was inspired by the courage of his wife before she died, and he set it apart from his other novels “because of the strong emotion and sense of loss that runs through it”.

Just one of Forbes' novels was made into a film: Avalanche Express, directed by Mark Robson and starring Lee Marvin and Robert Shaw, which was released in 1979 to generally poor reviews.




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5 stars
56 (18%)
4 stars
101 (34%)
3 stars
97 (32%)
2 stars
36 (12%)
1 star
5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Rita Chapman.
Author 17 books211 followers
May 13, 2020
Action a-plenty, with multiple murders, attempted murders and dastardly cunning.
Profile Image for Behnoosh E.
118 reviews12 followers
August 23, 2014
پرکشش، جذاب، با تعلیق و توضیحات فراوان!
Profile Image for Jan Sørensen.
67 reviews2 followers
March 8, 2019
I hate to admit it, but I needed to read more than 300 pages of this novel before I gave up. I have read most novels featuring Tweed, Newman and Paula Grey. Never really liked them, but never knowing why.
Now I know -You never really get to know them. Who are they really? You never see Newman writing anything -he seems more at home with a gun than a pen, and most of what Paula says is "be careful". And Tweed seems to take the slowest way to the climat than is possible.
In this novel, they are in Zürich -about 2-3 hours by car from Basle -and not much more than 2 hours by car from Colmar -which again is in the Vosges. But we need to stay at a hotel in each and every city. It is faster to drive from city to city, even faster than a plane. But they have to take the train!
Frankly, that is how I see most of his books. But OK -one book made me want to visit Constance, and this book made me realize, that I have been in Basle a few times, but never in the right heart of the city. But I should not need to read 300 pages to discover that!
Profile Image for Timo.
Author 3 books17 followers
June 25, 2025
Ensimmäinen lukemani Forbes ja voin muitakin lukea. Yllättyin hyvyydestä.
Profile Image for James Oliver.
62 reviews
August 27, 2020
Sophisticated
It is not, I have re-read this novel after many years absence, book is written in the Mid-90's about a Donaldseque type President sitting in the White House, with again Tweed up against organisations with sophisticated, equipment and personnel,while Tweed and his team are using payphones, and move about from hotel to hotel and to difference modes of transport in all places such as Cornwall, Switzerland, and France. His descriptions of hotel's is great, but that does not make a great thriller novel.

It a good novel, but his team are superheroes suffer no injury, their are many plot holes and loosen ends which don't resolve it by the final page.

It was great to Philip Cardon given a whole novel to work with the team. Marler appears from nowhere.

It was a great read in the 1990's when I was younger, but now it's ok read,

His opinions of EEC / EU was clearly formed by a certain Mr Johnson

Not one of Colin Forbes worst novels, but perhaps a good Colin Forbes novel,

This does not mean it is a great thriller novel, there are better in market.
Profile Image for Nigel.
1,025 reviews7 followers
February 2, 2021
Book 11 in the Tweed and Co series delivers exactly what readers of the series would expect. A megalomaniacal bad guy who is intent on killing everyone who gets in his way. A series of seemingly random killings and the usually plethora of red herrings and misdirection. The team do battle in Switzerland and France against an army of bad guys who are determine to kill them at any cost and create an ever more elaborate series of ambushes in which to achieve this.
For the first time in the series Phillip Cardon is full member of the team and fits in seamlessly. Whilst this (and other Forbes’ novels) would never when literary prizes they are great fun and an ideal way to pass the time.
Profile Image for Raymond.
109 reviews8 followers
July 7, 2014
Should be 2.4 star so make it 2. If you looking for education and enrichment, not here. Quick easy fiction reading, with sufficient drama to hold your attention. The usual Tweed team getting up to new exploits with the customary farfetched enthusiasm.
Profile Image for Paul.
995 reviews17 followers
April 24, 2014
One of Forbes' better 'Tweed' novels, though a little far-fetched at times. Contrary to other reports the word 'diabolical' is only used once!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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