The Violent Enemy

by Jack Higgins, Hugh Marlowe

Britain’s most wanted political offender. A seductively beautiful woman, and the dream of a perfect escape… Many lives had been sacrificed for the Irish cause, but legendary freedom fighter Colum O’Mare, ageing and critically illl, was ready to gamble once more for a last devastating strike. Which is why Sean Rogan, soldier of the Irish Republican Army gets all the help he needs to break out of a mainland security prison. An escape into a nightmare beyond anyone’s control…

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Ebooks, Mystery, Adventure

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

There 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.

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrillers don't get much leaner than this. Higgins gets right down to business straight away, opening with a prison break and following it up with a breakneck heist. My first exposure to the author, and it definitely won't be my last.

There isn't an ounce of fat on any of the pages and the thrills come thick and fast. The set pieces are tense and the character interactions highly entertaining. With an extra-short length this is one of those books you can finish off in a couple of readings.

A story as tough and uncompromising as its lead character.

[123abc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting! Almost a bit Jason Bournesque - fast paced and interesting characters w/ occasional twists. Wish it was longer!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book from start to finish.
Sean Rogan breaks out of Dartmoor Prison in Devon and makes his way up to Cumbria. He becomes involved with a train robbery, but makes himself unpopular with the other gang members by taking control of the operation.
The robbery doesn't go quite as well as expected, but the gang get away with a partial success. The police have a few lucky breaks and eventually catch up with the villains. However, the police don't catch all of the gang.
It was great to read a Jack Higgins book that I'd never read before.

[arthur h. cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding! A Great Read.

Any book I can't put down or can't wait to pick back up has captivated me. The protagonists and antagonists are likeable, and despicable respectively and memorable. All of which adds up to my 5***** rating. A bit of the dialect needs to be looked up as some of the terms and phrases are unusually uncommon. Such as a "shooting brake". Go look it up. You won't believe the answer!

[JT CAREY · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a relatively short novel by Jack Higgins. That said, the storyline is rich with twists and turns and a myriad of interesting characters. His writing is easy reading and his characters well-fleshed out with realistic dialogue: a real page-turner. If you have a couple of 'me' hours or a plane/commute ride, this is well worth the read.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic action-packed cliffhanger and relevant to the times - it was the IRA in 1966. I find it enjoyable today to read stories where no cell phones or extensive computer networks existed. Coppers had limited means of communication while running down the perps. Land lines and radios.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything that makes a good story. There's the good hearted bad guy that has a strict moral code who you root for throughout the book. Higgins always comes up with a loveable rogue & Sean Rogan is a grand one.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I liked the characters. Rogan, Hannah, the superintendent... Excitement, action, and quick to read. I really am a sucker for stories set post WWII, but with back story that has to do with that time period, even if it's now in the 1960s.

[David Patsel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - Loved it

Jack Higgins writes a thriller as well as anyone. This was a great story with plenty of plot changes, new directions and a great ending. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Think you will too!

[Kevin Reeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honor among thieves

This is a great story with multiple moving parts to keep it all going. Sean Rogan gets connected with some unsavory characters but stays a step Ahead off them. Scotland Yard stays in pursuit and then the ending shocks you. Great read!!

[Carl Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very exciting story

I gave this rating because he kept you hurrying to turn the next page. jack Higgins has a way of getting you into the story and keeping you there. That is why I have read almost all of Higgins books.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Higgins during his prime.
Great read!

[Bob Stenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very entertaining read with lots of action.

[Mailmanr5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read Higgins in 20 years. A good tale of thieves here. Good characters and believable dialogue.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Higgins never disappoints. Quite a short story, but with drama till the end.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these old Jack Higgins stories.

[Oli Turner]

“I’d rather be the devil.” The seventeenth jack higgins / martin fallon / hugh marlowe/ Harry patterson / henry patterson novel the violent enemy aka a candle for the dead published in 1966. A solid thriller featuring a prison break, a money train/armoured car heist, the inevitable betrayal and a surprisingly satisfying ending. Lots of rain and great atmosphere. A reasonably written attraction leading to the start of romance, but thankfully no immediate declarations of everlasting love. Considering how many set pieces Higgins has squeezed into previous novels this one seems relatively simple by comparison but it is still really very effective. We spend a bit more time with the protagonist planning the prison break and heist. Very enjoyable.

[Ted Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I like to read the original and report on the original, in this case A Candle For the Dead by Hugh Marlowe. However, I read the paperback copy, not Kindle, and it is pitiful. For whatever reason the publisher did not choose to put spaces between paragraphs when the scene changed. One second you are reading about Sean Rogen, the next about the lead detective - it made it hard to read.

The story is good, the action is fast paced. You can really see how Jack Higgins evolved over time to a better writer, and if you read the Sean Dillon books, you can see how he devolved as well.

Anyway, for 1966, this is a pretty good book - 147 pages - so it is a fast red. I hope to run across more of these early reprints - I think I paid maybe $5.00 for this on Amazon - worth it.

[Conor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced and engaging. Maybe too fast as the majority of characters felt fairly one-dimensional. The dialogue was quite poor and not all that clear who was talking at times.

Decent plot and moved along at a fair clip. The 'twist' at the end was about as surprising as encountering repeated descriptions of a red-haired Irishman speaking with a heavy brogue.

[MICHAEL G TARRANT]

Vintage Jack Higgins! Great plot interesting characters
and action galore. Interesting twists and turns leading
to a satisfying conclusion to the book. Definitely
a must read for any Jack Higgins fans.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first encounter with a Jack Higgins book. I was not that impressed. I did not find the story that engaging, I did not care much for the characters, in fact, I often found it hard to concentrate on the book.

[Jill Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have at least 30 of Jack's books on my shelf, and this is the best. I endorse all the five star reviews and would add that you'll need two things when you sit down to read - a raincoat and an ordnance survey map :)

[total tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riviting

Enjoyed every minute of it. Will definitely read more from this author. He tells a tale that keeps you involved from page one.

[Randall Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Jack Higgins tells great Ira stories.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sean Rogan

A strange tale of the good and the bad. A friendship between the two. A robbery gone bad and death for some

[Paul Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good early story from one of the masters. Short but enjoyable.

[Frank Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

Very very good story that keeps the reader focused on what may happen in the next chapter that no one expects

[Joseph Herlihy · Rating 5 out of 5]

short story, kept moving

As a descendant of Irishmen and a student of that country’s history, I appreciated this snapshot of life in Ireland.

[Paul Royar]

Disliked.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very old Jack Higgins originally written under the name of Hugh Marlowe.

I am a self-confessed Jack Higgins fan and I read all of his books and you see how much he has grown as author over the years.

This book was very mediocre for Higgins. The storyline was okay, the romance unnecessary, and even the writing did not flow in the usual style I have come to love. For a short book it seemed a lot longer than it was which is never a good sign.

I actually got a bit of deja-vu on this book, as it seems to be that Higgins incorporated part of this plot into one of his Sean Dillon's (Drink with the Devil). There was the same heist with the duplicate vans and one going back to a barn and there was also the slow son. He obviously decided to try and improve on it and the newer Dillon was much better.

I've given it 3 stars. I finished it and it was okay but no more than that. Only one for Higgins completists like me who read everything of his. Otherwise one to miss.