Edge of Danger

Sean Dillon #9

by Jack Higgins

From bestselling author Jack Higgins comes a new thriller reuniting heroic American agent Blake Johnson and ex-IRA enforcer Sean Dillon. They join forces in a desperate race to stop a fanatical clan of international warriors from taking its ultimate revenge. Its target?

The President of the United States.

"Another winner." (Publishers Weekly)

"The action is non-stop." (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Adventure, Action, Suspense, Espionage

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 16, 2001

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

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Edmond Gagnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it strange how Jack Higgins took a perfectly good thriller and turned it into a lack-luster story that was barely worth the three stars I gave it.
I struggled through the first half of the book, trying to figure out what was bothering me so much, and I cam up with a few things.
The characters all seem to be rich, drink only champagne no matter the occasion, and lack any type of empathy or emotion throughout the story.
Those same characters lack description, thus giving the impression they all look the same and are cut from the same cloth.
Even the action scenes were dull.
I've read two other Higgins novels and have now been disappointed twice.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ho hum Sean Dillon book. Same old, same old. I will read one more Dillon book and if not better than this, that will be it for the series.

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Rashid is proud to be half British and half Arab, he is the heir to Dancey Place in
England and leader of the Rashid Bedouin's in the Persian Gulf . He is a man for whom
family honor is everything so when he uncovers an international conspiracy that threatens
to use any means including murder to deprive his family of the oil wealth that is their
birthright he vows vengeance. When his audacious plans reach London security forces waste
no time in sending undercover enforcer Sean Dillon to stop him. He is helped once again by
White House security insider Blake Johnson. Dillon must overcome foes both old and new
as he is caught up in a deadly game that goes from Ireland to the USA and from the heart of
England to the deserts of Hazar and the very edge of danger This is book 9 in the Sean Dillon
series from 2001. I missed a few of them so Iv'e been trying to catch up. This is a typical Sean
Dillon book from 2001. It's a pretty good story and Sean tries once again to kill everyone.
I gave it a 4.

[Vinay Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Oh

What I liked:
+ Pace, especially towards the start
+ Simple narration, but still a page turner
+ End, which sets up the next book
+ Kate-Dillon relationship

What I didn’t like:
- More twists, it lacked any twist


Not a Higgins masterpiece, but not his worst either.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is somewhat absurd in it's pacing and scope. Presidential assasination attempt - start to finish takes up maybe 15 pages.....usually that's the whole book. The overall body count in the 300 pages is sky-high, most dispatched in about 5 words.

The story starts off almost like a "family dynasty" empire type book, but swiftly turns to spycraft of both official and unofficial sorts, multiple trips around the world and just constant action. There is some level of farcical nature here, but in total it's definitely a very enjoyable read and one that doesn't let the reader go (if you skip a page probably missed two deaths and a 5000 mile plane ride).

Good "I'm going to read a book in one day" sort of novel as the pace of the story makes the pace of reading go that much faster.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the simplicity and pace of Jack Higgins' thrillers. There's no extraneous detail, the characters are good but cliched, the plot moves along at a pace. Quick to read and always enjoyable.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full of macho rubbish and stereotypes. Not aged well

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, what is this book? The proclaimed "action packed book" is in fact action packed...but so much so that it is impossible to completely understand the novel's narrative and plot. While reading this book, I found myself so utterly confused on where I was within the plot and what was going on that I would often have to re-read large sections (up to a chapter long!) just so I could simply grasp what was happening. The first group of introduced characters- Paul, Michael, George, and Kate- are so badly written to the point that Kate's whole purpose for this book was to quite literally make sandwiches, flirt with the main character, cry, be rich, and follow the orders of her older brother Paul without hesitation or thought. You can so obviously tell that a man wrote her character because of the sheer desultory her character shows in this novel. The mother, Kate Dauncey is so one-dimensional that I completely forgot about her existence even though her death was the main plot point that set off the narrative for the rest of the book, this "main" section of the book doesn't even get revisited later in the novel. The father we barely even learn about even though he plays a somewhat important part in the book (teaching Paul, Michael, George, and Kate to be a "Rashid") makes his only appearance in the first chapter, and even then it is only for the occasional "Remember what father told us." There is SO MUCH action in this novel that I was completely incapable of understanding what was happening, almost every single page had some sort of action packed scene happening, and when there is only 307 pages to cover a story that could very well be turned into a complete series because of how chunked together it is not good writing in the least. Usually I can read a 800 paged book in a week or two, but for this book of 300 pages it took me three months to read its entirety. In the begging of the book the reason why the Rashids turn into the antagonist is because of their mother's cold blooded murder (over oil and money). The Rasids turn to vengeance, but loose the sanity of a regular antagonist because they practically go on a rampage of murder, assassination, and fight scenes. This makes the book feel too chaotic and the characters (even the good ones) are so one dimensional because of this. In contradiction of the quote from The Associated Press "A hard-to-lay-aside chiller." I found myself forcing myself to read this book just so that I could get it over with. The main character, Sean Dillon, has such a confusing plot that it is hardly readable. In all honesty this book may be the worst one I have EVER read, with the one-dimensional characters and the horabble written plot I rate this book 2'5 (3/10) simply TO BE NICE. I would never recommend this book to others.

[Lu Carini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The real problem with Edge of Danger is that if you’ve read other Sean Dillon books you can probably see what’s coming. The novel starts well, introducing new characters (Ferguson’s cousin and an entire family of villains, the noble and millionaire Rashids) as well as bringing back some familiar faces (Blake, Cazalet, the Salters). However, Dillon saving the day in between diving around and drinking Bushmills is starting to become a bit too cliché. Higgins also spent the second part of the book building a climax and then solved it in half a page in a very unsatisfying way. Not one of Higgins’s best, but overall ok.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rather disappointing lesser novel by the master.

[Rajath Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remarkably underwhelming. While the writing style is engaging, repeatedly hero-worshipping the protagonist doesn't serve well. The narrative too, gets repetitive beyond a point.

[Reed Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty predictable.

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Rashid bir yandan İngiliz bir yandan da Hazar ülkesi soyundan gelen bir Araptır. Körfez savaşında Ferguson'un yardımcısı Tony Villiers ile beraber savaşmıştır. Petrol İşletmeleri sayesinde 3 milyar dolarlık bir servetim sahibi George, Michael ve Kate'in abisidir. Bir gün bir haber alır ve yıkılır. Annesi bir trafik kazasında ölmüştür. Ölümüne sebep olan kişi Rus büyükelçiliğinde çalışan biridir. Hazar kısmında ABD ve Rusya, Rashid ailesini devreden çıkarmak ister. Öldüren adamı Paul öldürür, hatta Hazar sultanın da ama içi soğumamıştır. Eski IRA mensubu Aidan Bell ile anlaşır ve Jake Cazalet'e suikast planlar. Son anda köpeğinin haber vermesi ile yara almadan kurtulur ABD başkanı. Aidan kaçar ama yanındaki adam yakalanır. Böylece Dillon, Hannah ve diğerlerinin plandan haberi olur. Bir sonraki hedef olarak Londra'ya gelecek olan Rus başkanı düşünülür. Bu arada Paul, bir adam yollar Dillon'a öldürmesi için. Adam Hannah'yı 3 kere vurur. Ağır yaralıdır ve Sean intikam hisleri ile doludur. Aidan ise ekibi ile Hazar'a gider. Burada Ülkedeki 12 şeyhi öldürüp kendisi başa geçecektir. Ama Ferguson'un yeğeni Hal Stone, Harry ve Billy Salter, Tony Villiers sayesinde bu planı da bozarlar. Bir askerlerini işkence ile öldürür Paul, Sean da karşılık olarak George'u. Son hedef Rus başkanıdır ama Sean bunu da boşa çıkarır ve bu sefer de Michael'ı öldürür. Paul kalmıştır bir tek. Cenaze sonrası için meydan okur. Paul ile kapışırlar. Acaba bundan sonra neler olacaktır? Kate ne yapacaktır? Ferguson Sean ile neden gitmemesi için konuşur? Billy Sean ile gitmek için Harry'ye ne yalan uydurur? Acaba tüm iş bitmiş midir? Keyifle bir solukta okunan bir roman.

[Palak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that leave you wondering whether the bad guys were the real bad guys and were the good guys really the good guys. The war on oil has been turned into a book in this case. Although this is a very convoluted subject and a single book can't do justice to it, but Jack Higgins has tried and done a commendable job in the book to bring the story out, even though it is fictional.

I will recommend this book if you want to complete the Sean Dillon series by Jack Higgins. Otherwise, pick some other book up, as this one is not the best.

Book Summary
A powerful London-based Arab family head Paul Rashid comes to know that his land and oil are under threat. He is a leader of a powerful organization working toward regaining control of their ancestral land and oil wells. When he leans of a conspiracy to deprive he and family from their birthright, he is pissed and out for vengeance.

Sean Dillon is sent in to resolve the conflict and to end it once and for all, even if it means killing everyone involved. Dead bodies pile up on both sides and no one wants to back out.

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts well, by introducing various characters and after about 60 odd pages, you can make out the plot as to what is going to happen.

I feel sometime simple stories have this issue that people can guess what is coming.

Even though you can anticipate the plot, the way the author has built the climax is quite commendable. However, the end was a very sudden and unexpected end and messes with the entire book. I was expecting what happened in the end, but not the way it happened. And I am not sure if I am able to completely buy in the use of smugglers and criminals supporting legit government agencies and working with Ferguson. But, if Dillon can work with the government, why can't other criminals.

[Pam Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read Higgins books from the beginning series that introduces the characters that later are prominent in this series. Sean Dillon is ex-IRA recruited to help Charles Ferguson in London, He is joined by the director of the White House's The Basement, Blake Johnson. Together they try to stop Paul Rashid and his family from exacting revenge on the United States, England and Russia from their plans to take over his Bedu area in Arabia and for the killing of his mother. Rashid is half Arab and half English as his dad was Arab and mother English. The action is non-stop with a little twist at the end that I did not expect.

[Zen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too stupid:Did not read

I read a 20 page "Special Preview" to this book at the end of the 2001 republishing of "The Keys of Hell". It was so, SO dumb I decided not to even bother reading this book.

Then I read some of the reviews here and, guess what, it seems like the "Special Preview" I read did an absolute terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE job of selling this book to me. It didn't even mention that it was another Sean Dillion "Thiller" in the SD Thriller series. Well the only other book I've read by JH was a SD Thriller and I actually liked it.

But I'm not going to read this book because it sounds dumb. Nice sales job there HarperCollins Publishing.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd one, this. Notionally, it has all the ingredients: an against-the-clock narrative, assassination attempts, exotic locations, shedloads of action and expanded roles for gangland boss Harry Salter and his nephew Billy, who is increasingly becoming Sean Dillon’s protege. And yet it lacks in the execution. Always a utilitarian prose stylist, Higgins’s writing here seems perfunctory, as if he were bored, distracted or simply bashed it out quickly and inelegantly to meet a much-procrastinated deadline.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his best in this series. If you've read a few of his previous books you can almost tell what's coming as he maintains the same formula for the plot and virtually the same characters. The only real change is the bad guys, who are a bit wooden. The good thing about the books are they are quick to read and if you're a speed reader, you can get through one in 2-3 hours.

[Richard Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's interesting when you read a book and all the questions that you may have about the story are all answered and the book is not even half way done. I like Jack Higgins's books but agree with other reviewers that this was not his best effort. The story is enjoyable and fast paced. I would say it is an enjoyable read.

[Rajish Maharaj · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50%.
This was incredibly bland, the action sequences came across the same. Very plain n i didnt much find it very enthrawalling.
The concept had potential but the execution for me at least was lack luster. The is the 2nd book I've read with Dillon and the plot is not very well written in either. So far this series doesent seem to hold much intrigue for me.

[Thart2002 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this is a book for a man. It is a lot of killing, a lot of power. I assume because it didn't capture my attention explains why I couldn't keep track of all the people. I ended up stopping the read on this one when I realized I really didn't care and it was evident who was going to come out ahead.

[Patti Prevost · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, quick read. It sometimes truly annoying - I mean, like do people really drink that much champagne and Bushmill’s whiskey?? The writing was smoke, sometimes tik simple and repetitive, with a predictable storyline and ending (which hints at another book). Probsbly more like a 2 1/2, but rounded up.

[GBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like the writing style of this book. Although the story was okay, it was not a page turner. The story does start to build towards the end but wraps up without any excitement and is over before it actually gets started.

[Jjean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book at a sale, so I have not read the series but found this to be a terrorism- mystery-thriller-the characters were explained enough to be read as a stand alone - interesting to the end, does leave you wanting to read the next book in this series -

[Mike Manson]

I pretty much gave up on fantasy action stories years ago but I figured what the heck, I'll give it a try (after seeing this on the shelf at the local library). I lasted only 34 pages, I just couldn't handle any more. Sorry Jack (and Sean too), some things are just too far fetched for me.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 *rounded up

Tgis was a fast paced novel, but quite short, a lot of action and not really spaced out time wise with the book.

Moving between different areas, terrorist type acts happen with many different people, different bloodlines, and that's what happens in real life

[Viola Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to love how cocky Sean Dillon is, but he too often doesn't suffer a scratch. What really works here is that Higgins shows the moral ambiguity of his characters. The villains aren't quite villains in any stereotypical sense.

[Eli Sturn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible.