Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Liam Devlin #1-3

The Eagle Has Landed, Touch the Devil, and Confessional

Rate this book
Three New York Times–bestselling thrillers take IRA gunman Liam Devlin from WWII to the Cold War to a terrorist plot in Northern Ireland. In The Eagle Has Landed, the inspiration for the film starring Donald Sutherland, an audacious Nazi plan to kidnap Winston Churchill threatens to tip the scales of World War II. In November 1943, an elite team of Nazi paratroopers descends on British soil with a diabolical Abduct Winston Churchill and cripple the Allied war effort. The mission, ordered by Hitler himself and planned by Heinrich Himmler, is led by ace agent Kurt Steiner and aided on the ground by IRA gunman Liam Devlin.   As the deadly duo executes Hitler’s harrowing plot, only the quiet town of Studley Constable stands in their way. Its residents, including a beautiful widow, are the lone souls aware of the impending Nazi plan, and they must become the most unlikely of heroes as the fate of the war hangs in the balance.   In Touch the Devil, in the shadow of the Cold War, two rugged IRA veterans must crush a ruthless mercenary before his deadly scheme can bring Europe to its knees. Terrorist-for-hire Frank Barry has been wreaking havoc in Germany and France with backing from the KGB. But his next mission might be his Barry plans to steal a state-of-the-art missile and sell it to the highest bidder.   Only Barry’s longtime rivals, retired IRA gunman Liam Devlin and his ally Martin Brosnan, can prevent the missile from falling into the wrong hands. But first, Devlin must stage a thrilling jailbreak to free Brosnan before the men set off on a gripping race against the clock to eliminate Barry and end his reign of terror.   In Confessional, a rogue terrorist in Northern Ireland prepares for his final deadly strike. Trained by the KGB, the assassin known as Cuchulain has cut a path of violence throughout the region for over two decades, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Now he has set his audacious sights on his highest profile target the pope.   Desperate to stop the terrorist, British Intelligence enlists an enemy Irish gunman, Liam Devlin, to accomplish what they never could. He must put an end to Cuchulain, once and for all.   Jack Higgins is, without a doubt, “the master” (Tom Clancy) of well-crafted World War II espionage thrillers. These three novels featuring Liam Devlin are required reading for lovers of intrigue, action, suspense, and adventure.  

981 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2016

560 people are currently reading
186 people want to read

About the author

Jack Higgins

480 books1,279 followers
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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
294 (58%)
4 stars
146 (28%)
3 stars
47 (9%)
2 stars
11 (2%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Richard A. Weiss.
4 reviews
March 25, 2018
Richard a Weiss

One of the best mystery writers of our time. I’ve read most of his books some twice. So sad to finish them
42 reviews1 follower
May 3, 2019
Superb Fiction

Simply among the best fiction of all time. Courageous themes with deep historical insights. Utter suspense to the last word.
Profile Image for steve.
10 reviews
August 2, 2020
Excellent series, enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Profile Image for Angel.
4 reviews5 followers
November 5, 2020
Jack Higgins aka Patterson

Finest Arthur of his time. Incredible characters who seems to become friends and neighbors. Historically accurate in most instances and enjoyable reading.
Profile Image for Nicole.
1,001 reviews14 followers
August 5, 2021
History, action, and fiction

Fast paced and non-stop action through all three stories. A taste of history and a bit of action to go along with it. Then you get the people, and you like them (or not…depends on the character).
651 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2017
Really edge-of-your-seat thrillers featuring Liam Devlin, a senior operative of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In the first, The Eagle Has Landed (you may have seen the movie), Devlin is 35 and works on behalf of the Third Reich to set up the capture and abduction of Winston Churchill. The other two are set in the early seventies when Devlin is in his early 60s and is pulled in on a couple of cases to find and eliminate extremely successful assassins that the UK needs to remove. The action is fast-paced. Unlike other thriller main characters who seem more like killing machines with no redeeming traits, Devlin is a Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, a disillusioned romantic, and a poet. For me, each book was hard to put down.
1 review
September 24, 2022
The book started in a positive way, the story was looking to be a good read.
However, about 20% into the book, it became impossible to follow. So many characters from all three sides, in a hotch potch of fighting, that I gave up reading.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.