Sukeltaja

by Jack Higgins

Jack Savagea eivät politiikak ja toisten kiistat kiinnosta. Hän haluaa hoitaa omat asiansa, joihin ennen muuta kuuluu sukeltaminen ja meripelastustoiminta Välimerellä. Mutta elämä ei olekaan niin yksinkertaista - varsinkaan miehelle, joka on saanut legendaarisen maineen vedenalaisessa sabotaasitoiminnassa. Ja kun näyttämölle ilmestyy vielä Sara Hamilton, maailman kaunein nainen, jota Savage ei voi unohtaa...

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

254 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 1978

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

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Savage, an experienced diver and commando, had a nice lfe in Egypt along the islands doing deep sea salvage with his own boat and crew. However he runs afoul of the Egyptians and had to run off with just his boat, all his money gone. After a little bit, barely staying afloat, there is a point where he loses his boat. He can only get it back by doing a little job, similar to one he had done before in the service. Savage has to break out a prsioner from an island fortress.

Recommended, lots of double crosses back and forth, not really sure who is for who and for what. Lots of action and even more suspense. Higgins is usually a good time.

[Jim White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good page turner as are most of Higgins's novels. Lots of action but I often wished for a guide of some sort to keep all of the characters straight.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rousing, globe-trotting adventure--the kind of novel in which the hero is a world-weary war vet named Jack Savage and the love interest is a scathing nineteen-year-old beauty with a penchant for provocative clothing. That being said, this isn't nearly as lowbrow as one might suspect. NIGHT JUDGEMENT AT SINOS may be poorly titled and paced like a rocket, but it's also an incredibly intelligent little book. I can't recall ever having so much fun reading Higgins. Maybe it's all the diving...I'm a sucker for anything with scuba in it (Heck, I even love that Jessica Alba movie, INTO THE BLUE). Jack Savage makes for a great main character--I honestly prefer him over Higgins' mainstay, Sean Dillon--and I would've LOVED to see him get his own series. I also appreciate that this book was less sparsely written than later Higgins novels like ON DANGEROUS GROUND, which was dialog-heavy to the point of resembling a screenplay. Sure, NIGHT JUDGEMENT AT SINOS is unmistakable as anything other than B-grade pulp...but in the best way possible.

[Bob]

Deep sea diver Jack Savage is down on his luck after a disastrous run in with Egyptian authorities after a dive gone wrong. Traveling to seas around Greece and Turkey to try sponge diving with little luck he gets tied up in a dangerous rescue attempt and runs afoul of Greek and Turkish authorities and partisan Greeks current government. Action and danger throughout.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast moving adventure featuring a former Irish commando in World War 2 turned salvage diver off the Egyptian coast.

[Charlie Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Jack Higgins-An Irishman against stacked odds.

[François · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a stand-out, for its first-person narrative provides depth in the characterisation of Jack Savage and renders wonderful insights into a person filled with regret yet longing for something better. I understand that Harry Patterson (using Jack Higgins as his nom de plume) studied Sociology, and this is evident through Savage’s fears, how they affect his psychology and physiology, how he pushes through them, and how he achieves redemption in the end. There is an underlying thread of existentialism, even absurdism to which Albert Camus might have related, and in the final chapter, one realises what the book’s title is really about: the judgement of and by the self.

There is also wonderful characterisations: Dimitri Aleko is a self-made millionaire who, behind great physical strength and business acumen, hides deep-set insecurities and fears; Sara Hamilton is a young woman and love interest for Savage, suffering in her own way; Ciasim Divalni is a Turkish diver with a visceral personality; Morgan Hughes is a meek, alcohol-dependent seaman and loyal hand to Savage; Yanni Kytros is a shady Greek businessman with a jovial exterior.

The imagery is wonderful; one gets the sense of being in the Aegean, with descriptions of azure waters, beach scenes and local cuisine. (I read this 15 years ago and again recently, and it has renewed my desire to take a holiday in the Greek islands.) It also captures the political tensions prevailing at the time, making it a political thriller as well as a suspense thriller, as the multitude of characters each seem to have unclear motives and allegiances - it’s truly engaging.

A highlight for me was the chapter-long flashback of a commando rescue mission on Pelos. Of course, the Sinos break-out is spectacular.

I love the similarities that exist in the world of Jack Higgins novels: guns hidden under a secret flap in the vessel’s wheelhouse similar to Simon Vaughan’s hidden flap for his Mauser in ‘The Savage Day’; Cohan’s Select Bar in Northern Island, also appearing in ‘The Savage Day’; a farmer called John Mikali, a name used for the assassin/concert pianist in ‘Solo’ (or ‘The Cretan Lover’) who is of Greek heritage; Savage’s father leaving the cover of a house to face fate, like Simon Vaughan’s uncle, Michael Fitzgerald, who is said to have left the cover of a school to meet a dusty death in ‘The Savage Day’; Sara Hamilton being characterised as a prim-and-proper lady yet swearing in apoplexy, like villainess Jean Fleming who appears dainty until caught out in ‘The Graveyard Shift’; the Akerboon Twin Screw steel hull vessel appears as Anne Grant’s ‘Foxhunter’ boat in ‘Wrath of the Lion’; the imagery of black silhouettes against flames at night at Pelos when Savage burns down the farm house being very similar to that in ‘Brought in Dead’ when the villain’s riverside warehouse burns down. If you know of other similarities, please comment.

Feel free to read my other reviews.

© François

[1.1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the rare cases where I can actually judge a book by its cover: this looks to be an action-adventure paperback, and that's exactly what Higgins delivers, with some style even. Jack Savage is a salvage diver who also has Royal Marine Commando experience to make him tough and military, he is even more tougher than most men in small bursts but it makes him faint. He knows how to shoot guns and take punches, but most importantly he knows how to dive, plan things, and pilot boats. He also has a few bad memories in his past, as does his good buddy Morgan. His Irish roots make him irresistable to women, the authorities of various Mediterranean locales, and ne'er-do-wells.

Despite knowing more or less how this book would turn out, I did enjoy it. It's effective, undemanding, and though somewhat weirdly paced (with a handful of bizarrely-constructed sentences) it's pretty enthralling. Oh, and it's a violent story at times and a little bit old-school sexist as well, but then if you judged this book by its cover and have any familiarity with the genre you'd already have guessed that.

[Oli Turner]

The twenty-seventh #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson #jamesgraham novel #nightjudgementatsinos published in 1970. A salvage expert with a fascinating history in the military getting swept up in corruption and international intrigue. The brief descriptions of his military exploits would make good books themselves. Fast paced and full of tension. The rare occasion when Higgins’ chapter titles do not become titles of his later novels. The romantic subplot starts with mutual attraction and gradually builds rather than the instant love Higgins used to create in his earlier work, this romance is more nuanced and includes the tragic twist of terminal illness. Towards the middle of the book there is a very effective underwater rescue scene. Some casual rum running, blackmail, a jail break from a prison island and a satisfying ending.

[Shadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Jack Higgins, you know what to expect: fast-paced, page-turning, old school, violent, witty, tightly written men’s adventures, and “Night Judgement at Sinos” is no exception. In this particular case you get a tough and cynical Irish ex-commando named Jack Savage, a beautiful young English heiress, lots of deep sea diving, commando raids, treachery, tough Greeks and Turks, political intrigue, romance, tragedy and Jameson whiskey. Although the plot isn’t quite as tight as his best work, and the main mission doesn’t start until the last quarter of the book, I enjoyed it from cover to cover. Four stars.

[Jann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This must have been written around the time that the early James Bond books came out. I enjoyed the plot with its twists and turns but I never quite liked the main character Jack as he seemed rather misogynistic. There is a love interest with Sara but he treats her almost as an afterthought even though he considers her 'the most beautiful woman in the world'. I guess for those he-man types women were only useful for arm- and eye-candy and occasional bedding. Perhaps the book was written for the male reader segment. In spite of this it was an interesting action thriller.

[GhostofMyrtle]

Night Judgement at Sinos is Jack Higgins' 27th novel. This is a stand alone novel. The protagonist is Jack Savage, World War 2 hero and deep sea diver who is coerced into rescuing a prisoner from the island of Sinos, which has become a prison for political offenders from the Greek mainland, and of course gets involved with a beautiful woman.

This is a pretty good Higgins' novel. Not one of his best but still a good read. There is a lot of twists and turns before getting to the main storyline.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Savage is diver, coerced into recovering a document from a submerged wreck in the eastern Mediterranean. This is an OK story about the intrigue, instability, and double dealing of governments in the Middle East, specifically Greece. However, it is slow developing, and does not have the zip and zing of some of Jack Higgins other works.

[Kip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceit and underhanded to the end.

A good story of duplicity, trechery and a couple of dedicated good guys. Very well written on the first person.

[mike casper sr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, very fast paced with exciting characters and good plot!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oct 2018. Not my favorite Higgins. Felt like too many components of the story were farfetched. It felt like the protagonist kept risking his life even if he didn't know why he was doing so.

[Sofie Auská · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it. Action packed story. I was not bored reading this. Very good summer read, though. One quick question: Who killed Guyon?

[Marmalade · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was ok but it too long to get into it imo.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1976. International intrigue and action.

[Bank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good page turner by jack higgins

[Stephen]

Unable to finish because of condition of the book . Turned to mess of pages and covers and continued to decompose
Sorry

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable story with a few twists at the end.

[Nathan Woll · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one hasn't aged well.

[Bob Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the book author Jack Higgins earlier writings are more detailed and Interesting with more actions and interesting characters. And adventure wrapped into the stories.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Vivek Hurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like a classic Alistair Maclean offering, as if Higgins was channeling him: lots of sea-borne (and undersea) adventure, laconic alpha male with a secretly heroic past, stunning love interest, nighttime assault on an island, derring-do and betrayal and deaths and triumph: the usual thoroughly enjoyable melodramatic thrilling adventure.

[Bob Rector · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Higgins proves himself once again a grand master of the romantic adventure story. "Night Judgement at Sinos" is clearly an homage to Bogart/Bacall pairings, especially "To Have and To Have Not" - spiced up with a bit of "Guns of Navarone." It's an action-packed and heady brew and by the time Higgins has stirred it all up, it becomes his own brand of mano-a-mano malice and the reader is in for one hell of a ride.

The story takes place in 1970 in the Middle East, starting in Egypt then sprawling out to Greece and Turkey. Our hero, Jack Savage (no kidding), is a former British commando who now runs an underwater salvage company. He has a gimpy washed up sidekick named Morgan (think Walter Brennan). Life seems good, then into the scene enters a babe young enough to be his daughter, Lady Sarah Hamilton. The minute he sees her Jack's ready to risk life and fortune for her, which he does in short order. Mr. Higgins makes us understand why she's worth it and it has nothing to do with her skill at whistling.

But Lady Sarah comes with her own deadly baggage, namely her tycoon brother-in-law, who has financed a suicide mission to rescue a political prisoner from an impregnable fortress in Greece. If Jack wants Sarah, he must 'volunteer' to lead the mission.

If you like your adventure as bracing as a swig of Jameson's Whiskey, "Night Judgement at Sinos" is the book for you. Highly recommended.

[Timothy VanderWall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with Night Judgement at Sinos. I have read several other Jack Higgins novels and they were all enjoyable, fast-paced adventures. This one drags in too many spots. The first hundred or so pages (out og 289) are mostly character exposition with a few quick adventure-ish interludes. In fact we don't even find out what the mission on Sinos is until around page 120, and then it doesn't really start moving for another 70 or so pages. When the time eventually arrives for the mission, it is a bit of a disappointment - easy in, easy out, one enemy killed.

The book wasn't so bad that I gave up in disgust in the middle, but I wasn't sad or upset because it was over when I reached the last page.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jack Savage is a deep sea diver who also is good at blowing things up. Dimitri Aleko is a very rich owner of ships who employs the demolition man to recover some property. Night Judgement at Sinos, by Jack Higgins is set in 1970 and entirely all of the action takes place in the Mediterranean. Like most books of this genre, spy thriller, there is much death and destruction and travel around the world.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

An older Jack Higgins, a story of a man who has his own moral code and how he deals with the hand fate has dealt him. He learns that you must be true to yourself and finally understands his father's choice of death.