A Fine Night for Dying

Paul Chavasse #6

by Jack Higgins

Caught in the nets of a local fishing boat, the body of gangland boss Harvey Preston is dragged from the English Channel, wrapped from head to toe in heavy chain. British Intelligence suspects a connection with a cross-channel smuggling ring. But as undercover agent Paul Chavasse embarks on what will be one of the most dangerous cases in his extraordinary career, he soon discovers that this is no small-time operation—and the ruthless men behind it will stop at nothing to protect their precious cargo.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

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

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

1969 short Brit thriller a little tame by modern standards...

"Dying" was our introduction to prolific author Jack Higgins, a native Irishman heavily influenced by Britain's role in WW-II. In this post-war "thriller", British intelligence agent Paul Chavasse is assigned a case involving a body discovered in the English channel weighted down with chains. Following a lead to a human smuggling ring (to circumvent tight immigration laws), he contrives to be a customer using an Australian identity as a cover. The passage back to England becomes one of cross and double-cross, and before it's over several more deaths go down ere Chavasse closes in on the bad guys and, together with the victim's brother, ensures the carriage of justice.

While the storyline is suspenseful, this is a pretty short novel at 180 pages set in fairly large print. The plot is quite straightforward, with just a few characters and a couple of settings, and is characterized by sustained action as opposed to intrigue or complexity. By today's modern thriller standards, this simplistic book comes across as pretty tame -- maybe that was to be expected from a book published nearly 35 years ago.

Higgins has compiled a bibliography of some 50 or more novels, so he obviously enjoys a loyal and ardent following. While we were modestly entertained with the effort at hand, we plan to sample a more recent example of his work as a truer test of his craft and abilities. Meanwhile, "Dying" provided an enjoyable, albeit brief, adventure.

[Stefan Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

An entertaining enough action rush. Thin on characters and very short, but if you are looking for a book you can finish in a couple of hours and not think too much, there are worse books out there.

[Tim Corke · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy peasy read but definitely a good story and kept the interest throughout. a bit more 'real' than Bond I suppose but lots of convenience to allow the story to pull together.

[Bekki Fowell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow, no real climax...

[Shammas Ahmad]

its aight not sumthin crazy

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Chavasse bir gün bir otopsiye katılır. Jamaikalı gibi görünen birinin denizden çıkma cesedidir bu. Şefi Mallory bu insan kaçakçılığı işi için onu görevlendirir. İtalya Napoli'ye gider ve oradan bir gemiye biner. Gemide Jacoud, Rossiter adındaki kişiler işi yürütür. Yolcu olarak da Faima Nadeem, Jason, Hamid, yaşlı bir kadın ve sonradan dahil olan Cheung adlı biri vardır. Mercier adında birinin yardımıyla yola çıkarlar ama gemi arıza yapar ve batmaya başlar. Ufak bir bot ile Faima, Cheung ve organize edenler kaçar. Chavasse ve Jason kurtulsa da diğerleri ölür. Jason aslında ölen Jamaikalının abisidir. Zar zor İngiltere'ye dönünce Mallory onları bilgilendirir. Rossiter Kore savaşında esir düştükten sonra beyni yıkanmıştır. Cheung ise Çin istihbarat biriminden bir albayıdır. Bu çetenin finansal sağlayıcısı da Montefiore adında bir adamdır. İntikam alınacaktır. Chavasse hepsini öldürmek için yola çıkar. Mercier'in yardımıyla ve Jason'ın da yardımıyla Jacoud konuşur ve öldürülür. Sonra Hellfire adındaki adaya gidilir. Burada Rossiter, Montefiore'yi Uyuşturucu ile öldürür. Chavasse de Jason ile yakalanır. Arnavutluk'a gidecektir. Daha önceki işlerinden dolayı bu ölüm demektir. Faima da aşık olmuştur Rossiter'e. Zor da olsa kaçıp tekneye binip açılırlar ama Rossiter'e de yola çıkmıştır. Acaba ne olacaktır? Chavasse Faima'nın ihanetini affedecek midir? Jason ne yapacaktır? Madonna bıçağı nasıl Bir rol oynayacaktır? Keyifle okunan bir roman.

[Oli Turner]

The twenty-fourth #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson novel #afinenightfordying published in 1969. #paulchavasse returns in this sixth and final book in the series. A tale about people trying to come across the English Channel and enter England illegally and the ruthless human traffickers that take their money and abandon them to die. Still a major and relevant issue over fifty years later.
Typically for Higgins rain and fog and medicinal alcohol make an appearance and it’s all the better for it.
Great atmosphere, fantastic pacing, action and adventure. Short and punchy with an explosive and rather sombre ending. Not my favourite chavasse adventure as it doesn’t reach the heights of books 4 and 5 in the series, but still good

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the Sixties, Higgins wrote half a dozen novels under the pseudonym Martin Fallon, featuring James-Bond-alike Paul Chavasse. In this outing, Chavasse is dispatched by his M-like boss Mallory to investigate a people smuggling ring which turns out merely to be part of a larger conspiracy. Along the way, he encounters a glamorous woman, an enigmatic villain and a proliferation of vaguely stereotypical thugs. The action ranges across Europe and comes thick and fast. It’s all pretty generic and lacks the flair of Higgins’s best work, but it’s solid entertainment for all that.

[Brentman99 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I had ever read a book by Jack Higgins before. But having done so, this will probably be the last one unless I read The Eagle Has Landed or The Eagle Has Flown.

I found the book slow moving and the characters a bit thin. I think that this book is dated and wasn't particularly entertaining reading for me.

When I have more time, I will try another one of his books. But for now, while it was easy to read, it didn't grab hold of me.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 6th book in the Chavasse series, which to me is very similar to the later Sean Dillon series, finds him investigating a smuggling ring. They are smuggling people into the UK and once investigating he finds a much more sinister plot afoot. Ok read.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#6 in the Paul Chavasse series. This 1969 series entry by Jack Higgins, writing as Martin Fallon, is a fine addition. Undercover agent Chavasse infiltrates a criminal ring smuggling people across the Channel into England (and sometimes only part way across).

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, I’ve just been busy otherwise would have finished it earlier. Expected for a book of that genre , also I didn’t read the beginning books of the series so it was a bit confusing on who some of the characters were.

[The Villan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this character Chavasse Fast read and a good beach read. It isn’t until I read one of Higgins that I recall how thin the actual book is, only 262 pages ! I just wish he’d written more standalone novels like the Eagle has Landed than the Sean Dillon books.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated but still a fun story and takes you back to the late 60's.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read book which had some thrilling segments. Well written but due to the amount of pages there was no character intros.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read!

[Phil Cole]

Good easy read, easy to follow.

[Larry West · Rating 4 out of 5]

U

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read of an old book by a favorite author on the drive home from Illinois

[Adam Humphreys · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick holiday read, perfectly fine book.

[Jailan El-Rafie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a good and simple detective story as much as the next person but I really didn't understand a lot of what was going on in the last 50 pages or so.

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I despise the way this man writes women, he ate with the plot. I felt like it dragged on for a bit, it really didn’t need to be 290 pages 😭😭 the ending was 10/10 tho

[Emma Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was well written but I was the wrong audience for this book

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book I ever read, complete waste of time.
so stupid story.

[Christopher Hivner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intelligence agent Paul Chavasse is brought in to investigate when a body weighted down with chains in found in the English channel and it's not the first. There is a human smuggling ring operating and Chavasse is sent to infiltrate it. Posing as an Australian criminal he pays for passage with the smugglers which leads him to some powerful people at the top.

This is a solid Higgins novel, but not his best. It was actually written in 1969 and parts are dated, especially the Chinese communism story line. The whole plot is interesting but not gripping. It's a short, compact book with quite a bit of action and twists. This novel won't stay with you. It's like a sweet confection; you'll get a few hours of enjoyment and then it's gone.

[Claudia Sorsby · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast, workmanlike thriller. Not bad, but nothing special.

It almost read like a knockoff James Bond story; something dramatic and bad happens, scene. Next, our hero gets his marching orders from M (as it were), and banters with a Moneypenny stand-in.

Next, he's off to fight/chase/fight the bad guys, protect the pretty girl, etc. He gets support from his network, so guns and supplies appear when necessary. There's an atmospheric bad-guy hideout in France, at the end, big fight, end. Ta da.

Eh. Higgins has done better.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although set in 1969, this novel examines issues pertinent to life in 2011. These issues are human trafficking and the danger of extremists whose only consideration is the disruption of Western life by any means possible.


I could discuss the absence of any substantive female character but let's face it, this is a period piece, not high literature.

It's a good diverting read for waiting rooms and lay-overs.

[Shamila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for the book, given the author's reputation and this was the first of his works I got to read and, it was not that much captivating. A few moments of suspense here and there was all that kept me going and the climax was abrupt. Maybe I've read too many of thrillers of this kind and this is one of the first of its genre that laid the groundwork for better successors but wasn't that great on its own.

[Abe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast moving novel about underworld smuggling of human and illegal cargo. I can't say anything about Jack Higgins that has not already been said. He's an accomplished author and knows how to weave a fast-paced tale. It is my second reading and I found it as interesting the second time as the first.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, It was about England's version of a ring of Polleros. The action moved fast but didn't contain as much detail as I usually like. It was a fast and easy read though.
When I read the back I saw that the author is a Scuba Diver and a Sailor. I'd look for one of his books that covers either or both of those subjects in the future.