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Paul Chavasse #2
Year of the Tiger
The New York Times bestselling author returns with another action-packed adventure. In 1962, a brilliant scientist becomes the key to the superpower space race--and the object of a worldwide manhunt. A maelstrom of Cold War intrigue and espionage, The Year of the Tiger is Higgins at his best.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
143 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
487 books1,284 followersThere 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 1, 2018
What can I say about this book. The first word that comes to mind is pedestrian. The second word is beige.
I just found the whole thing so contrived and cliche ridden.
None of the character came to life for me. Paul Chavasse came across as a pour man's James Bond but with none of the wit or charisma.
Most of the tale takes place in Tibet. Paul is sent to Tibet to evacuate a reclusive genius who seems to have discovered a new power source that will revolutionise space travel. Nothing goes to plan and Paul finds himself at the mercy of the ruling Chinese Army. Life becomes a battle for survival.
The end was just too much.
Sounds like it should have been a good read.
I just found the whole thing so contrived and cliche ridden.
None of the character came to life for me. Paul Chavasse came across as a pour man's James Bond but with none of the wit or charisma.
Most of the tale takes place in Tibet. Paul is sent to Tibet to evacuate a reclusive genius who seems to have discovered a new power source that will revolutionise space travel. Nothing goes to plan and Paul finds himself at the mercy of the ruling Chinese Army. Life becomes a battle for survival.
The end was just too much.
Sounds like it should have been a good read.
August 5, 2018
Good Lord, but this is a bad book. The plotting is simplistic, the characters are barely one-dimensional, the action non-existent, the cliché dialogue endless, the MacGuffin "space technology" laughable...
Tibet from 1958 through the 1960's is screaming out for a great spy story - but this sure ain't it. In fact, the story has no relationship to the Tibetan situation at all; Tibet just serves as the poorly-researched backdrop for a story that could have just as easily been set in Cold War Yugoslavia or Nazi-occupied Belgium or bloody anywhere.
Like so many or the more poorly written heroes in this particular spy/action genre, Paul Chavasse is in fact terrible at his job - all he's really good at is escaping, because he's had so much practice getting captured over and over again. Otherwise, he has no influence on events whatsoever - everything hinges on either lucky breaks, bad breaks or his frequent mistakes (getting lost and riding around in circles; having his important conversations overheard because he never checked who might be listening; realizing too late that "he should have known...the whole damn thing had been too easy...").
So, y'know, just B-A-D.
Tibet from 1958 through the 1960's is screaming out for a great spy story - but this sure ain't it. In fact, the story has no relationship to the Tibetan situation at all; Tibet just serves as the poorly-researched backdrop for a story that could have just as easily been set in Cold War Yugoslavia or Nazi-occupied Belgium or bloody anywhere.
Like so many or the more poorly written heroes in this particular spy/action genre, Paul Chavasse is in fact terrible at his job - all he's really good at is escaping, because he's had so much practice getting captured over and over again. Otherwise, he has no influence on events whatsoever - everything hinges on either lucky breaks, bad breaks or his frequent mistakes (getting lost and riding around in circles; having his important conversations overheard because he never checked who might be listening; realizing too late that "he should have known...the whole damn thing had been too easy...").
So, y'know, just B-A-D.
February 24, 2008
good book, quite readable, very "James Bond" type of protagonist.
April 3, 2011
Excellent action packed thriller... Couldn't keep it down
April 28, 2020
This is perhaps the only Higgins novel which is based in Tibet-Ladakh region or at least the only one that I've come across. Amazing adventure cum action thriller with a steady pace and build up. Recommended.
October 7, 2020
I enjoyed story line, but expected more.
February 5, 2026
2.5/5 nic specjalnego - za mało kartek jak na taką historię + nudzący sposób pisania 🥲
February 13, 2018
I really enjoy any book by Jack Higgins and have read all the ones about Sean Dillion. This book was set back in 1959 in the Tibetan mountains. Full of intrigue.
September 23, 2021
Another fun-filled, action-packed Jack Higgins adventure, this one combining plot elements such as China's occupation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and the height of the Space Race during the heady days of the Cold War, specifically in 1962. The intrepid Franco-British agent Paul Chavasse, who works for a unit of the British Secret Service known as The Bureau (somewhat akin to the 00 Section in the Ian Fleming novels) must rescue a brilliant scientist--who holds the intellectual key to revolutionising that aforementioned Space Race--from house arrest by those nasty ChiComs in Tibet...and runs afoul of betrayal, capture, torture, and interrogation, and must draw upon every ounce of mental and physical strength to survive and prevail.
A few flaws here and there (such as non-Brits and non-Americans using the English measurement system instead of the metric system, and incorrectly identifying the model number of the ChiCom copy of the Tokarev pistol), but overall a worthwhile read.
CENTRAL CASTING:
—Michael Londsdale as older Paul Chavasse
—Shia LaBeouf as younger Paul Chevasse
—John Lone as Colonel Li
A few flaws here and there (such as non-Brits and non-Americans using the English measurement system instead of the metric system, and incorrectly identifying the model number of the ChiCom copy of the Tokarev pistol), but overall a worthwhile read.
CENTRAL CASTING:
—Michael Londsdale as older Paul Chavasse
—Shia LaBeouf as younger Paul Chevasse
—John Lone as Colonel Li
May 25, 2016
#2 in the Paul Chavasse series.
"Paul Chavasse series - This book was first published in 1963 and rewritten in 1996 and published again under the same title. 1962. The cold war heats up as the space race begins. And one scientist, living under house arrest in Chinese-controlled Tibet, holds the key to victory. Paul Chavasse is inserted into Tibet on a desperate mission that may be the West's only hope of beating the Soviets to the moon. He must locate -and smuggle out- Dr. Karl Hoffner. But enemies are every where -from Chinese occupiers and distrustful natives to Soviet agents shadowing their every move. Fighting for their lives, Chavasse and Hoffner must race across one hundred rugged miles to freedom, as the future of space travel -and the world- hangs in the balance
"
"Paul Chavasse series - This book was first published in 1963 and rewritten in 1996 and published again under the same title. 1962. The cold war heats up as the space race begins. And one scientist, living under house arrest in Chinese-controlled Tibet, holds the key to victory. Paul Chavasse is inserted into Tibet on a desperate mission that may be the West's only hope of beating the Soviets to the moon. He must locate -and smuggle out- Dr. Karl Hoffner. But enemies are every where -from Chinese occupiers and distrustful natives to Soviet agents shadowing their every move. Fighting for their lives, Chavasse and Hoffner must race across one hundred rugged miles to freedom, as the future of space travel -and the world- hangs in the balance
"
May 17, 2017
I have read a number of Mr. Higgins novels and have enjoyed them. His British style is often entertaining although he is not one of my favorite mystery writers. This novel, however, surprised me and was the best of the number that I had read. He ventures off from his usual turf in Europe and gets involved with the politics of Tibet and China and much of the action takes place in Buddhist country of the Himalayan area.
January 9, 2015
Year of the Tiger
A good book. I prefer either the Sean Dillon or the Liam Devlin series. However, I found it very interesting but slower paced. It is a good read. A good book is like a delicious cooked dish. If you are conscious of the components it was not done right. If I am conscious of the good parts, the not so good etcetera it is not well written.
A good book. I prefer either the Sean Dillon or the Liam Devlin series. However, I found it very interesting but slower paced. It is a good read. A good book is like a delicious cooked dish. If you are conscious of the components it was not done right. If I am conscious of the good parts, the not so good etcetera it is not well written.
April 27, 2015
Year of the tiger
Another great book by Higgins. Paul chavasse helps the Dali lama escape from Tibet. Then he is called back into action to help a British doctor escape from Tibet being held prisoner by the Chinese. fast paced full of intrigue and a great twist at the end. Enjoyed immensely!!
Another great book by Higgins. Paul chavasse helps the Dali lama escape from Tibet. Then he is called back into action to help a British doctor escape from Tibet being held prisoner by the Chinese. fast paced full of intrigue and a great twist at the end. Enjoyed immensely!!
July 27, 2014
Pretty typical Jack Higgins, enjoyable read
May 19, 2015
Higgins never fails to deliver.
March 31, 2024
Paul Chavasse servisteki 40 yıllık hizmetinin sonuna gelir. Ertesi gün emekli olacaktır ama başbakan ondan durmasını ister. Bunu düşüneceğini söyler ve eve doğru yola çıkar. Burada Moro adında bir Tibetli rahibi gençlerin saldırısından şoförü Earl Jackson ile beraber kurtarır. Onu evine alır. Moro o ve Tibet görevi Hakkında bir şeyler bilmektedir. İlk olarak 1959 yılında Dalai Lama'nın Tibet'ten Hindistan'a kaçırılmasında oynadığı rolü anlatır. Burada Çinli askerler ona ulaşamadan köprüyü havaya uçurmuştur. 3 yıl sonra ise bir şehirde kalan doktor Karl Hoeffler'i oradan çıkarmak için gidecektir. Çünkü Karl müthiş bir matematikçidir ve bazı formüller ile Batı dünyasını uzay yarışında Sovyetlerin önüne geçirebilecektir. Ama şehre hakim olan Çinli Albay Li bunu öğrenmeden yapılmalıdır bu iş. Polonyalı bir pilot onu şehrin yakınlarına uçurur. Ama yolda birileri saldırır ona zor da olsa kurtulur. Pravda muhabiri Kurbsky ise ölmüştür. Chavasse gazeteci yerine geçip Karl'ın evine gider. Yüzbaşı Tsen'i kandırmıştır. Karl ve yanındaki Katya ile görüşür. Onları ikna eder. Ama Kurbsky ile daha önce görüşen Albay Li onu yakalar ve sorgulama başlar. Li ve Chavasse birbirini sevmiştir. Li onu komünist yapmak ister ama başaramaz. En sonunda gerçeği kaçmasına izin vererek öğrenir ama bu sefer Paul, Karl ve Katya gerçekten kaçar. Yolda Osman adlı bir Kazaktan yardım alırlar ve bir süre sonra Li'yi de bulurlar. Parmağı kangren olduğu için kesilir. En sonunda ise Katya'nın ihanetini Paul yüzüne vurur. Dalai Lama olayını Katya'ya anlatıp Li'ye söylememiştir ama Li bunu bilir. Katya da ölür. Paul geri döner. Peki Moro kimdir? Bu kader bilgiyi nereden öğrenmiştir? Chavasse ne yapacaktır? Bu işten sağ salim kurtulabilecek midir? Emeklilik ile ilgili ne karar vermiştir? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 18, 2021The tenth jack higgins / harry patterson / henry patterson / martin fallon novel published in 1963 (updated in 1996) a thriller/spy novel that is highly enjoyable with an entertaining international plot in which Paul chavasse makes his second appearance and poses as a Russian journalist trying to help an English mathematician escape from Chinese occupied Tibet. Plenty of action but the tone/writing/setting made me feel like I was really there even though it’s short/fast/sparse and lean Higgins can somehow find a shortcut in his writing to let your imagination do a lot of the work. No tedious descriptions of flora and fauna just a few tight lines setting the scene and then dialogue and action lead the way. A few unexpected twists and turns and plenty of chases via jeep and horseback through snow covered mountains 🏔
November 19, 2020
Another interesting and somewhat unusual offering from Jack Higgins.
Paul Chavasse is a British agent (that much is normal Higgins) dispatched to Tibet to retrieve a British expat with the secret to space propulsion hidden within his genius mathematical brain. In Tibet, things don't go as Chavasse planned (no surprise there) and he must use his wits (and not much else) to extract the genius and his female chaperone (who has fallen for Chavasse) from Tibet.
As with any Higgins book, all is not as it seems and the story has an interesting (though not unexpected) twist at its climax and resolution.
A very good story, as all Higgins stories are.
Paul Chavasse is a British agent (that much is normal Higgins) dispatched to Tibet to retrieve a British expat with the secret to space propulsion hidden within his genius mathematical brain. In Tibet, things don't go as Chavasse planned (no surprise there) and he must use his wits (and not much else) to extract the genius and his female chaperone (who has fallen for Chavasse) from Tibet.
As with any Higgins book, all is not as it seems and the story has an interesting (though not unexpected) twist at its climax and resolution.
A very good story, as all Higgins stories are.
February 16, 2025
Well after getting over the fact that Paul is ALMOST SEVENTY!? I got through it pretty fast. Overall I’m torn on what to rate this one. It’s action packed and thrilling at several points, even deep and interesting. And then there’s… the other half. It just gets so predictable and boring at a point. The Katya part alone. It’s been done and done and done again. Nice twist at the very end tho i guess.
May 3, 2025
Classic Higgins
Year of the Tiger is another solid novel in a long line of them from Jack Higgins. The characters are well developed and the plot lines move well together at a brisk pace. While no Liam Devlin or Sean Dillon , Paul Chavasse is an imperssive enough figure in his own right and worthy enough to take his rightful place in the lexicon of the Jack Higgins Canon.
An enjoyable and worthwhile read ✨
Year of the Tiger is another solid novel in a long line of them from Jack Higgins. The characters are well developed and the plot lines move well together at a brisk pace. While no Liam Devlin or Sean Dillon , Paul Chavasse is an imperssive enough figure in his own right and worthy enough to take his rightful place in the lexicon of the Jack Higgins Canon.
An enjoyable and worthwhile read ✨
July 14, 2025
Another Jack Higgins winner. He has always been a favorite of mine, but I moved into an RV and had to get rid of most of my books. I'm gradually rebuilding my library, and Higgins is at the top of my list. I was unaware of The Paul Chavasse Novels, and just happened it find it on Amazon. Paul has been sent into Tibet, to bring out a genius, who's theory has finally been found to be extremely important. Unfortunately, he's old, unhealthy, and Tibet is controlled by the Chinese. I found the book to be very good.
July 12, 2021
Moved slow at times
The book was well written but I found it to drag at times. It would move quickly but it tried to fit to many details in just a few pages. The ending was no surprise and obvious when it got back to the start of the book. Good book but not the best I have so can't Higgins.
The book was well written but I found it to drag at times. It would move quickly but it tried to fit to many details in just a few pages. The ending was no surprise and obvious when it got back to the start of the book. Good book but not the best I have so can't Higgins.
August 23, 2024
As I understand it, this is a reworking of a never published early offering, under a pseudonym by Jack Higgins as he started off on his journey as an author. Not his best work IMHO. Pretty predictable and more than slightly far fetched but suitable for the job of pool-side reading and filling in time whilst lounging in the Sun.
September 13, 2024
Nie mogę znaleźć wydania w wersji polskiej, więc ocenię angielskie.
Sama fabuła przypominała trochę połączenie Jamesa Bonda i Poirota jako detektywów, a klimat odzwierciedlał dobrze lata minione.
Opisy tortur trochę drastyczne. Sama zagadka z tym,kto jest "kapusiem" i zdradził głównego bohatera ciekawa, bo nie domyśliłam się, kto nim jest aż do ostatnich stron.
Po przeczytaniu mam ochotę przeczytać również kolejne tomy.
Ocena :3/5
Sama fabuła przypominała trochę połączenie Jamesa Bonda i Poirota jako detektywów, a klimat odzwierciedlał dobrze lata minione.
Opisy tortur trochę drastyczne. Sama zagadka z tym,kto jest "kapusiem" i zdradził głównego bohatera ciekawa, bo nie domyśliłam się, kto nim jest aż do ostatnich stron.
Po przeczytaniu mam ochotę przeczytać również kolejne tomy.
Ocena :3/5
June 30, 2022
I'd never read a Jack Higgins before so after he passed I thought I should.
This one's an early one and I guess he would develop but this makes a good action story. The sort of thing that Andy McNabb might do now.
Worth a read.
This one's an early one and I guess he would develop but this makes a good action story. The sort of thing that Andy McNabb might do now.
Worth a read.
June 30, 2023
Another fine adventure. I do like Paul Chavasse's character, though this was a bit far fetched for belief.. All of them are, I suppose, but this was way too much even for me.
jack higgins is a terrific writer, and I admire his flourishes!
jack higgins is a terrific writer, and I admire his flourishes!
March 2, 2025
Très bon roman, écrit comme une histoire à la "Mission Impossible". Paul Chavasse peut faire penser à Ethan Hunt joué par Tom Cruise.
Le rythme est très rapide, il y'a de l'action, de l'aventure.
Je recommande ce roman d'espionnage plein de rebondissements.
Le rythme est très rapide, il y'a de l'action, de l'aventure.
Je recommande ce roman d'espionnage plein de rebondissements.
August 24, 2018
August 2018 Paul Chavasse #2. Paul is not Sean Dillon!!!!!! Still a page turner! Lots of great Tibet geography.
November 27, 2018
Just your average whodunit.
Wasn't impressed.
Wasn't impressed.
September 29, 2019
Second time of reading
I had hoped that it was as gripping as it was on the first read .
It was and filled a few “ what to do with “ hours. Happily
I had hoped that it was as gripping as it was on the first read .
It was and filled a few “ what to do with “ hours. Happily
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews