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Dougal Munro and Jack Carter #2
Cold Harbour
May 1944. The eve of the Allied invasion of Europe. When American OSS agent Craig Osbourne is taken aboard a German E-boat off the coast of Brittany, he thinks that his war – and possibly his life – are over.
But the Lili Marlene is actually operated by the Royal Navy out of an ultrasecret base on the English coast. And it will soon be returning Osbourne – a highly trained assassin – to occupied France. There, he will help the beautiful twin sister of a dead British agent infiltrate a German High Command briefing on the defense of the Atlantic Wall.
Nothing will prevent the coming Allied assault – but its success may well depend on the outcome of this mission…
But the Lili Marlene is actually operated by the Royal Navy out of an ultrasecret base on the English coast. And it will soon be returning Osbourne – a highly trained assassin – to occupied France. There, he will help the beautiful twin sister of a dead British agent infiltrate a German High Command briefing on the defense of the Atlantic Wall.
Nothing will prevent the coming Allied assault – but its success may well depend on the outcome of this mission…
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 28, 1990
205 people are currently reading
1243 people want to read
About the author
Jack Higgins
480 books1,278 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 114 reviews
June 19, 2017
Jack Higgins is the master of the World War 2 espionage novel. This is a good book, but not as good as his others for me. The new characters are a bit one dimensional and the novel is a bit predictable at times. Still a cut above other authors of the same genre.
April 16, 2018
As African literary aficionados and enthusiasts one cannot but marvel at the proficiency and prolific nature of Eurocentric writers - not that it stops them from garnering heavy flak from readers and critics!
Like now I have just read one of Jack Higgins almost 100 novels, titled Cold Harbour. Can one conceive of an African author writing even 20 books or novels?? Yes a handful exist- a couple of Kenyan writers like Meja Mwangi, and David Maillu; Kalu Okpi, and Cyprian Ekwensi of Nigeria, Asare Konadu of Ghana...but such writers are thin on the ground.
The literary trajectory of J Higgins is very impressive having been writing international bestsellers and thrillers for over 30 years. He specialises in espionage, war novels and the like, and his books have sold in millions
Okay so it shows that the Eurocentric world has always valued literacy and literature since the days of Charles Dickens for one. But there are so many illustrious writers in Europe and America that one ends up stumped, in essence. But back to Higgins and this work.
Here he has created some memorable characters, male and female. Craig Osbourne a savvy American agent, for one, and of course the intriguing woman, Genevieve Trevaunce. Yes the story dates back decades ago to the times of the Nazis, which again reminds us of how the western world accretes countless creative writing weaved around their history.
The author does write well despite a rather jaded sceptical western readership. I loved passages like, "Death stared up at them, a skeleton with a scythe mowing not corn, but corpses..." Well Mr Higgins has been a legend for many decades anyway...
February 4, 2025
A very interesting WWII fiction
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Believable? Not exactly, but it was continuously interesting. I would recommend this book to WWII era enthusiasts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Believable? Not exactly, but it was continuously interesting. I would recommend this book to WWII era enthusiasts.
August 8, 2023
A month before D-Day, an OSS agent, surviving a ship sinking, is picked up by a U-Boat. The Nazis want to know all about D-Day, of course.
I just didn't feel this one. The urgency just wasn't there.
I just didn't feel this one. The urgency just wasn't there.
June 26, 2011
This is a thoroughly gripping WWII pre-D-Day spy thriller that follows the Allies as they do whatever they can to get results and win the war, no matter who gets caught in the crossfire. The first third or so is a little slow as it builds the background and prepares the ground for the mission to come. It is well written and does keep you interested but it is the last two thirds as the mission gets going and things start to go from bad to worse when you really can't put it down. The complexities of the story and the double crosses and double double crosses are handled well and surprisingly easy to follow as Higgins balances them perfectly. The finale is both unexpected and dramatic and yet strangely suitable as the true cost of war becomes evident to all those who survived. A superb thriller where uniforms and loyalties become interchangable and all is not as it seems.
May 30, 2014
This is a fast-paced story that keeps gaining speed until it comes to a roaring climax. There are not often-raised ambiguities in the exploration of whether the means of war are always justified by the ends, and whether the guys on our side are always the good guys. That said, the novel was, in my judgment, a little too quick, at 207 pages. I'll bet Higgins could have improved it a lot with an extra 50-75 pages, giving us more opportunity to get inside the interesting heads of both Allied and German characters. Still a 4****.
September 13, 2018
This book has its focus on the Second World War.
The project is a strange but not unrealistic one. A tiny village in Cornwall, England is vacated to allow it to be taken over by a small platoon of army and navy officers, with a difference. They all speak German fluently.
They capture a German E-boat and a Luftwaffe areoplane which they operate wearing complete German military uniforms.
Their job is to patrol the English Channel and the Normandy coast line of France seeking to destroy the enemy, but also parading as Germans in order to get close to the line of fire to bring the English boys back safely.
They are 'dead' men, operating without Government recognition. If captured by the Germans they are shot as English or American troops. If mistakenly taken by the English shot for wearing the enemy's clothes.
Their expertise calls for deceipt and espionage with danger around every corner.
The characters are well defined with blood still being thicker than water.
It is very intriguing and like all wars the price is high with too many victims.
The project is a strange but not unrealistic one. A tiny village in Cornwall, England is vacated to allow it to be taken over by a small platoon of army and navy officers, with a difference. They all speak German fluently.
They capture a German E-boat and a Luftwaffe areoplane which they operate wearing complete German military uniforms.
Their job is to patrol the English Channel and the Normandy coast line of France seeking to destroy the enemy, but also parading as Germans in order to get close to the line of fire to bring the English boys back safely.
They are 'dead' men, operating without Government recognition. If captured by the Germans they are shot as English or American troops. If mistakenly taken by the English shot for wearing the enemy's clothes.
Their expertise calls for deceipt and espionage with danger around every corner.
The characters are well defined with blood still being thicker than water.
It is very intriguing and like all wars the price is high with too many victims.
May 15, 2022
When I think of WWII thriller writers, the two names that pop to mind are Alistair Maclean and Jack Higgins. These two men, now gone, gave us such legendary stories as The Eagle Has Landed (Higgins) and Where Eagles Dare (Maclean) and many more.
While the Higgins’ prolific oeuvre covered much more than WWII thrillers—including his highly popular Sean Dillon series—I think his best work involved Allied agents operating behind German lines during the dark days of the Nazi beast. That includes this novel, Cold Harbour.
Jack Osbourne is an American OSS agent who barely escapes Nazi-occupied France after assassinating a German general. His rescue by a captured German torpedo boat crewed by American and British sailors brings him back into the grasp of an old employer—the Machiavellian Brigadier Dugal Munro, a British master spy for whom “the end justifies the means” is a religion.
Munro press gangs Osbourne into duping the twin sister of an all-but-dead British spy—and Osbourne’s one-time lover—into infiltrating a high-level meeting of German generals to being held in the estate of the sisters’ French aunt. Higgins fills Cold Harbour with double- and triple crosses, not to mention double and triple agents, and is an exciting read you’ll find difficult to put down.
Unfortunately, there is one error in this book that literally goes from cover to cover, but it’s not Higgins’ fault. The front cover illustration depicts a submarine. Each chapter begins with the image of a silhouetted submarine. But there is no submarine in the entire book. That is the fault of the illustrator and the editor and is unforgivable.
While the Higgins’ prolific oeuvre covered much more than WWII thrillers—including his highly popular Sean Dillon series—I think his best work involved Allied agents operating behind German lines during the dark days of the Nazi beast. That includes this novel, Cold Harbour.
Jack Osbourne is an American OSS agent who barely escapes Nazi-occupied France after assassinating a German general. His rescue by a captured German torpedo boat crewed by American and British sailors brings him back into the grasp of an old employer—the Machiavellian Brigadier Dugal Munro, a British master spy for whom “the end justifies the means” is a religion.
Munro press gangs Osbourne into duping the twin sister of an all-but-dead British spy—and Osbourne’s one-time lover—into infiltrating a high-level meeting of German generals to being held in the estate of the sisters’ French aunt. Higgins fills Cold Harbour with double- and triple crosses, not to mention double and triple agents, and is an exciting read you’ll find difficult to put down.
Unfortunately, there is one error in this book that literally goes from cover to cover, but it’s not Higgins’ fault. The front cover illustration depicts a submarine. Each chapter begins with the image of a silhouetted submarine. But there is no submarine in the entire book. That is the fault of the illustrator and the editor and is unforgivable.
November 4, 2020
I haven't read a Jack Higgins novel in awhile, and am kicking myself for it. Think Tom Clancy without the extra 150 pages of detail that, while interesting, does not move the story forward.
Here, our sub-title characters (heroes they ain't) are at still a pair of right b@st@rds, getting everyone into the deep end with such blatant betrayal, that I am surprised this book's heroine, Genevieve Trevaunce, didn't shoot Munro. She didn't have to kill him, but at least put the bloody git on a cane like Jack Carter. Still, I liked her a lot.
OK, I'm getting off the soap box. All that said, this was a great story of double and triple agents, sociopaths (on both sides) who get what's coming to them, and a brush with nearly changing the entire ending of the of war.
Craig Osborne (start whistling Yankee Doodle) is so close to Captain America, I almost thought he was going to be found in a block of ice at the end of the tale. He does Steve Rogers one better though and actually makes it to his date without the need of time travel.
I'm going to leave the review here, if you like WWII era thriller, this is the book for you.
FIND IT! Buy it! READ IT!
Here, our sub-title characters (heroes they ain't) are at still a pair of right b@st@rds, getting everyone into the deep end with such blatant betrayal, that I am surprised this book's heroine, Genevieve Trevaunce, didn't shoot Munro. She didn't have to kill him, but at least put the bloody git on a cane like Jack Carter. Still, I liked her a lot.
OK, I'm getting off the soap box. All that said, this was a great story of double and triple agents, sociopaths (on both sides) who get what's coming to them, and a brush with nearly changing the entire ending of the of war.
Craig Osborne (start whistling Yankee Doodle) is so close to Captain America, I almost thought he was going to be found in a block of ice at the end of the tale. He does Steve Rogers one better though and actually makes it to his date without the need of time travel.
I'm going to leave the review here, if you like WWII era thriller, this is the book for you.
FIND IT! Buy it! READ IT!
Read
August 23, 2023The forty-eighth #jackhiggins #martinfallon #hughmarlowe #harrypatterson #henrypatterson #jamesgraham novel #coldharbour published in 1990. Higgins returns to 1944 World War Two. Brigadier Munro is scheming again, although this novel really shows the extremely devious and cruel depths Munro will sink to in order to get any advantage over the Germans no matter the cost.
A number of the usual Higgins tropes appear: church confession box, tarot cards (foreshadowing events to come), an inexperienced character taking on the identity of importantly placed individual, the drunk trying to take advantage of a woman and the flawed but heroic protagonist stepping in to fight. He likes to use these things he is familiar with and examine them from different angles within the context of each new story in which they appear. The final act was full of dramatic twists and turns. Really quite good.
A number of the usual Higgins tropes appear: church confession box, tarot cards (foreshadowing events to come), an inexperienced character taking on the identity of importantly placed individual, the drunk trying to take advantage of a woman and the flawed but heroic protagonist stepping in to fight. He likes to use these things he is familiar with and examine them from different angles within the context of each new story in which they appear. The final act was full of dramatic twists and turns. Really quite good.
August 31, 2021
When I was younger, I got into a Jack Higgins phase. It actually worked well for me in that I realized that I probably didn't have what it took to be a spy. However as I've returned to them recently, I've learned that his writing didn't age well and my opinions on the world have changed.
I was shocked to discover that I still enjoyed this one. It has all of the usual Higgins "stuff". It takes place in World War II and involves paratrooping into enemy territory and confronting a lot of Nazi's and their allies. There's always a guy on our side who is actually really evil or even insane.
But this one had an interesting twist. There was a lot of perspective from Genevieve. Her identical twin sister Anne-Marie has been a spy for the Americans. Now Anne-Marie is dead and they have asked Genevieve to take her place.
There's still a little too much focus on prep for the mission and less time on the actual mission, but better then normal for Higgins. I actually might keep this one in the collection for a while longer.
I was shocked to discover that I still enjoyed this one. It has all of the usual Higgins "stuff". It takes place in World War II and involves paratrooping into enemy territory and confronting a lot of Nazi's and their allies. There's always a guy on our side who is actually really evil or even insane.
But this one had an interesting twist. There was a lot of perspective from Genevieve. Her identical twin sister Anne-Marie has been a spy for the Americans. Now Anne-Marie is dead and they have asked Genevieve to take her place.
There's still a little too much focus on prep for the mission and less time on the actual mission, but better then normal for Higgins. I actually might keep this one in the collection for a while longer.
May 13, 2022
An eminently readable wartime thriller, but one that throws every espionage cliche in the book into a blender. Double crosses, triple crosses, divided loyalties, impersonations, goodies who aren’t so good, baddies who are actually quite sympathetic, glamorous women, damaged and psychotic men, cat ‘n mouse shenanigans, hair’s-breadth escapes; it’s all there. And by the end, it all seems a bit OTT, if for no other reason that the absurdity of a plot which is basically ‘Die Fledermaus’ meets ‘Night of the Generals’.
April 6, 2013
Jack Higgins has been writing since late 1959 but it was 1975’s bestseller THE EAGLE HAS LANDED that launched his reputation. He was born Harry Patterson and has written 35 mysteries and thrillers using the names Harry Patterson, James Graham, Martin Fallon and Hugh Marlow(e) and 25 more under the name Jack Higgins. His most famous characters are Sean Dillon, former IRA terrorist turned British intelligence operative, and Liam Devlin, another Irish gunman, each of whom starred in several books. Higgins et al is a very good storyteller and his books usually have a surprise or two for the reader.
I have read several of Higgins’ book prior to reading COLD HARBOUR (ISBN 978-0425193204, $8.99, mass market paperback). This is the second of three books featuring OSS/SOE operatives Brigadier Dougal Munro and Jack Carter in WWII. COLD HARBOUR is a small village in Cornwall (probably not a real place) that is inhabited by a group of US and UK citizens acting as Germans in order to operate behind the lines in France and elsewhere in Nazi-occupied Europe.
Craig Osbourne, an American working for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), has returned from a harrowing mission in France. He is recruited by Munro to work at Cold Harbour. His new mission is to recruit Genevieve Trevaunce to the OSS/SOE and insert her into the Chateau de Voincourt, ancestral home of her family in France. This estate is the site for a high level meeting of the German officers responsible for the coastal defense of France. The time is shortly before D-Day in 1944. Genevieve is to replace her identical twin sister who had been living at the Chateau with their aunt the Countess of Voincourt. Anne-Marie had been reportedly killed while trying to return to England. It all goes awry as everybody is not who or what they seem to be.
My advice: Go! Buy! Read!
I have read several of Higgins’ book prior to reading COLD HARBOUR (ISBN 978-0425193204, $8.99, mass market paperback). This is the second of three books featuring OSS/SOE operatives Brigadier Dougal Munro and Jack Carter in WWII. COLD HARBOUR is a small village in Cornwall (probably not a real place) that is inhabited by a group of US and UK citizens acting as Germans in order to operate behind the lines in France and elsewhere in Nazi-occupied Europe.
Craig Osbourne, an American working for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), has returned from a harrowing mission in France. He is recruited by Munro to work at Cold Harbour. His new mission is to recruit Genevieve Trevaunce to the OSS/SOE and insert her into the Chateau de Voincourt, ancestral home of her family in France. This estate is the site for a high level meeting of the German officers responsible for the coastal defense of France. The time is shortly before D-Day in 1944. Genevieve is to replace her identical twin sister who had been living at the Chateau with their aunt the Countess of Voincourt. Anne-Marie had been reportedly killed while trying to return to England. It all goes awry as everybody is not who or what they seem to be.
My advice: Go! Buy! Read!
September 5, 2013
I went through a phase in high school where I would just read Jack Higgins' WWII thrillers over and over. It's been years since I last picked them up, but I remember them fondly, had a chance to read Cold Harbour, and wanted to give it a crack. Turns out I'd read it before, though I barely remembered the plot until I was probably a quarter of the way through it.
Overall it is a good story. Face paced, exciting, filled with an interesting cast of characters carrying out the ever action packed cloak and dagger act that I love from Higgins' books. It certainly isn't his best story, but it is good nonetheless and I'm glad to have revisited it. Even had I not read it before, I think I'd find it a tad predictable, but I don't mind that when it comes to a quick read like this one.
Overall it is a good story. Face paced, exciting, filled with an interesting cast of characters carrying out the ever action packed cloak and dagger act that I love from Higgins' books. It certainly isn't his best story, but it is good nonetheless and I'm glad to have revisited it. Even had I not read it before, I think I'd find it a tad predictable, but I don't mind that when it comes to a quick read like this one.
August 15, 2022
I decided to re-read this book having first read it many years ago at a time when "Jack Higgins " was one of my favourite authors . Oh how the years have changed my taste in what I read now . Not for me any more the secret world of spies, espionage & clandestine activities such as occur in "Cold Harbour". Instead I find I now prefer a lighter , more easy going - even if no less dramatic - read ,& so "Cold Harbour was not for me .
It is undoubtedly well written but would I recommend it ?
Well yes I would ,but probably only to readers under thirty or those who are seriously into their spy type thriller , relaxing bed time reading it certainly is not !
So for me its only three stars & alas the " Jack Higgins " style of books & narrative are now confined to my youth .
It is undoubtedly well written but would I recommend it ?
Well yes I would ,but probably only to readers under thirty or those who are seriously into their spy type thriller , relaxing bed time reading it certainly is not !
So for me its only three stars & alas the " Jack Higgins " style of books & narrative are now confined to my youth .
April 22, 2009
Despite all the hype on the front and back covers and the inside first page, you can put this book down quite easily...at least until you get to the second half of the book. Then forget it!! You are hooked.
Never-the-less, this is a very good story. The first 1/2 is preparation for the mission that takes place in the second half. The first half is well written and keeps you intrigued.
But as I said, the second half is pure action and excitement with plot twists and turns. I liked it a lot.
I think this is the 2nd or 3rd book I have read by Jack Higgins, including "The Eagle Has Landed." He is a master story teller specializing in WWII stories. I hope he keeps putting them out.
Never-the-less, this is a very good story. The first 1/2 is preparation for the mission that takes place in the second half. The first half is well written and keeps you intrigued.
But as I said, the second half is pure action and excitement with plot twists and turns. I liked it a lot.
I think this is the 2nd or 3rd book I have read by Jack Higgins, including "The Eagle Has Landed." He is a master story teller specializing in WWII stories. I hope he keeps putting them out.
February 23, 2014
I read the Reader's Digest version of this, I think it may have gotten 5 stars if I had read the full version. It was written a bit in an old style, maybe adolescent? simple? which is why I think the full version may be better. It was still a good story of "spying" and insurgents during WWII. A woman who is sort of "forced" into being a spy for the allies takes it to heart and gets the goods.
June 17, 2012
I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Others have written that the first part of the book is a bit slow; I didn't find it slow at all, but there is certainly less action. Lots of plot twists. The "good guys" aren't all that good and not all of the "bad guys" are as bad as they appear.
September 11, 2023
September 2023 still a favorite.
Nov 2020 I like my review of 2018. Excellent twists and turns in this WWII story.
June 2018 Another Jack Higgins page turner. Remember Mad Magazine's "Spy Vs Spy"? This is an extension "Spy vs Spy vs Spy vs Spy " I highly recommend this story!!!!
Nov 2020 I like my review of 2018. Excellent twists and turns in this WWII story.
June 2018 Another Jack Higgins page turner. Remember Mad Magazine's "Spy Vs Spy"? This is an extension "Spy vs Spy vs Spy vs Spy " I highly recommend this story!!!!
September 19, 2019
An intriguing book of espionage, war, and romance. The germans weren't necessarily all bad, and the allies weren't all good. The women were admirable characters. The men were characters that you could picture your favorite Male leads.
March 29, 2010
Overall I enjoyed this book. It had some spots that seem to drag (not a lot of action). But it picks up at 2/3 of the way through and keeps going to the end.
March 27, 2011
Cool, old school WWII thriller. Who knew the Brits had captured German planes and ships and had them hidden in a 'german' village on the British coast? Clever....
April 6, 2013
My first break from horror and not a bad choice. Read many years ago and enjoyed the rush and excitement that the author created.
October 7, 2013
I like Jack Higgins and WW2 stories. Always fast paced and exciting. Great story with loads of twists. Classic read and still good today
March 26, 2014
As usual, SUPERB!
I can't believe this guy is STILL writing WWII adventures that have something new to add!
I can't believe this guy is STILL writing WWII adventures that have something new to add!
February 10, 2023
A solid Jack Higgins programmer with all the boxes checked. The beautiful and determined heroine who goes into the lion's den. One strong handsome, dangerous but world-weary agent - who is also the heroine's love interest. The Old Man, typically a brigadier/commodore always in civies, who comes across as a real S.O.B. but secretly is torn apart that he must always send good people to certain death in order to make sure that the Greater Good is accomplished. A crucial mission on the eve of D-Day (June 6, 1944) which if it fails will result in disaster for the Allies, an enemy stronghold that must be infiltrated by our heroes, super competent Nazis (though a couple might be sympathetic), doughty French civilians, narrow escapes and a couple red herrings.
Yep, everything is there. Add water, mix well for thirty seconds and let's go.
When I was younger and much more certain about my place in this world, I would sneer at those who read the many novels of Rex Stout, Dell Shannon (Elizabeth Linington), Luke Short, Barbara Cartland and so forth. Typically, the novels of those writers were between 180 - 210 pages. They were churned out reliably and always followed a template. I considered those books to be just trash, but ,as is typical of younger people, I was rather selective and overlooked the fact that I liked to read Jacks Higgins. He was the same type of writer, but different because he wrote about brave resolute people taking on Nazis - though sometimes the Nazis were turned into Soviets with old Nazis in the background. Absolutely not the same thing at all. Okay.
Anyway, my point is "Cold Harbour" is a 33-year-old Jack Higgin's novel. There is absolutely nothing in the novel that will surprise (with the exception that there aren't any noble IRA operatives), but it is still a competently written and entertaining beach novel (read while vacationing in Florida).I picked it up for 50 cents (in 2023!) at a thrift store on Key Largo and read it in a couple days in between various day trips. It worked and did just what it was intended to do. It entertained me. I donated it to another thrift store before we returned home. So that another person can fill the hours between meals, trolly tours and theme parks.
Jack Higgins (Harry Patterson) was a professional who understood what his readers wanted. He always delivered and that is one of the best things that one can have as an epitaph.
Yep, everything is there. Add water, mix well for thirty seconds and let's go.
When I was younger and much more certain about my place in this world, I would sneer at those who read the many novels of Rex Stout, Dell Shannon (Elizabeth Linington), Luke Short, Barbara Cartland and so forth. Typically, the novels of those writers were between 180 - 210 pages. They were churned out reliably and always followed a template. I considered those books to be just trash, but ,as is typical of younger people, I was rather selective and overlooked the fact that I liked to read Jacks Higgins. He was the same type of writer, but different because he wrote about brave resolute people taking on Nazis - though sometimes the Nazis were turned into Soviets with old Nazis in the background. Absolutely not the same thing at all. Okay.
Anyway, my point is "Cold Harbour" is a 33-year-old Jack Higgin's novel. There is absolutely nothing in the novel that will surprise (with the exception that there aren't any noble IRA operatives), but it is still a competently written and entertaining beach novel (read while vacationing in Florida).I picked it up for 50 cents (in 2023!) at a thrift store on Key Largo and read it in a couple days in between various day trips. It worked and did just what it was intended to do. It entertained me. I donated it to another thrift store before we returned home. So that another person can fill the hours between meals, trolly tours and theme parks.
Jack Higgins (Harry Patterson) was a professional who understood what his readers wanted. He always delivered and that is one of the best things that one can have as an epitaph.
April 6, 2024
A WWII spy thriller, "Cold Harbour" has us start with American agent Craig Osborne as he assassinates a German SS officer in a church and then escapes back to England where he is given another assignment. The real protagonist here is Genevieve Trevaunce, a nurse in London who is enlisted to replace her twin sister who was helping the French Resistance. The Brits need Genevieve to take her sister's place so that the sister's mission can still work.
We have a lot of moving pieces as American and British agents, German officials, French Resistance members, and double-crossing double-agents all over the place try to get their hands on Rommel's defensive plans and American plans for the invasion of Normandy. A (spoiler removed) towards the two-thirds mark is just brutal and Higgins pulls it off quite well.
Verdict: Actually a decent WWII spy thriller. While I hated its predecessor ("Night of the Fox," my review #276), "Cold Harbour" as a stand-alone thriller is better. I'm not a big fan of Higgins' writing style and prose but this one held my attention and I read it in one sitting. The pacing and characters are written well.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
We have a lot of moving pieces as American and British agents, German officials, French Resistance members, and double-crossing double-agents all over the place try to get their hands on Rommel's defensive plans and American plans for the invasion of Normandy. A (spoiler removed) towards the two-thirds mark is just brutal and Higgins pulls it off quite well.
Verdict: Actually a decent WWII spy thriller. While I hated its predecessor ("Night of the Fox," my review #276), "Cold Harbour" as a stand-alone thriller is better. I'm not a big fan of Higgins' writing style and prose but this one held my attention and I read it in one sitting. The pacing and characters are written well.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
June 14, 2020
This is a fast moving novel, with good characters, a believable story, and a plot twist to set up an exciting ending. I always enjoy Jack Higgins novels, and this is one of the best I’ve read.
I’ve read several WWII history books in the past year, so a novel like this, set in that era, has details within it I can pick out and understand. They heighten the appeal and add to the authenticity. Higgins know the history well and uses it effectively. He has created characters to either love or hate. And the ones to hate aren’t just the Germans, and he provides a likable German as well. This mixture is well done. The heroes, Craig and Genevieve, survive in the end, so they win. The adversary, on their own side, Munro, also survives, and I’ll have to search for the next book in the series. I’ll enjoy it as much as this.
I’ve read several WWII history books in the past year, so a novel like this, set in that era, has details within it I can pick out and understand. They heighten the appeal and add to the authenticity. Higgins know the history well and uses it effectively. He has created characters to either love or hate. And the ones to hate aren’t just the Germans, and he provides a likable German as well. This mixture is well done. The heroes, Craig and Genevieve, survive in the end, so they win. The adversary, on their own side, Munro, also survives, and I’ll have to search for the next book in the series. I’ll enjoy it as much as this.
April 12, 2020
Cold Harbour, by Jack Higgins, is a suspense thriller espionage novel that takes place in the weeks prior to the D-Day invasion of World War 2. "Jack Higgins" is actually one of several pen names used by Henry Patterson, the real author, who also wrote under the names of James Graham, Martin Fallon, and Hugh Marlowe.
The plot, summarized by Wikipedia, is as follows: "In May 1944 Brigadier general Dougel Munro of the SOE [Special Operation Executive] sends Genevieve Trevaunce, a beautiful British operative, to France with the task of infiltrating General Erwin Rommel's briefing on the defense of the Atlantic Wall. The mission is compromised and it is up to the OSS [America's predecessor to the CIA] Major Craig Osbourne, a highly trained assassin and Special Forces officer to rescue her."
What an interesting opportunity for some truly suspenseful action even coming equipped with some Nasty Nazis. But boy does it fall flat. The dust cover concludes with: "Cold Harbour is a riveting story of suspense, adventure, and war - Jack Higgin's most ambitious novel to date." Well, if this is true, remind me not to read any of his 47 previous books.
He is a most prolific writer, and an honored one as well. His most famous production probably being "The Eagle Has Landed," also being made into a movie of the same title. And so far he has produced almost 80 novels. But the characters in this one along with the action just lacked something. I guess I have been spoiled by the likes of Michael Creighton, Dean Koontz, Mark Alpert, and Stephen Coonts. Now they know how to write suspense novels. This book had no suspense, even when it was supposed to be suspenseful.
The plot, summarized by Wikipedia, is as follows: "In May 1944 Brigadier general Dougel Munro of the SOE [Special Operation Executive] sends Genevieve Trevaunce, a beautiful British operative, to France with the task of infiltrating General Erwin Rommel's briefing on the defense of the Atlantic Wall. The mission is compromised and it is up to the OSS [America's predecessor to the CIA] Major Craig Osbourne, a highly trained assassin and Special Forces officer to rescue her."
What an interesting opportunity for some truly suspenseful action even coming equipped with some Nasty Nazis. But boy does it fall flat. The dust cover concludes with: "Cold Harbour is a riveting story of suspense, adventure, and war - Jack Higgin's most ambitious novel to date." Well, if this is true, remind me not to read any of his 47 previous books.
He is a most prolific writer, and an honored one as well. His most famous production probably being "The Eagle Has Landed," also being made into a movie of the same title. And so far he has produced almost 80 novels. But the characters in this one along with the action just lacked something. I guess I have been spoiled by the likes of Michael Creighton, Dean Koontz, Mark Alpert, and Stephen Coonts. Now they know how to write suspense novels. This book had no suspense, even when it was supposed to be suspenseful.
March 4, 2023
This book had somewhat of a slow start, and it was hard to get a grasp/good vision of some of the characters. Nevertheless, the characters slowly materialize as the book progresses, and it gains good momentum. It was enjoyable to read this book after watching "Band of Brothers" and reading "D-Day" by Stephen Ambrose, as I was able to put things more into context.
Also, watching some of the British 4 star films from around the 1940s era also helped me understand some of the vocabulary and references much better.
Overall this book was a lot more fun to read now than when I read it in high school - I think I understand it much better with all the references in place that I mentioned above.
Also, watching some of the British 4 star films from around the 1940s era also helped me understand some of the vocabulary and references much better.
Overall this book was a lot more fun to read now than when I read it in high school - I think I understand it much better with all the references in place that I mentioned above.
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