Dillinger

by Jack Higgins, Harry Patterson (Pseudonym )

In 1934, after his spectacular jailbreak from a cell in Indiana, Dillinger was like a ghost -- some claimed to spot him in New York, others in London, New Orleans, or California. Though the FBI would eventually find and kill Dillinger in Chicago, speculation about his whereabouts in those mysterious final months never waned.

In Jack Higgins's suspenseful imagining, Dillinger flees to Mexico, where his attempts at finding freedom launch the fugitive into the clutches of men much more dangerous than the federal agents on his trail. This dramatic account of Dillinger's final days brings him face-to-face with bloodthirsty bandits and corrupt police officers, breathing vivid life into the story of America's most fascinating outlaw.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Adventure, Mystery, Ebooks

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

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

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fictional account of incidents that followed Johnny Dillinger's jailbreak and details how the author suggests his time might have been spent once he escaped. As such one has to accept that it is fiction based on the little fact that is known of the time he was out, and it could be said, as Neville Cardus did of cricketers of his time when he supposedly quoted them, 'if he didn't say that, he should have done'! And Higgins has interpreted that phrase for his presentation of Dillinger's activities away from jail.

The action begins after Dillinger's spectacular escape from Lake County Jail, Crown Point, Indiana, in March 1934. Although he was reported to have been seen in such places as Chicago, New Orleans, California, New York and even London, there were those (perhaps more in the know) who were certain that he was safe over the border in Mexico.

And that is the line that Jack Higgins takes with Dillinger forging a path through the states on his way to Mexico where, using a false name, he is recognised and when his identity is passed around he comes into contact with some unpleasant people who want to do him down and ensure that he is returned to the authorities in the USA. In addition he comes into contact, less than friendly, with a bunch of Apaches who dislike him and would probably not stop at killing him.

He also becomes involved with a lady and love blossoms but they cannot get on with their passionate relationship as they would like because of the presence of all the other nasties! But eventually Dillinger, despite driving a distinctive stolen Chevvy, manages to avoid capture, kill some of his enemies and outfox the others so at the conclusion of the novel he is relatively free to carry on his life as best he can as a wanted man.

Footnote: Three months after these events, on 22 July 1934, Dillinger was shot dead by agents of the FBI outside the Biograph Movie Theatre in Chicago ... but that is another story.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ντίλλιγκερ", εκδόσεις Φοντάνα (Fox Best Seller).

Ο Χάρι Πάτερσον έγραψε με το ψευδώνυμο "Τζακ Χίγκινς" πολλά και εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέροντα και εθιστικά θρίλερ -κατασκοπευτικά και μη-, όμως και με το πραγματικό του όνομα έγραψε κάποια ωραία βιβλιαράκια, όπως το συγκεκριμένο. Όπως και να΄χει, αυτό είναι το έκτο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα που διαβάζω, σχεδόν τέσσερα χρόνια μετά την τελευταία φορά που έπιασα στα χέρια μου κάποιο έργο του. Που λέτε, τον Μάρτιο του 1934 ο Τζον Ντίλιγκερ απέδρασε από τις φυλακές της Ιντιάνα και για λίγους μήνες μέχρι τελικά να σκοτωθεί στο Σικάγο, ήταν ένα φάντασμα. Κάποιοι λένε ότι τον είδαν να κυκλοφορεί στη Νέα Υόρκη, άλλοι στην Καλιφόρνια, κάποιοι τρίτοι στη Νέα Ορλεάνη, και πάει λέγοντας. Όμως κάλλιστα θα μπορούσε να ξεφύγει στο Μεξικό και να μπλέξει σε μια ιστορία όπως αυτή που σκαρφίστηκε ο Χάρι Πάτερσον (ή Τζακ Χίγκινς). Στη προσπάθειά του να βρει την ελευθερία του, ο Ντίλιγκερ θα βρεθεί αντιμέτωπος με ακόμα πιο σκληρούς και επικίνδυνους άντρες, από αυτούς που βρίσκονται στο κατόπιν του πίσω στην πατρίδα. Θα έχει να κάνει με εγκληματίες, με παράνομους και με διεφθαρμένους αστυνομικούς, σε μια χώρα όπως το Μεξικό. Όμως αν μη τι άλλο ο Ντίλιγκερ ήταν σκληρό καρύδι... Το βιβλιαράκι αυτό διαθέτει δράση, ένταση και νεύρο, έστω και αν δεν εντυπωσιάζει ιδιαίτερα. Διαβάζεται γρήγορα και ευχάριστα, προσφέροντας λίγες ψυχαγωγικές ώρες, με τη γραφή να είναι απλή και εθιστική, με ρεαλιστικές περιγραφές σκηνικών και καταστάσεων. Σε καμία περίπτωση δεν φτάνει σε επίπεδο ποιότητας π.χ. το "Ο αετός άγγιξε τη γη", όμως πιστεύω ότι σε μεγάλο βαθμό θα ικανοποιήσει τους λάτρεις του συγγραφέα, αλλά και γενικά τους λάτρεις των περιπετειών. (7.5/10)

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 2.5 stars but rounding up to 3. This is a purely fictional account which fluctuates from reading like a penny dreadful of old and a western. Those styles/narratives are fine but what's hard to enjoy is the emphasis on Dillinger's automobile and him driving it through the Mexican desert among riders on horseback chasing Indians...it was very comical. Nevertheless, this was a quick read and I enjoyed my time with it.

[Jason Furman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dillinger was very good, except for all of the parts set in Mexico. Which, unfortunately, comprised 90 percent of the book. I confess that I had never read Jack Higgins, had never heard of this particular book, and only read it because the Kindle sample was cunningly took place entirely in Indiana and it was temporarily on sale for $1.99.

The book starts with a historically accurate rendition of John Dillinger’s escape from an Indiana jail in 1934. It ends with a historically accurate coda referring to his being shot and killed by the FBI outside a movie theater in Chicago in 1935. And the bulk of the book is an entirely imagined episode largely consisting of a lengthy sojourn in Mexico where Dillinger encounters all manner of racial stereotype and embarks on an adventure somewhere between pedestrian and preposterous, none of which is linked to what came before it or comes after it. In the end, having rescued the child, overseen the death of the villain, and left the rather exotic girl, he returns to the United States to meet his fate.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have enjoyed many Jack Higgins's books but this isn't one of them. The only good thing is it was short and easy to skip read the boring stuff, which is most of the book. This is a story of a period in John Dillinger's life when he went missing and Higgins decided that he went to Mexico. The story is very thin with no depth to the characters, predictable 'goodies and baddies' and of course a beautiful woman for the love angle. I also can't get it why Dillinger was made out to be the hero of the story. I know he may not have been one of the more ruthless criminals of the day, but he was certainly no hero. My advice if you like JH, give this one a miss.

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meşhur banka hırsızı John Dillinger, hapishanededir. Bir gazeteci onunla görüşmeye geldiğinde kaçıp ortadan kaybolacağını söyler ama kimse inanmaz. Yine de dediğini yapar ve yola çıkar. Eski bir arkadaşı tefeciye olan borcundan dolayı zor durumdadır. Onun yanına gidip tefeciyi soyar ve para verir. Kız kardeşinin yanına gidecek olan arkadaşı ona bir iyilik yapar ve beyaz Chevrolet arabasını verip Meksika sınırını geçebileceği bir yer tarif eder. Meksika'ya geçer ama Fandon adında biri onu tanır ve Rivera adlı adamın iş teklifini reddettiği için tutuklanır. FBI başı olan Edgar Hoover da insan avı başlatır. Mecburen Rivera'nın teklifini kabul eder ve onun Altın madenine yönetici olmayı kabul eder. Rojas adında bir insan azmanı da buradadır. Onunla kavga eder ve Rivera'nın güzel yeğeni Rose ile tanışır. Madende Rojas yüzünden dağ çöker ve 20 Kızılderili mahsur kalır. Onları dinamitle yolu açıp kurtarmak ister ama Rivera reddeder ve kendisine itiraz eden rahibi öldürür. Buna çok kızan Ortiz adındaki Apache yerlisi onun karısını öldürür ve kızı Juanita'yı kaçırır. Nachita, Chavasse, Rose, daha önce polisin elinden kurtardığı Tella ile yola çıkarlar. Ortiz ekibi ile sağlam bir çatışmaya girerler. Rivera ve Fanlon ölür. Juanita'yı kurtarmak için elinden geleni yapar ve başarır. Her ne kadar Rose ile birbirine aşık da olsalar ayrılırlar. ABD'ye geri dönen Dillinger Hoover'ı arar. Bundan sonra ne olacaktır? Chevrolet'yi alacak mıdır? Kanundan hep kaçabilecek midir? Keyifle okunan bir roman.

[Oli Turner]

The thirteenth jack higgins / harry Patterson / henry patterson novel thunder at noon published in 1964 republished in 1983 as dillinger. A slight change of pace for Higgins. Take real life john dillinger and send him on an adventure to Mexico 🇲🇽. Includes a prison break, corrupt Mexican police, a slave running mine owner and a tribe of Apaches. Usually I read one of Higgins short action novels in a few days or less. This one took considerably longer. Not his best work and nothing particularly special about this one.

[Bonnie Gleckler Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea

Though this novel is based on the real gangster John Dillinger it is mostly fictional. It takes place average months before he is shot down by FBI Agents in Chicago.
Included are many fictional characters who could have been real. Whatever the case the story humanizes an otherwise inhuman
N character from our country’s past.

[Ginny Blouch prinkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Dillinger Read

I chose 5 stars because the book was well written . The life and story of Dillinger was told with thought and heart. I reccomend this book to anyone who likes these types of books and writing .

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one really knows what happened to John Dillinger, from when he escaped from prisons until he was gunned down a few months later. This books imagines JD escaping and hiding in Mexico. It is possible and not a bad idea. But, it could have been fleshed out a bit better,

[Thomas Brazeil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another page turner by Jake Higgins

A book by Jack Higgins of course it's a winner. Jack Higgins doesn't disappoint his readers. In this book he writes about an unknown part of John Dillinger's life.

[Craig Wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cracking read

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tale of what might have happened to John Dillinger.

[James Shrimpton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable short tale, nothing special.

[Karunakaran N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dillinger by Harry Patterson... The mystery between the days of escape and death of the notorious thief Dillinger in a spirited fiction by Harry (Jack Higgins).

[Niles · Rating 5 out of 5]

In March of 1934, John Dillinger, arguably the most notorious criminal America has ever known, broke out of the escape proof Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Indiana. On July 22, 1934, he was eventually found and shot dead by agents of the FBI outside the Biograph Movie Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Where Dillinger went and what he did during the period of time between March and July is a matter of speculation. There were reported sightings in Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, and even London. Jack Higgins account has Dillinger traveling to Mexico to lay low until the heat died down. This is not a history book. It is all speculation, and if anything might be classified as alternate history. But since nobody knows where Dillinger went or what he did, who's to say the events in this book didn't happen?

Dillinger is portrayed in this book as sort of a Robin Hood character. He stole from the greedy, evil bankers, who were getting rich foreclosing on delinquent properties, and gave to the more deserving. After his escape he gives a friend a substantial amount of money in order to prevent the bank from foreclosing on his farm. In an ironic twist, Dillinger stole the money from the very bank in question. Dillinger is also portrayed as never having killed anyone, just robbed banks. However, he does seem to know his way around weapons, including the Thompson machine gun. I guess if you are going to write an alternate history then it's fine to include an alternate personality.

The book is fun and action packed. Dillinger runs into problems in Mexico not uncommon for that time, as well as in our own time. Corrupt government officials, greedy land owners, unsafe working conditions, and lack of regard for anyone else are just a few of the things Dillinger faced. He also meets Rose, a half Chinese and half Mexican beauty, and they fall in love during the short time they spend together. But alas, their love is not meant to be as they realize that their lives diverge in two different paths.

If you are looking for a straight history with all the facts notated, do not get this book. If you are looking for a "what if" type of book that is fun and action packed, then this is the book for you. Sometimes we all wish history could be re-written, and this is one of those even Dillinger might like.

[Laura Grable · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this book. It sounded really intriguing, it is a fiction story of what Dillinger might have been doing between his escape from jail and his death in Chicago. What a waste of a great concept. He could have done research and told interesting facts about his life, perhaps really tried to develop him as a character, but instead he took him to Mexico and played cowboys and indians. WTF? The Mexican storyline about Apaches and a search for a captured little girl had nothing do with John Dillinger and his legacy. It would have been much more interesting to try and follow him all the way up to his death, instead he drops him back at the US border and add two lines in the end about his death months later. The book had no substance and was so stereotypical I had trouble paying attention to it. I would not recommend this for reading or listening.

[Ru · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Perhaps it went something like this..."
Very fun fictional take on notorious bank robber John Dillinger's exploits if he had made his way to Mexico. The story plays out a little like an Indiana Jones movie, and the action is virtually non-stop. It's all pretty entertaining. Jack Higgins (my first Higgins novel, incidentally) really portrays Dillinger as something of an anti-hero; Dillinger is first and foremost a renowned criminal, but he's an honorable one, and he won't let wrongs stand. There are times the adventure is perhaps a little too over-the-top, but it only serves to remind that this is fiction, regardless of how real Dillinger was. It doesn't detract from an enjoyable journey overall.

[Jan C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a Jack Higgins fan for years.

This book was a major disappointment.

However, I did discover that this was not originally a "Jack Higgins" book but was published under "Harry Patterson". They should have left it under the other name.

I discovered he also wrote under the name of "Martin Fallon". I tried one of those books, too - also no good.

I think I've enjoyed all of the ones that I've read that were written by "Jack Higgins".

Here's a flash - Jack, leave the old books alone. They didn't sell (if they didn't sell) for a reason. You only damage the good name you have now. Leave the past in the past. ... unless you're writing a book about it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Higgins has always been a favorite of mine but he has the ol' Louis L'amour syndrome of having redundant themes from one novel to the next. Higgins' themes in most of his books will have a heapin' helpin' of Catholicism, Irishmen, Tarot card readings, and a likable main character dying right before the climactic ending. Still he is a fun read, a great gifter of escapism.

Dillinger is one of my favorites and I've read it multiple times, probably because it was missing so many of the repetitive themes from Higgins' other books.

[Robert Clancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny Dillinger as white-knight hero standing up to renegade Apaches and oppressive gold mine owner/patron's and and their jefe's in 1930's Mexico. OK, I'm game. But there was no reason why Dillinger had to be Dillinger in this story. He could have been just any American adventurer who stumbles upon an indian uprising and evil Mexican mine operators. By using the character of Dillinger, he wasn't the iconic bank robbing Public Enemy #1 nor a believable protagonist. Much better if he had been a mysterious, roughneck gringo drifter in this action adventure story.

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is what Charles Barkley would call "turrible". I tried to find some good in it but the story is just tediously awful. Dillinger breaks out of jail, goes on the lam to Mexico, and becomes a hero saving the locals from an evil mine owner and fighting Apaches. I was hoping for a gangster story, not a cheesy Western that I'm pretty sure I saw on Bill Kennedy at the Movies back when I was a kid.

[Luckngrace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Jack Higgins' adventures. This one imagines what John Dillinger did after he escaped from jail in Indiana and fled to Mexico. It didn't seem much like historical fiction to me, but presented as a wonderful adventure with familiar names, such as Dillinger and Villa. Even more than the book, I enjoyed the short bio of Harry Patterson aka Jack Higgins, including family pictures.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre take on Dillinger's lost months just preceding his death. Higgins takes a real outlaw and attempts to put him in a Western romance. The scenes with him riding his convertible and toting his Tommy gun alongside the horse-riding, rifle-wielding Mexicans is a comical attempt to turn the Public Enemy into a Depression-era Robin Hood. Not much about this book rings true.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nobody really knows what Dillinger did between the time of his last escape from prison and the time he was gunned down. This is one version of how he might have spent those last months of his life. Well told.

[Melissa Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author used the Dillinger name to write a fictional story that would be marketable. No fact, only fiction that could have been written about a character by any name. I like historical fiction, but really?

[Partridge Public]

Patterson, Harry

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

aka Thunder at Noon; As Harry Patterson. BC

[Frank Shedd · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like most of Mr Higgins books for some reason i loved this one