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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Watch that first step!,
This review is from: Breakheart Pass (Hardcover)
When I was a kid, I read every single one of MacLean's novels -- and this was the one I found hardest to put down! With a plot involving a Pinkerton agent on board a train in the American West, it is somewhat different from other MacLean novels -- but just as authentic and exciting! If you're a MacLean fan, it'd be well worth your time to track down an edition of this overlooked gem.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Western action thriller,
By
This review is from: Breakheart Pass (Paperback)
Master action adventure author Alistair Maclean goes away from his usual World War II setting using a 1870's Western theme for his 1974 novel "Breakheart Pass". While not written with the intricate plots or character descriptions of his earlier work, the book contains enough misdirection and intrigue to keep you guessing. Maclean's writing style is which he displays an erudite command of the English language, gives us small bits and pieces of information slowly advancing the plot.
"Breakheart Pass" involves a perilous winter railroad journey through the Nevada territory in the midst of a frightful blizzard. Aboard the train are Nevada governor Fairchild and his niece Marica, along with U.S. cavalry colonel Claremont and two carloads of troops. Joining them are U.S. marshal Pearce and the governor's aide and Pearce's old army buddy Major O'Brien. Pearce, a venerable lawman and Indian agent was transporting dangerous murderer and gunman John Deakin. Their destination was the remote Fort Humboldt nestled deep in the Nevada mountains. Their trip was a mercy mission as a cholera outbreak in the fort had decimated the troops who were in need of relief and medical supplies. Dr. Molyneaux, a tropical disease expert was accompanying the aforementioned entourage. As the journey continues we slowly learn that all is not what it seems. Maclean has meticulously obliterated the lines defining exactly who were the good guys and who were the bad. A nefarious plot had been hatched and the train passengers were mostly all integral parts of it. As the story winds down the cunning deviousness nature of the plan is finally revealed.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Western For All Seasons,
By
This review is from: Breakheart Pass (Paperback)
When I first read this I was surprised because Alistair Maclean had written Cold War thrillers, novels located in Arctic locales, some contemporary novels and some with World War II in the background. This was his first, and only, venture into the American West.
Always thought this was one of his best novels. After this, the author sadly began to decline. But in "Breakheart Pass" his prose was still sharp and so was his plot. As in many of his novels, his characters are on a ship or outpost or, in this case, a train and a number of mysterious deaths occur. Clearly one or more of the characters are killers. This was made into a movie with Charles Bronson and it's one of the few MacLean books that Hollywood didn't screw up. That's probably because MacLean wrote the script and it adheres closely to the novel. A very suspensful tale. In his prime there was no one better than MacLean. The novel is a fitting tribute to the old West.
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