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Darker Place [Paperback]

Jack Higgins (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 2, 2009
A famous Russian writer and ex-paratrooper named Alexander Kurbsky has gotten fed up with the Putin government, and decides he wants to "disappear" into the West. He is under no illusions, however, about how the news will be greeted at home, having seen too many of his countrymen die mysteriously at the hands of the thuggish Russian security services, so he makes elaborate plans with Charles Ferguson, Sean Dillon and the rest of the group known informally as the "Prime Minister’s private army" for his escape and concealment.
It’s a real coup for the West except for one thing: Kurbsky is still working for the Russians. The plan is to infiltrate British and American intelligence at the highest levels, and he has his own motivations for doing the most effective job possible. He does not care what he has to do or where he has to go...or whom he has to kill.

Filled with suspense, driven by characters of complexity and passion, A Darker Place once again proves that, in the words of the Associated Press, “When it comes to thriller writers, one name stands well above the crowd — Jack Higgins.”
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When world-famous Russian novelist Alexander Kurbsky decides to leave for the West in bestseller Higginss suspenseful 16th thriller to feature former IRA man Sean Dillon (after Rough Justice), Kurbsky turns for help to Dillon and other members of the British prime ministers private army. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin persuades Kurbsky to infiltrate this elite group and spy for Russia by showing him current photos of his sister, Tania, who the celebrated author thought died years earlier in a student riot. Tanias release from a life sentence in prison is the price for Kurbskys cooperation. Dillon and the others, most notably Lady Monica Sterling, Dillons girlfriend, welcome Kurbsky into their circle in England, where the Russian begins to go about his deadly business. Several long flashbacks explore past events to good effect. The final dustup is a little rushed, but the crisp writing shows Higgins to be on top of his game. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The veteran author of political thrillers turns in another lackluster performance. As usual, the story contains the raw material for a first-rate novel: a Russian writer makes arrangements with Sean Dillon, the IRA terrorist turned British intelligence agent, and his colleagues in the “Prime Minister’s private army” to leave Russia and come to Britain. However, as Higgins reveals very early on, the writer is actually working for the Russians, and his deadly mission could wreak havoc at the top levels of the international intelligence community. Unfortunately, Higgins seems to be sleepwalking his way through the novel: the book opens, for example, with a clumsy scene in which one character tells another character something she already knows, purely for the benefit of the reader. The characters in the novel feel lifeless, even the ones whom the author has been writing about for years (there are more than a dozen Sean Dillon novels), and Higgins’ decision to reveal the Russian writer’s secret agenda at the beginning of the novel seems ill-considered: the story would have been more interesting, and certainly more surprising, if readers were left to wonder what this fellow was up to and whether he was keeping secrets. Higgins retains a large if shrinking fan base and that should ensure interest in the novel, but it’s definitely not one of his best. --David Pitt --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Collins Omes (April 2, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007294948
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007294947
  • Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8 x 2.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,024,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Higgins is among the world's most popular authors. Since the publication of The Eagle Has Landed--one of the biggest-selling thrillers of all time--every novel he has written has become an international bestseller, including The White House Connection and Day of Reckoning. He has had simultaneous number-one bestsellers in hardcover and paperback, and has been published in thirty-eight languages worldwide. Many of his books have been made into successful movies, among them The Eagle Has Landed, To Catch A King, and The Valhalla Exchange. He lives with his wife on Jersey in the Channel Islands.

 

Customer Reviews

39 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (13)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (39 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Darker Place to Be, February 9, 2009
By 
Rosa "Bookworm" (Detroit,MichiganUSA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Darker Place (Hardcover)
This is Jack Higgins at his finest. Alex Kurbsky wants to defect. And hopes that Fergusion and his crew will help. But all is not what it seems. Once again Sean Dillon springs into action. This is a fast-paced and action packed. I couldn't put it down and finish it in one day. You won't be disappointed.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Devil's in the Details, April 20, 2009
This review is from: A Darker Place (Hardcover)
Not one of his best efforts, "A Darker Place" shows evidence of slapdash writing by Higgins. To wit, Kurbsky, according to Higgins, is shot by Ali Selim in his left hip on page 330. However, on page 332, Kurbsky says he was shot in his right hip. Oops! The devil's in the details.

I also found the Russian soldier's abrupt fling with the maid at the hotel where Kurbsky was staying when he defected a bit contrived--as though the maid/lover was thrown in as an obvious plot device (she "happens" to see Kurbsky when he makes a run for it at the hotel and she notifies the Russians who were guarding him).

That being said, despite its jerry-built sections, "A Darker Place" is better than most thrillers, even though it's not Higgins's best.

As for Sean Dillon, he seems to have mellowed out in his old age. He doesn't have that devil-may-care attitude he used to have. In this particular book in the series, he is, in fact, irrelevant.

--Bryan Cassiday, author of "Fete of Death"
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing read, May 28, 2009
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This review is from: A Darker Place (Hardcover)
Higgins' books today are not as good as the earlier ones. It seems he does not take the time to think out the plot ahead of time and instead makes it up as he goes. Unfortunately he is in a rut of repeating plots over and over again. This is another example. I am hooked on reading all of his novels hoping for the spark of the Higgins of old but this is another disappointment.
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gutting knife, large vodka
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Alexander Kurbsky, Holland Park, All Selim, Ali Selim, Blake Johnson, Garden of Eden, Prime Minister, Chamber Court, New York, Station Gorky, Katya Zorin, Henri Duval, Boris Luzhkov, Yuri Bounine, Shadid Basayev, Sergeant Doyle, Major Roper, Gare du Nord, Lady Starling, Father Ramsan, Black Tigers, Big Four, Tania Kurbsky, Legion of Honor, Sean Dillon
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