Customer Reviews

A Darker Place

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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"

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.

I find Professor Donald Mitchell's review to be the closest to my own take on this book.

Many of the negative comments from other reviewers left me wondering if these people had read the same book I did. I've read all of the Dillon stories and most of Higgins other books; he's one of my favorite authors.

OK, sure. He's writing entertaining, leave-your-mind-in-neutral stuff here---not great classics of literature. As a retired professional writer and communications consultant, I think I know the difference.

In spite of what many other critics have written, I think, for it's genere, this is a well-crafted, highly entertaining read. Dillon is a bit player in this one, but he is there, along with the usual supporting cast, and I especially enjoyed his new characters.

I give it an A+ as an enjoyable read.

As a voracious reader (having posted over 170 reviews on Amazon), this is one of the few novels I've simply given up on at the half-way point.

There are so many flashbacks (and thus changes in the time-frame) that I could not keep track of who was who, and why who was doing what.

The individual little short stories of the flashbacks are well constructed and interesting, with very interesting characters---but that is all that kept me going to the half-way mark.

If there is an overall plot or story, I have no idea what it was.

I realize that this isn't a very helpful review. However potential readers need to be warned that this is not a novel to read a chapter or two every other day---you've got to pay attention, and perhaps you have to be a Higgins fan and already know the continuing characters.

It was surprising to note the various opinions expressed in the reviews of "A Darker Place". They seemed to be all over the spectrum. As for me, there were times when I stop reading and looked at the cover to assure myself it was Higgins I was reading. And, were all the flashbacks necessary? Did they really have and serve a purpose?

Higgins is a prolific writer, as evidenced by all the novels he has written, but has he now reached the saturation poing where he is really stretching him imagination? Usually his words hold you, and evoke the mental pictures he
wants you to see. He is a master at stories of intrigue but "A Darker Place" does not really illustrate his true writing ability. I found the novel lacking in substance and interest.

E.J. Walden, author of "Operation Snow Owl"

Remember those days when every new Jack Higgins book was a certain "must read?" Sadly, this book follows his other recent efforts centring on a very unlikely group of legal bandits making up the Prime Minister of England's special force. Jack Higgins can still write. Few are better at describing the action, with easy to read, high paced drama. But Jack is stuck in a time warp, when everybody smoked like a chimney and the world was basically full of bad Russians and good Americans and Brits. This book is still worth reading - by no means his worst effort in recent years. There is far too much Irish nonsense in the story - anyone would think that British politics were completely dominated by what happened in Ireland over the last 20 years. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's all pretty stupid, but as a quick read on the beach, you could do worse.

Not up to Jack Higgins standards!!! Sean Dillon was basically nowhere to be found, unless it is at Cambridge with his new girl friend. Jack are you punching out the novels just to write something? You are too good to have this book published as it was.

The other reviewers have covered the ins and outs of this book. I will restrict myself to select segments.

What I liked:
Character development. Not everyone on the other side is a bad guy concept developed well.
Familiar setup with old characters but still allowing newer characters to blossom.
Surprising climax- even if less than fully fleshed out.

What I didn't like:
Less Sean Dillon. I really like his character a lot. Same goes for the Salters.
Less action that most of his books. There is a good bit of it but a lot of the book is conversations.
Too much of backstory. I liked the occasional flashbacks but it was too much of flashbacks and too little of the present.
Interesting but less than fully satisfying climax.

Alex Kurbsky, the Russian defector, is much more the main character in this book than Sean Dillon, though it's a Dillon series book.
Some of the plot seems a bit contrived. But, on the whole, Mr. Higgins appears to have thought his tale out well since it comes together very neatly at the end.
I didn't find this a blockbuster, but it's an entertaining novel. Pay attention to the read there are quite a number of characters in the story. The character of Kurbsky & some of his cohorts are very entertaining