Customer Reviews

East of Desolation

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Told from the view of the narrator, charter pilot Joe Martin, the tale was unfolded, introducing the desolation of remote communities in Greenland and how it affected the so-called civilised people when they left the exile of urbanisation and returned to nature.

What was it about Cape Desolation, one of the most challenging places in the world to survive, that attracted various folks who had been born and bred in the big cities? Movie stars, insurance agents, beautiful women all combined to produce volatile tension when an abandoned plane was discovered in the middle of nowhere with 2 dead bodies. A supposed griefing widow, an overly solicitious insurance agent, Joe discovered that greed can rear its ugly head in the most unexpected quarters.

In a fashion, this book followed the style of Alistair Maclean when the narrator described everything that he saw, heard and felt, but refrained from revealing all the knowledge available.
A good mix of mystery and turns, even if the excitement of the wilderness and artic aviation failed to rouse you, the superb drama between lively characters, with all the human failings and foibles would serve to delight and entertain, making this book hard to put down.

I was pleasantly surprised to read this. After immersing myself in the exploits of Sean Dillion, this was a breath of fresh air. Generally, Higgins novels are a quick read, but this lent itself to something different. Being that this is an earlier work, the plot was more imaginative and at times you could almost feel the cold. It's a shame that no one will film this because it is an intelligent thriller that is missing in today's market. Since his characters didn't seem to be based on characters from his other novels, ie. Dillion vs Devlin, it was a joy to read the development and how they interact. Too bad 'ole Jack can't go back to writing more original works like this, but he brings him the $'s, so I doubt that'll change.

Joe Martin doesn't want to be the leading man. He's quite content to leave that to his good friend, the famous actor Jack Desforge. All Joe wants to do is fly his plane, take what jobs come to him, and make his way as best he can. But when Joe is hired to take some insurance men and the widow Mrs. Kelso up to a Greenland ice cap to investigate and identify the remains of a wrecked plane, his nightmares come to life.

If suspense is what you're looking for you'll find it here in East Of Desolation. Jack Higgins weaves a tale of twists and turns which will keep you guessing. Like the best roler coaster ride you won't see the next twist in the track till it takes your breath away. A fast paced story and a quick read, this is suspense adventure writing at it's best.

In the Arctic Circle of Greenland, charter pilot Joe Martin is hired to transport passengers to a newly discovered small plane crash to positively identify the bodies for an Insurance Company. But Joe quickly figures out that his passengers, are playing a much deeper game than an Insurance investigation, but, he doesn't quite know what. Joe doesn't know the object of the game yet, but the rules, as Joe intuitively understands them, do not rule out murder...

Higgins has again produced another classic book. Set in Greenland, Higgins has taken readers around the globe again in a fast paced adventure with an ending I doubt anyone not peeking will predict. I've read over twenty of his books, and this one is one of my very favorites.

Early Jack Higgins novel that has many of the elements that have made him a very popular author. The main characters are "likeable" and well-developed. The story moves quickly although there is very little action in the first half of the book (much more in the second half). However, once we find out the true motives and identities of many of the characters (about 3/4 of the way through the book) the story seems to fall apart and is hard to believe.

Wow, what a wonderful book! I bought this book right after I finished SHEBA, another one of Higgins novels, and it was extraordinary. A must by.

This fellow Higgins has an uncanny knack of placing his novels in places most of us have never visited. That's what makes them almost page-turners. This one will almost send chills to your bones due to its being thrust into cold, snowy climes. As with all of Jack Higgins' novels, the hero is endangered, yet rides it out and succeeds in living through danger and also, of course, gets the girl. It's just a tad outdated at this point, but still a good read. Charles A. Reap, jr., author, "Devil's Game," "My Friend Sam" and "Choices."

I am a big fan of Jack Higgins so i guess i am somewhat bias. This was a quick read and i liked it.

I first read this book over a Turkey BLT at Ruby Tuesday's before work. I finished the book when I did I read it again.....Set in Greenland Joe Martin gets over his head in a plot only Higgins could write.