A sunken DC-3 lying on the Caribbean floor. Its cargo: ten million, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in gold ingots, emeralds and uncut diamonds guarded by the remains of two men, one woman and a very small boy.
--This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Guns, gangsters, sudden death, terrific action on land and under the sea Fear is the Key has a plot that will require a lot of willpower to stop you looking at the last page.Sunday MirrorKeeps tension at screaming point.Daily ExpressExcitement and violence the pace never slackens.Scotsman
--This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
About the Author
Alistair MacLean, the son of a Scots minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941 he joined the Royal Navy. After the war he read English at Glasgow University and became a schoolmaster. The two and a half years he spent aboard a wartime cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his remarkably successful first novel, published in 1955. He is now recognized as one of the outstanding popular writers of the 20th century, the author of 29 worldwide bestsellers, many of which have been filmed. He died in 1987.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Two Seconds,
By Christopher "chrysaetos" (Wengen-en-esprit) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fear Is the Key (Mass Market Paperback)
Fear Is the Key is MacLean's sixth novel, but quite possibly his funniest. The moment after reading the first sentence, I was already laughing out loud. The hero, John Montague Talbot, would become reminiscent of MacLean's 1966 British spy, Philip Calvert, in When Eight Bells Toll. Both characters, not at all similar in terms of career path or "secret" history, are oozing with that dry humor which, in the case of Fear Is the Key, makes up most of Talbot's thoughts. One of the funnier moments occurs when Talbot is held at gunpoint. Talbot then compares the enemy's tone of voice to that of a character requesting muffins during afternoon tea.
The intensely written prologue is the kind that sucker-punches the reader with the last page. The reader will immediately want to know what the heck happened, how it happened, why it happened, and how it is affiliated with Talbot. It will all be explained, as most good books do well, at the end. But to get to the end is a hazardous journey, rife with those ubiquitous, dangerous, gun-wielding adversaries that always harass MacLean's victimized heroes. The first chapter is expositional in nature, but is important to the conclusion of the book. Talbot entertains himself (and the reader) with his witty thoughts during the interrogation. After this, the book becomes pure action, with car chases, lies, gunplay, a beautiful woman, twists, and at times laugh-out-loud discourse between Talbot and supporting actors. I found the book to be well written and one of MacLean's better novels. The rewarding moment, however, comes at the end, when MacLean's writing suddenly becomes terrifying, all too real, and tragically oppressive. I was so frightened by what would happen, I became sick with fear. I have read and enjoyed many of MacLean's later novels, but I have been moved only by a few: The Secret Ways, and now Fear Is the Key. Believe it or not, our adventure spy thriller author becomes a poet at the end. Bravo, Mr. MacLean. I read the 1961 Fawcett Gold Medal paperback. My dictionary dash consisted of bathyscaphe (155), a deep-sea submersible vehicle.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is one of the best books that I have ever read,
By "p51d44" (usa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fear Is the Key (Hardcover)
In my opinion "Fear is the Key" Is probably one of the on the top five of Alistair MacLean's novels. This novel is very difficult to predict which makes all the better, because in most books the outcome is obvious. The protagonist will overcome all obstacles and achieve his goal and live happily ever after. In this book the outcome is not so easily predicted. It's a great book...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fear is the key to revenge,
By
This review is from: Fear Is the Key (Mass Market Paperback)
"Fear is the Key" immediately grabs the reader's attention with an odd prologue in which a marine salvage operator listens by radio to the death of his family in an airplane flying over the Caribbean. The scene then shifts to a courtroom in Florida, where a criminal facing sentencing picks up the narration. The man in the courtroom manages to escape and take a hostage, and away the reader goes on a twisting tale involving a rich Florida family, the mafia, and mysterious doings aboard an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Almost no one and nothing is quite as it seems. How author Alistair Maclean resolves this complicated plot is revealed in a superbly crafted and suspenseful finale, packing a significant emotional punch.
Maclean's propensity for dry, understated, and ironic dialogue, both internal and external, is put to good use in this overlooked novel, providing some humorous relief for a storyline that fairly crackles with suspense. This book is highly recommended to fans of Alistair Maclean, and to the general reader looking for an entertaining and suspenseful story.
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