Jig [Hardcover]

Campbell Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1987

The text of the Lord's Prayer accompanied by fifteen illustrations of Amish life.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Armstrong's topnotch thriller gets off with a bang as wealthy American supporters of the IRA are shocked out of their complacency when the distant war comes to their own homeground. The theft of $10 million bound for the Cause provokes the secret army's inner circle to send out its most reliable man, the nameless, faceless Jig, an unerring terrorist who avoids harming the innocent. Following a tip that one of the key American fundraisers is responsible, Jig becomes a detective, like his opposite number, British cop Frank Pagan, who dogs his heels. Also over here, by unlikely coincidence, is a rabble-rousing Protestant minister from Belfast who is playing his own violent game. Individually, many of the characters and actions are cliches and stereotypes but Armstrong weaves a web of broken and yearning family ties, both real and metaphoric, that will draw readers in and speed them through the maze.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A fast-paced, accomplished novel that explores the Irish Republican Army, contemporary terrorism, and American involvement, by the author of many award-winning novels. British officer Frank Pagan is sent to the United States to find the mysterious Jig, an elusive IRA terrorist on a mission to recover a large missing sum of IRA money. Jig, though a terrorist, is also a hero of sorts and so the non-IRA elements from Northern Ireland are attempting to eliminate him. In character and atmosphere Jig is very reminiscent of The Day of the Jackal , though Armstrong's characters elicit more sympathy. His accurate, apt images, his sardonic humor, his ingenious plot twists, and his amiable characters place Armstrong on a par with LeCarre and Ambler. Don't miss this one. Jeam B. Palmer, Andover, Mass.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 495 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (August 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688068790
• ISBN-13: 978-0688068790
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,737,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Find it., September 27, 2000

By 

Allan - See all my reviews

This review is from: JIG ~ A Powerful Thriller (Mass Market Paperback)

I can not believe no one else has written a review for this outstanding thriller.

Frank Pagan, the protagonist, is a bruised, battered London cop, whi is assigned to the anti-terrorist squad.

The "Jig" of the title is a well-accomplished Irish killer.

Frank has to catch him.

So, yes: it's a chase story. And it moves. The body count is awesome, the tension is overwhelming. The atmosphere is gritty, sweaty, saeamy. It's real. While it doesn't actually say so in the text, you know that Frank Hagan is a man who farts. He's human. He's damaged: a widower, still in love with his dead wife. He's... eccentric: a Londoner who drives a huge American car and plays 1950s rock and roll LOUD on the car stereo.

The story is a tad dated, but gripping nonetheless. Read it, then read the follow-ups: Jigsaw, and Heat.

They all compare favourably with Nelson Demille's "Cathedral".. enough said?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless Suspense, June 19, 2003

By 

Irishgal (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JIG ~ A Powerful Thriller (Mass Market Paperback)

Jig is the code name of an Irish assassin with a sense of right and wrong that separates him from other IRA hit-men.

Frank Pagan is the Scotland Yard agent assigned to bring him down.

When a ship carrying over a million dollars' worth of money and weapons for the IRA is attacked in the Atlantic, the two adversaries are thrown into a game of intrigue, deception, violence, and trust that Campbell Armstrong has woven into a flawless novel of suspense that will have all readers on the edge of their seats.

It is in New York City that the two meet face-to-face...and the chase begins. Jig doesn't know where to begin looking for the money. Pagan can't convince the FBI to allow him to investigate in his own way. And Ivor McInnes, a Belfast minister, is working on something so deadly that Jig and Pagan are forced to join forces to stop a scheme that will bring the IRA to its knees.

Featuring a conscience-torn ex-priest, the President's brother, and a mysterious woman named Celestine, "Jig" is a riveting page-turner that echoes the dance it is named after. And the faster the dance gets, the harder the book is to put down.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding thriller! Current events, character, and action, April 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: JIG ~ A Powerful Thriller (Mass Market Paperback)

I tripped over this thriller in Heathrow Airport and got hooked on Campbell Armstrong. It is rare to find a book that balances gripping action, three dimensional characters and immersion in current events. But Jig (and its sequel Jigsaw) accompishes this. Armstrong avoids falling into predictable formulas which keeps the reader involved and on the edge of their chair the whole time.