The Killing Ground [Mass Market Paperback]

Jack Higgins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2008

Sean Dillon takes on a mission of mercy, in which he will be shown none.

Intelligence operative Sean Dillon stops Caspar Rashid at Heathrow Airport?and is pulled into danger. The man?s daughter has been kidnapped by Rashid?s own father and taken to Iraq to be married to one of the Middle East?s most feared terrorists.

Rashid begs Dillon for help?but he has no idea of the terrible chain of events he is about to unleash, nor of the danger he is about to face.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After almost two score books, many of them bestsellers, Higgins (Without Mercy) knows how to fire up a thriller. In the first half-dozen pages, he establishes his London locale; reintroduces recurring lead Sean Dillon, the colorful former IRA man turned British intelligence antiterrorism op; has Sean shoot a smalltime hood's ear off; and intimates there are much bigger fish to fry beyond the hood's Russian employer. The real villain is a Muslim extremist of the al-Qaeda variety: Hussein Rashid, aka the Hammer of God, and one of the most successful assassins alive, with 27 certified kills of American and British soldiers and Iraqi politicians. Hussein has his sights set on Charles Ferguson, head of British intelligence. It's a longstanding grudge, complicated by the recent kidnapping of Hussein's promised bride, his 13-year-old cousin Sara, who was earlier kidnapped by Hussein himself. The proceedings are complicated; it helps if the reader is a veteran of this long-running series. But it's all pure Higgins: almost every shot hits square between the eyes, and all the characters are hard lads indeed. (Jan.)
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.

Review

'Open a Jack Higgins novel and you'll encounter a master craftsman at the peak of his powers ! first-rate tales of intrigue, suspense and full-on action.' Sunday Express 'Higgins is a master of his craft.' Daily Telegraph 'A thriller writer in a class of his own.' Financial Times 'The master craftsman of good, clean adventure.' Daily Mail --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425224457
• ISBN-13: 978-0425224458
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #769,085 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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Good, March 3, 2008

By 

R. Oppenheimer "Oppy" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Killing Ground (Sean Dillon) (Hardcover)

I have read just about all of Jack Higgins books and this could be the worst of them all!! Good plot but it appears that this was a hurry up and get it done book. Buy it used !

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth reading!, July 6, 2009

By 

Christos Markou (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Killing Ground (Mass Market Paperback)

Higgins has been one of my favourite thriller writters, but this is certainly not worth the effort reading it! Boring, predictable and shallow!
The plot is ill developed, the characters are just a repetition from previous novels, the novelty is just not there! Spend your time on something more interesting!

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly predictable, February 24, 2008

By 

Stephen M. Zielinski (Depew, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Killing Ground (Sean Dillon Series) (Audio CD)

I couldn't believe Mr. Higgins could write yet another book with the same characters...Dillon, Roper, Ferguson and the Salters fighting the same tired old foes...the IRA and now al-qaeda. Yet here it is, with all the predictable character "invulnerabilities" that his other books have. Dillon never misses a shot (they're always between the eyes), the Salters always get the bad guys and then have a drink, and Roper's computers always find the other guy's flaws first. Why not have some reality to this type of work? Perhaps Mr. Higgins could come up with some plot where these ageless characters take their leave, and stay that way. Otherwise, they are just as stale as an open bottle of Mr. Dillon's Krug champagne. This is my opinion only.