The President's Daughter [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Jack Higgins (Author), Patrick MacNee (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

The president's daughter has been kidnapped--and two men must race against the clock to prevent even greater tragedy in Jack Higgins' new thriller. Now, on the heels of the bestselling, Drink with the Devil, he teams together an old hero with a new one to produce his most exciting story yet. Simultaneous hardcover release from Putnam. 8 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The President's Daughter is to thrillers what Hong Kong is to movies: hyperphysical and flashy, filled with international menace, and perfectly choreographed so there's no wasted action whatsoever. And like those movies, the book's a wonderful ride, particularly if you don't ask too many questions after you climb aboard. The characters are strictly Central Casting: a gallant war-hero president twitted by terrorists, a craggy old pro called out of retirement, an I.R.A. scoundrel with a heart of ... well, brass at least. The daughter of the title is a comely French countess (of course), who's kidnapped by a nefarious group of Israeli extremists. In return for her safety, they want Dad to nuke several Arab countries. Will he be forced to push the button, or will a trio of agents be able to reach her in time? Typical of the genre, the book's pull is the intelligence of the villains multiplied by the ingenuity of the heroes. The President's Daughter scores highly on both and readers itching for a globe-trotting game of cat-and-rat won't be disappointed. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA. International espionage at its best. Two of Higgins's favorite heroes, Sean Dillion and Liam Devlin, unite with FBI agent Blake Johnson, a decorated Marine, to solve this suspenseful thriller. When the President finds out that he had a daughter while stationed in Vietnam, this knowledge triggers a chain of events that could place the world as we know it in danger. A devious group of people discovers his secret and, acting with terrible speed, they seize the woman. If the President does not comply with their demands, they will kill her. This mystery thriller is fast paced and filled with believable characters and humor, as well as heroes whose powers of deduction and actions continue to amaze and surprise readers right up through the climactic and emotional conclusion.?Anita Short, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787114588
• ISBN-13: 978-0787114589
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,955,305 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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Read!, November 12, 2000

By 

Melvin Hunt (Cleveland,, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The President's Daughter (Sean Dillon) (Paperback)

I am beginning to become a fan of Sean Dillon. He has been used very effectively by Higgins as a hero role. This book held my attention throughout. The President has a daughter who is in turn kidnapped by some Israeli extremists. Their on the President is that he nuke several Arab countries. Faced with this dilemna he is forced to call for help. Who else to save the day but Sean Dillon. As I had said before he has become an effective hero figure for Jack Higgins. Don't worry because Sean Dillon saves the day. This is a very good book. It has good action sequences as well as a good plot. Be sure to read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by Barney, November 17, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The President's Daughter (Sean Dillon) (Paperback)

In 1969, Jake Cazalet saved the life of a Frenchwoman in Vietnam, and a brief passionate affair ensued. Years later in Paris, he was introduced to another beautiful young woman, his daughter. For many reasons, their relationship remained a secret. Some of these reasons include that fact that Cazalet is now the President of the United States. The American populous does not take kindly to illegitimate children when it comes to politicians. As I said before, Cazalet is now the president of the United States. Somehow, someone has discovered the truth about his daughter, and she is seized by a vicious extremist group. This group of men call themselves Macabees. They believe they are going to free Israel from its oppressors as Judas and his Macabees did in the fifth century. If the president does not comply with the kidnappers' demand, or uses any of America's security agencies to track them down, they will execute her. This forces Cazalet to make the toughest decision of his life. However, he only has ten days to decide. Desperate he turns to British operative Sean Dillon and Brigadier Charles Fergesun. If these two men cannot find hi daughter, the president will have to make the toughest decision of his life. He must choose between his daughter, whom he loves more than anything, and doing his duty to his country and not complying with terrorist demands. This is a great book for anyone who likes action and suspense. I would recommend this book to anybody, the reading is very easy and the story is never dull. This book forces you to keep reading.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick, Enjoyable Read, but not Tolstoy, March 3, 2001

By 

P. Connors "Colonialpara" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The President's Daughter (Sean Dillon) (Paperback)

Hey fellow readers, this is another of Jack Higgins action-packed thrillers. It is not Tolstoy and it was never intended to be. How do you think Higgins got so many of these things published? He sure doesn't spend a lot of time on them. These books are to action adventure fans what popcorn and Coke are to theater goers.

In this action adventure thriller, Higgins reprises former IRA enforcer Sean Dillion, Brigadier Charles Ferguson and Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Hannah Bernstein. Later on in the book, the author also recalls from retirement that old IRA legend Liam Devlin. His cunning, wit and skill (despite his advanced age) were a welcome intrusion into the story line as it moved toward its conclusion.

The President's Daughter is another one of those Higgins stories that really requires a major suspension of disbelief. The plot's premise is that the US President, as a young Army officer in Vietnam, met a beautiful French woman who was searching for her husband thought lost when ambushed by the NVA. It just so happens that the woman is married to a French Foreign Legion captain who retains a noble title and significant wealth. Thinking her husband dead, she has a one night affair with young Lt. Jake Cazalet. The very next morning, she finds out that her husband, Captain (Count) de Brissac is alive and out of a sense of duty, returns to him. Jake is heartbroken but the two of them agree to part. What neither one knows is that the one night liaison has resulted in the conception of a child. After the child's birth, the Comtesse de Brissac convinces her husband that the child is his and life goes on.

As the years pass, Jake Cazalet returned to Harvard where he completed his doctorate and law school. He enters politics and eventually becomes a Senator. Later, he is elected President. After he becomes President, Jake finds out that the Count de Brissac, a former French general, has passed away. He eventually meets his long-lost love and she tells him a secret, her daughter was not 'the general's daughter,' but his own. Jake's wife, who had died years earlier of leukemia, had never been able to bear children and now the POTUS has one 28 years old, who he cannot acknowledge.

Enter the complication. Someone else finds out Marie de Brissac's identity and they kidnap her. The kidnappers are not the usual PLO, IRA or former Communist thugs Higgins has employed in these roles in the past. They are Israelis who want to force the President to sign an order that will result in the nuclear destruction of Syria, Iran and Iraq. They give him a time limit and with that clock ticking, the tension also starts to build.

In his own way, Higgins chooses to involve Sean Dillon, Brigadier Ferguson and Hannah Bernstein. He also introduces a new character, Blake Johnson, an FBI agent who runs "The Basement" in the White House. He is the President's special action team and as a result of the kidnapping, he and Dillon join forces. Readers will meet him again in THE WHITE HOUSE CONNECTION.

While the entire premise for this book is truly far-fetched, the way in which Dillon and Blake Johnson resolve the crisis is what makes for the most interesting reading. It is in the problem solving stage where Higgins provides most of the action, tension and enjoyment. That is why he has so many fans around the world. This is not great or memorable literature. What it is is an enjoyable, mindless, escapist way to pass some time.

Higgins is spare with his wording and his details. That is also another factor in why his books are so quick and fast paced. If you're looking for a quick way to escape your everyday existence, then Higgins (and this book) is a good place to start. Sean Dillon and the rest of the characters in these books have become like old friends. It's always good to visit with them every once in a while.

Higgins fans will like this installment. It's full of everything they expect from this extremely prolific author. Cast aside the critical eye. Sit back, put your feet up and visit with old friends.