The White House Connection [Paperback]

Jack Higgins (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Praeger (1976)
• ASIN: B000OR5WSY
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

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

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent light reading, December 29, 2001

By 

W. Fish (Midwest United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The White House Connection (Sean Dillon) (Paperback)

Lady Helen, a geriatric British aristocrat, gains revenge on people involved in the killing of her son. While not very believable, and not one of Higgin's better works, it's a quick and mostly enjoyable read with familiar characters. The two major annoyances throughout the book were:

1. EVERY character talks about the joys of smoking. It appeared to be a paid advertisement for Marlboros and the emphasis he placed on the dialogue related to smoking detracts from the story.
2. EVERY American character uses British phrases and discusses their love of things British from meat pies to Harrods.

If a friend gives you the book and there isn't anything better to read, it will pass the time.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, July 20, 2000

By 

Peter Sherrill - See all my reviews

This review is from: The White House Connection (Sean Dillon) (Paperback)

This was a pretty good book, but i think Higgins could have done better. Oh yes, for the most part the story was exciting and kept you turning the pages, but some parts just went to quickly..Higgins should have built up to it a bit more, or put some more action into it..Also, he took too long to pull everything together...it was way to quick in the beginning, and then it slowed down considerably for about 100 pages, and then at the end picked back up again...The story is about an old lady who's paramilitary-type son was killed by IRA branch terrorists years ago, and she finally learns the terrible truth behind his grizzly murder. Driven by rage, and the realization that her life was near its end, she goes on a mad killing spree against the people that killed her son..Our favorite Irishman, Sean Dillon is involved, along with his good friend Blake Johnson, as they try to figure out who the mystery person is that is killing off left-wing terrorists left and right... An exciting tale to say the least, but it could have been put together better..other than that i have no complaints and i do reccomend this book if you especially like Higgins, but if you are a "new kid" then i suggest you start with some of his earlier books..

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast read., December 19, 2000

By 

nobizinfla "nobizinfla" (Windermere, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The White House Connection (Hardcover)

Jack Higgins is a terrific storyteller. This was my first Higgins novel and the pages flew by. Reading this book was like eating peanuts...I could not stop and finished in two sessions.

An absolute complete suspension of disbelief is the best way to approach this one as it stretches credulity to beyond the max...but it is great fun. And, what is fiction all about, if not for suspension of disbelief? Some of the situations the protagonists get out of would make James Bond proud.

In the setup, the first quarter of the book is pretty credible and then the fun begins. The action switches between Washington, New York, London and Ireland...lots of Concorde flights, tony parties and champaign between the gun shots. The good guys are interesting characters and the bad guys seem a match for them due to their mole inside the White House. The reader is clued into the mole's identity early on, so we know whodunit...so we have to watch the clock to see if the good guys can figure it out in time.

It was an enjoyable read all in all. The protagonists are continuing characters and it appears their ranks increased by one in "The White House Connections." That's good news for Higgins' fans as he is a prolific writer.

That said, it was "too Brit" and "too IRA" for me to become addicted to the series. It was a fun one-time interlude for someone who prefers the good old American hardboiled mystery. For those who like the British touch, this series is a keeper.