Customer Reviews

White House Connection Hb

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

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..

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.

In The White House Connection, Jack Higgins, the prolific thriller writer has again reprised former IRA terrorist Sean Dillon, Brigadier Charles Ferguson,Hannah Bernstein and Blake Johnson in a fast paced story where the combined talents of British and American intelligence are used to thwart Irish terrorism.

In this continuation of the Sean Dillon saga, Higgins introduces an unlikely opponent for the combined US/UK intell team as they try to determine who is killing off the Sons of Erin and why. That killer, a woman, is as unlikely as any protagonist Higgins has ever used. Without revealing the person's identity (although the author does so early on), suffice it to say that the concept is improbable and unlikely. It seemed as if Higgins was really reaching for something with this book and the reader needs to suspend disbelief more than is usual for novels of this type.

In the process of leading the reader through the story, Higgins does his usual good job of providing history lessons right where they are needed to give readers the needed background to explain or amplify why he has written a character or scene a certain way. His intertwining of certain historical facts, especially those on Irish rebel history immediately explain why a Protestant Irish American would be a member of the IRA when everyone knows that the enmity between Catholics and Protestants in Ulster is legendary. When Higgins does this, he is at his best.

Another noticeable and at times very annoying feature of this book is that the dialogue Higgins gives the American characters is more British than American. In some cases it is more Irish than American. It almost seems as if Higgins has no knowledge whatever of American idiom and doesn't know how to write using our speech patterns. If you are a fan and doubt this style problem, go back and look closely for it. EVERYONE sounds British. Sean Dillon, the former IRA killer is also inconsistent in his speech patterns as well. Higgins' use of Irish idiom is overdone and also becomes annoying, mostly because it's so unnecessary.

Despite my minor annoyances and critiques here, overall, this is a very enjoyable read. The usual Higgins mastery of scene, atmosphere, characterization, tension and pacing all here. If the reader is familiar with the British cast of characters, this book reads quickly and well because we are all glad to be reunited with Sean Dillon and his boss, Brigadier Charles Ferguson.

Higgins also provides some really despicable opposition to the intelligence folks. One, named Jack Barry is so hoorible that most readers will probably be praying for his death. This is the kind of book one can easily read over a weekend or on the beach. Despite some minor and easily forgivable irritants, THE WHITE HOUSE CONNECTION is another successful and fast ride through the creative mind of Jack Higgins. If he had avoided overuse of British speech patterns and a more than usually unbelievable main character, I would have awarded this book 5 stars; so with these things in mind, I gave it 4 stars.

Fans of Higgins shouldn't miss this one and I recommend to all serious readers of espionage and police procedural novels.

95% of what I read is non-fiction--but living in the D.C. area for eight years, and learning everything I could about the area and its key inhabitants--this book caught my eye. This is my very first Higgins read and I will seek other Higgins books. The author kept me fully engaged on two business flights--I don't even remember the snack on the flight. This book will take you from the White House--to the United Kingdom and back on the Concord or US Government Aircraft, with many plots taking place, key people involved, and many connections on both continents taking place at the same time--you will be itching for the flight to be over--to get the key players where they need to be. The bumper-sticker for this book--"revenge--above the law decision makers--perfection--knowledge is power". A quick, but engaging read.

I love this book. Especially Sean D., but thats besides the point. It was worth the sleep I lost while reading it. This book and all the others are worth reading. Flight of Eagles is also worth missing sleep for. Only a few books have ever made me feel so strongly after finishing that I have wanted to read it again, just so I didn't lose that feeling. I WANT MORE!

I've read few Jack Higgins books, and this was my first. That said, I didn't know any of the recurring characters or their stories, yet it didn't make a difference. The story makes perfect sense without foreknowledge of the characters, and this was still a great book.

In the opening pages, an assassin waits patiently for a Senator to arrive at his residence. Against the backdrop of a light rain, two men pull a woman into an alley with the intent to rape her. The assassin comes to her aid, and we find that the assassin is an old woman, a kindly old grandmother! From this moment on, my interest was peaked. I had to find out who this woman was, how she entered her profession, etc. I was not disappointed. "The White House Connection" is a spy thriller true to its purpose, perfect for a rainy day or an extended plane ride. If you like Jack Higgins, you'll definitely love this novel. And if you've never read his work, this is a great starting point. For a quick reality escape, read this book!

Britt Gillette
...

Super-granny killing gangsters, never getting killed herself.
Please

Excuse me, with all the clues out there, why did it take these masterminds so long to figure out who was knocking off all the Sons of Erin? Higgins must be getting royalties from the tobacco and alcohol firms, with all of the gratuitus product plugs he's inserted between the lame storyline. I was starting to hope that Dillon would go the way of the Soak Hole, and I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for Lady Helen, despite what the President may think. One final slam - this book was far too rich in Irish brogue and British colloquilisms. Go back to Thunder Point if you want to see Sean Dillon in good form.

As always, Jack Higgins is a quick and excellent read. This one is as pleasing as ever. A novel with either Hannah Bernstein or Charles Ferguson as the main character would also be interesting, and no doubt entertaining with this dependable modern-day bard at the helm. While it certainly does not spark intellectual curiosity or cause one to ponder the state of man and/or society, that is perhaps simultaneously the beauty and appeal of Higgins' novels. My quite favorable views toward Jack Higgins' novels now having been expressed, ditto for this one, only kudos on the invention and implementation of the heroine. Rarely has a villain been so well written as to make me refer to her as the "heroine." Anyone who reads the book will know without a doubt that of which I speak.