Customer Reviews

Without Mercy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I managed to finish reading this book in the hope that it would get better. It never did. I've enjoyed many of his previous works, but this is the worst of his that I have read. I probably should have given it one star instead of two. Save your money.

I have read all of Jack Higgins' books, inclusing those written under his known psuedonyms. Typically, I have enjoyed his writing immensely, as it mixes places, action, mystery, and excitement. Unfortunately, that seems to be missing with each new effort. I am growing tired of the same cliches that Sean Dillon uses, the purported tie to the US and President Cazalet and Blake Johnson, the Salters, etc. It seems tired and forced, and dated. The characters all speak in a fashion that indicates that they are from the fifties, sixties, and seventies. The plotlines are predictable.

Don't get me wrong; I have loved Jack Higgins' writing for many years, and will continue to read all of his new efforts. I just hope that there is something new in his future writings.

I give this book a "3".

I have been a fan of Jack Higgins for over 30 years. Almost all of his books have been great, fast paced excitement, plausible stories rooted in history or great espionage thrillers designed to provide dashing heroes and "Daring Do" plots to show how good the good guys can be and how bad the bad guys can be. However, after the last three books dealing with the Rashid dynasty I had made the decision NOT to buy this lasted excuse for a "Jack Higgins" novel. However it was my birthday and my kids bought it for me. So I had to read it. (I wish they had bought me an UGLY tie instead.) This book follows the trend of the last two books. The characters are the same old tired bunch. The book jumps back and forth so much it loses continuity and all sense of rhythm. However on a bright note by now Mr. Higgins assumes we all know Sean Dillion's complete life history so he doesn't explain it to us each time the great "Sean Dillion's" name is mentioned. The plot is as weak as a two week old tea bag and about as exciting. There is NO action in the book what so ever! Most of the book is written in the third person as a narrative. There is very little dialog between the characters. If any more people are shot and fall off the balcony of the Gangster's penthouse on the Wapping Pier, then the British govt. can designate it the official execution chamber of the "Wandsworth's Prison". Also if the Salter's are such rich and powerful "Govners" in the British underworld, why do they have such a crappy security system if they have one at all? Also the friendly banter between people who have just tried to kill each other for the second, third and in some cases fourth time is ludicrous. Also if they are that bad at killing each other, how did these people become the pre-eminent spies/agents of their respective governments? By the next book I expect to see poor old Hannah Bernstein back in action because all the bad guys get resurrected why shouldn't Mr. Higgins inflict it on one of the good guys too? Not only does Mr., Higgins keep replaying the falling dead guy off the balcony but this is the third time that Dillon has been shot down flying a sea plane and just like in the book "Thunder Point" he goes down in the same water depth and of course just off shore with in easy swimming distance. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to heroically drag his companions to the beach and save them. Another point I am sure that Al Bowlly was a Great Jazz Pianist but didn't these guys ever listen to anyone else. Also since when does every Bad guy in the book have to be a Jazz pianist himself? Come on Mr.' Higgins, the books are getting repetitive and boring. The best thing that could have happened in this book is that the bad guys would have succeeded and Dillon and company KILLED, DEAD. Then Higgins would have to come up with some new characters for his books. I am sorry this rant was so long but I hate what Higgins is doing to his books. He is too gifted an author to write such garbage. And if his editor won't tell him so then we, his audience should.

I have been a longtime reader of Jack Higgins (Harry Patterson / Martian Fallon / James Graham) for the past 30+ years. After finishing his latest book "Without Mercy", I felt it was a little lacking. I read many of the other reviews to see if other readers had the same consensus as I, to my dismay they did. I think that Jack has fallen into a trap that can plague writers who create a character (like Sean Dillon) and try to write book after book in a continuing fashion. Let's face it, Sean has been around since 1992 in "The Eye of the Storm" and it has been a good series. The problem lately has been the transition and redundancy of the story line, it's almost like we are getting a cut and paste job from some of his previous books. This book actually is written in fashion like Tom Clancy's "Debt of Honor" with the transition to "Executive Orders", but instead of the gripping excitement experienced with Clancy, "Without Mercy" fizzles and you can anticipate every move three chapters before it happens. Jack should have just made his last book "Dark Justice" a few chapters longer and not created "Without Mercy", which is a four chapter book with a lot of filler.

I really would like to see Jack go back to writing WWII novels that he do so well, like "Night of the Fox", "Storm Warning", and the "Eagle has Landed".

You know, the guy was great. In baseball and football and other sports, your past 'greatness' carries you beyond your eroded greatness just about 5 minutes after the National Anthem. Then the fans are calling for your head.

Too bad we can't do that here. Ditto James Patterson. Ditto Higgins' countryman Follett. The date for the next Higgins book used to be pasted on the check out desks and cubicles of any Borders or Barnes. Well, those days are gone. (Remember 'Eagle has Landed?' Remember 'Season in Hell?')

This is a silly book. It is certainly not plot driven because the plot makes no sense at all. The Russians (I thought like the Nazis, we didn't have them any more) are plotting to kill the rest of Fergusen's team after the shoot out in "Dark Justice." Hannah, before she dies, continues to rankle Sean Dillon who has drifted from a philosohic assassin somewhere in between Bond, the old Harry Palmer and Jack Reacher to a virtual cartoon figure. Fergusen continues to ply everyone with booze. It makes no sense. In one scene the First Officer of the aircraft flying back to England at 600 miles per hour comes back in the cabin and Fergusen offers him a drink?

This may be it for me and Jack Higgins. He's interested in the yearly paycheck. Can't blame him, really. We keep buying his books. Bloody shame. He was such a talented chap. So full of promise. 1 star. Larry Scantlebury

Jack Higgins is my favorite author, and his books got me reading instead of watching Beverly Hills 90210 when I was younger. However, I do agree with some of the earlier reviewers. In this book (Without Mercy), some of the activities and characters are unrealistic (too easy to gather/steal information, too friendly between the enemies, etc...). Additionally, looks like Mr Higgins is trying everything he can to tie this book to his previous books (Belov, Rashid). I think it is time to cut the cord with the current villains and come up with some fresh ideas. It is getting repetitive. However, once again the book was easy to read. No crazy descriptions and plenty of actions. I was able to read it one day. I am extremely disappointed with the fact that Mr Higgins decided to kill Hannah. She was a perfect character throughout the Dillon Saga (and my second favorite character only to Liam Devlin). If it was up to me, Mr Higgins should have killed Billy. Out of all the characters in the book, Billy is the most unrealistic character and makes the book even more unreal (read the book, Billy turns into a badge carrying-super sidekick). I would not recommend this book to anyone who has never read Jack Higgins. If you want to start reading Jack Higgins, then start with "The Eagle has Landed", "Night of the Fox", or "Eye of the Storm". You will love it. However, if you are a Jack Higgins fan like me, then we must continue to read Sean Dillon and his crazy crew. I hope this helped!!!

I enjoy reading Jack Higgins. This is average for him, which simply means I enjoyed it, but it is not memorable.

Years ago I would pick up a Jack Higgins novel with anticipation,knowing that I was in for an enjoyable few hours. Now I pick up a Higgins novel hoping against hope that I will see a spark of the old Jack Higgins. Alas, his novels are getting progressively worse. As Jerry Saperstein put it in his review, Higggins has hit bottom in this latest outing.

There's so much wrong with this latest Sean Dillon venture that it's hard to know where to begin. Cardboard characters, juvenile dialogue, inane plotting are just the beginning. It's time to end this Sean Dillon serial. It's become a joke. Higgins is ripping off the public by putting out this stuff milking his earlier success without putting in a honest day's work. The big question is: does he still have in him to produce a decent novel on a par with his earlier work.

This Higgins novel is a touch more hard edged than usual with the death of one the main characters of previous Sean Dillon books (like Laurence Block's Everybody Dies) but full of formularized dialogue which doesn't offend me, but others might find tiresome.

It has been a while since I have read a Jack Higgin's novel. After reading "Without Mercy", I know I haven't missed much. This hackned effort is just plain awful--like some rank amateur's first effort in a creative writing class. The dialog is wooden, predictable,filled with cliche's. The plot, what little there is of it, is flat, difficult to follow, disjointed to the point of confusion, unbelievable, and, surprising for a Higgin's novel, without suspense or excitement. Now for the bad news: the characterization. Shallow stereotypes all, each with a particular macho preference for his own type of booze, all dead-eye marksmen, all without wit, charm, individuality, or development of any kind. I regret what's happened to Jack Higgins' talent, I regret the wasted time reading this monument to creative indolence, and most of all I regret having paid real money to this dog of a novel.