Customer Reviews

The Wrath of God

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One of Higgins earlier works. Good action tale set in Central American during the 1920's. The characters are well developed and the plot takes its own unique twists. Basis for an MGM film in 1972.

Last year, I wrote that I had just been introduced to the writings of Jack Higgins, and had enjoyed reading his work, "Without Mercy." I have just gone back to the Higgins buffet line for a second helping, this time reading "The Wrath of God." Higgins writes in the action genre with a sparse style that reminds me a bit of Hemingway. It has the feel of a spaghetti Western that would be filmed with a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.

In "The Wrath of God," Higgins creates bleak and arid landscapes - externally, located in a parched Mexican backwater - and internally, located in the desiccated souls of his characters. The characters come to life as memorably flawed human beings. The protagonist - but hardly a hero - is Emmett Keogh, an embittered former IRA assassin who can no longer remember how many people he has called or why he killed them. Circumstances throw him in conflict and in partnership with Van Horne and Janos. Van Horne is a defrocked priest turned back robber, and Janos is an ex-patriot Hungarian doing business rapaciously in post-Civil War Mexico of the 1920's.

Though an action novel through and through, with a film of film noir to it, "The Wrath of God," consistently poses spiritual questions: "Can the reprobate find forgiveness?" Is it incongruous for an avowed atheist to hunger for a spiritual connection?" "Can a deadened and benumbed soul be brought back to life?"

Higgins has a long list of novels to his credit. I expect to continue sampling them for the foreseeable future.

Think of this book as a love story draped in bandoliers. The gunfights and outlaws are only there to dress up the plot. At its heart, this book is the story of a violent man redeemed by the love of a good woman. It is about how in a dark time, two people help each other reclaim their humanity.

The Wrath of God is an enjoyable story from Jack Higgins that is well worth a read. In 1920s Mexico, three men are brought together under different circumstances and blackmailed into completing a mission for a Mexican army officer. The three men are Keogh, a former IRA assasin, Van Horne, a priest who also robs banks, and Janos, an overweight businessman who stops at nothing to better himself. The mission they receive is to capture a man, dead or alive, Tomas de la Plata, who has gone renegade and is reigning terror on a small part of northern Mexico. I really enjoyed this book. All the characters are fairly well-developed and you get to know them and their motivations by the end. Not Higgins' best book, but his fans will definitely enjoy this western action.

If you like the book, try and find a copy of the movie that was based on Higgins' novel. It stars Robert Mitchum, Frank Langella, Victor Buono, Ken Hutchison, and Rita Hayworth in her last movie. The movie differs from the book in certain parts, but just like the novel, it is highly enjoyable, and full of great characters and plenty of action. Check out The Wrath of God!

This was the second book of Jack Higgins I have ever had the pleasure to read. I spent the evening reading it and finished it in three hours.
The plot was well paced and the characters interesting, a fine book and a good read.

The action scenes were especially compelling.

Really violent action coupled with the the redemption oft two souls, set in a very believable 20=30th century Mexico. Not a typical Higgins; I wish he had allowed this much of his inner depth to appear in later volumes. This one is about human beings.

In Wrath of God, Higgins brings together 3 diverse men and forces them to cooperate with each other. Keogh is a former Irish assassin, Van Horne a former priest who now robs banks and Janos, a businessman whose main interest is himself and how to make his life better. They all find themselves in Mexico in the 1920s and are forced to work together on a mission for a Mexican army officer to save their own lives.

There is no fat in a Higgins novel. He says exactly what he wants and means in few words while still painting a stark picture. Wrath of God is as well written as any of his books, however, for me the plot was a little convoluted and didn't grab me enough. I enjoyed the read, but can't say it was a great novel.

This is not one of Jack Higgins best. The Story was too long and plot was terrible. The ending was very confusing. Read Khufa Run instead.