A Darker Place

I always enjoy Jack Higigns but this book must rate as one of the best. I simply could not put it down and was ever so sorry when I came to the last page.

I find Professor Donald Mitchell's review to be the closest to my own take on this book. Many of the negative comments from other reviewers left me wondering if these people had read the same book I did. I've read all of the Dillon stories and most of Higgins other books; he's one of my favorite authors. OK, sure. He's writing entertaining, leave-your-mind-in-neutral stuff here---not great classics of literature. As a retired professional writer and communications consultant, I think I know the difference. In spite of what many other critics have written, I think, for it's genere, this is a well-crafted, highly entertaining read. Dillon is a bit player in this one, but he is there, along with the usual supporting cast, and I especially enjoyed his new characters. I give it an A+ as an enjoyable read.

JACK HIGGINS IS ALWAYS THE BEST, ONE OF MY FAVORITES. ONCE YOU START HIS BOOK YOU CAN'T PUT IT DOWN. READ IN ONE DAY

Formulaic, attempting to shift emphasis on on characters and placing them in the leading role.

The characters in this long-running series are so familiar it might seem impossible to come up with a fresh approach. But Jack Higgins seems to do it effortlessly, even though in this novel they are relegated to a relatively passive role. All the action is left to two new protagonists, leaving General Ferguson, Sean Dillon, the Salters and Lady Starling to sort of supporting roles. Only Major Roper is active in his usual cybernetic detective mode. A world famous novelist, Alexander Kurbsky, who served with distinction as an officer in Afghanistan and Chechnya, son of a GRU Colonel, is brought to the Kremlin and offered a deal for the release of his sister from a Siberian Gulag (he thought her dead for many years) for serving the Motherland by infiltrating the highest levels of British intelligence. The ruse is he offers to defect, and Ferguson and the others take Kurbsky in with open arms, completely unaware of the plot. But the best laid plans go askew, and Higgins is able to introduce two new members of the cast in the form of Kurbsky and his friend Yuri Bounine, who was his second-in-command in Afghanistan and Chechnya, as Alex learns certain facts and develops a new moral attitude. All leading to a thrilling conclusion. Highly recommended.