When Eight Bells Toll
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Book Overview
From the acclaimed master of action and suspense. The all time classic
Millions of pounds in gold bullion are being pirated in the Irish Sea.
Investigations by the British Secret Service, and a sixth sense, bring Philip Calvert to a bleak, lonely bay in the Western Highlands.
But the sleepy atmosphere of Torbay is deceptive, and the focal point of many mysterious disappearances. Even the unimaginative Highland Police Sergeant seems to be acting a part. But why?
This story is Alistair MacLean at his enthralling best. It has all the edge-of-the-seat suspense, and dry humour that millions of readers have devoured for years.
Customer Reviews
Rated 4 starsGreat Characters, But Not Quite My Favorite
I was intrigued by this novel. When I saw someone pointed it the great characters in it, I read it to maybe get hints for my novel. The person was right. However, it took me a while to get into the book. In fact, it took four chapters before I was hooked enough to finish it. The end of the four chapters, for that matter. (There are only ten chapters in the book -- I was a third of the way through the book at that point)...
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Rated 4 starsMayhem in the Western Highlands
"When Eight Bells Toll" is a first-rate crime drama by famed story-teller Alistair Maclean. The story is built around the pursuit by British Treasury agent Philip Calvert of a murderous gang of maritime bullion hijackers operating out of the rugged coastline of Western Scotland. Calvert is a highly experienced agent who may be in over his head in this tense tale, attempting to parse a plot obscured by cover stories, lies,...
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Rated 5 starsThere should be more "agents" like Calvert
A great story! Although written in the 1960's, the mixing of technological devices with basic human traits in a government agent works just as well today. If you make a few substitutions (such as cell phones for radio aerial in a mast), this novel would be a best seller in the 21st century. In any era, the man pulling the trigger must still justify his actions.
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Rated 4 starsAt the Stroke of Midnight
"The Peacemaker Colt has now been in production, without change in design, for a century." An inciteful beginning to MacLean's first tale in three years, after Lawrence of Arabia: A Biography (he also released Ice Station Zebra in '63). This sentence is a perfect example of the humor (you'll know it's humor soon enough) MacLean writes into our hero's personality. While I've noticed MacLean's first-person narratives contain...
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Rated 4 starsClassic Alistair Maclean style
As the title suggests this is a standard alistair maclean book. It is a simple stoty about a secert service agent who hunts down a gang of bullion pirates. The pirates are ruthless and will kill anyone who comes in their way. In course of his investigation agent Calvert losses a number of his associates. A beautiful girl is sent by the pirates to keep watch over the agent. She is out smarted by Calvert. There are some efforts...
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