The Wolf at the Door (Sean Dillon #17)

The Wolf at the Door by Jack Higgins is his 17th book featuring Sean Dillon, Charles Ferguson and the rest of the group referred to as the Prime Minister's Private Army.

In this volume there is no planned attack against British soil, no plot to blow up 10 Downing Street, there is a rival intelligence group seeking revenge. Though they do not know who yet, each member Ferguson's team is attacked within a few hours of each other.

Higgins takes a different look at the plot this time. Usually the story is told through the eyes of Sean and company tracking down a threat. This book, after a brief, attention grabbing few chapters about the attacks, goes back in time and follows the man plotting against them. It is an interesting approach because readers already know what will happen at the end of the planning. The reason it works is that Higgins is great at developing characters. So the "bad guy," even though he is predictable, captures the reader's interest.

Higgins, Jack. (2010). The Wolf at the Door. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

A Darker Place (Sean Dillon #16)

A Darker Place by Jack Higgins is the 16th book in the Sean Dillon series.

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After earlier battles between General Ferguson's British

Intelligence group and Russia's GRU and Colonel Luzhkov, Luzhkov and President Putin would like to even up the score. To get inside of Ferguson's group, the Luzhkov blackmails a well-known Russian author.

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Alexander Kurbsky pretends to defect from the Russian Federation, taken in by Ferguson's group. But is he playing along with his leaders or is he really defecting?

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Higgins' continued Dillon series has covered a lot of ground since the first book when Dillon was planning the bombing of 10 Downing Street. This installment has Dillon in the background and letting other members of the team show off their skills.

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Higgins, Jack. (2009). A Darker Place. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Rough Justice (Sean Dillon #15)

Rough Justice by Jack Higgins is the 15th book featuring Sean Dillon and the group known as the Prime Minister's Private Army.

Sean Dillon and Billy Salter, the two operatives who usually take care of business, will get an addition to their team - a British Army Major whose career reads like a desk job, unless you see the classified files. Harry Miller is every bit as dangerous as Sean Dillon and, in fact, met Dillon in the Ireland Troubles.

Now they are teaming up to go after the Broker - an anonymous voice on the phone that has been controlling everyone from Al Qaeda operatives to Putin's head GRU agents.

Higgins is a great espionage/thriller writer. His books are always entertaining.

Higgins, Jack (2008). Rough Justice. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

The Killing Ground (Sean Dillon #14)

The Killing Ground by Jack Higgins is his fourteenth book featuring Sean Dillon.

When Sean stumbles across the member of a family he has had battles with in the past, he is surprised to be asked for help. Caspar Rashid, half British and half Beduin, went against his family's wishes when he married a Christian woman. Now his family has fought back by kidnapping his daughter and taking her to the Middle East to marry her cousin - who happens to be one of the most feared al-Qaeda terrorists.

Dillon and his partner Billy Salter will be sent in to kidnap her back, but if they succeed they will have to watch their backs in the future because The Hammer of God will not let them go that easily.

Higgins, Jack. (2008). The Killing Ground. G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Without Mercy (Sean Dillon #13)

Without Mercy by Jack Higgins is the thirteenth book in the Sean Dillon series.

General Ferguson heads a team of Sean Dillon, ex-IRA enforcer, and Chief Superintendent Hannah Bernstein of Scotland Yard. Together with some outside help when needed - usually in the form of Billy Salter, London gangster - they keep Britain free from harmful Riffraff.

But in the last book, Hannah was severely injured. Now Dillon and Salter are the tools Ferguson will use to go after the group that hurt Hannah. And without Hannah, there is no one to bring up the legality or morality of what they do. In effect, Ferguson has a killing team.

Higgins has added a twist to the series that I did not see coming and its consequence will alter the mission of what is referred to as the Prime Minister's Private Army. Now the limits are gone and the team of Dillon and Salter will attempt things that could likely cause war between nations is they are not careful. Together they will cause havoc that readers will thoroughly enjoy.

Higgins, Jack. (2005). Without Mercy. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Dark Justice (Sean Dillon #12)

Dark Justice by Jack Higgins is the twelfth book featuring Sean Dillon. After three books that I found not quite up to the Higgins standard, this book proves he is a great writer of thrillers.

When an assassination attempt on the President of the United States fails, the assassin is traced back to England. Dillon, Ferguson, and Bernstein are tasked with finding out who hired the man.

But the plot at the end of the trail is a terrorist organization whose main recruiter is an imam in London. When he is taken by Dillon, Hannah Bernstein - who has always had difficulty with their work outside of the law - may have finally had enough. She will have to examine her role in the fight against terror in comparison to her own ethics and laws.

Dark Justice is a thriller that will have readers up late and then scrambling for the next book to see the consequences of this one.

Higgins, Jack (2004). Dark Justice. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Bad Company (Sean Dillon #11)

Bad Company by Jack Higgins is the eleventh book featuring Sean Dillon - an ex-IRA enforcer who now works for British Intelligence.

Though Higgins is a great suspense writer, after reading ten other Sean Dillon books this one feels like a recycling of plots. For Bad Company, he combined the revenge plot and lost Nazi document plot to write another book.

That being said, it still had the thrills and action for which Higgins has become known. I highly recommend the series and know I will keep reading in spite of the slight disappointment for originality of this volume. Dillon, Bernstein, Ferguson, and now Johnson and Roper are all interesting characters who are worth reading about.

Higgins, Jack. (2003). Bad Company. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Midnight Runner (Sean Dillon #10)

Midnight Runner by Jack Higgins is the follow up (in the middle of a series) to his previous book Edge of Danger - the remaining antagonists of the previous book plot revenge against Sean Dillon.

Though there is as much action and suspense Edge of Danger and Midnight Runner as in his other books, the villains in these two books were not as compelling for me. Having said that, Higgins is still a master of the thriller.

Sean Dillon and Billy Salter are excellent characters who readers will follow on any adventure. They are the right combination of good and bad to get away with just about anything - sure they work outside of the law but they do it for the right reasons - to get the bad guys. All of Higgins repeating characters are interesting, complicated people who are worth reading about and the series overall is worth the time to read for any fans of suspense thrillers.

Higgins, Jack. (2002). Midnight Runner. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Edge of Danger (Sean Dillon #9)

Edge of Danger by Jack Higgins is the ninth book featuring Sean Dillon - an ex-IRA enforcer who now works for British Intelligence. Dillon's skills outside of the law come in handy in this volume of the series.

An international play for control over oil fields in Oman triggers a mad man to begin a string of assassinations in the name of protecting his family.

The Rashid family is half British and half Bedu. One the one side of the family the can trace their roots in England back to before King James I. The other side from the Bedouin of Oman. And while both sides of the heritage play a part in the man Paul Rashid has become, the deciding factor may be madness.

After his mother is killed in an apparent auto accident, Paul plots his revenge against the Russians and Americans who are working on an oil deal in his father's native land. He hires an IRA assassin to attempt to kill the United States President. If that fails he has other targets lined up as back up.

Edge of Danger features Dillon's skills as well as pulling Billy Salter farther into the mix. Higgins continues to hold his fans' attention with the series. Though this is not my favorite book out of the series, it was still a book I could not put down.

Higgins, Jack. (2001). Edge of Danger. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Day of Reckoning (Sean Dillon #8)

Day of Reckoning by Jack Higgins is the eighth book in the series featuring Sean Dillon - an ex-IRA enforcer who now works for British Intelligence.

Sean Dillon has worked with his US counterpart, Blake Johnson, on past jobs. So when Johnson's ex-wife is murdered, Sean is there to help avenge her death. A video she left for Blake in case of her death tells them about a story she was writing to expose the new face of the mafia - Jack Fox - a man who looks like a legitimate business man.

In response, Sean and Blake plan to ruin all of the aspects of Fox's business - everywhere he operates in the world. They will target his casinos, arms deals, and cash flow with the help of Brigadier Ferguson, Superintendent Hannah Bernstein, and some friends on the other side of the law who owe Dillon a favor.

Higgins's books just keep getting better. Read them all!

Higgins, Jack. (2000). Day of Reckoning. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

The White House Connection (Sean Dillon #7)

The White House Connection by Jack Higgins is the seventh book in the Sean Dillon series - an ex-IRA enforcer turned British Intelligence agent.

At the beginning of the peace process in Northern Ireland, British Intelligence was told to share all information about the area with the White House. The British team in charge of the information soon found themselves with a whole group of dead undercover agents. After that they only sent information that could be found in a newspaper.

Three years later, the mother of one of those killed, has found out the actual events that lead to her son's death. She knows that a group calling itself the Sons of Erin was responsible. Now this older woman will take out the cell that caused his death - including a notorious London criminal who Sean Dillon and Brigadier Ferguson have been after for years.

In his best Dillon book yet, Higgins weaves together stories from both sides of the Atlantic into a novel you will not be able to put down.

Higgins, Jack. (1999). The White House Connection. New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons.

The President's Daughter (Sean Dillon #6)

The President's Daughter by Jack Higgins is the sixth book in the Sean Dillon series - an ex-IRA enforcer how now works for British Intelligence.

The is a shadow organization that has infiltrated the highest levels of intelligence in both the US and Britain. Their current operation involved kidnapping and blackmail. If the president of the United States does not sign a treaty that will unleash nuclear weapons on the enemies of the group, the hostage will be killed.

Sean Dillon is lured into a trap because he has access to the president. The plan is to make him deliver the message and then have him killed. Members of the organization will know if any FBI, CIA, NSA, MI5 or Scotland Yard databases are searched for their leader's identity.

But the leader of this group overlooked one thing - Dillon is not so easy to best. He will fight back with everything at his disposal to free the hostage.

Warning: Higgins' books are addictive. If you read one you may have to read them all!

Higgins, Jack. (1997). The President's Daughter. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Drink with the Devil (Sean Dillon #5)

Drink with the Devil is the fifth book in Jack Higgins' Sean Dillon series. Dillon is an ex-IRA soldier who now works for British Intelligence.

Higgins has done what most readers of fiction series fail to do - he has gone back into the past of his main character to give us a look at where Dillon came from.

The book starts in 1985 in Belfast. Dillon is still with the IRA and he is assigned to infiltrate a plot by the Protestants to steal enough gold to start a civil war in Northern Ireland.

In the second half of the book - 1995, Dillon is called upon in his Intelligence work to look into a gold heists from ten years ago. None of the reports linked him with the theft, but he has inside information that will help the operation.

Drink with the Devil is another great book by Higgins. He creates characters that are likable (sometimes in spite of their actions), plots that keep readers staying up late to read, and a series that is addictive. Do not read the first book unless you are ready to commit to all seventeen.

Higgins, Jack. (1996). Drink with the Devil. New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons.

Angel of Death (Sean Dillon #4)

Angel of Death is the fourth book in the Sean Dillon series by Jack Higgins.

After 25 years of war, there is a strong chance for peace in Northern Ireland. But there are still groups fighting. A new group - January 30 - has been assassinating people Catholics, Protestants, KGB, and even CIA.

Brigadier Ferguson, Sean Dillon, and Chief Inspector Hannah Bernstein will lead the investigation to track down January 30. So far every agency that has tried has failed to find any information about January 30.

Though I have loved each Sean Dillon book, this is my favorite (so far). The complicated plot and characters leave readers guessing until the last page. Throw in a bit of Irish history and Angel of Death is a great novel.

Higgins, Jack. (1995). Angel of Death. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

On Dangerous Ground (Sean Dillon #3)

On Dangerous Ground is the third Sean Dillon book by Jack Higgins.

A dying man confesses to knowing about a treaty that, if recovered, will extend British control on Hong Kong for another one hundred years. Not only is the Prime Minister interested in finding the document, but so is an Italian family that is heavily invested in Hong Kong and stands to lose millions of dollars when China takes over.

Sean Dillon, an ex-IRA soldier who now works for British Intelligence, will have to use much of his extensive knowledge and skill to find the treaty before the mafia. And he will have to do it while recovering from an injury that would send the average man into retirement.

Higgins is a great suspense writer with characters that are captivating. Read this series.

Higgins, Jack. (1994). On Dangerous Ground. New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons.

Thunder Point (Sean Dillon #2)

Thunder Point by Jack Higgins is the second book in his Sean Dillon series.

When Henry Baker retired and moved to St. John he thought his life would be relaxing. He learned to scuba dive and generally did what he wanted. It was on a dive, just after a hurricane, that Henry discovered a Nazi submarine. He had just enough time to pull a briefcase from the boat before he had to surface.

Inside the briefcase were documents about Nazi loyalist in England and the US. Henry immediately takes the case to his friend in London who can read German.

Sean Dillon, ex-IRA soldier and hired assassin/terrorist, will be recruited by British Intelligence for his skills as pilot and master diver. Together Dillon and Brigadier Charles Ferguson hope to find the submarine before the information falls into the wrong hands.

Jack Higgins' Sean Dillon series is a must read for any fan of adventure, espionage, politics or suspense. He is a master.

Higgins, Jack. (1993). Thunder Point. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Eye of the Storm (Sean Dillion #1)

Eye of the Storm is Jack Higgins' first Sean Dillion book (a series that now includes seventeen novels).

Sean Dillion is a ghost. All European intelligence agencies have heard of him but not one picture of him exists. He is an assassin trained by the IRA. Since leaving the IRA he has worked for various other terrorist/political groups including the PLO.

Now (1992) Dillion has been hired by Michael Aroun, an Iraqi man who would like to boost the moral of Saddam Hussein's army by pulling off an attack on the British.

After an ambush on former prime minister Maggie Thatcher fails, Dillion sets his sights on a new target - the current prime minister John Major and his entire War Cabinet at 10 Downing Street.

Higgins is a master storyteller. His character may rival the skill and creativity of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon, though he usually plays for the opposite team. Any readers of suspense or espionage would love this series.

Higgins, Jack. (1992). Eye of the Storm. New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons.