Edge Of Danger

Jack Higgins

Average Rating 4/10 (2 Reviews)

Master thriller writer Jack Higgins plunges Sean Dillon into his ninth action-packed adventure - racing against time to prevent an assassination that would shock the world.

Half British and half Arab, Paul Rashid is proud to be both heir to the ancient Dauncey Place in England and the leader of the Rashid Bedouin of Hazar in the Persian Gulf. He is a man for whom family honour is everything. So when he uncovers an international conspiracy that threatens to use any means necessary, including murder, to deprive his family of the oil wealth that is their birthright, he vows to gain vengeance - and to make sure the world takes notice.

When rumours of Rashid's audacious plan reach London, the security forces waste no time in sending undercover enforcer Sean Dillon to stop him. Helped once again by White House security insider Blake Johnson, Dillon must overcome foes old and new as he is caught up in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that takes him from Ireland to the USA and from the heart of the English countryside to the deserts of Hazar… and the very edge of danger.

Jack Higgins's recipe of non-stop adventure and pulse-pounding action told at a breakneck pace has proved irresistible to millions of readers around the world.

Now, his remarkable new thriller finds his hugely popular hero Sean Dillon - fresh from his exploits in the worldwide bestseller Day of Reckoning - facing a mission that will test him as never before.

Review by Lisa (211120) Rating (3/10)
Review by Nigel (300400) Rating (5/10)

Review by Lisa
Book Source: Not Known
Rating 3/10
First of all, what is this book? The proclaimed "action packed book" is in fact action packed... but so much so that it is impossible to completely understand the novel's narrative and plot. While reading this book, I found myself so utterly confused on where I was within the plot and what was going on that I would often have to re-read large sections (up to a chapter long!) just so I could simply grasp what was happening.

The first group of introduced characters- Paul, Michael, George, and Kate- are so badly written to the point that Kate's whole purpose for this book was to quite literally make sandwiches, flirt with the main character, cry, be rich, and follow the orders of her older brother Paul without hesitation. The mother, Kate Dauncey is so one-dimensional that I completely forgot about her existence even though it was the main plot point that set off the narrative for the rest of the book, this "main" section of the book doesn't even get revisited later in the novel anyways. The father we barely even learn about even though he plays a somewhat important part in the book (teaching Paul, Michael, George, and Kate to be a "Rashid").

There is SO MUCH action in this novel that I was completely incapable of understanding what was happening, almost every single page had some sort of action packed scene happening, and when there is only 307 pages to cover a story that could very well be turned into a series because of how chunked together it is... that is not good.

In the beginning of the book the reason why the Rashids turn into the antagonist is because of their mother's cold blooded murder (over oil and money). The Rashids turn to vengeance, but lose the sanity of a regular antagonist because they practically go on a rampage of murder, assassination, and fight scenes. This makes the book feel too chaotic and the characters (even the good ones) are so one dimensional because of this.

In contradiction of the quote from The Associated Press "A hard-to-lay-aside chiller." I found myself forcing myself to read this book just so that I could get it over with. In all honesty this book may be the worst one I have EVER read, with the one-dimensional characters and the horribly written plot I rate this book 3/10 TO BE NICE.

I would never recommend this book to others.
Lisa (1st December 2020)

Review by Nigel
Book Source: Purchased
Rating 5/10
This is the latest Sean Dillion thriller from Jack Higgins and like all the others follows the same basic formula. This time we see Sean pitted against a half Arab, half British oil billionaire who has become a little unhinged and wants the western world to suffer for its greedy ways.

I always look forward to the next Jack Higgins novel but upon finishing this one I felt a little cheated. I know they are all basically the same but it felt like a computer program could almost have written this one it is so much like the others. Change the names and you have the same story as last time.

The other disappointment for me were the showdown scenes. They normally have you quickening your pace as you read them but this time they lacked a certain something, with no tension what-so-ever. No sooner had they started than they were over and the story was moving on as though nothing of any import had happened (a bit of a problem when the book is an espionage thriller!).

Not one of Jack Higgin's best efforts. I'm not sure what, but something definitely went wrong this time. I will, however, be reading the next few since I'm a fan and perhaps Mr Higgins was having a bad day. We will have to wait and see.
Nigel (21st November 2001)