The Wolf at the Door

In New York and in London several members, allies and friends of Brigadier General Charles Ferguson’s private intelligence army (as well as Ferguson himself), were targets of planned assassinations, all of which, for one reason or another, went wrong. However, there is a clue found on several of the would-be killers as to who may be behind them. But, is it really?

This tale is written differently than previous in how it is presented. It is broken down into (roughly) quarters, followed by the End Game. The first quarter of the story details the attacks in New York and London and what follows as former Provisional IRA enforcer and now British intelligence officer Sean Dillon and the rest of Ferguson’s team assemble afterwards, gather their initial facts, shuttle their friends to safety, and ready themselves to set plans into motion. The next section is some back story set in Moscow where Prime Minister Vladimir Putin enlists GRU Colonel Josef Lermov as the man to create and carry out his bold vision. Next, the back story on a PIRA enforcer/underworld businessman, Daniel Holley, and his connection to Lermov, and his development of the multi-pronged attack. The final quarter then chronicles the plan being set into motion with Holley in London working with a long-idle but quite-ready-for-duty IRA cell. The End Game brings about the conclusion of the foiled assassination attempts and what some of the players futures may hold in store for them, in England, Russia and America.

The subplots add to the tale, while the back stories reveal to the reader the whys and wherefores and, thus, keep one reading. Yes, some situations and solutions may be a bit unrealistic but that is found in almost all works in the genre. “The Wolf at the Door” is the 17th installment featuring Dillon, though he and the team play a more limited role in this one, and should be read for the pure escape that it provides. It is a fairly quick read, lots of dialogue between characters, good bits of action (though mostly in the first and last quarters) with some comedy relief thrown in at various times for good measure.

This story is a culmination of all of the characters associated with Sean Dillon,General Ferguson and all of their associates. The majority of the stories revolve around England, Ireland,Russia and the USA. If you have ever been to England you will begin to relive your past experiences there. Jack Higgins, the author, has a unique way of bringing and wrapping his novel around you as you read his story. The cold rainy nights in England and it’s surrounding countryside come flashing back from the past to totally embrace you within the novel. He mentions a pub, the Darkman, which is in London (close to Chelsea) off the Thames river, that is so reminiscent of the area that you can visualize the characters and almost taste the fog and Rye Whisky. Meanwhile as he introduces the good and bad guys he takes you to an old Irish Church with all the history involved with the IRA and its struggle with the British Government. I was in Britain when a bomb went off about one block from where I was walking. This novel resets my mind to the past and all of the political aspects of the period. This is only one of many plots that evolve which take you to Washington, D.C., Moscow, etc. Fasten your seat belt as this is an interesting and viable novel. Good reading!.

I did not like the way the author presented the material. The characters came to fast in the beginning and were poorly developed on purpose. the protagonist was not Sean Dillon . The plot was not believable; the paid assassins all failed . How could they be so stupid? To top it off, there was no ending . I probably should’ve rated it at two .

I liked the story okay, but I didn’t like the way the book was put together. It was as if the writer had written it in two sections; starting with the ending and then writing the beginning. This would have been fine if he hadn’t been too lazy to blend the two sections together in a coherent manner. He starts with the ending, then at 30% continues with the beginning. The book didn’t make any sense to me at first and I thought of dumping it. Glad I didn’t, but the story was made difficult when it needn’t have been.

I’ve been a Jack Higgins fan for years and have read every one of his books. I have always enjoyed the way he tells a story, but truthfully, the last few years have seen some mediocre efforts. The storylines were fairly predictable, and the characters sounded very dated. In other words, I hate to say it, but the books had gotten boring.

But not this one. I couldn’t put it down. It was well thought out, and I liked the way the new characters were added to the mix. Most of the story didn’t include the same old characters, but some new ones. The new guy, Daniel, is potentially a good character for the future. I can see him becoming one of Ferguson’s guys shortly.

That said, I think that some of Higgin’s writing is forced. I find the term “switch off” to be awkward. I realize that it’s a British phrase, but he was having an American say it. We don’t use that phrase. We say “turn off”. Small detail, but when combined with the constant drinking that every character seems to need to do at all times of the day, and you see what I mean.

I enjoyed it, and give it 4 stars. I look forward to the next one!

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