The Eagle Has Flown

Not as good as The Eagle Has Landed, but a gripping thriller nonetheless, full of contradictory characters that confound our expectations such as the anti-Nazi German patriot Steiner himself, or the pro-Hitler upper class English Shaws. It is this aspect that gives it a moral ambiguity that straightforward WWII thrillers often lack and made me want the plot to rescue Steiner to succeed, despite this benefitting the Germans.

At the end of The Eagle Has Landed a German plot to kidnap Prime Minister Winston Churchill had failed horribly and a massacre ensued. Left in suspense, readers didn't know if antagonists Liam Devlin and Kurt Steiner survived. Now, in the much-anticipated sequel we learn Steiner did survive. He is being held prisoner in the Tower of London. And who better to rescue Steiner than Liam Devlin who also survived the botched kidnapping? Yes, he survived. Of course he did, he's the center character. Devlin is the bad guy we all love to hate: poet, daredevil, ruggedly handsome gunslinger, a scholar and, as a member of the IRA, a man who stands by his convictions. He claims to be neutral but wants a united Ireland; he couldn't care a lick about show more Nazi Germany but will chose the side with the biggest payout. General Walter Schellenberg is sent to recruit Devlin to the task, but standing in his way is Brigadier Dougal Munro of British Intelligence. He has a few tricks up his sleeve as well and what ensues is a fast paced chase across Europe. True to form, behind every Higgins plot there is an astonishingly resourceful and brilliant woman. This time there are a few. True to Higgins form, expect a twist at the end. show less

In this instance, the sequel is clearly better than the original. Higgins keeps his heroes hopping around from Germany to France to England and Ireland. Ireland continues to be the land of milk and honey. In this work, the German commander gunned down at the conclusion of The Eagle Has Landed, has miraculously survived and is now to be rescued for an unknown purpose, but, wait, a purpose develops in the closing chapters, when he does his work and then flies off to Ireland with Liam Devlin. While this is going on, a suitable number of bad people are dispatched one way or another, along with a few good people who just have to be removed to tidy up the scene. A clear hallmark of Higgins is that there is never a dull moment, and that is no show more less true here. show less

The Eagle Has Flown continues with the story of The Eagle Has Landed by using Liam Delvin for the escape of Colonel Steiner from the Brits. While I absolutely loved The Eagle Has Landed, this novel is a descent from the high drama which the former created. The novel is still suspenseful in a bad-ass style that Jack Higgins portrays of the Irish - Delvin.

Moderately good sequel to The Eagle has Landed, and perhaps slightly more convincing because of a tighter plot and a more believable situation. The basic story is whether one of the main characters of the previous book can be sprung out of jail. Rather irritating is Higgins' insistence on framing his books with nonsense about how he 'obtained' his story. But it's a good relaxing read, although lacking the detail and plotline control of writers like Tom Clancy

a deserving end to the prequel "the eagle has landed" this book brings bak the mischievious liam devlin bak and that too with a bang and panache...

Plot - Hitler returns saving Ger. general IRA - Liam Devlin - good

As an increasingly isolated and insane Hitler pursues his hopeless war, betrayal and treachery reach the highest levels of the Third Reich. German intelligence knows that paratroop officer Steiner survived "Operation Eagle", the bungled assassination attempt on Winston Churchill, and is now a POW somewhere in London. Reichsfuhrer Himmler wants him back - at any cost - and puts his top espionage agents in charge of the perilous rescue mission.