A quick, by-the-numbers thriller that retains a sort of freshness from the immediacy of its writing (it was published less than a year after the Falklands War itself). To be honest, this is its only saving grace, as the characters are sketchily written and the dialogue is clunky (including foreigners talking with English idioms). The plot was intriguing – preventing the Argies from acquiring any more of the infamous Exocets from the French – but slightly disappointing in its execution.

My disappointment came partly from the lack of meat on the bones of Higgins' thriller, and partly from the fact that the real-life stories – not only from the South Atlantic arena itself, but the stories of British secret services disrupting the international arms trade's services to Argentina – are more fascinating than Higgins' routine brew. The Falklands War was such a fascinating microcosm of conflict, and it's a shame that there's not more fiction about it. There are a lot of good histories, including one by Max Hastings, as well as great narrative non-fiction like Rowland White's Vulcan 607, but for various reasons, fiction writers have taken the Exclusion Zone to heart. ( )

Exocet - Jack Higgins ****

Anyone who is familiar with Higgins will find all his usual trademarks here: the second shot that smashes the spine, the pianist that plays 'A Foggy Day in London Town', alcohol by the bucketload, a trained killer that feels life is a game and the ruthless commanding officer who uses his employees like pawns in a game. There are no real surprises to be found here, although there is a reduction in the amount of violence we normally find in a Higgins' novel.

The story centres around Gabrielle, a stunningly beautiful British agent, who is assigned with a mission to get close to a decorated Argentinian officer Raul Montera. Things become complicated when they fall in love, but one or the other must choose loyalty to either their country or their hearts. The famous Exocet missile is also a prominent feature with Argentina desperately trying to get their hands on more in an attempt to swing the war more favourably in their direction. Throw in some Russian involvement and you are left with a sort of cold war/love story/boy's adventure.

Exocet as far as I am aware is Higgins' only book that is set during the Falklands war and was actually released in the same year as the conflict. Although this meant that Higgins was able to integrate real life events into the plot, it also unfortunately allows the book to have a rushed feel to it. Fans of the Sean Dillon series will find many of the novel themes and traits start to come to fruition here, including General Ferguson.

Worth a look for fans, but not somewhere I would recommend a new reader start as an introduction to the author. Maybe this is the point where the storylines started to become slightly generic? I am unsure but it definitely has a déjà vu feel to the writing. ( )

What can I say? Jack Higgins at his best. This is one of his older works and brings together a cast of characters that has survived to live in another novel.

Good girl gets pushed into betraying the man she loves and is protected by her ex-husband who finally realizes he must let her go. Ferguson does what he does best - convincing people to help him who don't really want to.
Certainly a different perspective on the Falklands War. If you are a Higgins fan, this book is for you. ( )

This seems to be a very early appearance of Charles Ferguson; predating Dillon. Typical superheroic characters and an ingenious plot written in his highly readable style. ( )

Lightweight adventure/espionage read from my highschool days. This one isn't as good as 'The Eagle Has Landed'. ( )