Product Description

The New York Times– bestselling author and “dean of intrigue novelists” returns with a remarkable novel of espionage and revenge.

A famous Russian writer and ex-paratrooper named Alexander Kurbsky is fed up with the Putin government and decides he wants to “disappear” into the West. He is under no illusions, however, about how the news will be greeted at home, having seen too many of his countrymen die mysteriously at the hands of the thuggish Russian security services, so he makes elaborate plans with Charles Ferguson, Sean Dillon, and the rest of the group known informally as the “Prime Minister’s private army” for his escape and concealment.

It’s a real coup for the West except for one thing: Kurbsky is still working for the Russians. The plan is to infiltrate British and American intelligence at the highest levels, and he has his own motivations for doing the most effective job possible. He does not care what he has to do or where he has to go . . . or who he has to kill.

Filled with suspense, driven by characters of complexity and passion, A Darker Place once again proves that, in the words of the Associated Press, “When it comes to thriller writers, one name stands well above the crowd—Jack Higgins.”

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29159 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780399155505
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
When world-famous Russian novelist Alexander Kurbsky decides to leave for the West in bestseller Higginss suspenseful 16th thriller to feature former IRA man Sean Dillon (after Rough Justice), Kurbsky turns for help to Dillon and other members of the British prime ministers private army. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin persuades Kurbsky to infiltrate this elite group and spy for Russia by showing him current photos of his sister, Tania, who the celebrated author thought died years earlier in a student riot. Tanias release from a life sentence in prison is the price for Kurbskys cooperation. Dillon and the others, most notably Lady Monica Sterling, Dillons girlfriend, welcome Kurbsky into their circle in England, where the Russian begins to go about his deadly business. Several long flashbacks explore past events to good effect. The final dustup is a little rushed, but the crisp writing shows Higgins to be on top of his game. (Feb.)
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From Booklist
The veteran author of political thrillers turns in another lackluster performance. As usual, the story contains the raw material for a first-rate novel: a Russian writer makes arrangements with Sean Dillon, the IRA terrorist turned British intelligence agent, and his colleagues in the “Prime Minister’s private army” to leave Russia and come to Britain. However, as Higgins reveals very early on, the writer is actually working for the Russians, and his deadly mission could wreak havoc at the top levels of the international intelligence community. Unfortunately, Higgins seems to be sleepwalking his way through the novel: the book opens, for example, with a clumsy scene in which one character tells another character something she already knows, purely for the benefit of the reader. The characters in the novel feel lifeless, even the ones whom the author has been writing about for years (there are more than a dozen Sean Dillon novels), and Higgins’ decision to reveal the Russian writer’s secret agenda at the beginning of the novel seems ill-considered: the story would have been more interesting, and certainly more surprising, if readers were left to wonder what this fellow was up to and whether he was keeping secrets. Higgins retains a large if shrinking fan base and that should ensure interest in the novel, but it’s definitely not one of his best. --David Pitt

About the Author
Since The Eagle Has Landed—one of the biggest-selling thrillers of all time—every novel Jack Higgins has written has become an international bestseller. He has had simultaneous number-one bestsellers in hardcover and paperback, and many of his books have been made into successful movies, including The Eagle Has Landed, To Catch a King, On Dangerous Ground, Eye of the Storm, and Thunder Point.
He has degrees in sociology, social psychology, and economics from the University of London, and a doctorate in media from Leeds Metropolitan University. A fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an expert scuba diver and marksman, Higgins lives in Jersey on the Channel Islands.

Customer Reviews

The Darker Place to Be
This is Jack Higgins at his finest. Alex Kurbsky wants to defect. And hopes that Fergusion and his crew will help. But all is not what it seems. Once again Sean Dillon springs into action. This is a fast-paced and action packed. I couldn't put it down and finish it in one day. You won't be disappointed.

The Devil's in the Details
Not one of his best efforts, "A Darker Place" shows evidence of slapdash writing by Higgins. To wit, Kurbsky, according to Higgins, is shot by Ali Selim in his left hip on page 330. However, on page 332, Kurbsky says he was shot in his right hip. Oops! The devil's in the details.

I also found the Russian soldier's abrupt fling with the maid at the hotel where Kurbsky was staying when he defected a bit contrived--as though the maid/lover was thrown in as an obvious plot device (she "happens" to see Kurbsky when he makes a run for it at the hotel and she notifies the Russians who were guarding him).

That being said, despite its jerry-built sections, "A Darker Place" is better than most thrillers, even though it's not Higgins's best.

As for Sean Dillon, he seems to have mellowed out in his old age. He doesn't have that devil-may-care attitude he used to have. In this particular book in the series, he is, in fact, irrelevant.

--Bryan Cassiday, author of "Fete of Death"

A Little Light, Please
As a voracious reader (having posted over 170 reviews on Amazon), this is one of the few novels I've simply given up on at the half-way point.

There are so many flashbacks (and thus changes in the time-frame) that I could not keep track of who was who, and why who was doing what.

The individual little short stories of the flashbacks are well constructed and interesting, with very interesting characters---but that is all that kept me going to the half-way mark.

If there is an overall plot or story, I have no idea what it was.

I realize that this isn't a very helpful review. However potential readers need to be warned that this is not a novel to read a chapter or two every other day---you've got to pay attention, and perhaps you have to be a Higgins fan and already know the continuing characters.