Alistair MacLean is always good for a romping adventure story. I’ve read a few, although sometimes I get confused between him and Jack Higgins, which isn’t at all fair on either of them; I think partly it’s because they’ve both written Eagle books (Where Eagles Dare and The Eagle has Landed), and they have somewhat similar styles and subjects. Guns of Navarrone (only going by the movie; got the book somewhere…) seems like something Higgins could have written.

Anyway, this was another Op Shop purchase. I was expecting a near-trashy adventure – villains get done, hero gets girl and a commendation from the tight-lipped boss – and for most of it, I wasn’t disappointed. I read it in a bit over a day; it wasn’t at all heavy going, and it just unfolded nicely. It certainly kept me interested, and I was shocked and amazed by the conclusion; it was very well done indeed – I hadn’t expected a thing. Of course, with these sorts of books, I deliberately try not to work out what will happen in the end, just for the pleasure of being shocked: No, it can’t have been him!

I must admit, though, that I’m glad this wasn’t the first MacLean I’d read, otherwise I probably wouldn’t go looking for others; it wasn’t that great, although I still would recommend it for light holiday reading.