A Sean Dillon story about Hong Kong reverting back to the Chinese in 1997.
Having turned former IRA terrorist Sean Dillon into a hero in Thunder Point , Higgins refines his portrait of that deadly little man even further here by allowing him to acquire almost mystical kung-fu skills. This latest thriller opens with a prologue set in Chungking, 1944, during which Mao Zedong and Lord Louis Mountbatten sign the mysterious Chungking Covenant--a promise by Mao to extend the treaty giving Britain control of Hong Kong by 100 years. With Hong Kong due to be returned to China in 1997, the existence of such an agreement could destroy delicate international relationships. One copy of this vital document may still exist, supposedly hidden in a Scottish castle known as Loch Dhu ("Place of Dark Waters"). American billionaire Carl Morgan, determined to locate the document so that he and his Mafia associates might have leverage to protect their operations in Hong Kong, takes up residence in the castle with Asta, his stepdaughter. On the scene to foil their designs are Dillon, Brigadier Charles Ferguson and his Chief Inspector, Hannah Bernstein. Following a path from the castle to a villa in Sicily to a final confrontation in London, the search leaves a bloody trail. Unfortunately, revelation of the novel's most duplicitous villain will come as no surprise to most readers. Nevertheless, Higgins compensates for a less than elegant style with his signature unrelenting pace.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW
Another exciting Sean Dillon novel.
Good action thriller with an unrelenting pace. Sean Dillon saves the day!
More Sean Dillon
As Hong Kong prepares to be restored to China in 1997, powerful business interests - including the Mafia, which has invested billions in the city - brace for the ramifications . . . and will do anything to stop the lease from expiring. In London, Brigadier Charles Ferguson, head of the prime minister's personal action unit, has learned of the existence of a copy of the mysterious Chungking Covenant. This document, long thought lost, was signed in China in 1944 by Mao and by Lord Mountbatten on behalf of Winston Churchill. In return for arms and assistance in his war with the Japanese, Mao agreed to extend the Hong Kong Treaty by one hundred years if he ever came to power in China. Halfway around the world, sinister Hong Kong business interests have also learned of the newly discovered document. If the Chungking Covenant were to become public, the delicate balance of power among the Chinese, British, and Americans would be destroyed. Dillon and Ferguson, on direct orders from the prime minister, must stop the document from coming to light at all costs. The story accelerates with deadly momentum, climaxing in a shocking display of violence at the Scottish castle of a mysterious American billionaire, a castle known as Loch Dhu, or "Place of Dark Waters." On Dangerous Ground is a virtuoso performance. Delivered by the master of thriller writers, it will leave readers happily breathless.
Sean Dillon at his best - an excellent read!
Jack Higgins presents an explosive and timely thriller about the uncertain future of Hong Kong, China, and the world...
Good book.
Another fine book with fast action.
