Readers of his long-running Sean Dillon series will undoubtedly welcome Jack Higgins’ A Devil Is Waiting, which Putnam’s will release on Jan. 3, 2012. Those new to this series may be less enthusiastic.
Readers are typically drawn to series publications by their familiarity with the characters in them. Many of the inhabitants of the earlier books in the Sean Dillon series reappear in A Devil Is Waiting, often accompanied by lengthy reiterations of their past exploits.
Sean Dillon, of course, is present. This former IRA member and ex-mercenary has long served as a member of General Charles Ferguson’s Group 4, which has become known as the “Prime Minister’s private army.” Daniel Holley, who has a background similar to Dillon’s, shows up as well. Holley is as a more recent recruit to Ferguson’s elite anti-terrorist task force.
A Devil Is Waiting focuses on Ali Selim, a London-born Muslim religious leader who has been advocating the killing of the President of the United States during his upcoming visit to London. Like many of the assassination attempts in this novel, this one fails, foiled by Ferguson’s team.
Ali Selim retaliates by ordering the murders of Dillon, Holley and the latest addition to their crew – the wealthy and beautiful Afghan War veteran, Captain Sara Gideon. Jack Kelly, who is also a familiar figure to Higgins’ readers, and explosives expert Henri Legrande provide some decidedly bumbling assistance. Disgusted with their failures, Ali Selim knows he must plan a new method to achieve his revenge.
Most new series publication can be easily appreciated by readers who may not have read the works that preceded them. A Devil Is Waiting, the 19th title in the Sean Dillon series, provides an unfortunate exception to this rule.
Those not familiar with previous developments in the Sean Dillon series will find the relationships between the many characters in this work perplexing. Higgins’ frequent references to events from past works confuse rather than clarify matters since the incidents recounted seldom relate to the events at hand.
Higgins’ latest work appears to have been written exclusively for those who already are knowledgeable fans of his Sean Dillon series. It is thus unlikely to cause their numbers to significantly increase.
FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this work was provided by Putnam's.
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