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Order of Jack Higgins Books
Jack Higgins wasn’t just a name printed on the spines of bestsellers — he was a literary force, a shadowy storyteller whose novels blurred the lines between war and espionage, patriotism and betrayal, action and introspection. Born Henry Patterson on July 27, 1929, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, he didn’t begin life among the echoes of gunfire and the silence of spies. But somewhere between the bombings of World War II and the lectures of academia, Henry transformed into Jack Higgins, a name synonymous with the pulse-pounding world of the international thriller.
Though born in England, young Patterson was raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the turbulent war years. The city, with its checkpoints, political undercurrents, and looming violence, seeped into his bones — and later, into the DNA of his books. It was here he developed his sharp observation of character and a keen ear for dialect — skills that later made his novels feel alive, often alarmingly so.
But Higgins wasn’t a man who dove straight into writing. Before the publishing world took notice, he served in the Royal Horse Guards, patrolling the border between East and West Berlin at the height of the Cold War — an experience that undoubtedly colored his portrayal of soldiers, double agents, and conflicted heroes. After the military, he pursued a degree in sociology at the London School of Economics, eventually earning a PhD. He then spent several years teaching at a teacher training college, a job that may seem tame compared to the lives his characters lived — but one that taught him discipline, clarity, and structure.
In 1959, he published his first novel under his birth name. But it wasn’t until 1975, with the explosive success of The Eagle Has Landed, that Jack Higgins was born in earnest. That novel — featuring the brilliant, brooding IRA gunman-turned-Nazi-paratrooper Liam Devlin — catapulted him into international stardom. The book sold over 50 million copies and was later adapted into a film starring Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland, cementing Higgins’ reputation as a master of suspense and espionage.
His characters weren’t just spies or soldiers. They were men caught between loyalties, warriors who doubted the righteousness of their causes, assassins with regrets. In a world of black-and-white morality, Higgins painted with shades of grey.
What made Jack Higgins’ work stand out wasn’t just the action — though there was plenty of it, with bullets flying, governments conspiring, and secrets unraveling like coiled wires. It was the emotional intelligence threaded into the chaos. He created heroes who were as haunted as they were heroic, who carried their wars home with them.
He wrote over 80 novels, including the popular Sean Dillon series, featuring a former IRA enforcer turned British government operative — a morally ambiguous figure who could shoot you in the leg or save your life, depending on the mission. From Eye of the Storm to The Midnight Bell, Dillon became one of the most enduring and complex protagonists in modern spy fiction.
Despite global fame, Higgins remained intensely private. He lived for many years in the Channel Islands and preferred the company of his characters to the spotlight. His work ethic was legendary — churning out novel after novel, his prose crisp, his plots electric.
Jack Higgins passed away on April 9, 2022, at the age of 92. But don’t let that full stop fool you — his legacy still fires bullets through the pages of thriller fiction. He influenced a generation of authors who found in him not just a master of suspense, but a chronicler of human conflict wrapped in global stakes.
He may be gone, but his books still thrum with life. Still question the definition of heroism. Still whisper secrets in the dead of night.
Because Jack Higgins didn’t just write thrillers.
He wrote truths dressed in camouflage.
Publication Order of Series Books
Publication Order of Dougal Munro and Jack Carter
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| Night of the Fox | 1986 | Amazon |
| Cold Harbour | 1990 | Amazon |
| Flight of Eagles | 1998 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Liam Devlin
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| The Eagle Has Landed | 1975 | Amazon |
| Touch the Devil | 1982 | Amazon |
| Confessional | 1985 | Amazon |
| The Eagle Has Flown | 1991 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Nick Miller (as Harry Patterson)
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| The Graveyard Shift | 1965 | Amazon |
| Brought in Dead | 1967 | Amazon |
| Hell is Always Today | 1968 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Paul Chavasse (as Martin Fallon)
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| The Bormann Testament / The Testament of Caspar Schultz | 1962 | Amazon |
| Year of the Tiger | 1963 | Amazon |
| The Keys of Hell | 1965 | Amazon |
| Midnight Never Comes | 1966 | Amazon |
| Dark Side of the Street | 1967 | Amazon |
| A Fine Night for Dying | 1969 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Sean Dillon
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| Eye of the Storm / Midnight Man | 1992 | Amazon |
| Thunder Point | 1993 | Amazon |
| On Dangerous Ground | 1994 | Amazon |
| Angel of Death | 1995 | Amazon |
| Drink with the Devil | 1996 | Amazon |
| The President's Daughter | 1997 | Amazon |
| The White House Connection | 1998 | Amazon |
| Day of Reckoning | 2000 | Amazon |
| Edge of Danger | 2001 | Amazon |
| Midnight Runner | 2002 | Amazon |
| Bad Company | 2003 | Amazon |
| Dark Justice | 2004 | Amazon |
| Without Mercy | 2005 | Amazon |
| The Killing Ground | 2008 | Amazon |
| Rough Justice | 2008 | Amazon |
| A Darker Place | 2009 | Amazon |
| The Wolf at the Door | 2009 | Amazon |
| The Judas Gate | 2010 | Amazon |
| A Devil is Waiting | 2012 | Amazon |
| The Death Trade | 2013 | Amazon |
| Rain on the Dead | 2014 | Amazon |
| The Midnight Bell | 2016 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Simon Vaughn (as Martin Fallon)
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Side of the Street | 1967 | Amazon |
| The Savage Day | 1972 | Amazon |
| Day of Judgment | 1979 | Amazon |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
| Title | Year | Amazon Links |
|---|---|---|
| In the Hour Before Midnight | 2024 | Amazon |
| Memoirs of a Dance-Hall Romeo | 1989 | Amazon |
| A Season in Hell | 1988 | Amazon |
| Exocet | 1983 | Amazon |
| Luciano's Luck | 1981 | Amazon |
| Solo / The Cretan Lover | 1980 | Amazon |
| To Catch a King (with Harry Patterson) | 1979 | Amazon |
| The Valhalla Exchange | 1976 | Amazon |
| Storm Warning | 1976 | Amazon |
| The Run to Morning / Bloody Passage (with James Graham) | 1974 | Amazon |
| The Khufra Run (with James Graham) | 1972 | Amazon |
| Toll for the Brave (with Harry Patterson) | 1971 | Amazon |
| The Last Place God Made | 1971 | Amazon |
| The Wrath of God (with James Graham) | 1971 | Amazon |
| Night Judgement at Sinos | 1970 | Amazon |
| A Game for Heroes (with James Graham) | 1970 | Amazon |
| In the Hour Before Midnight / The Sicilian Heritage | 1969 | Amazon |
| East of Desolation | 1968 | Amazon |
| A Candle for the Dead / The Violent Enemy (with Hugh Marlowe) | 1966 | Amazon |
| The Iron Tiger (with Harry Patterson) | 1966 | Amazon |
| Thunder at Noon / Dillinger (with Harry Patterson) | 1964 | Amazon |
| Passage by Night (with Hugh Marlowe) | 1964 | Amazon |
| Wrath of the Lion (with Harry Patterson) | 1964 | Amazon |
| A Phoenix in the Blood (with Harry Patterson) | 1964 | Amazon |
| The Dark Side of the Island (with Harry Patterson) | 1963 | Amazon |
| Pay the Devil (with Harry Patterson) | 1963 | Amazon |
| Seven Pillars to Hell / Sheba (with Hugh Marlowe) | 1963 | Amazon |
| Comes the Dark Stranger (with Harry Patterson) | 1962 | Amazon |
| Hell Is Too Crowded (with Harry Patterson) | 1962 | Amazon |
| The Thousand Faces of Night (with Harry Patterson) | 1961 | Amazon |
| Sad Wind from the Sea (with Harry Patterson) | 1959 | Amazon |