ISBN: 0 00 615804 8Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Website: www.harpercollins.co.uk
Copyright © Devoran Trustees Ltd 1967
343 Pages, Paperback
A group of allied soldiers are dropped by parachute into Germany in order to find a way inside Schloss Adler (the castle of the eagle), the combined headquarters of the German Secret Service and the Gestapo. They have to rescue Lieutenant General Carnaby, an American general who is the overall co-ordinator for Operation Overlord, the Second Front, before he talks.
Someone though is sabotaging their efforts; can a member of the six British and one American Special Forces team be a traitor? The commanding officer, Smith, has brought a woman with him too, a fact unknown to the other team members. Added to that are the problems of the elite Alpenkorps being stationed at the foot of the mountain and the Castle, built on the side of the mountain, being only accessible by cable car.
This book was an extremely enjoyable read, with the twists and turns and plot loops, focussing on one then another as the guilty party. With the finale as exciting and explosive as one could wish for.
Although I already knew the story from watching the movie countless times (staring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood), it was definitely well worth reading the original, especially for the ironic wit of Schaffer and Smith’s exchanges.
All in all, a World War II thriller, action packed and full of suspense, which I have come to expect from MacLean’s writing. I wasn’t disappointed at all.
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Interesting your blog. Keep up.
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Thank you Philip it always makes me feel good when someone comments, especially when it's such a nice comment at that. My blog is kind of like me, jumping around from one thing to another. Glad you like it.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the blog very much...
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it, I'm doing so well with comments today, two compliments LOL
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