Solos
At one time Jack Higgins, now 89, was one of the most popular authors in the world. Born in England, real name Harry Patterson, he used four pseudonyms as well as his own name below the titles of his novels. It was as Higgins that he had the most success. The Eagle Has Landed, published in 1975, was a worldwide sensation, selling more than 50 million copies. He has been translated into 55 languages. Several years ago, when the floating book shop was in its infancy, a customer asked if I had any works by Higgins and spoke of him in glowing terms. One finally came my way via a recent donation. Solo was published in 1980. It’s the story of a concert pianist who doubles as an assassin. It avoids psychoanalyzing the protagonist, although background is provided. He lost loved ones to early death. That, of course, would affect anyone, but millions have suffered such losses and few, mercifully, turn to violence because of it. The chase goes through the IRA, London gangsters, the Greek isles and Albert Hall. Renowned conductor Andre Previn is a minor character, and British PM Edward Heath makes a very brief appearance. No one will be surprised by the outcome. Although the premise is outrageous, the action is more grounded than that of most modern fare. There are a couple of coincidences that move the plot along. The prose and dialogue are okay. Thankfully, there isn’t any fat. The hardcover edition that came to me is 249 pages and reads like considerably less. 261 users at Amazon have rated Solo, forging to a consensus of 4.2 on a scale of five. I say 2.5. It’s best aspect is having the reader wonder if he/she has crossed or crosses paths with a psychopath. I was surprised and disappointed that Solo hasn’t been adapted to the screen. 11 other of Higgins’ works have been, including the wildly successful Eagle…, released in 1976.
Here’s an insightful thought from an op-ed piece by Jonah Goldberg at nypost.com: “… it’s true that if you search through enough old photos of Klan rallies and neo-Nazi pageants, you can spot a Betsy Ross flag from time to time… Do you know what else you can probably spot if you look long and hard enough? Nike sneakers. Does that make Nikes symbols of white supremacy?” Kudos.
It’s almost always fun when a liberal icon has the tables turned on him/her. Occasionally it’s ridiculous. Peter Yarrow, 81, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, has been dis-invited from a music festival this fall because of his 1970 bust for taking “indecent liberties” with a 14-year-old girl. He answered his hotel door naked. President Carter pardoned him in 1981. The event took place almost 50 years ago. Yarrow was sentenced to three months in prison. How many celebrities would face such a ban if their liaisons with the underaged became public?
My thanks to the the kind folks who bought, donated and swapped books on this muggy day, especially to the gentleman who delivered a milk crate filled with cook books, art pictorials and best seller fiction. Born in Brooklyn, he moved to New Orleans and worked in the music industry, operating his own recording studio. He was extremely fortunate when Hurricane Katrina hit, his house, although damaged, the only one left standing on his street. He was without power for a year. For the past five he has been trying to close on his parents’ co-op. He plans to move to a retirement community in Florida, where he hopes to promote musical acts for the facility. Best of luck, sir.
Here’s my constant benefactress. She brought only five large paperback novels today, two of which sold, but she has given me hundreds of books, as well as DVDs, the past few years.
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