Patterson, Harry 1929–

(Martin Fallon, James Graham, Jack Higgins, Hugh Marlowe, Henry Patterson)

PERSONAL: Some sources list given name as Henry; born July 27, 1929, in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England; holds dual English and Irish citizenship; son of Henry (a shipwright) and Henrietta Higgins (Bell) Patterson; married Amy Margaret Hewitt, December 27, 1958 (marriage ended, 1984); married Denise Lesley Anne Palmer, 1985; children: (first marriage) Sarah, Ruth, Sean, Hannah. Education: Beckett Park College for Teachers, certificate in education, 1958; London School of Economics and Political Science (external student), B.Sc. (honors), 1962. Politics: "Slightly right of center." Religion: Presbyterian.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Writer. Worked at a variety of commercial and civil service posts, ranging from clerk to circus tent laborer, 1950–58; Allerton Grange Comprehensive School, Leeds, England, history teacher, 1958–64; Leeds College of Commerce, Leeds, England, lecturer in liberal studies, 1964–68; James Graham College, New Farnley, Yorkshire, England, senior lecturer in education, 1968–70; Leeds University, Leeds, England, tutor, 1971–73; Manchester University, Manchester, England, professor. Former member of Leeds Art Theatre. Military service: British Army, Royal Horse Guards, 1947–50.

MEMBER: Royal Economic Society (fellow), Royal Society of Arts (fellow), Crime Writers' Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: D. Univ., Leeds Municipal University, 1995.

WRITINGS:

Sad Wind from the Sea, Long (London, England), 1959.

Cry of the Hunter, Long (London, England), 1960.

The Thousand Faces of Night, Long (London, England), 1961.

Comes the Dark Stranger, Long (London, England), 1962.

Hell Is Too Crowded, Long (London, England), 1962, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1977.

Pay the Devil, Barrie Rockliff (London, England), 1963.

The Dark Side of the Island, Long (London, England), 1963, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1977.

A Phoenix in the Blood, Barrie Rockliff (London, England), 1964.

Thunder at Noon, Long (London, England), 1964.

Wrath of the Lion, Long (London, England), 1964, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1977.

The Graveyard Shift, Long (London, England), 1965.

The Iron Tiger, Long (London, England), 1966, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1979.

Brought in Dead, Long (London, England), 1967.

Hell Is Always Today, Long (London, England), 1968, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1979.

Toll for the Brave, Long (London, England), 1971 (London, England), reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1976.

The Valhalla Exchange, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1976.

To Catch a King: A Novel, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1979.

Dillinger: A Novel, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1983.

UNDER PSEUDONYM MARTIN FALLON

The Testament of Caspar Shultz, Abelard (New York, NY), 1962, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1978.

Year of the Tiger, Abelard (New York, NY), 1964.

The Keys of Hell, Abelard (New York, NY), 1965, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1976.

Midnight Never Comes, Long (London, England), 1966, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1975.

Dark Side of the Street, Long (London, England), 1967, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1974.

A Fine Night for Dying, Long (London, England), 1969, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Arrow (London, England), 1977.

(Editor) The Sketches of Erinensis: Selections of Irish Medical Satire, 1824–1836, Skilton and Shaw (London, England), 1979.

UNDER PSEUDONYM JAMES GRAHAM

A Game for Heroes, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1970.

The Wrath of God, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1971.

The Khufra Run, Macmillan (London, England), 1972, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1973.

The Run to Morning, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1974, published in England as Bloody Passage, Macmillan (London, England), 1974.

Cancer Selection: The New Theory of Evolution, Aculeus Press (Lexington, VA), 1992.

Vessels of Rage, Engines of Power: The Secret History of Alcoholism, Aculeus Press (Lexington, VA), 1994.

UNDER PSEUDONYM JACK HIGGINS

East of Desolation, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1968, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1969.

In the Hour before Midnight, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1969, published as The Sicilian Heritage, Lancer (New York, NY), 1970.

Night Judgment at Sinos, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1970, Doubleday (Garden City, NY),1971.

The Last Place God Made, Collins (London, England), 1971, Holt (New York, NY), 1972.

The Savage Day, Holt (New York, NY), 1972.

A Prayer for the Dying, Collins (London, England), 1973, Holt (New York, NY), 1974.

The Eagle Has Landed, Holt (New York, NY), 1975, revised edition, Run (London, England), 1982.

Storm Warning, Holt (New York, NY), 1976.

Day of Judgment, Collins (London, England), 1978, Holt (New York, NY), 1979.

The Cretan Lover, Holt (New York, NY), 1980.

Solo, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1980.

Luciano's Luck, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1981.

Touch the Devil, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1982.

Exocet, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1983.

Confessional, Stein and Day (New York, NY), 1985.

A Jack Higgins Trilogy, Scarborough House (New York, NY), 1986.

Night of the Fox, Collins (London, England), 1986, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1987.

A Season in Hell, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1989.

Memoirs of a Dance Hall Romeo, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1989.

Cold Harbour, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1990.

The Eagle Has Flown: A Novel, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1991.

Eye of the Storm, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1992.

Thunder Point, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1993.

Three Complete Novels (contains The Last Place God Made, The Savage Day, and A Prayer for the Dying), G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1994.

Three Complete Novels (contains The Eagle Has Landed, The Eagle Has Flown, and Night of the Fox), G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY) 1994.

On Dangerous Ground, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1994.

Angel of Death, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1995.

Drink with the Devil, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1996.

The President's Daughter, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1997.

Flight of Eagles, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1998.

The White House Connection, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1999.

Day of Reckoning, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2000.

Edge of Danger, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2001.

Midnight Runner, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2002.

Bad Company, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2003.

Dark Justice, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2004.

Without Mercy, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2005.

UNDER PSEUDONYM HUGH MARLOWE

Seven Pillars to Hell, Abelard (New York, NY), 1963, revised edition published as Sheba, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 1994.

Passage by Night, Abelard (New York, NY), 1964, reprinted under pseudonym Jack Higgins, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1978.

A Candle for the Dead, Abelard (New York, NY), 1966, published in England under pseudonym Jack Higgins as The Violent Enemy, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1969.

OTHER

Also author of stage plays, including Walking Wounded, 1987, and of radio plays, including The Island City, 1987, and Dead of Night, 1990.

ADAPTATIONS: Several of Patterson's novels have been adapted for film, including The Violent Enemy, 1968; The Wrath of God, 1972; The Eagle Has Landed, Columbia, 1977; Confessional, 1985; and A Prayer for the Dying, Samuel Goldwyn Co., 1987. Television movies have been made of Patterson's novels, including To Catch a King, Home Box Office (HBO), 1984; Night of the Fox, 1990; Midnight Man (based on the novel Eye of the Storm), 1995; On Dangerous Ground, 1995; Windsor Protocol, 1996; and Thunderpoint, 1998. An unabridged version of A Fine Night for Dying was adapted for audio cassette, read by Nicholas Ball, Dove Audio (Beverly Hills, CA), 1992; an unabridged version of The Graveyard Shift was adapted for audio cassette, read by Patrick MacNee, New Millennium, 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Harry Patterson has written more than sixty novels, many of which have been best sellers. His work has been translated into more than forty languages, making his work accessible to a worldwide audience. Patterson is perhaps best known for the adventure novel The Eagle Has Landed, published under the name Jack Higgins. The novel tells of a secret Nazi plot during the Second World War to kidnap British leader Winston Churchill. First published in 1975, the book became an international bestseller and was made into a successful film. Patterson followed the book with many other popular thriller novels, including Storm Warning, The Valhalla Exchange, To Catch a King, Night of the Fox, and A Season in Hell. "A Higgins book," noted George Kelley in the St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, "features adventure, action, strong characters, and breathless excitement."

Patterson began writing while still teaching school in England. "While I was a struggling schoolmaster," he told Edwin McDowell of the New York Times, "I was struggling very much to make some kind of living by writing, but I couldn't because the return on each book was so small. That meant I had to publish books one after the other, so I used several names." When he decided to focus on adventure fiction, he adopted the Higgins pseudonym, based on the name of a militant Irish uncle.

Many of Higgins's novels are set during the Second World War and feature a mix of real and fictional characters. The Eagle Has Landed, for instance, features a group of Nazi paratroopers who have landed in Britain in 1943 with orders to kidnap Winston Churchill. "The suspense," Kelley commented, "is generated by the novel's realism in depicting World War II and historical events."

Storm Warning relates the story of several Germans and five nuns who try to cross the Atlantic late in the war to rejoin their families in war-torn Europe. "The war," Kelley remarked, "is only a backdrop to the real action of the struggle of the characters against the sea. In the powerful conclusion, allegiances are forgotten as the English and Germans join forces to battle the sea. Storm Warning is a classic tale of epic proportions."

The novel Exocet concerns a Russian plot to supply Argentina with missiles during the Falklands War with England. Gabrielle Legrand, a reluctant spy for the British who is in love with an Argentine air force pilot, must prevent the Argentines from getting the Russian missiles. "Exocet is a complicated but compelling novel," according to Larry Jones in the West Coast Review of Books. "Higgins' style is graceful, his dialogue is natural, and his story-telling gripping." Kelley found that, with Exocet, Patterson proves he can write a "novel with a contemporary setting as realistic and exciting as his bestselling World War II books."

While some critics complain about Higgins's later works, others praise his ability to continue writing exciting novels. In a review of The White House Connection for Booklist, Budd Arthur commented: "When it comes to thrillers, Jack Higgins wrote the book…. And this is one of the best." A critic for Publishers Weekly remarked in a review of Edge of Danger: "After 31 Higgins thrillers, nearly all first-rate, fans know that this author is as reliable as a Rolls. His 32nd novel proves no letdown…. This is Higgins near the top of his game." In another Publishers Weekly review, a critic wrote that Midnight Runner—a sequel to the "electrifying" Edge of Danger—is "swift and coursing with dark passion."

Patterson continued to publish adventure novels under the Higgins pseudonym in the early 2000s. Bad Company, a sequel to Midnight Runner, links the vast wealth of a rogue Nazi officer, Baron Max von Berger, from the end of World War II to present day Arabia. British investigator Sean Dillon and his team become the target of von Berger's wrath because of Dillon's defensive killing of Lady Kate Rashid, a love interest of the baron. Bad Company was followed by Dark Justice and Without Mercy. The former concerns Dillon's investigation into an assassination attempt on the president of the United States, while the latter is set amidst the aftermath of a shootout between Dillon's people and a group of underhanded Russians. In a Publishers Weekly review of Dark Justice, a critic praised "the author's high-speed narration and the mesmerizing hard edges of heroes and villains alike"

Patterson once told CA: "I look upon myself primarily as an entertainer. Even in my novel A Phoenix in the Blood, which deals with the colour-bar problem in England, I still have tried to entertain, to make the events interesting as a story—not just the ideas [and] ethics of the situation. I believe that at any level a writer's only success is to be measured by his ability to communicate."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers, 4th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1999, Budd Arthur, review of The White House Connection, p. 1478.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2003, review of Bad Company, p. 702.

Library Journal, June 1, 1999, Roland Person, review of The White House Connection, p. 174; December, 2000, Roland Person, review of Edge of Danger, p. 188.

New York Times, July 28, 1982, Edwin McDowell, "Higgins Odyssey: Potboiler to Best Seller," biography of Harry Patterson, p. C22.

Publishers Weekly, March 23, 1998, review of Flight of Eagles, p. 78; October 25, 1999, review of Pay the Devil, p. 78; February 28, 2000, review of Day of Reckoning, p. 61; January 22, 2001, review of Edge of Danger, p. 303; February 11, 2002, review of Midnight Runner, p. 162; July 26, 2004, review of Dark Justice, p. 40.

West Coast Review of Books, September, 1983, Larry Jones, review of Exocet, p. 34.