RK'S TOP TEN
Books
[Classics] [Management] [Philosophy]
- The Eagle Has Landed - Jack Higgins.
Towards the end of the Second World War , a team of German soldiers parachute into a sleepy English village . Their mission is to assassinate Chuchill and the man behind the operation is Himmler , the Head of Gestapo. Jack Higgins marvellous novel ( of which 50% is documented fact , according to him ) moves at a breathtaking pace and is quite unputdownable. The most memorable character in this novel is Liam Devlin, a reformed IRA gunman who appears in many of his other novels.This novel is on par with that of Forsythe's classic The Day of the Jackal.
- The Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum.
This first novel by Robert Ludlum remains his best . A man is found unconscious on a beach with a bullet in his head and a micro-film in his body showing a numbered account in Switzerland. As he goes in search of his identity , he is set upon by unknown assailants . Ludlum skilfully brings in the CIA , Carlos the Jackal and an international conspiracy to keep the reader engrossed. Ludlum's later novels never came close to this one.
- The Evil That Men Do - Lance Hill
A very serious novel , it takes a hard look at the political tortures resorted to by many countries. The Doctor is the most demonical master of torture after the Nazis and he is involved in training the repressive regimes in variuos Latin American countries. After several botched attempts at assassination , once by Mossad , Holland , an international assassin , is hired to do the almost impossible and dangerous job. He has to go to Guatemala where the Doctor is currently holed up and penetrate his defences.
A furious pace and crackling dialogue make this a novel worth reading.
- Presumed Innocent - Scott Turow
As far as legal thrillers go , it can't get better than this , John Grisham notwithstanding. The public prosecutor becomes the accused in a murder case involving a colleague with whom he has been having an affair. Suddenly his world turns upside down and he is faced with the daunting prospect of going to the very place where he has sent so many criminals. Extremely well written this novel is a cut above the rest in terms of style and content.
- Outrage - Henry Denker
A rapist is set free on a technicality and he leaves the courtroom laughing. The grieving father buys a gun and takes his own revenge. Now he is on trial for the murder of his daughter's killer. It is an open and shut case for the prosecution since they have his voluntary confession. But a dedicated young lawyer battles an angry judge , an unresponsive jury and a stubborn client as he pulls out all the stops to save him and ensure that justice is done.
- King Rat - James Clavell
Set in the Second World War in a prison camp in Singapore , this is the story of life in the brutal prison camp of Changi. The author himself was a POW for some time and obviously the input has come from personal experience. The author explores a fundamental theme in this novel , whether morality is relevant when basic survival is at stake .
- The Devil's Alternative - Fredrick Forsythe
An excellent thriller , this involves the hijacking of a frigate carrying thousands of tonnes of crude oil by Ukranian freedom fighters.The terrorists threaten to release the oil in the Mediterranean Sea unless their comrades are not released.The action moves at a breakneck speed with the CIA , KGB and the MI5 , double agents and with enough twists and turns , Forsythe manages to keep the reader guessing till the end.
- No Orchids for Miss Blandish - J.H.Chase.
The best American gangster novel , this was Chase's first novel which became extremely popular with the armed forces during the Second World War. This is how a reviewer described it : 'Once in a while , someone writes a novel that sets a new standard in literature , that everyone knows and reads about , and one of them is undoubtedly 'No Orchids for Miss Blandish'. It is basically the story of a kidnapping and the subsequent investigation.
- The Plot - Irving Wallace.
Irving Wallace's magnificent and intricately crafted novel , this is one of his best.A nuclear disarmament summit is scheduled to take place in Paris and the presidents of all the five nuclear powers are meeting there.A journalist past his prime , a stripper in a night-club , an American accused of treachery , an ex-President of the US are also coming to Paris for their own personal reasons. One person starts noticing some strange happenings in the days leading to the summit and starts to unravel the plot.
- On Wings of Eagles - Ken Follett
This true story by Ken Follet is a edge-of-the-seat thriller.Two executives of the billion-dollar group EDP Data Systems headed by Ross Perot are jailed on trumped up charges by the Iranian government during the time Khomeini came to power.Ross Perot tries his best to secure their release through diplomatic channels but when Henry Kissinger throws up his hands and pleads helpless , he decides to organise their rescue on his own. He hires a retired Colonel , gets a few voluntary executives who had served in Vietnam and the mission is launched.There are enough twists and turns in the story to keep reading till the end.
Send your top ten selection to Rkrao
[Sites] [Movies] [Jokes] [Graffiti] [Shayari] [Dialogues] [Songs] [Quotes] [Puzzles]
Home
