When Eight Bells Toll

What a good story! From the first page there is action that only stops long enough to make one hold his breath. Nonstop! And besides, how refreshing to read a rugged spy novel without any profanity! I had forgotten that they exist. I'll have to read a few more from MacLean.......more

Alistair MacLean was my favourite author during my teens. I continued reading MacLean's books till my middle twenties, by which time I had read most of his books. After that I continued collecting my favourite books of his, but haven't read them much. The last time I read a MacLean book was maybe ar......more

Outstanding! When you hear the name Alistair MacLean, you think of "Where Eagles Dare" and "The Guns of Navarone." For some reason, perhaps because of the movies made on the other two books, this fabulous novel by MacLean has been lost in history. And that's a shame because it is on the level of "Wh......more

I remember liking the first scene. It had a Colt .45, after all. And the dry, understated prose was funny--for a while. Then I wanted to shrug my shoulders and be free of it. MacLean should have tried short stories. He's easier to stomach in small doses.......more

My friends sometimes wonder how I know about hollow point and narrow bullets, and the first page of this book is the cause. It starts with an vivid, but accurate description of the Peacemaker Colt and what effects it should have when it's trained on a man. The pace picks up from there and doesn't st......more