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Liam Devlin is a recurring character and lead protagonist in the Liam Devlin series of novels by British novelist Harry Patterson under the pen name Jack Higgins. The character Liam Devlin made his first appearance in “The Eagle Has Landed” the first novel in the series published in 1975. The novels are generally regarded as mystery thrillers.
Order of Liam Devlin Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Eagle Has Landed | 1975 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Touch the Devil | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Confessional | 1985 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Eagle Has Flown | 1991 | Description / Buy |
Similar to his creator who writes with a pseudonym, Liam Devlin is a pseudonym as his real name is never revealed in the course of the series. Devlin was born in County Down in Northern Ireland and schooled at Trinity College Dublin. His outlook on life and politics changed when he is witness to his elderly uncle being viciously attacked and beaten by a Protestant mob, because he was a Catholic priest. He soon joins the Irish Republican Army, becoming one of Scotland Yard’s most wanted executioners.
The first novel in the series is set in a rural Norfolk village in World War II Britain. Frustrated with his failure to end the war with Great Britain, Hitler tasks a commando team with kidnapping the indomitable Winston Churchill, when he visits the rural town of Studley Constable, Norfolk. The Abwehr funded mission is to be headed by Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Steiner, the commander of a small team of paratroopers.
Devlin the long time IRA commander and the experienced Abwehr agent Joanna Grey are sent ahead to prepare for the landing of the paratroopers. What follows is an exhilarating and delightful tale full of explosive action that demonstrates the skills of one of the best mystery thriller writers at the top of his game.
LIAM DEVLIN BOOKS INTO TV/MOVIES
“The Eagle Has Landed” the first novel in the Liam Devlin series was adapted into a film in 1977. The ITC Entertainment produced film starred Donald Sutherland as Liam Devlin and Michael Caine as Oberst Kurt Steiner. Confessional the third novel in the series was adapted into a television miniseries that aired on the ITV network in 1989. The Granada Television produced miniseries starred Keith Carradine as Liam Devlin with Gordon Flemyng directing.
BEST LIAM DEVLIN BOOKS
The Eagle Has Landed: The first novel is generally regarded as one of the best novels in the Liam Devlin series. Introducing the fast talking Irish Republican Army operative Liam Devlin, the fast-paced novel comes with an action packed plot that will keep the reader in thrall right from the beginning to the end.
Confessional: The third novel in the Liam Devlin series was so popular that it was made into a highly successful television miniseries. The novel opens to the head of the KGB finally finding the perfect man to send into deep cover in the West to assassinate the pope. Given that previous Bulgarian and Turkish attempts had been unsuccessful, the KGB has unearthed a genius assassin oozing with talent. He could pass for an ordinary Catholic Priest, yet with a single shot of his handgun could split a head or apple across a hall with a bullet if it is required of him. Even as the British know the assassin is in London, they have no idea how to find him a week before the pope lands. In a situation so dire, only two people can help them out of their quandary, Liam Devlin the IRA’s and Ireland’s most venerated man and chief enemy of the British, and the daughter of a KGB General and concert pianist, Tanya Voroninova.
The Eagle Has Flown: The fourth novel in the Liam Devlin series is another excellent novel by Jack Higgins. Hitler is still insistent on pursuing his hopeless war, even as treachery and betrayal continue to reach new heights in his Third Reich. The crux of the story is the quest for the retrieval of decorated officer Steiner, who was apparently kidnapped in the bungled assassination of Churchill in Operation Eagle. The novel is a roller-coaster of a ride from the racy nightclubs of Lisbon, all the way to Hitler’s luxurious country estate, right to the back alleys of a wet London.
OTHER BOOKS SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
Most fans of the Liam Devlin series of novels also love the “Bernard Samson” series of novels by Len Deighton. These novels are detective thrillers that follow the life and times of Bernard Samson, a British Spy during the Cold War. Liam Devlin fans also enjoy the “Jake Crafton” series of novels by Jeff Coonts. Grafton is a hero fighter pilot that lives life at full throttle, and is always unfazed by the bullets, bombs, blood, death and the dangerous flights that are a staple of his job.
What Is The Next Book in The Liam Devlin Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Liam Devlin Series. The newest book is The Eagle Has Flown and was released on March, 7th 1991.