Alistair MacLean Books

On the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's successful navigation to the coast of Australia, this is Alistair MacLean's absorbing story of one of Britain's great national heroes, from his obscure beginnings to his sudden and violent death at the age of fifty-one. When James Cook was hacked to death by Hawaiian islanders on 14 February 1779, he was already considered the greatest explorer of his age. Born in obscurity but gripped by a boundless passion for new horizons, he became the greatest combination of seaman, explorer, navigator, and cartographer that the world had ever known. He still is. He had driven himself mercilessly, and his men likewise, and yet the surgeon's mate on the Resolution was able to write: 'In every situation he stood unrivalled and alone; on him all eyes were turned; he was our leading star, which at its setting left us involved in darkness and despair'. Between 1768 and 1779, Captain Cook circumnavigated the globe three times in voyages of discovery that broke record after record of exploration, endurance, and personal achievement. He explored and charted the coasts of New Zealand, landed in Botany Bay, explored the Pacific, mapped its islands, and travelled further south than any man before him; he explored the Great Barrier Reef and travelled thousands of miles north to tackle the North-West Passage. He excelled in all aspects of his craft and inspired in his men an affection for him and an enthusiasm for his undertakings that provoked constant loyalty and unfailing endeavour in frequently savage conditions. Alistair MacLean presents a graphic and lively account of this great explorer, his three amazing voyages and the adventures that befell him, his crews, and his ships in lands that until he sailed were in many cases unknown. Cook's life was a resounding success and the story of it is a thrilling exemplification of his own description of himself as a man 'who had ambition not only to go farther than anyone had done before, but as far as it was possible for man to go'. discovery that broke record after record of exploration, endurance, and personal achievement. He explored and charted the coasts of New Zealand, landed in Botany Bay, explored the Pacific, mapped its islands, and travelled further south than any man before him; he explored the Great Barrier Reef and travelled thousands of miles north to tackle the North-West Passage. He excelled in all aspects of his craft and inspired in his men an affection for him and an enthusiasm for his undertakings that provoked constant loyalty and unfailing endeavour in frequently savage conditions. Alistair MacLean presents a graphic and lively account of this great explorer, his three amazing voyages and the adventures that befell him, his crews, and his ships in lands that until he sailed were in many cases unknown. Cook's life was a resounding success and the story of it is a thrilling exemplification of his own description of himself as a man 'who had ambition not only to go farther than anyone had done before, but as far as it was possible for man to go'. before, but as far as it was possible for man to go'.

Reissue of the classic tale of terrorism, where a criminal fanatic is hell- bent on blasting San Francisco into the ocean, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.

Frankie Genno is a petty criminal whose dreams of the big-time are ruined when a simple bank robbery becomes a double-murder. Anne is the junkie girlfriend responsible for putting him away. When, years later, her WITSEC contact turns up dead, she knows Frankie is back and looking for revenge.

A daring art heist unfolds as the world's most famous painting is stolen and replaced with a counterfeit. Faced with a seemingly impossible mission, UNACO, a specialized international task force, is called in to recover the priceless artwork. The narrative promises a thrilling blend of intrigue, suspense, and the high-stakes world of art crime, as UNACO races against time to solve the mystery and restore the painting to its rightful place.

The novel that launched the astonishing career of one of the 20th century's greatest writers of action and suspense - an acclaimed classic of heroism and the sea in World War II. Now reissued in a new cover style.

Millions of pounds in gold bullion are being pirated in the Irish Sea--and investigations by the British Secret Service, and a sixth sense, have brought Philip Calvert to a bleak, lonely bay in the Western Highlands. But the sleepy atmosphere of Torbay is deceptive: many mysterious disappearances have occurred there, and even the unimaginative Highland Police Sergeant seems to be involved. But why?This high-stakes heist story shows Alistair Maclean at his enthralling best, with all the edge-of-the-seat suspense and dry humor that millions of readers have devoured for years.

A classic thriller from the bestselling master of action and suspense.

The 'Oxford Bookworms Library' invites reading with original texts and adaptations of classic and modern literature. Illustrations aid vocabulary introduction, while a rich set of exercises and activities is provided. A glossary explains all words beyond the basic vocabulary. It features a race against death in the Arctic.

The classic World War II thriller from the acclaimed master of action and suspense. Now reissued in a new cover style.

Forbidding peaks, resourceful commandos, beautiful spies, nonstop action, and neck-snapping plot twists make this the classic adventure thriller—the kind of page-turner that readers actually will find impossible to put down. A team of British Special Forces commandos parachutes into the high peaks of the Austrian Alps with the mission of stealing into an invulnerable alpine castle—accessible only by aerial gondola—the headquarters of Nazi intelligence. Supposedly sent in to rescue one of their own, their real mission turns out to be a lot more complicated—and the tension climbs as team members start to die off, one by one. Written by Alistair Maclean, author of the Guns of Navarone, this is the novel that set the pace for the modern action thriller (the film version, with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, also helped), and it still packs twice the punch of most contemporary best-selling thrillers. What's more, the cast of spooks, turncoats, and commandos who drive this story are more relevant than ever in our new era of special forces, black ops, and unpredictable alliances.