Toll for the Brave

Toll for the Brave
Jack Higgins

From the first name in heart pounding thriller fiction.Ellis Jackson woke up hugging a twelve-bore shotgun. In the next room, his mistress and his best friend lay naked on the bed, their heads blown to pulp. Back in England at last, Ellis Jackson had finally cracked.Active combat, a Viet Cong prison camp and the callous treachery of his lover and interrogator, Madam Ny, had taken their toll. Ellis Jackson was out of his mind. Or was he?Maybe it would all have been easier to take if he really had been mad

Toll for the Brave

Jack Higgins

PUBLISHER’S NOTE (#ulink_c63fa392-fc6b-54b6-9495-3c256f602e8c)

TOLL FOR THE BRAVE was first published in the UK by John Long, London, in 1971 under the authorship of Harry Patterson. The author was, in fact, the writer familiar to modern readers as Jack Higgins. Harry Patterson was one of the names he used during his early writing days. The book was later published in paperback by Arrow – under the authorship of Jack Higgins – but it has been out of print for several years.

In 2004, it seemed to the author and his publishers that it was a pity to leave such a good story languishing on his shelves. So we are delighted to be able to bring back toll for the brave for the pleasure of the vast majority of us who never had a chance to read the earlier editions.

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u3943217a-25fd-55e0-988d-e9a9c1095aee)

Title Page (#uf722fe76-8148-514a-a5ce-88643d686d0b)

PUBLISHER’S NOTE (#ub1c56cd3-64a3-55c1-ac53-2058b3b83147)

NIGHTMARE (#ub6d5ee94-4dd4-5adf-941a-0f65c638338a)

PROLOGUE (#u2e3c0ba2-f566-5a8c-a921-5c26a8658d7e)

WORLD’S END (#u0e1c0685-7596-58c9-89d3-1d828a225a89)

1 (#u07350c33-451c-57a0-86b6-614d57ee69d1)

FORCING HOUSE NUMBER ONE (#ubf3a7f8c-baaa-5456-a4cb-9573158afbd2)

2 (#u6dd6e577-544c-588d-92c1-60e3d6484863)

THE SOUND OF THUNDER (#litres_trial_promo)

3 (#litres_trial_promo)

TIME OUT OF MIND (#litres_trial_promo)

4 (#litres_trial_promo)

ACTION BY NIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

5 (#litres_trial_promo)

THE TEMPLE OF TRUTH (#litres_trial_promo)

6 (#litres_trial_promo)

DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN (#litres_trial_promo)

7 (#litres_trial_promo)

CONNORS QUAY (#litres_trial_promo)

8 (#litres_trial_promo)

THE RUN TO THE ISLAND (#litres_trial_promo)

9 (#litres_trial_promo)

BLACK MAX (#litres_trial_promo)

10 (#litres_trial_promo)

SEEK AND DESTROY (#litres_trial_promo)

11 (#litres_trial_promo)

THE LAST ‘BANZAI’ (#litres_trial_promo)

12 (#litres_trial_promo)

JACK HIGGINS (#litres_trial_promo)

ALSO BY JACK HIGGINS (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

NIGHTMARE (#ulink_d9024f6f-30b6-593e-9863-f8e1c227888b)

PROLOGUE (#ulink_ab3613e5-a69c-59bc-a651-107bf7f409ac)

They were beating the Korean to death in the next room, all attempts to break him down having failed completely. He was a stubborn man and, like most of his countrymen, held the Chinese in a kind of contempt and they reacted accordingly. The fact that Republic of Korea troops had the highest kill ratio in Vietnam at that time didn’t exactly help matters.

There were footsteps outside, the door opened and a young Chinese officer appeared. He snapped his fingers and I got up like a good dog and went to heel. A couple of guards were dragging the Korean away by the feet, a blanket wrapped about his head to keep the blood off the floor. The officer paused to light a cigarette, ignoring me completely, then walked along the corridor and I shuffled after him.

We passed the interrogation room, which was something to be thankful for, and stopped outside the camp commandant’s office at the far end. The young officer knocked, pushed me inside and closed the door.

Colonel Chen-Kuen was writing away busily at his desk. He ignored me for quite some time, then put down his pen and got to his feet. He walked to the window and glanced outside.

‘The rains are late this year.’

I couldn’t think of anything to say in answer to that pearl of wisdom, didn’t even know if it was expected. In any event, he didn’t give me a chance to make small talk and carried straight on, still keeping his back to me.

‘I am afraid I have some bad news for you, Ellis. I have finally received instructions from Central Committee in Hanoi. Both you and General St Claire are to be executed this morning.’