Ice Station Zebra (published in 1963) - By Alistair Maclean - Intrigue and murder on an Artic station, a spy station against the Soviets

Alistair MacLean is a Scottish writer who specialized in writing thrillers and crime stories. He was third son of a Scottish minister and joined the Royal Navy during the world war two. He was a senior torpedo operator at the height of his career. He was in the thick of the war theater during the world war and saw action on many fronts especially the arctic north. After retiring he started penning his novels based on the war he saw and many of them became best sellers. Maclean never looked back as a writer until his death in 1987.
Ice Station Zebra is a British Meteorological Institute built on an ice floe in the Arctic sea. The authorities get the information that a catastrophic oil fire has swept through the ice station killing many of the crew and depleting supplies. The survivors holed up in the Arctic send an SOS to be rescued at the earliest because of the dwindling food supplies and injuries. Above all the vicious cold keeps the very survival at bay.
USS Dolphin an American Nuclear powered submarine is assigned to bring the survivors back. It is commanded by Captain Swanson a tough but capable officer. He is asked to take in Dr. Carpenter, a cold injury expert and is asked to follow his commands. Swanson hates to be kept in the dark and refuses to accept the order forcing Carpenter to reveal that he is a spy and Zebra to be a listening post against the Soviets.



So Dolphin sets sail and reaches the Arctic where thick ice cover prevents the submarine from surfacing. So they surface far away from the ice station and Carpenter and some crew trek through perilous Arctic landscape. Carpenter and his companions find the fire had indeed created havoc, with the dead burnt to crisp and the survivors at the door step of death. Further investigation reveal that the fire was a case of arson to camouflage murder and enemy spies.
Well so Carpenter treks back to the Dolphin and directs the submarine to a thin strip to surface near the ice station. But sabotage forces the shutting down of the nuclear reactor and the submarine is in danger of going down in the Arctic. Soon accidents happen with chilling regularity and fire engulfs the sub rendering it useless. But the ingenuity and dedication of the crew and Captain Swanson saves the submarine and it sets off to safer climes.
Carpenter unmasks the killers who are Russian Agents and avenges the death of his brother who was the commander of Ice station Zebra. The overwhelming factor in Ice Station Zebra is the bone chilling cold. The men fight mind numbing Arctic storms, frost bite and starvation to rescue others. The cold seeps through the pages,but blazes through the brain to give you an adrenaline rush. If you want a book which is a lean mean thriller minus sex, emotions and jargons you can go for Ice Station Zebra. The warning on the book will be “you will be cold to everything till you finish the book”.

The Satan Bug (published in 1970) - By Alistair Maclean - A thriller about a deathly toxin stolen and used for murder

Alistair MacLean is a Scottish writer who specialized in writing thrillers and crime stories. He was third son of a Scottish minister and joined the Royal Navy during the world war two. He was a senior torpedo operator at the height of his career. He was in the thick of the war theater during the world war and saw action on many fronts especially the arctic north. After retiring he started penning his novels based on the war he saw and many of them became best sellers. Maclean never looked back as a writer until his death in 1987.
The Satan Bug is written under the pseudonym Ian Stuart. Alistair Maclean is said to have opted for another name to prove that his books are best sellers on account of their content rather than on his popularity. Some say that he took upon the name to counter Ian Flemming and his James Bond.
The Satan Bug deals with the perils off biological warfare. The chief detective Pierre Cavell is called upon to investigate the gruesome murders in Mordon Microbiological Research Institute. He reaches there to find two deathly toxins, a Botulinium extract and the Satan bug missing. The Satan Bug is a lab derivative of the deadly polio virus which can bring mankind to extinction, in a matter of minutes and to top it all no vaccine has been discovered for it.
Cavell finds all the scientists and the research assistants could be viewed under an umbrella of suspicion. Everybody was involved in one way or the other to force the entry in to the lab. The chief security officer who was murdered was fed a candy with the virus by an insider. Cavell chips away the layers of deceptions and alibi's and concludes that most of the scientists who had colluded with the murderer had been coerced by blackmail.



As the net closes on the villain, he kidnaps Mary, Cavell's wife forcing him to launch a search on his own. The murderer manages to kidnap the entire police party along with Cavell and kills a constable with Botulinium Toxin. But Cavell's chase does not prove futile. He unmasks the killer whose real motive was to evacuate London to undertake a massive bank robbery. So the ultimate fight aboard a helicopter, has Cavell revealing the identity of the killer. The villain thus foiled plunges to his death leaving the other phials of the toxins unopened.
If you want an edge of the seat thriller on a bleak day you need to pick up this book. MacLean does not give you a lecture on the pro's and con's of biological warfare. He just lets you in to the details of the method and its effects. Like all MacLean's hero's Cavell is a cynical, anti-establishment tough nut. He saves the very establishment which scorned him and earns his redemption at last. So pick up the Satan Bug and be sure to wash your hands to kill the germs.

Night Without End (published in 1959) - by Alistair Maclean - a team isolated in a remote location

Alistair MacLean is a Scottish writer who specialized in writing thrillers and crime stories. He was the third son of a Scottish minister and joined the Royal Navy during World War Two. He was a senior torpedo operator at the height of his career. He was in the thick of the war theater during the world war and saw action on many fronts especially the arctic north. After retiring he started penning his novels based on the war he saw and many of them became best sellers. Maclean never looked back as a writer until his death in 1987.
Night Without End was published in 1959 and is considered to be one of the best books by Alistair MacLean. A BOAC plane crash lands 400 miles north of the Arctic in Greenland veritably on the polar ice cap. The plane has crashed near a scientific research station which is headed by Dr. Mason. Jackstraw is Mason's trusted aide along with other members of the research station. They live in sub zero temperature and their only contact with the outside world is through the radio which has broken down.
The research team tries to rescue the passengers of the ill fated jet. But only few survivors are found including the stewardess. The pilots are found to have been killed with bullet wounds and the plane catches fire. Dr. Mason feels that the crash was intentional and the pilots were murdered in cold blood. He suspects the stewardess and tries to get help.



Since the research station does not have adequate stock pile of food to feed the survivors, Mason decides to leave in search of help. He asks the radio operator to repair the radio. Soon unexpected things happen. Deliberate attempts to sabotage help is being done. A field expedition contacts them, and informs that a massive military mission is being undertaken to rescue the passengers. But still Mason leaves to find help along with Jackstraw leaving the injured passengers with the other scientists.
Captain Hillcrest, head of the field expedition try to contact them but his journey is sabotaged with his fuel mixed with sugar. But the ingenious research team find a way out to filter out the sugar and resume the journey. Hillcrest informs Mason that the plane was on a top secret mission and was carrying a missile guidance system which certain agencies were trying to get their hands on. Mason remembers a certain gadget looking like a tape recorder picked up by the passengers. They rush to reclaim it but alas are prevented by the murderers who take the entire group as hostage.
The captors abandon the research team to die in the Arctic blizzard and take only the stewardess and another passenger who is a boxer as hostage. But the research team fight the mind numbing cold and the storm to find an abandoned sleigh with rockets. They fire one to help Hillcrest to locate them. They rush to intercept the murderers and find them trying to sail away from the Arctic. Hillcrest alerts the navy which cut off the intruders flushing them to land. Soon in an high adrenaline finish the murderer's are brought down with hand to hand combat which the boxer plays a key role.
Yet again the environment and man's fight to master the challenging elements come to the fore in this novel. Read this only under a blanket because the cold, fatigue and suspense seeps to your bones giving you the goosebumps.

Evening news by Arthur Hailey (published in 1990) - journalists face the truth and go after terrorists

Arthur Hailey, a best selling author was born in Lutton, Bedford-shire, England. He emigrated to Canada after actively serving in the Royal Air force as a pilot in the World War II. He started his literary career with Flight Into Danger and later came up with amazing titles like Hotel, Wheels, Final Diagnosis etc. He moved to the Bahamas with his writer wife Sheila, and continued to churn out best sellers. He died in November, 2004.
Evening news is about the television industry which deals with the phenomenon of getting the news to the people before a competitor does. It tells us how news is packaged to get the maximum eyeballs from the viewers thus boosting the TRP's.
Crawford Sloane is the TV news anchor man who is the face of CBA TV. He has worked himself up from being a reporter covering the Vietnam war to being an anchor. Happily married to the beautiful Jessica, and blessed with a son Sloane's life has no twists and he delivers the news about plane crashes, murder and entertainment with out any sympathy. He has strong views on terrorism and is against swapping of hostages in-case of a terrorist related kidnapping.



Soon all the good things change in Sloane's life when his wife, son and his father-in-law is kidnapped by Sendero Luminaso or Shining Path - a Maoist terrorist group operating in the jungles of Peru. They kidnap them by placing them in coffins and take them to the jungles of Peru. Soon the FBI and CIA are involved and are clueless. The ransom demanded by this organization is that CBA air programmes extolling the virtues of this organization. So Sloane puts up a crack team of news reporters which include his old friend turned rival Harry Patridge. Harry loves Sloane's wife and is hell bent on saving her and this team marches in to the jungle to save the family.
The Shining path terrorist organization is part of the Medellin drug cartel and is a ruthless outfit. The reporters are armed with only a map and faces lot of challenges. Spurred by the love of Jessica Harry goes on the hunt even when the parent organization of CBA undermines his effort. The terrorist on the other hand kill Angus, Sloane's father in law and gruesomely cut off his sons fingers and send it to him. Harry rushes and ultimately saves the family. But he is killed in a violent manner and the terrorist organization is defeated. But they in their defeat are not killed but are forced to mull over their losses.
Sloane, Jessica and their son fly back to the States wondering about their love and Harry Patridge' s sacrifice. But many parts of this book does try the reasoning of the reader. The number one being the treatment of ace reporters being more capable than FBI detectives. They march in to the jungle with a map and do not suffer much. Apart from these discrepancies Hailey brings in to the novel a vivid account of the workings of a television news station.

Detective By Arthur Hailey (published in 1997) - the story of a police detective

Arthur Hailey was born in Lutton, Bedford-shire, England and served in the Royal Air Force during world war II. He emigrated to Canada and got his first break through as a writer through his book Flight in to Danger. After this he never looked back with his novels like Wheels, Airport, Hotel and Final Diagnosis becoming best sellers. He moved to the Bahamas to continue his writing career until his death on November, 2004.
Detective is the story of the police department and its police officers. It is the story of beliefs and the attitudes which shape the destinies of the crime investigators and the problems they face to bring a case to the close.
Malcolm Ainslie is a detective in the Miami police department who has a dark past which is tormenting him. He is called to solve the crime committed by a serial killer, nick named Animal who gets the name because of the barbaric way he murders his victims. He murders his victims and leaves clues from the chapters in the book of revelations in the Bible. Ultimately the Animal is apprehended and is sentenced to death. When he is languishing in prison he makes a call to Malcolm Ainslie, to record his final confession. The Animal tells him that he is guilty of all the murders, except one, that of the Mayor and his Wife. Malcolm does not believe him as the knows Animal to be a liar.



But he still studies the case and comes to the startling conclusion that the Animal was indeed telling the truth. The clues retrieved from the murder site of the mayor and his Wife does not follow the chapters in the Book of Revelations and thus Malcolm is convinced that a copy cat killer is on the loose.
The book is basically based on Malcolm's past and his guilt. He being an ex-priest does not believe in God. He is a PhD in theology and got in to priesthood to please his mother after his brother is shot dead. He is married but his marriage is in jeopardy, and is tempted to have an affair. He is ensnared by a cool and calculative Cynthia and has to assess his feelings about his wife, Karen and his son. In-spite of the fact that engaging in this mystery would break his marriage he goes on to unravel the truth. Ultimately he unravels the mystery and is reunited with his wife and son.
Detective, is a typical Arthur Hailey potboiler where in depth research has gone in to its writing. Hailey gives information about how the crime scene investigation is carried out, especially the finger printing system and also explains the DNA analysis. Did you know that 315 in detective lingo means emergency situation with the officer in trouble or BOLO means “be on the lookout”? These are the nuggets given out by Hailey that makes the book a compulsive read.
On the other hand long discourse on religion, theology, gory crime scenes and especially how a death sentence is carried out in my opinion was a little overboard. But overall Hailey makes a good case for the Police detectives who work hard in-spite of hardships, interference and low pay to keep the town safe.

Wheels By Arthur Hailey (published in 1978) - A detailed novel about the automobile industry

Arthur Hailey is a British/ Canadian novelist who is said to have guaranteed his publishers a best seller. His novels were a product of considerable research and therefore very realistic and gripping. Critics say that his style was of a typical potboiler in which he took many crisis and connected them to encompass all the characters.
In each book Hailey took on a public institution and wove his tales around the characters who are the faces of this organization. The story of the institution is the story of these people involved, their attitudes, emotions, behavior is captured vividly that the reader finds a ultimate page turner. Wheels is the story of a motor company in Detroit. Some say it is loosely based on Ford motors, some say General Motors and some point to Chrysler. But it is really the story of the struggles of Detroit, the motor place.
The tale involves the intrigues involved in designing a motor car and it ultimate launch. Interspersed in this tale is a the theory of economics of car building, the assembly line politics, the competition involved, the back breaking work, family relations of the workers, race relations prevalent in the town etc. It is so real that the echoes of it vibrate even today.



The central character is Adam Trenton, a talented ambitious advanced vehicles planning manager of the fictitious national motors who is consumed by the passion of launching his own car, the Hawk which is targeted to the youth market. He puts his life and energy in to this vehicle and is involved passionately in the designing and marketing stage. He knows that the competitors are fast snipping st his heels and wants be the front trunner in the market. In this over whelming rush, he fails to see his wife and their sons at home. Erica, his wife long ignored is on the verge of a break down and starts having an affair. When even that doesn't work, she becomes a shop lifter. Adam in the mean time blissfully ignorant, has taken up a mistress who ultimately falls in love with his tender hearted son. Soon Erica is arrested for shop lifting and this makes Adam to pause and look at what his passion has made him pay.
There are other characters, none minor. Some like Matt Zaleski who ends up in a wheel chair after decades of faith full service to the company. His daughter, Barbara, an ad executive has no time to spare and is consumed with her boy friend, a talented designer, Brett DeLosanto, who shows amazing leadership skills. At last when Matt Zaleski dies he shows the way for others as a man who could not have a personal life apart from the work he did. Brett and Barbara start a new life by helping others.
The book also is a mirror about the race relations prevailing in the country. To keep pace with the affirmative action outlined by the government, the companies try to hire blacks who previously were shunned. This book tells the story of such disadvantaged men who have no social support system and are sucked back in to the vicious cycle. People like Rollie Knight are not able to survive in-spite of getting a steady job. They are not psychologically supported and the societal sanctions suck him deep in to the mafiosi, and claims his life. Other successful African Americans, like Leonard Wingate, a personnel officer, try to give back to the community and are not supported. Hailey shows the world that such token help does not lead to uplifting the poor, but creates resentment and destruction.
Wheels, I feel is the most powerful of Hailey's books. It deals with relations and relationships in a wonderful manner against the backdrop of an industry which is unforgiving of failure.

Strong Medicine (published in 1984) by Arthur Hailey, a book on the pharmaceutical industry

Arthur Hailey was born in Lutton, Bedford-shire, England. He served in the Royal Air force as a pilot in World War II. He migrated to Canada and has written best sellers like Airport, Wheels and Hotel. He moved to the Bahamas with his writer wife Sheila. Arthur Hailey died on November, 2004 leaving a legacy of best sellers and over 170 million books in print.
Strong Medicine, a typical Arthur Hailey potboiler, has him dissect the good and the bad of the pharmaceutical industry. Just as other Hailey books, he selects a public institution and develops the characters who make up this institution, and portrays how their attitudes and relationships form the ultimate pillar for the organization.
In Strong Medicine, Arthur Hailey examines the details of the women's march in their work place. In the character of Celia Jordan, he presents a talented lady trying to break the glass ceiling to reach the top most post of her company. She encounters chauvinistic behavior from all around and also support from certain men who are instrumental for her rise.



The Books begins by Celia reminiscing her life on her way to her home and is seen remarking to her husband about the threat faced by her because of a certain Senator Donaghue. Then Hailey takes us back in time where Celia as an young sales representative tries to market some of her drugs to Andrew Jordan, a young physician. He being in a very disturbed state of mind is very curt with her. Celia, understands that a medicine developed by her company, in the trial stage is capable of saving his patient. She cuts through the protocol and delivers it to him. Andrew administers this medicine and is able to save his patient.
They are married following a whirl wind romance and soon Celia is pregnant and a mother of 2 all through working her way up in her company. This is the most unbelievable part in this book because she has a picture perfect family and everything works according to her plan. Her babies are perfect, husband adores and encourages her and she has risen steadily in-spite of motherhood and all the odds.
In the company Celia has a very supportive boss, Sam Hawthorne who encourages her and is grooming her for succession. Celia delivers a speech in the annual company meet, castigating the lack of training, vision and leadership, rendering the top management furious. She is inches away from being fired, that Sam steps in to save her. All this happens with a perfect home-life, brilliant Kids who do well in boarding schools and a husband who whisks her to Ecuador to rekindle their relationship.
Celia hitches her star to that of Sam Hawthorne and is rewarded when he becomes the president. She being the vice-president soon realizes her ambitions. Both Sam and herself start two projects. First one is the Montayne project by the French who are developing an anti-emetic for pregnant women. Second one is to tap in to the British capabilities in pharmacy and develop a off shore research unit. They select a brilliant scientist, martin Peat Smith who joins their company after a lot of persuasion from Celia.
Celia has serious misgiving about the Montayne project and her fears are found to be true because their medicine causes congenital defects in the babies. Sam Hawthorne, who has profound belief in the drug had given it to his pregnant daughter, ultimately resulting in a handicapped baby. Meanwhile the FDA is hot on his heels about the drug and he is being blackmailed by an shady FDA official Dr Mace. The guilt drives Sam to suicide and ultimately Celia is in-charge of running the company. Felding Roth is being investigated by Senator Donaghue and Celia ultimately has to rescue it, earning the enmity of the senator. Soon after incidents of an affair with Martin Smith, power struggles with Gordan Lord and the financial rescue of the company Celia is firmly entrenched in her position. The book ends with her flying down to combat Senator Donaghue and appear before the senate's investigative committee. Apart from this sudden ending the whole book never fails to grip you and you come away with a belief that superwoman Celia will overcome the senator too.