High Citadel

High Citadel – Desmond Bagley (Fontana, 1973)

Another cracking slice of cold-war adventure from the master of “ordinary blokes in extraordinary scrapes.” In High Citadel, a routine flight over the Andes turns into a survivalist nightmare when the plane crash-lands on a desolate mountainside. The passengers—a ragtag bunch including a crusty ex-RAF pilot, a deposed South American president, and a few reluctant tourists—must hold off a squad of armed soldiers while battling altitude, frostbite, and their own fears.

Bagley throws everything into the mix: makeshift weapons, freezing blizzards, and desperate heroism at 14,000 feet. It’s as tight and breathless as thrillers get, with the author’s trademark knack for engineering detail and page-turning suspense.

This battered old Fontana paperback has probably survived more commutes than its heroes did avalanches, but the story inside is as sharp and gripping as ever. Perfect if you like your thrillers taut, your villains ruthless, and your books slightly crumbly round the edges.

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