The British Intelligence has received recordings of a deadly attack against some U.S. Army Rangers and British medical staff ambushed and killed in Afghanistan. The shocking bit is that some of the attackers were speaking English; one in particular had an Irish accent.

General Charles Ferguson, the prime Minister's Commander of a team of private hit men, meets with the U.S. President and informs him of these recent actions in Afghanistan. Ferguson vows to find the leader of this group, known as Shamrock, and bring him to justice. Ferguson plans to do this by sending in his best man, Sean Dillon, and asks Dillon to locate Daniel Holley, an Irishman who previously had tried to kill Ferguson's whole team, but who now is willing to work with them. Such is the life in politics and war.

Once the team is set up, they go about working their contacts until each tidbit of information leads them to the next clue. They have to stay one step ahead of the terrorists as Al Qaeda's web runs long and tight. The Shamrock learns they've heard his voice on the tape and even though they have no idea who he is, his handler wants Ferguson's team out of the picture. He makes his calls and sets up the deadly game. Soon the web of betrayal and deceit traps everyone involved and the deadly game of cat- and-mouse leaves little survivors.

Jack Higgins is a new author to me. THE JUDAS GATE was an excellent introduction to his writing. I enjoyed the flow, the exciting action and the crisp and enticing dialogue among the characters. His portrayal of the spies' actions and how politics and religion play into the decisions made that affect the outcome in THE JUDAS GATE intrigued me. Certainly Higgins is an outstanding author in the suspense genre, and this book is a perfect example of his expertise.