Sean Dillon is a fictional Irish character who is the hero of a series of Jack Higgins novels.

Fictional biography

He is described in the stories as a short man and fair-haired. An aspiring

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

at the age of 19, Dillon takes up being an

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

member, seeking revenge after his father is killed in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

in the crossfire between the British and the IRA. He is a

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Liam Devlin Liam Devlin is a protagonist and recurring character in the novels of Jack Higgins. "Liam Devlin" is a pseudonym and his real name is never revealed. Fictional biography Early life Liam Devlin is described as being born in County Down, Northern ...

. Born in 1952, he is a master assassin. When he was 19 his father was killed by British forces. He started as an

assassin but realised that the cause was not everything. After that he just was a gun for hire. He worked for almost everyone as long as they paid the right price. He is taught several things by Devlin, including the 'eerie dog-whistle'. An excellent gunman and a good

, he very soon earns the nickname "The Man of 1000 Faces" from the British, who dread him. He is noted for his part in the Downing Street bomb blast, which fails to kill or injure anyone. His disapproval of the IRA's indiscriminate bombings of innocent civilians prompts him to abandon the cause and offer himself out as a mercenary for hire, working indiscriminately for the

PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establishing Arab unity and s ...

and the

Israelis Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים‎, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jew ...

, the Red Brigade, and even the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

. Although the British are desperate to catch him, he has never been to jail. For more than 20 years the elusive and resourceful Dillon—who shunned the publicity favoured by other terrorists—slipped through the fingers of the authorities on every continent. He is finally caught by the

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

while running medicine for children into

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

. It is revealed that the shipment contained

Stinger missiles The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters as the Air-to-Ai ...

without his knowledge, and he is sentenced to death. Dillon is plucked out of prison by

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Charles Ferguson of the elite British Security Service antiterrorist unit Group 4, who offers him a clean slate in exchange for his services. Soon after joining Group 4, it is revealed that Dillon's capture by the Serbs was actually set up by Brigadier Charles Ferguson. Dillon — an expert

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

and

scuba diver Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

as well as a master of disguise and languages — subsequently becomes Ferguson's most effective agent, at one point even foiling an

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

attempt upon the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

and the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. Dillon soon meets Ferguson's right-hand woman Hannah Bernstein, and is slightly romantically inclined towards her. He also befriends the United States

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

's right-hand man, Blake Johnson, and famous

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

gangsters Harry Salter and his nephew Billy Salter.

Tastes

Dillon's favourite handgun is a Walther PPK with Carswell silencer and his favourite rifle is an AK-47. His preferred explosive is Semtex. His favorite 'hide-out' gun is a .25 Colt strapped to his ankle. Dillon's drink of choice is non-vintage Krug champagne, due to the grape mix, and his second drink of choice is Bushmills Irish whiskey.

Appearances

* ''Eye of the Storm'' (1992) * '' Thunder Point'' (1993) * ''On Dangerous Ground'' (1994) * ''

Angel of Death Angel of Death may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Aviation *"Angel of Death", AC130 gunship's nickname Fictional characters * Adam or Andrew, in ''Touched by an Angel'' * Azrael, in ''Lucifer'' * Loki, in the film ''Dogma'' * Jaff ...

'' (1995) * ''Drink with the Devil'' (1996) * ''The President's Daughter'' (1997) * ''The White House Connection'' (1999) * ''Day of Reckoning'' (2000) * ''Edge of Danger'' (2001) * ''

Midnight Runner ''Midnight Runner'' is a novel by Jack Higgins Henry "Harry" Patterson (27 July 1929 – 9 April 2022), commonly known by his pen name Jack Higgins, was a British author. He was a best-selling author of popular thrillers and espionage n ...

'' (2002) * ''Bad Company'' (2003) * ''Dark Justice'' (2004) * ''Without Mercy'' (2005) * '' The Killing Ground'' (2007) * '' Rough Justice'' (2008) * '' A Darker Place'' (2009) * ''Wolf at the Door'' (2009) * ''The Judas Gate'' (2010) * ''A Devil Is Waiting'' (2012) * ''The Death Trade'' (2013) * ''Rain on the Dead'' (2014) * ''The Midnight Bell'' (2017)

In other media

Television films

* Sean Dillon was portrayed by Rob Lowe in ''On Dangerous Ground'' (1996) and ''Midnight Man'' (1997). * He was portrayed by

Kyle MacLachlan Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...

in '' Windsor Protocol'' (1997) and '' Thunder Point'' (1998).

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sean Dillon (Jack Higgins Character) Provisional Irish Republican Army Fictional secret agents and spies Novels by Jack Higgins