''When Eight Bells Toll'' is a
first-person narrative
A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-telle ...
novel written by
Scottish author
Alistair MacLean
Alistair Stuart MacLean ( gd, Alasdair MacGill-Eain; 21 April 1922 – 2 February 1987) was a 20th-century Scottish novelist who wrote popular thrillers and adventure stories. Many of his novels have been adapted to film, most notably '' The ...
and published in
1966. It marked MacLean's return after a three-year gap, following the publication of ''
Ice Station Zebra
''Ice Station Zebra'' is a 1968 American espionage thriller film directed by John Sturges and starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, and Jim Brown. The screenplay is by Alistair MacLean, Douglas Heyes, Harry Julian Fink, ...
'' (1963), during which time he had run several restaurants.
''When Eight Bells Toll'' combines the genres of
spy novel
Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...
and
detective novel
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
. MacLean calls on his own Scottish background to authentically portray the rugged weather, people and terrain of western Scotland.
Plot synopsis
Five cargo ships have been hijacked in the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
; ships carrying vast quantities of precious stones and gold bullion. The crews later turn up, but the ships have disappeared. Clearly, the hijackers are getting impeccable intelligence. The British Secret Service, under Rear-Admiral Sir Arthur Arnford-Jason (known as "Uncle Arthur") has planted agents on the ships – but only the ship's masters know of their presence. When no word is received from the agents, Phillip Calvert (who narrates the story) and Hunslett are sent to investigate.
They manage to track the latest hijacked ship – the ''Nantesville'', carrying £8 million in
gold bullion – to the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...
and the sleepy port town of Torbay on the Island of Torbay (patterned after
Tobermory, on the
Isle of Mull). Under cover of being marine biologists on a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
project, they travel in the Firecrest, an outwardly normal but very specially equipped motor launch. Calvert boards the ship under cover of night and finds that the two agents planted aboard have been murdered. His chief suspect is
Cypriot
Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus.
* Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes:
**Armenian Cypriots
**Greek Cypriots
**Maronite Cypriots
**Turkish C ...
shipping magnate Sir Anthony Skouros, whose luxury yacht, ''Shangri-La'', is also anchored in Torbay.
Calvert barely escapes the murderous hijackers, and returns to his boat. But late at night, they are boarded by local police and plain-clothes men claiming to be customs officers seeking information on stolen chemicals. After the search and their departure, he finds the boat's well-concealed powerful radio to have been sabotaged.
While searching the surrounding area in a
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
, Calvert meets the occupants of a
castle, Lord Kirkside and his teenage daughter Susan, who both clearly want him away well from the castle, and a fierce gun-toting local on his private island.
As the helicopter brings Calvert back to Torbay, it comes under attack from the shore by machine-gun; and the pilot, Lieutenant Williams, is killed. The helicopter crashes, explodes and plummets into the sea. Calvert escapes from the helicopter after it sinks to the bottom. When he returns to Firecrest, he finds Hunslett is missing.
Not having received any further communications from his agents, Uncle Arthur arrives himself by commandeered RAF launch. Together, they combat boarders and make ready for sea. On trying to use a concealed radio, they find it has been stolen and Hunslett's body left in its place.
They are joined by Skouras's second wife, Charlotte, who claims to have escaped from his physical and psychological abuse of her. When a pirate speedboat approaches, Calvert rams it, shoots the occupants and blows up the boat in vengeance for Hunslett's death.
On the promise of a share of the
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
reward, Calvert recruits the assistance of Tim Hutchinson, a shark fisherman who has unrivalled knowledge of local water conditions and boat handling. Guessing that the missing bullion ships are being sunk to allow the gold to be offloaded invisibly, Calvert, formerly a marine salvage expert, dives into the bay and finds the Nantesville. He fights and kills Quinn, one of the divers, whom he has previously encountered and who he suspects killed Hunslett.
He then penetrates Kirkside's castle, disabling the guards, and questions Susan. He discovers a powerful radio transmitter and caches of gold bullion. He concludes that the castle's occupants are working under duress with the hijackers, as is the local police sergeant, whose son is being held hostage.
At midnight (
eight bells) the shark fishermen ram the gates of the underground dock with their boat. The pirates are expecting them because, in a final twist, Charlotte has been transmitting Calvert's plans to them. Calvert, held at gunpoint and expecting to be killed, asks that the real story be explained to him, which Charlotte does. It emerges that Skouras is also an innocent victim of the pirates; one of several who are working under duress. His real wife is not dead, as is widely believed, but in a French nursing home – Charlotte Meiner is her cousin and also under threat.
The standoff is broken by the sudden but pre-planned arrival of a detachment of
Royal Marine
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
Commandos. The pirates are disarmed and the several hostages are freed.
Calvert tells Charlotte that he didn't believe her story, and that he knew from the beginning that she was faking, with information received from Uncle Arthur.
Calvert is a typical MacLean hero, world-weary and sometimes cynical, yet ultimately honorable, who must battle bureaucracy as well as the bad guys to solve the crime. Calvert's frantic search for the hijackers and for the hostages they hold takes him over the remote isles and sea lochs and forces him to make allies of some unlikely locals. As is usual with MacLean, the plot twists and turns, not all characters are as they seem to be at first introduction, and the double-crosses continue to the very last page.
Adaptations and uses in other media
*
''When Eight Bells Toll'' (1971 film) was directed by
Étienne Périer and starred
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
as Calvert,
Robert Morley
Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...
as Uncle Arthur,
Jack Hawkins
John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...
as Skouras, and
Nathalie Delon as Charlotte
*In the
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film ''Aradhana'' (1969), while Rajesh Khanna sang "Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu" to Sharmila Tagore, Sharmila was trying to read ''When Eight Bells Toll''
References
External links
Book review at AlistairMacLean.comInternet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:When Eight Bells Toll
1966 British novels
Novels by Alistair MacLean
Novels set in Argyll and Bute
Isle of Mull
British novels adapted into films
William Collins, Sons books
First-person narrative novels
ru:Когда пробьёт восемь склянок (фильм)