This novel is not the formula sequel that a lesser writer would have churned out. The same crew is back, with another supremely difficult mission, liberating an army of yugoslavian partisans. This time, the mission is a setup. They are intended to fail, sacrificed as a diversion.
MacLean characters are often set up. They usually manage to pull off a miracle and beat the rap. And yet, it's never exactly the same, never descending to formula.