When Eight Bells Toll

When Eight Bells Toll
Paperback cover
Author(s)	Alistair MacLean
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Thriller novel
Publisher	Collins
Publication date	1966
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	NA
Preceded by	Ice Station Zebra
Followed by	Where Eagles Dare

When Eight Bells Toll is a novel written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean and published in 1966. It marked MacLean's return after a three year gap following the publication of Ice Station Zebra. It combines the genres of spy novel and detective novel, with considerable success. MacLean calls on his own Scottish background to authentically portray the rugged weather, people and terrain of western Scotland.

Plot introduction

The story concerns the hijacking of five cargo ships in the Irish Sea. British Treasury secret agent Phillip Calvert is sent to investigate, and narrates the story for the reader. Calvert manages to track the latest hijacked ship - the Nantesville, carrying £8 million in gold bullion - to the Scottish Highlands and the sleepy port town of Torbay on the Island of Torbay (patterned after Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull). He boards the ship under cover of night and finds the two agents planted aboard have been murdered. Chief suspect is Cypriot shipping magnate Sir Anthony Skouros, whose luxury yacht, Shangri-La, is also anchored in Torbay.

Operating out of his yacht Firecrest, Calvert is joined by Skouros's wife, Charlotte, and by his boss Sir Arthur Arnford-Jason, known as "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.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

When Eight Bells Toll appeared in a 1971 theatrical release directed by Etienne Perier and starring Anthony Hopkins as Calvert, Robert Morley as Uncle Arthur, and Jack Hawkins as Skouros.

Use in films

In Shakti Samanta's film Aradhana, Sharmila Tagore was seen reading this book during the song "mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu".