Alistair McLean (19221987) British writer, author of 28 action-adventure novels and short stories, screenwriter. His name is widely known to readers around the world. MacLean's books have sold more than 150 million copies, his novels, scripts and plots were shot 18 films. In 1983, the University of Glasgow awarded the writer with the degree of Doctor of Literature .. McLean's heroes live and win across the globe, "from communist Hungary and the Gulf of Mexico to Singapore, southern France, San Francisco, the Netherlands and the Arctic Ocean" (kirkusreviews. com). The flagship of this collection is the novel “Golden Gate” .. The bridge of the same name in San Francisco, a miracle of engineering, is considered impregnable, from the point of view of even vigilant Faeers. Especially when the Presidential motorcade passes through it . But for the bad guys who want to break the bank, nothing is impossible... The gang-leading fanatic is obsessed with the idea of provoking a colossal earthquake and drowning the Golden State in the ocean (“Goodbye, California!”). The authorities sign off on their own impotence. Who Will Stop the End of the World Rehearsal? . The risk of traveling through the Amazon jungle can be justified if the goal is the search for an ancient civilization. Or the stolen treasure.... Or the kidnappers themselves ("River of Death"). In the novel The Circus, a magician with outstanding abilities recruits the CIA to use it to learn the secret formula of antimatter.