Espionage and War Books

I bought this book based on the reviews, looking for a thriller that I could really enjoy. Truth be told, put a swastika on the front of any book and I'll probably buy it...the concept of unadulterated evil in civilized western Europe fascinates me. Hard to believe it was just 65 years ago. But I digress.

Apparently, Invitation to Valhalla is not a thriller, it's a fictionalized representative of actual historical events. That explains the unevenness of the novel, where I am sure the author worked hard to get the facts straight at a cost to the plot cohesion.

But what really ticked me off was when I read one of the other books I bought through Amazon, Reign of the Rat by Gil Smolin, who gave special thanks to his friend Mike Whicker, the author of "Invitation to Valhalla." Both books, while enjoyable enough, seemed to have earned praise far beyond what they actually deliver. When great thrillers like "Day of the Jackal" and "Eye of the Needle" earn 4-1/2 stars, does this book even approach 5 stars? Heck no.

Shame on any author who encourages, or condones, his friends and family stacking the reviews in favor of his book. It's a disservice to the buying public.

Even if you aren't from Evansville, Indiana, you'd find yourself engrossed in this book. But, if you are from southern Indiana, you'll love it even more. The author has written an exciting, well researched book that tells the true story of Erika Lehman who is a German spy during WW2. She and her father are very close friends with Hitler who is fully aware of Erika's profession and is proud of her accomplishments. Her last mission brings her to America and she infiltrates the shipbuilding facility in Evansville. My heart rate didn't slow for a couple hours after finishing this book. You'll love it!

This book is hard to put down once you start. Its one of the best books I've read in a long time. What's amazing is that Operation Vinland - the story of Erika Lehmann and the Mayer family is a true story with some of the unknow details fictionalized. This is a must read!

Maybe I'm biased because I grew up near Evansville, Indiana, and have seen first-hand many of the landmarks that provide the setting for this book, but I found this work an absolutely pleasant surprise. I didn't have high hopes simply because the trailers made it sound like a spy novel. It's a spy novel I couldn't put down. It also dives into the thought processes and propaganda machines of Nazi Germany, enlightening the reader as to why history turned out the way it did. This is one I won't forget for a while.

I am an avid reader and "Invitation To Valhalla" is one of the best reads I have come across in a long time. Being that I was born in Evansville and spent the war years there, this book took me back to places and times that were an important part of my youth. It is truly a book that you cannot put down once you start. A highly recommended read.

Gerald Hardig

The book opens with some US Vietnam war doctors looking at what should be a corpse, a man victim of the getting blown up thing. However, the body heals rapidly, which freaks them. It freaks them even more, when assisting with surgery to remove shrapnel they find a bronze age arrowhead. One of them has Casca's story inflicted on them.

Casca is part of the squad that executes Jesus, and because he wants to get back to a 'hot little Armenian dancer' he shoves a spear in to finish him off, given he was taking a long time kicking the bucket.

Jesus basically gives him a Chinese style curse telling him you will remain as you are then, if you are happy with it, or, you will live in a lot of interesting times.

Casca gets in a fight with a superior over the girl, ends up spending decades in a slave mine, helps out a supervisor, becomes a gladiator. Because of his immortality and work he is a lot stronger and more durable than a normal man.

Becomes a star gladiator, Nero gives him his freedom. After a two day bender he is busted by the vigiles doing the defecation and even worse abuse of a statue of Nero in the street, so Nero sends him to a slave galley. A few more decades of this, and his is back in a legion, having outlasted many emperors. Casca is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, that is for sure.

So, some more war, and Casca is getting sick of it after looking over a battlefield with 50000 dead.

He tries the suicide thing, stabbing himself in the heart, but no joy. His body rapidly ejects the sword.

The end sees him fighting in Israel, versus Arabs, in a more modern time.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

This is one of the most original concepts a series has had in many years. Taking the story of the Roman soldier who speared Jesus on the cross and making him cursed to live forever until the Second Coming was an inspired idea. This then, is the story of that man having to travel through history forever fighting.

The great thing is that the series is now continuing under a new author who appears to have got things back to where Sadler wanted (forget 23 and 24). This story here is the first century or so of Casca's life, telling how he began to understand his condition and finding years as a slave had no effect on him, and he emerges stronger from it (maybe a touch of Nietzsche - or even Milton?) and finds there are pros and cons to eternal life.

The action is spaced nicely, no overdoing it, unlike some of the later books in the series. You can't help but feel for the protagonist, having to endure some dreadful situations and knowing there is no release of death for him.

This series by the author Barry Sadler is a modern blend of two ancient legends. The first is the legend of the roman centurion Longinus who was supposedly present at Christ's crucifixion.
He stabbed christ in the side with his spear to end his agony on the cross and afterwards he became a christian convert and a
saint.
The next legend is that of the wandering jew who was supposedly cursed by Christ to wander the world until the second coming.
The reason according to the story why he incurred the wrath of Christ was that he out of spite made a derogatory or insulting remark to Jesus as he was being led to his crucifixion.
The result of this blend has been Casca Longinus,a Roman soldier cursed by Christ to wander the world forever until the second coming.
Forever fighting,forever surviving and waiting for him to return.
This series of adventures takes our protagonist down through history from one war to another. In almost each case he endures wounds and horrible pain only to encounter more.
A strange unexplained power makes his flesh heal miraculously from all wounds inflicted and which renders it along with his blood poisonous to all other creatures man included.
His ability to outlive others makes his existence a lonely one without any lasting friendship or company. He finds himself in many cases the victim of other's brutality and hatred thus making his long existence also a harsh and violent one.
That which he desires so much eludes him and that is death,which is freedom from his brutal life and eternal peace. He is not so much a hero as he is a victim of fate in a situation not of his choice.
There is plenty of historic detail in this series much of it dealing with warfare and the military.
For those who want historic fact mixed with fiction this might be worth a try.
For fans of action adventure series in the tradition of "The Executioner" and the "A Team" this is a good recomendation.
There is plenty of fast-paced action in this series and it's guaranteed to keep you from yawning.
There are graphic descriptions of violence and gore so if if you're looking for light reading then I suggest reading Robert Fulghum instead.

Casca: The Eternal Mercenary is a series of twenty-two books written by Barry Sadler. This series is about a guy named Casca Rufio Longinus; he was cursed by Jesus Christ. The curse is "Soldier, you are content with what you are. Then that you shall remain until we meet again." The curse means that Casca will remain as a soldier until the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is a fantastic series so far. The first book in the series is extremely descriptive, interesting, and unpredictable.
Mr. Sadler, the author, describes everything in great detail; it is so descriptive that the reader will get hooked on the book until he/she is done with it, such as when Casca describes exactly what happened the day he killed Jesus Christ. Casca says that he and the other soldiers were betting on who would take the clothes of Jesus and the two thieves, who were killed the same day. He goes on to say how he speared Jesus in the rib cage to kill him quicker, and how when he did that some of Jesus' blood ran down the spear shaft got on his lips. That is when Jesus cursed him. Casca then goes on to describe what happened after he was cursed. He describes what illnesses, injuries, and punishments he has received or avoided as he goes through his life. He also recollects what women he has married and fallen in love with, and the women that his enemies raped and killed. Casca recalls his slavery and what life was like in slavery.
This book in the series is interesting because Casca, the main character, is a depicted soldier who fought in the Vietnam War in 1970. He was injured by a piece of shrapnel which exposed an area of his brain approximately four inches long and three inches wide. Casca's body was taking steps to protect itself from infections by rapidly healing the abscess in his skull. This amazed the army surgeons, a colonel, and a major. Major Goldman, one of the surgeons, discovered that Casca's blood was deadly poison. He also discovered that Casca could speak the Latin of the Caesars. These facts are intriguing because no person who has a wound as such could heal by itself and few people at that time could speak such a tongue. Casca explained to Major Goldman about how he was cursed. While in the hospital, Casca told Goldman that he had been alive before the birth of Jesus and that he was the one ordered to kill Jesus. These are just a few of the multiple points of interest in the first book. These interesting facts came out of the first chapter.
The reader can never predict what turn of events lie in store for the soldier who lives infinitely. Every new place he goes, he receives a new name. No one knows that he is the same legendary figure because few people know that he can not die. As one progresses through Casca's life, one starts to believe that he will be dead due to a stab wound, some type of poison or sickness he incurs, but he still lives on because of the curse. "Soldier, you are content with what you are. Then that you shall remain until we meet again."
This series, especially the first book arouses interest as it is interesting, descriptive, and unpredictable. I have had a wonderful experience in reading the series. I own all twenty-two books and have read the first seven so far. I recommend this series to anyone who is, has been or wants to be a soldier, or anyone who is interested in action/adventure books.

A while back a friend of mine mentioned something about a series of books following a man who is immortal, and this man was immortal because he was cursed to live forever by Christ as he was dying on the Cross. The man's name is Casca. Casca is a soldier of the Roman army around the time of Christ's death, sometime around 33 A.D. Casca is the soldier assigned to the mundane task of waiting for Jesus to die while he kept the small crowd around the Cross at bay. When told to finish the Jew off Casca stabs him in the side, just as the Bible tells it, but Jesus has a few words with Casca. The rest of Casca's life is then changed, and so the legend begins. Anyone interested in historical fiction and/or immortality should definitely read this book if not the entire series of 22 books spanning 2000 years.

In the Eternal Mercenary Casca life goes from soldier, to slave, to extreme popularity very quickly, but I don't want to give too much away. Read this book, the first in a long series of great stories about the man made to live until the return of the Jew. Until we meet again.

Team Yankee is quite an interesting book. Harold Coyle describes a war between the Warsaw Pact and NATO in 1985 in great detail. But don't expect this to be like Red Storm Rising, this book focuses entirely on small unit tactics with zero politics. The action starts immediately at the beginning of the second chapter, and it never stops.

The battles are realistic and the tactics are described in great detail in the text as well as the maps that are in the book. The maps really help you figure what's going on and what platoons are moving where, etc.

The story focuses on Captain Sean Bannon of Team Yankee, a military unit deployed in Germany during the Cold War. When war breaks out in 1985, he must lead his unit to victory. There are several other main characters including several other tankers, and an infantry sergeant. This is definetly a book you don't want to miss.

This book is, IMHO, the finest of the cold-war era military novels, and one of the finest military novels ever written, includng the writing of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester.

The only book that can compare is Clancy's "Hunt for Red October", and it does not give as good a feeling as being there as does Team Yankee.

If you like military novels, or just good writing, read this book.

This was the second Coyle book I read (the first being "God's Children") and once again I was compelled by his gripping battle scenes and poignant view of today's combat environment. The story flows well and was generally enjoyable and engaging.

However, by the end of the book I became disappointed because of the constant, repeated stupidity of the opposing forces. I felt cheated because it never seemed that the U.S. forces won due to good strategy & tactics as much as because the enemy used tactics a learned high school student would shun. Don't get me wrong, the book is a good read. I only wish Coyle would create an antagonist with some brains to serve as a challenging foil for our heroes.

Setting aside all the geo-political baggage of the day, Coyle finds his real strength with one tank platoons story in WW III. It's a shame he never went back to this style. A real shame, as this is terrific, exciting stuff you wont find else where.

Harold Coyle's Team Yankee: A Novel of World War III (Presidio Press, 1987) was published a year after Red Storm Rising's triumphant debut in hardcover, and although it is thematically similar (Soviet forces invade West Germany after a series of crises escalate into an all out conventional war), Coyle's approach is very different from Clancy's. Instead of creating his own possible scenario for a NATO vs. Warsaw Pact confrontation, he asked for, and received, permission from British author (and retired General) Sir John Hackett to set Team Yankee within the scenario created in Hackett's two
"speculative fiction" books The Third World War: August 1985 and The Third World War: The Untold Story.

Team Yankee takes place within a two-week period in an August in the late 1980s. Since late July, a series of crises precipitated by the Iran-Iraq war has morphed into a clash between U.S. and Soviet naval forces in the Persian Gulf region. By August 1, word comes that NATO is mobilizing and ordering their armed forces, including Bannon and Team Yankee, to their wartime positions. Soon, the Soviets and their Warsaw Pact "allies" cross the Inner German Border in force. Team Yankee and the rest of NATO's forces in West Germany must then fight the invaders and stop them before the Red Army reaches the Rhine River. After that, assuming the Soviet attack bogs down, the mission will change from merely defending territory to taking offensive operations and pushing the invaders back. The question Coyle poses is, can American soldiers, using their weapons and tactics against superior numbers of Soviet and Warsaw Pact soldiers, defeat Russian weapons and tactics?

Readers familiar with Hackett's macrocosmic World War III will know the big picture, but first-time readers will be turning the pages to see who wins, who loses, who dies...and who survives in this outstanding first novel by a true master of the military fiction genre.

The only flaw, and this is not Coyle's fault, is that reality -- in the shape of the fall of communism and the end of the Cold War -- has made the novel's setting extremely outdated. Some of the then-modern weapons, such as the M1 main battle tank, have been since updated to M1-A2 standard, older weapons have been retired, and obviously there's no more Warsaw Pact.


All in all, it's an entertaining read.

This is by far my favorite book from that genre. I first read it in high school and have gone back several times over the years. I just purchased it again to give to my 13 year old daughter.

I grew up in Santa Fe, reading this book, serving Mr. Bradford coffee at Zook's Pharmacy on the Plaza. Mr. Bradford's book reassured me that my turbulent adolescence was do-able, by lighting the way.
I have not been back there in thirty years. Santa Fe has been taken over by the rich and the entitled and they have squeezed the soul out of what we knew growing up there, though there is plenty of beauty and spirit left to be sucked dry by the commercial people. But if you want to know the siren song of Santa Fe, read this book. Sagrado is, indeed, Santa Fe. This was what it was like there even in the 1960's and 1970's.
I mean, where else could you have that unforgettable horse AND world-class opera AND the mountains AND the humility of entertaining the Native Americans by just being white people on the Plaza?
I read this book, I can smell the pine wood burning in the farolitos, and the breeze in the chamisa after the Summer afternoon cloudbursts.

This is a wondrous short novel. Read it if you'd like to be a teenager again. Buy an old paperback copy showing a teenage boy and girl standing facing each other with their foreheads touching--a very sweet illustration.

Now a good review (recommendation) doesn't have to be long, so let me give you a few lines of description. A boy moves from Alabama to New Mexico during World War II, and while his father is away in the war, the boy finds friends and a home in the small mountain town of Sagrado. One of his new friends is an sculptor who carves stone heads and places them on a hillside.

On the great book cover: Sometimes book covers actually decline in quality with the many printings of a book. This has happened with "Red Sky At Morning," but remember you are buying the book for the story.

Another example of the decline in a book's cover is seen in the early cover for "Summer of Night," by Dan Simmons.Summer of Night (Aspect Fantasy) The 1991 "Warner Book" edition has a window with a cut out. Through the window you can see some boys riding their bicycles at night. When you open the book, you see a mysterious school in the background.

The later covers of "Summer of Night" were not half as mysterious or fun.

As many others have said, it's impossible to get tired of this book. My parents gave it to me when I was 18 and (again, like several others) the first time I read it I found it a little slow and disjointed. It gets better and better with every read - each time I pick up on the subtleties of a scene for the first time.

Rather than boring the reader with a bunch of obnoxious capers and hijinks, Bradford envelops you in his characters' community, and it's this day-to-day banality (which turned me off so much the first time) that really draws you into the story. Josh's adjustment to Sagrado takes time, but when it comes it's so natural and amusing that you're almost completely unprepared for the sobering conclusion of the story.

I had no idea the book was so loved until I read these reviews. There are so many special moments in the story - the big wet snowfalls that ruins Chamaco's fiesta, the horribly backward residents of La Cima, the refreshing "white trashiness" of the Cloyd sisters, even Parker Holmes tearing an elk sandwich apart with his teeth.

I wish these characters existed in real life, and I wish I could be their friend.

I thouroughly enjoyed this book, I do not know how I missed it for so many years. It was recommended in Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust" (which you really should buy if you are an avid reader.) I have never been dissapointed by her recommendations.

Josh, as the narrator in "Red Sky at Morning" is a 17 year old high school senior at the end of WWII. His dry wit mad me laugh right out loud several times. I loved his sensibility and humor. The cast of characters in this book reminded me of some of the characters in "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving.

This is one of my favorite reads of the year, so much so I will probably hunt down a hard cover edition for my collection.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is somewhat parochial regarding the air force, but not awful about it. Some of the personal anecdotes were quite interesting, especially the description of the Saudi officers. I laughed out loud at the anecdote of "you are now leaving Saudi Arabia, please set your watches ahead 600 years".

This book assumes the reader has something of a military background, which isn't an issue to me but I can imagine some people struggling w/the story. If your interested in military history in the mideast, you can easily afford the day or two it will take to read this.

Boy, I certainly enjoyed this book. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat as you relive his experiences in Iraq and with GEN Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War.

With his unique first-hand experiences in Iraq and the Middle East and being fluent in Arabic, Col. Francona has certainly had a most exciting career. I'm sure he must still be an extremely valuable consultant to the Bush administration in Washington.

This is the best book I've read in quite some time!

He was right in the middle of the Iraq war with eyeball accounts of things that were happening. Great if you like behind the scenes info. Well written.

If you were an intelligence officer fluent in speaking Arabic and served in Iraq during its war with Iran and later as General Schwarzkopf's interpreter during Desert Shield and Desert Storm you would have a lot to tell that could not be found in American news reports--and Rick Francona does just that in Ally To Adversary.

This book takes you into Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, where you will come away with a better understanding of the political, military, and cultural mishmash of the region.

The book is full of revealing tidbits, such as:
--Government Control - In order to mail a letter outside of the country of Iraq, one must get government permission to buy postage stamps. A woman "sobbing quietly" told the author that she had a sister in the United States but could not correspond with her.
--Bunker Opulence - The Saudi king's bunker deep below the palace is itself an underground palace with kitchen, living areas and medical clinic, "opulent beyond description."
--Allies? - When the first Iraqi missiles hit Israeli soil, inside the coalition operations center every Saudi officer was on his feet applauding and cheering the attack.
--Monster Marines - The fighting ferocity of a small group of U.S. Marines surrounded and greatly outnumbered by Iraqi soldiers spread through the Iraqi army spawning wild perceptions about American marines. Among them: each marine had to have killed a member of his own family as a condition of entering the corps; and that marines practiced cannibalism on the bodies of their foes.

Find out why Iraq did not use chemical and biological weapons against the coalition forces.

At a time when many Americans want to understand Arab and Islamic influences and their effect on current events, Rick Francona's book is an excellent and enduring source.
As an Air Force intelligence officer, a Middle East veteran, and a fluent Arabic speaker, Rick had seen the Iraqis, first as an ally, and later as an adversary, as the title suggests. Early in the book he tells us about visiting Iraq during its long war with Iran. He visited areas of grinding combat around Al-Basrah and observed, as an ally, the army we would later face in the Persian Gulf War. His unique, first-hand observations would be invaluable later. He also entertains us with stories of life in Baghdad, once even escaping his Iraqi escort and conversing in Arabic with surprised ordinary Iraqis in the marketplace.
Later in the book, he gives us an insider's view as General Schwarzkopf's interpreter at the meeting at Safwan where Iraq was to receive surrender terms. Asked to translate instructions to the senior Iraqi representative, Rick tells us, "I translated the words into Arabic; the Iraqi interpreter, a brigadier who had spent several years living in Michigan, nodded to Sultan Hashim that my translation was correct." He ties many of his experiences together at a meeting later in the book when he finds himself facing an Iraqi major with whom he had worked during the Iran-Iraq war. "I was stunned to be now face-to-face with Majid Al-Hilawi, whom I had not seen since my last night in Baghdad at the end of the US-Iraq military relationship in 1988. I simply walked over to where Majid was sitting and offered my hand which he took warmly."
Rick Francona makes us feel like a personal witness to all these events. This is a great story from an observant eyewitness. It is all the more compelling because we saw the highlights on CNN and many of the observations will probably be relevant far into the future.

The book provides an inside view of Star Gate, the government's secret program of remote viewing. By the time Paul Smith wrote this book, most of the information he needed had been declassified, and the program allegedly shut down, if you believe that.

The book describes the structure of how they remote viewed a target, from the fundamental to specific gestalt, and how this could be taught to anyone, since everyone has this ability.

I'd consider this one of the better books I've read on Star Gate and remote viewing in general.

This book is a great reference and historical record of the emergence and use of remote viewing from inside the military machine. A great addition to all serious remote viewing researchers library, its well written and one of those hard to put down books. There are a few good books on remote viewing and this is so far the best in trying to create a historical overview of RV and address many of the inaccuracies of the previous historical overview book (The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies).

This is also a great reference tool for anyone trying to fathom the 89,000 pages of CIA remote viewing documents released through the Freedom of Information act.

Paul Smith has produced a wonderful book here. It captures so much detailed information that it should make a wonderful documentary source. Yet, it is written so clearly that for those who have read other books on the subject (like me) it is very easy to skim to the parts that contain new information, insights, and details (and there's a whole lot of ALL of those throughout this book!) This book is a must for anyone who wants a more complete picture of the subject matter, as well as a feeling of greater familiarity with the fascinating and enjoyable personalities of the players involved.

I'd suggest Paul Smith's book to students of self discovery and military historians alike. Reading the Enemies Mind provides a concise and engaging history of our nation's remote viewing program. Those seeking to further advance their potential will discover many advanced concepts that have yet to reach mainstream society.

What I most enjoyed about this book was the author's optomistic view of the future of remote viewing. The abilities to tap this newly discovered area of human potential have yet to be fully explored. This newly discovered science holds great promise and may someday lead to a cure for disease, advanced education and furthering our intelligence and understanding. Perhaps someday our political and military leaders will use this potential to advance our civilization rather than simply using remote viewing as a military intelligence gathering tool.

While various forms of remote viewing have existed since the dawn of civilization, Paul Smith carefully documents the proven effectiveness and scientific reality that refutes serious critics and encourages those with a limited understanding. I'd recommend this book to anyone seeking a more advanced understanding of their human potential.

Reading the Enemy's Mind is a fascinating history of the Star Gate program. I've read accounts of a couple of other former Star Gate participants and they are either sensational and fictionalized (David Morehouse) or short on history (Dale Graff). Paul Smith's account is comprehensive and doesn't make wild claims. His tome is a level-headed treatment of the program. He's very upfront that for every success there are many failures.

Some of my favorite successful remote-viewing stories from Reading the Enemy's Mind include viewing Aldrich Ames - the CIA traitor, the USS Stark attack, and the capture of rogue DEA agent Charles Frank Jordan.

In 1987 Star Gate was tasked with finding the mole in US intelligence. CIA sources in the Soviet Union were disappearing or being executed and people wanted to know who was giving them away. Star Gate came up with a composite of the traitor. Among the details was that he drove a gray European car and was involved with a Columbian woman. While many of the other details were off, Smith wonders what might have happened had the Star Gate information been used:

"The fact of the car alone might have significantly narrowed the field of possible suspects in the CIA. How many CIA employees owned grey European luxury cars in 1987? Certainly some, but percentage-wise not that many. And how many CIA employees had a significant relationship with a Latin American woman, especially a Columbian?" (p. 340)

Smith remote viewed the "accidental" Iraqi missile attack on the US destroyer Stark 50 hours before it occurred. He described the colors of the attacking military ("tan uniforms with black belts and bits of red and green."), the unprofessional nature of the attackers ("they reminded me of a militia as opposed to a professional military"), and the explosion itself ("The structure/vessel shivers, shakes, quivers. 'There were a 'clang,' a 'screech,' and a 'metallic squeal...'").

A final story I'll share is that of the rogue DEA agent, Charles Frank Jordan. This agent had turned bad and escaped custody. The DEA was convinced he was in the Caribbean. A remote viewer thought he was in Wyoming. "This information was so out of line with where Jordan was thought to be, that at first the authorities were inclined to ignore it. Finally, one agent decided that it would do no harm to alert police in that part of Wyoming.(p. 384)" Jordan was apprehended shortly after that - in Wyoming!

I highly recommend Reading the Enemy's Mind.

This is a very detailed book about not only the shootdown of the RC-130 over Armenia but also other shootdowns of reconaissance aircraft since the end of WWII. I recommend this book to persons who are into the history of this subject, but it can get very dry at times. Overall a good read, but long.

THE PRICE OF VIGILANCE was very meaningful to me. It refreshed many memories I have of those day when I flew from Det.1,6911th RGM in Europe, Yokota, and Kadina AFB's in Japan, and Danang and Camron Bay , Vietnam. I am also glad that I can now better answer the question "What did you do in the Air force?". Thanks again to the authors for some proud memories.
Braxton Lockett

As one of those impressionable youngsters who heard JFK's inaugural speech and foolishly thought he meant it, I was naive enough to join the Air Force and volunteer to "pay any price, bear any burden" yadda, yadda. This led me to nearly two years in various NSA sponsored schools from language, crypto analysis, and other skills and many assignments around the globe as a member of various USAFSS squadrons including those detailed in this book. Reading this book brought back many memories of long hard days and lots of adrenaline filled hours making sure we had the best possible insight into what the Soviets and their fellow enemies of freedom were up to and capable of to keep them from being able to pull off Khrushchev's vow to "bury" Western Civilization.
Much of this book focuses on specific airborne missions, out of probably hundreds of thousands flown since the beginning of the cold war, up to and including the ongoing missions flown today. It also deals with other divisions of NSA, such as ASA (Army) and NSG (Navy) but not in as much detail as USAFSS (security service) missions. (All of which have been renamed over the years)
This book does not get into as much detail as Bamford does in his books about NSA, but it isn't politically driven, as much of his material has become over the years.
While I gave this book five stars, it really could have used a serious editor to excise at least 50 pages worth of redundancies, but the book rates a good review because it covers a lot of information that is little known by the general public, and does not reveal any secrets which could damage national security as is done by some newspapers every day.
Much of the technology has changed since the authors of this book left the military, but from a historical perspective, it shows that technology is only a part of the process, and in many respects, the technology has advanced at the expense of the analysis aspects of the communications intelligence (comint) and signal intelligence business. And as the agencies such as NSA and CIA have become populated by partisan bureaucrats with a political agenda, we are actually far too often not as well served today as we were decades earlier by the men who gave their lives in a more idealistic time.
This book honors the fact that these were all men who voluntarily put themselves in harm's way, and shows they were real people and not part of the some military machine that was "loathed" by a certain ex-president who dodged the draft and never wore a uniform of any branch of the service.

The Price of Vigilance is one of the most informative and historical books of the Cold War that I have had the pleasure to read. I have used this book for researching my own book, THESE GUYS, to come out in about 18 months. The unit 6901st in Zweibrucken (West Germany at the time of Cold War) is mentioned many times, which is difficult to find, if at all. The transcript of MIG Pilots shooting down our C-130 - tail # 60528 is hair raising. This is reality. This is military history at it's best. Writing is superb!Citations are as good as the book! Well done, Larry Tart and Bob Keefe. I salute you.

"The Price of Vigilance" would probably be a great PhD dissertation in military history. The reporting is very detailed, and the analysis seems to be objective. The last 50 pages of the book are appendices, reference notes, and an index. Included are many excerpts of letters, reports, and interviews. These excerpts give the book a human touch and help liven up the at-times monotonous recitation of facts and timelines.

The first chapter of the book was written after most of the manuscript was complete, as a review and partial analysis of the EP-3E incident on Hainan Island, China, in April 2001. The book went to press before the plane was returned to the U.S., but the authors comment on changing attitudes in the world of airborne surveillance as compared to the height of the Cold War.

If you're a SERIOUS student of surveillance activities in the the Cold War, you'll find this to be a worthy textbook. More casual readers will probably have trouble getting all the way through.

This is an exhaustive account of the role of intelligence leading to the eventual success of the Normandy invasion which opened the last chapter of the Third Reich. It is a dramatic story, with a wealth of plots and counter plots featuring the most guarded secret of the war: Ultra, the machine which solved the Nazi's codes .
It is also an excellent account of the most massive invasion in history, complete with all of the attendant peculiarities of the key participants. Although exhaustive in content, its interest never flags, for it deals with the "make or break" nature of D Day. Highly recommended.

An accumulation of some of the most stimulating and exhaustively-researched details on the intel and counter-intel during WWII, particualrly surrounding D-Day. Truly amazing events chronicled extremely well; even after these many years since the book was first published, Cove-Brown's work stands out.

"Bodyguard Of Lies" is one of the most compelling and important reads out there. Lovers of Clancy novels should put them away for a year and concentrate on some of the most real bizarre, yet important, machinations of espionage and counter-espionage ever created and implemented. What gives this phenomenal work its incredible allure is the knowledge that these creations of historical intelligence import occored only a little more than a half-decade ago. The book takes its title from Winston Churchill's remark regarding the crucial role of good intelligence, where he stated, "In war-time, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." Using for his research information that had only been de-classified the previous year (1975), Anthony Cave Brown takes us through the minefield that was "Ultra", the Allies means of reading the secret ciphers of the Third Reich. "Ultra" was of such devastating importance that the entire city of Coventry was sacrificed in order to keep secret the fact that the Allies had, early on in the war, broken the German "Enigma" ciphers. This top secret cipher would time and time again put vital information directly into the hands of the Allies. It is safe to say that "Ultra" may have been the difference between victory and defeat. Brown also details what can only be referred to as the most convoluted espionage and counter-espionage schemes that only the minds of men at war for the highest stakes ever perceived could conceive of. In one instance, a false 'cadaver' was planted in an apparant shipwreck, replete with false identity papers, false obituary, false love letters, fake funeral, and, more importantly, false maps and information intended to persuade the enemy that they had stumbled upon ACTUAL information, and act accordingly. Brown relates other tales - some quite unsavory on both sides - for instance, Allied baiting of French resistance in order to convince the enemy of the plausibility of invasion (or non-invasion, as the case warrented) at a given place or time. Agents were sometimes dropped into situations where their 'handlers' knew that cover had been blown or compromised...all done to keep a certain game afloat or a certain secret intact. Perhaps the most interesting revelations, for me, in the book came from the 'dangling' of certain German Generals and Intelligence officials who were not simply sympathetic to the Allies, but in many cases actually working against Hitler and taking incredible, traitorous risks to help defeat him (the Schwarze Kapelle, or, in English, the Black Orchestra). Abwehr head Wilhelm Canaris is studied in depth, and his behavior, not to mention his persona alone may be one of the deepest level secrets of the Second World War. Churchill is again quoted at the start of the section on 'Special Means', "In the high ranges of Secret Service work the actual facts in many cases were in every respect equal to the most fantastic inventions of romance and melodrama. Tangle within tangle, plot and counter-plot, ruse and treachery, cross and double-cross, true agent, false agent, double agent...were interwoven in many a texture so intricate as to be incredible and yet true. The Chief and the High Officers of the Secret Service revelled in these subterranean labyrinths, and pursued their task with cold and silent passion." This book will leave you relieved that men like Churchill, Sir Stewart Menzies, Alan Turing and the like were on the side of the Allies. The book may also leave some disturbed concerning what deep levels of intregue - double, triple, even quadruple-cross - can be invoked when men, and women, are convinced that they are fighting on the side of right against what they are sure is the side of wrong.

The new and warranted reinterest in World War II, and D-Day specifically has given this book new life. What I am wondering is whether or not the content has been changed, Not an easy read back in 1975 when Anthony Cave Brown first slogged through the newly declassified material which help to make this book fascinating, I am tempted to wager that some things have been re-written. Only a guess of course. This could also be a good thing, as in the case of Pearl Harbor, where after 1995 declassification documents were used to prove ("Day Of Deceit by Mr. Stinnett) that the attack was not, in fact, a complete suprise. Seeing that the original was out-of-print I suppose that this is a welcome development to have a new edition, retitled or no. 30 years is a good long time - and perhaps more information is included while staying true to the "old" edition.

This is an extremely detailed book on Allied (mainly British) deception operations during World War II. While it was written in 1976 it still hold up well, though some new information on the role of GCHQ and signals intelligence has been released since 1976. I am still amazed at the scope of operations the British ran during World War II. A very well written book, though it is by know means a quick read. It took me almost a month to get through it. If you are keenly interested in intelligence operations try to track down this book.

Dick Marcinko is a rare individual, who is not only strong in his combat delivery, but smart and has quite the work ethic. are and thank God he is a standup warrior.

This particular book is a little too close to similar to reality today (to what he has known for a very long time) for comfort. I pray that God continues to use him and others like him in the protection of our Armed Forces and Americans in general. If I had a son, I would want him to serve and learn from the best, Dick Marcinko. (Although, I believe that the only way a person of Mr. Marcinko's magnitude, must have a strange personal life.)

This is great fun, and I find the story quite interesting. Not just in battle, but the complex background and history is interesting as well. Proving things are not always what they seem.

This was the third...and last Rogue Warrior book for me. After being blown away by the first one, I eagerly awaited Red Cell. After being somewhat disappointed by Red Cell, I still awaited the third book, "Green Team." I did find Green Team readable and Im a big fan of the SEALs. But it was nothing that great either. It certainly did not pack the drama of the first book. Its basically more of the original book...more bashing the regular Navy, more bashing non JSOC SEALs who couldnt make the cut of SEAL Team Six or Red Cell back in the eighties, more bashing of civilian politicians who Marcinko perceives as "weenies" or even as traitors. I dont disagree with Marcinko's assessments of these individuals, but after a while his moaning and complaining gets old. Thats why I decided to call it quits after Green Team.

If I want to listen to some bitter old man complain about the sorry state of the world, I will go listen to my dad or my grandpa complain. Marcinko comes across like a whiner in Green Team. I havent read a Marcinko book since.

Marcinko's original book is a mini-education and a great book. The rest of his books are redundant, moaning and groaning.

I'll admit to this guilty pleasure: I love the Rogue Warrior books. Not because they're great literature, but because they're just plain fun. I'm a Marine combat vet, so I can usually detect the (very) fuzzy line between military fact and fiction, but with Marcinko's books I throw up my hands in the amphibious salute and just go with it. Demo Dick's literary swagger is intoxicating, and his larger than life character is THE male archetype. All of us guys want to pump iron at Rogue Manor, throw down the double Bombays, and go shooting and looting with the SEALs' best.

It's not "the best book I've ever read," nor is it the SPECWAR primer that Rogue Warrior is. But for some unadulterated macho fun, Green Team (like the others in the series) can't be beat.

One thing that you can say about one of Marcinko's books is that they are not at all boring. He is able to call upon his SEAL training and experience to put together an interesting story.Some of his dealings in this book are close to what you read in the newspapers today. His knowledge of weapons and their use also add to his ability to spin an action packed story. His action team is also made up of some interesting characters. You would also have to commend his portrayal of villains. As can be said many times over the action in this book is nonstop. Buy this book and read it. It certainly is not boring.

This is easily the best Demo Dick has written. Right from page 1, it grabs you and never lets go. You're there for every shot, you're there when the idiots who think they know how to run a military op try their best(and sometimes succeed)to screw things up, and you'll get the urge yourself to beat the living shinola out of said idiots. You'll be dodging bullets as well as shrapnel alongside Demo Dick and his merry band of marauders, and returning fire along with them. Just read the book! It's well worth the money, and you'll want to reread it over and over.

The Spy Wore Red is one of three books written by Aline Griffith Romanos who worked as an undercover spy during WW II. I discovered this book in a used book store in 25 years ago, read it several times, bought her other two books, The Spy Wore Silk and The Spy Went Dancing, gave them to my family to read; then went out and purchased them in again! I have read them more times than I can count over the years, and they are definitely in my top ten list of favorite books. This is not a book that will take you days to read, and, one you will recommend to your friends!

I don't buy any of it, not for a minute. But, this is a much more enjoyable read than several of the so-called "thrillers" I've read recently. Just suspend your disbelief, dive right in, and be swept away!

Aline, Countess of Romanos has written a spectacular book. I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading an autobiography and not a work of fiction. Aline is an agent for the OSS during World War II. She blends into Spanish high society and manages to complete her mission and introduce the reader to the thrills and chills of being an undercover agent. She also gives us a glimpse of Spanish Aristocracy, bull fighting and the inner workings of a nineteen year olds dilemma of befriending people who may be targets of her investigation. I have read all of her books but like this one the best. It is full of action, drama, and even a touch of romance. I have recommended it to all of my friends.

I have purchased 4 books by Aline Romanos. I absolutely love them. The fact that there is truth behind the story and that she really was an upper-class lady as well as a spy excites me. I find myself wishing I lived an adventurous life. She has a talent when it comes to recreating her life and exploits. I could not put it down!

The most respected historian in the field of espionage, Nigel West, studied all of Aline's spy books marketed as nonfiction and concluded "...all four of Aline's books should be regarded as fiction, and nothing more..." Read "Counterfeit Spies, Chapter 3, by Nigel West, 1998.