Death and Honor (HONOR BOUND Book 4)

Truth time- before reviewing the Honor Bound Series, I read, then waited some time and reread the stories again. Between rereading the Secret Honor and Death & Honor, I also reread the Men at War series. For those of you who have read the Men at War series, in Death & Honor you will be introduced to Allen Dulles and thus will have a time frame to combine the two series works together. With Allen you also learn about Canaris, the ME 262, and the plot to kill Hitler-filling in some of the spaces not filled in from the Men at War series.They really do complement each other and knowing Men at War, makes Death & Honor more interesting, suspenseful & exciting if read in the same order I reread them in.. For me, conditionally up to the later books, this is probably the best written of Mr. Griffin's various series of books; along with The Corps. That may influence my thoughts; second readings tend to highlight details lost in the original reading or highlight other details in light of knowing what their impact will be on the story line. That is especially true with this series of books so if you were on the fence during your first reading, go back and reread it several weeks later and pick up Men at War as well. Although a caution: compared to the Honor Bound works, Men at War seems a bit repetitive rather than augmented and since the OSS Argentina group is only instituting to operations that complement each other, it isn't quite so confusing while at the same time various supporting players move in and out to keep the story line interesting. The two operations began as an operation to stop replenishment of submarines by the pro German Argentines. That operation ended in the prior book- Secret Honor. But in the process of that operation, two other operations emerged- That high ranking German officials were creating a safe haven when the war ended badly and that the safe haven was being financed by ransom money paid by outside Jews to get concentration camp Jews smuggled out of Germany. OSS "team Turtle" was charged with finding out the details, who was in charge, where the money goes and track it. Along the way little bumps in the road traveled have the team doing side jobs for the good guys- to keep the reader on their toes and to give an added dimension to the characters Mr. Griffin created so well. One last word of advise- If you do not have The Honor of Spies in your library, make an effort to get it. Death and Honor does not have an ending, just a really, really good cliff hanger for the next chapter...One of the items I liked about this book is that there is a prologue, written very concise and brief, that brings the reader up to date on the major events. locations and circumstances of all the belligerent nations up to the year 1943. Another is that at the time period of this book, as in Men at War, Cletus has established himself as a "natural" covert entity and has pretty much full control over how the two missions he is undertaking are to be managed, while at the same time- like Dick Canidy- he questions why an amateur is calling the shots and mutters that he is in way over his head.

I have considered the Argentina series of novels, perhaps, the best of WEB Griffin's work. Honor Bound and Blood and Honor are outstanding for action and history. This novel is a half-step lower in my estimation as the characters begin to show the inflation of ability and stature that we see in the Corps series. Cletus is now hobnobbing with Allen Dulles and Howard Hughes and privy to the greatest secrets of the war, like the Manhattan Project. In the Corps novels, Killer McCoy keeps adding more languages to his list. Still these are adventures and fiction and are all well done. The most fantastic plot twist in this novel, the real reason why Juan Peron supported the Nazis in WWII, turns out, in a typical Griffin coup, to be true. He adds a newspaper story from the present right at the end of the novel confirming the plot.The story picks up when the last one in the series ends. Peter has returned from Germany and married Alicia. Cletus and Dorotea are married. The Nazi investigators who have come to Argentina to try to identify Clete's source in the Germany embassy are still there. The backstory fill-ins are not obtrusive here.A new development then starts a new plot line. The German cultural attache defects to the FBI agent, Lieberman. This leads to a trip to California and a meeting with Howard Hughes. My mother-in-law was close to Hughes and the character depicted here is close to the Hughes that I knew. The caricature seen later in books and press accounts was not yet believable as Hughes was still squiring starlets around. The story moves fast although the character development, so powerful in Griffin's other novels, is a bit weaker here. The plot moves fast but the people are more cardboard than usual. I don't know if that is his son's influence. Whatever it is, the novel is enjoyable and I hope he keeps working.

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This new book in the Honor Bound series takes us back to the WWII OSS in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and the US. For those of you who have already enjoyed the first three books in the Honor Bound series, this will be like visiting old friends, particularly Cletus Frade, his friends, and his merry band of tough warriors. The saga continues into 1943, with the Nazis looking for a place to hide after they lose the war. I love all of WEB Griffin's books and this book is no exception. It has lots of action, but not as much shooting as the Army and Marine books, as you would expect. The book presents insights into Howard Hughes' personality, new insights into FDR's and Juan Peron's personalities, and it provides a unique insight into starting up a new Argentinean airline (run by Cletus) in an era when Juan Trippe did not like competition for his Pan Am airline.Another great read that I finished overnight, as soon as I got it. It has lots of good guys and bad guys, and you can usually tell the difference, but not always. If you read all of Griffin's books like I do, you expect him to provide enough background on the players to allow this to be read as a standalone book. Authors have to do this in order to capture new readers. I don't consider this a problem, because I usually go back and reread all the books in the series before a new one comes out. Griffin's books have become my favorite gift to people who enjoy great stories about great military people, while pointing out the bad in every group. He knows the military and intelligence communities, and he tells it like it is. I have tried to read every book he has written, if I can get them, and I will continue to do that. He is the best, and most realistic author around. Not only do you get a wonderful story, but you always learn something new about history and the people who make it.

I AM A BIG WEB GRIFFIN FAN. I LOVE ALL HIS BOOKS ESPECIALLY WHEN I READ THEM IN ORDER. EVERY BOOK IN EVERY SERIES IS AWESOME. I HAVE HOOKED MY DAD HE IS LOVING WEB GRIFFEN

This is an excellent series and I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment. The only irritating thing is that UK customers have to wait an additional year for the release of the latest episode as compared to US readers!

NOTHING TO SAY

as expected

When another writer comes on board, the expectation is that there will be some change in quality of the story and writing. This is not the case here. The characters and story line continue with the same quality as before. I look forward to finishing the series.