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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Griffin's seventh novel in The Corps series (after Close Combat) continues the author's breezy look at the Marine Corps during WWII. Here, he uses guerrilla action behind the lines in the Philippines as foreground to tell the behind-the-lines tale of the power struggle among Marine General Fleming Pickering, General Douglas MacArthur and Bill Donovan of the fledgling OSS, all of whom are galvanized into action by a radio message from a self-proclaimed general named Wendell Fertig, who has established himself as a guerrilla leader against the Japanese. As far as the Marines are concerned, once the message is verified, a team of men with supplies will be sent in to evacuate any sick or wounded and evaluate Fertig as a potential leader. Complicating matters, however, are MacArthur's public declaration that guerrilla activity on the Philippines is impossible, and therefore nonexistent, and Bill Donovan's desire to get the operation under OSS control. Focusing on a variety of characters involved in the proposed mission, Griffin tells an absorbing story with his usual attention to dialogue rather than description, relying frequently on his favored device of moving the plot along through copies of memos, radio messages and telegrams. The boy's club aura of Griffin's primarily male world, where everything?even death?seems clear, sunny, bright and uncomplicated, is in full force here; and that should please his fans just fine.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In Griffin's latest, a bunch of mismatched World War II grunts search for a missing colonel who may be launching guerrilla raids on Japan. Sounds like a cross between The Guns of Navarone and Apocalypse Now.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
A Ford pickup truck turned off the Mariveles-Cabcaben "highway" into what was officially called "The Headquarters Area" but known universally as "Little Baguio." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
A Ford pickup truck turned off the Mariveles-Cabcaben "highway" into what was officially called "The Headquarters Area" but known universally as "Little Baguio." Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most entertaining novel I have ever read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Behind the Lines (Mass Market Paperback)
This book got me back into reading books after a being severely burned out post college (it took four years to pick-up a book and actually read it and it would have been longer had I not listened to this book on tape.) I can't say enough about "Behind the Lines." After listening to this book I read straight through the series and could not put one of them down while I was reading. In fact, like one of the other posters stated, finishing them nearly brought me to tears. I will morn when "The Corps" series ends. If you are a military history buff and like action-adventure novels, then this would also be the most entertaining novel you have ever read. I promise. Thank you for the experience W.E.B.
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Waste of Time,
By
This review is from: Behind the Lines (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked up these books hoping to gain some insight into the actions of the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II. What I found instead was a sort of soap opera that rambles on for hundreds of pages without getting around to much actual fighting. For example, The Marines don't even get to Guadalcanal (their first major offensive) until the end of book III, some 1200 pages into the story. Those 1200 intervening pages are mostly conversations (ad nauseam) between stateside Marine Corps officers as they sit around headquarters, or go out on the town chasing skirts.The small portion of the books that is devoted to actual battles is done in such a cursory fashion that you're left with the impression that the author either finds this aspect of the Marines' mission distasteful, or doesn't understand it well enough to write about it. Mr. Griffin could have deleted about 80% of his material, and would have ended up with better books, albeit still not good ones. If you're the sort of person who likes to watch daytime soap operas, then you may enjoy these books. If, on the other hand, you're interested in military history, the banality of these books will leave you screaming in frustration.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grieved when I finished it!,
By
This review is from: Behind the Lines (Mass Market Paperback)
Marine veteran, 1st Marine Division. WEB Griffin has the best understanding of any author of how the military in general, and Marines in particular, operate. This was a super story, and does a great job of depicting how some REAL JERKS (Lt/Capt Macklin) get into positions of authority; and how some incredibly good enlisted guys, mustangs and regulars (Stecker, McCoy, Pick, Banning, Lt (USN) Lewis) make it work.I have book # 8 (In Danger's Path) on order, but was distressed to see how many negative comments there are about it. That's why I came back to read the readers' views of Book 7. I'm glad that we share enthusiasm for book # 7, and hope that # 8 isn't really as bad as the consensus seems to be. A friend has loaned me a copy of the "un-numbered" book of The Corps series (Under Fire), and I am almost dreading reading it, due to comments about poor proofreading, confusing changes in the histories of the characters, etc. I have also read the whole Brotherhood of War series, and thought it to be the definitive work of its kind on the Army. Griffin has been so great for so long; I really hope he isn't going downhill... God bless, JLG, Cpl USMC, 1953 - 56
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