Honor Bound (Honor Bound Series #1)

by W. E. B. Griffin

Overview

October 1942. At a secret rendezvous point off the coast of neutral Argentina, a small merchant ship delivers supplies to Nazi submarines and raiders. The OSS is deternined to sabotage the operation by any means necessary. But one of the key saboteurs they've enlisted—a young U.S Marine—must fight his own private battle between duty and honor. Because he was chosen for a reason—to gain trust and support of his own flesh and blood. A powerful Argentinian called "el Coronel." The father he never knew...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780515114867
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/1994
Series:	Honor Bound Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	560
Product dimensions:	6.86(w) x 4.12(h) x 1.21(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

W. E. B. Griffin was the author of seven bestselling series: The Corps, Brotherhood of War, Badge of Honor, Men at War, Honor Bound, Presidential Agent, and Clandestine Operations. He passed away in February 2019.

Hometown:

Coppell, Texas

Date of Birth:

November 10, 1929

Place of Birth:

Newark, New Jersey

Editorial Reviews

Best known for his series Brotherhood of War and The Corps, Griffin's new WW II novel uses the relatively unexplored theater of South America as the backdrop for his fast-paced story of a father and son, conflicting loyalties and war. In late 1942, marine fighter ace Clete Frade, Army demolitions engineer Anthony Pelosi and electronics wizard David Ettinger are sent by the OSS on a top-secret mission to neutral Argentina: destroy a merchant ship that has been supplying Nazi submarines and raiders. But the projected raid is only the tip of the novel's iceberg. The U.S. is hoping that Clete will be able to influence his estranged father, an eminence grise in Argentine politics by the name of ``El Coronel'' Jorge Guillermo Frade, to throw his influence behind the Allies. Meanwhile, Luftwaffe ace Peter von Wachtstein heads to Buenos Aires to consolidate the Nazi position. The Frades are convincing central characters, whose developing father-son relationship anchors much of the novel's plot. Griffin's reconstruction of upper-class Argentine society in the 1940s provides an exotic and credible setting for a tautly written story whose twists and turns will keep readers guessing until the last page. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The author of the ``Brotherhood of War'' novels attacks a relatively obscure theater of World War II. Lieut Clete Frade, a Marine fighter pilot, is pulled off Guadalcanal. He and a small team have been selected by the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the allied intelligence group) to stop the Germans from using neutral Argentina to resupply. Clete's father, who for complicated reasons he has never met, is a major figure in Argentina. Clete swiftly discerns that half his mission is to influence his estranged father in favor of the Allied cause; but working for the OSS, there are plots within plots. Griffin's feel for the details of life in the military 50 years ago and the humanity of his characters on all sides of the covert war make this a superior war story in an interesting milieu. Recommended for fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/93.-- Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army TRALINET Ctr., Fort Monroe, Va.

Library Journal

This rambling World War II novel pits U.S. Marine Captain Cletus Frade, late of Guadalcanal, against an ostensibly neutral ship in Buenos Aires in 1942. Naturally, the Nazis are angling for position in this vital South American port, and Clete's mission is to maintain Allied influence with the Argentine navy by destroying the German-controlled ship. Along the way, Clete encounters the father he's never met (now a top officer in the Argentine army), a sympathetic German Luftwaffe officer, and a beautiful Argentine "virgin princess," with whom he falls in love. His accomplices include a Jew who escaped the Holocaust, an Italian American demolitions expert from Cicero, Illinois, and various members of the Office of Special Services, who may or may not be willing to sacrifice Clete's life. Accomplished war novelist Griffin is a stickler for details, although several notable characters remain undeveloped (including the Jewish communications expert Ettinger and all of the women). The embryonic relationship between Clete and his long-lost officer dad seems genuine, but other relationships, such as between Clete and Luftwaffe Captain Peter von Wachstein, are forced. World War II buffs will enjoy the fresh setting even though neutral Argentina often seems about as cutting-edge as Switzerland, and the casual reader will find this lengthy book a surprisingly quick read aided by the abundance of dialogue.

Joe Collins