Check Six! [Mass Market Paperback]

Bob Norris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 1998

The Enemy Below...

Only the toughest pilots can fly the F/A-18 Hornet, the Navy's best fighter attack aircraft. Two of these fliers--women hand-picked by the Pentagon--are assigned to the USS Ranger to break the gender line. Aboard ship, however, a covert cadre of officers will stop at nothing to keep the Navy "pure." Veteran investigative reporter Jack Warner is on deck to cover the story--while secretly working for top Naval brass to expose this deadly conspiracy.

...And Above

But little does Warner--and the crew of Ranger--know that the danger has only begun. Mercenary MiG fliers, out to collect bounty for American blood, are about to launch a stealth attack. Trapped by the enemy, a squad of Hornet pilots on a routine training mission will need all the guts, skill, and luck they have to win this war...and come out alive.

The New Topguns. The New Enemies. The New Navy. A thrilling new series that vividly takes you to the front lines of adventure!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Norris...writes with compelling versimilitude in a terse, vivid style slightly reminiscent of Mickey Spillane at his best." -- -- The Carmel Pinecone

"Check Six! is a gripping, authentic, and suspenseful thriller from a newcomer that is sure to leave his mark on readers all over the world. Bob Norris not only takes you inside the dangerous world of nuclear aircraftcarrier flight ops, but masterfully takes you inside the hearts and minds of the men and women at the forefront of today's military. It's a first-rate mystery and military techno-thriller combined. Bob Norris knows his navalair combat stuff better than any other author I've read." -- Dale Brown, New York Times bestselling author

"Check Six! is a helluva good read! Norris's plotting is crisp and dynamic...an interesting blend of murder mystery and techno-thriller....Most of all though, Bob makes the reader live, breathe and taste carrier aviation in a way that few writers in my experience have ever come close to." -- James H. Cobb, author of Choosers of the Slain

"Check Six! is the best flying story to come along in years. F/A-18 Hornet pilot Bob Norris puts you in the cockpit for a gripping flight through the gender battles of the modern Navy. Norris took me back to the carriersI could almost smell the jet exhaust and salty trade winds." -- Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of Flight of the Intruder

"A wild ride...fast-paced story....[with] characters who make the story leap off the page. Norris grabs the reader by the throat and whips him into a frenzy with his warp speed air gymnastics and true-to-life combat missions." -- Farmington Daily Times (New Mexico

"Afterburner or ejection seat, Norris takes you on a wild ride. The flight ops are authentic, the story too real, and the enemy is at your six....A great first novel." -- Richard Herman, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of Power Curve and Against All Enemies

"Nail-biting suspense. Norris does an excellent job providing an exciting story which both military and civilian readers will enjoy." -- Campus News, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey California

"Norris...writes with compelling versimilitude in a terse, vivid style slightly reminiscent of Mickey Spillane at his best." -- The Carmel Pinecone

"There is no doubt in my mind after reading Check Six! that-in spite of a career in the Navy and five hundred carrier landings in hot jets-Bob Norris was born to be a writer. His first book not only dealt with acontroversial subject as timely as tomorrow's news but put me right up there in the sky and down there on the deck." -- Robert Campbell, Edgar Award-winning author of The Junkyard Dog

"[A] gripping tale. Norris doesn't pull any punches in CHECK SIX! There's lots of pounding action in this fast-paced, well-plotted novel." -- Monterey County Herald

About the Author

Bob Norris is a commander in the U.S. Navy and a veteran combat pilot. The son of a test pilot, Norris has logged nearly 500 carrier landings and thousands of flight hours in the hottest Navy and Air Force fighters. After serving nineteen years and being selected to command his own F/A-18 Hornet squadron, Norris was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that required experimental brain surgery. Though he'll never fly again, his imagination soars in his writing.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061013536
• ISBN-13: 978-0061013539
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,999,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I didn't know he could write too..., December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Check Six! (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm Bob Norris' son, and I've spent my life trekking around the countryside, watching my dad fly Tomcats, then Eagles, then Hornets, all the time knowing he was one of the best in the business. But he never told me he could write too! I gave up some valuable partying, I mean studying time to read his book, and let me tell you, it was time well spent. This book kept me up past 1 am on several consecutive nights, I just couldn't put it down. The unique storyline, exceptional characters, and hard-hitting action sequences had my imagination running wild. I felt like I knew the characters personally, from having grown up around their sources of inspiration. Don't worry folks, I'll be pressuring him to get the next book out ASAP. Way to go, dad.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "MUST READ" for every fighter pilot - current or future!, September 29, 1998

By 

Randy Roach ([e-mail]) (Fort Collins, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Check Six! (Mass Market Paperback)

I spent a career flying fighters for the U.S Navy and I assure you that "Check Six" is one of the few books I've read which actually gives the reader a true sense of what carrier life and naval aviation is like. "Check Six" puts you in the cockpit, in the Ready Room and on the carrier better than any novel of recent memory. Belongs on the shelf next to "Flight of the Intruder" as the only books truly depicting what it feels like to launch and recover on the pitching deck of a carrier. This is not some glamorized, hollywood version of flying fighters, this is a realistic portrayal written by someone whose been there. KUDOS to Bob "Banzai" Norris. When's the next book coming out?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I must've lost the last 20 pages., April 19, 2004

By 

S. N. Gaines (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Check Six! (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to agree that the flying scenes in this book are great. I can even get past the whole "Tailhook" thing, but I have a major problem with the ending.

As some of the other reviewers have stated, the book just sort of peters out. There is a great build-up, likeable if slightly unbelieveable characters, and some terrific action. Then it all sort of fizzles out.

I won't give away the plot of the book (others have already done that), but it almost seems like the ending was either re-written for whatever reason, or rushed to print. It just does not satisfy the reader. Too much is left dangling, too much left unfinished.

I don't know, maybe this is just a lead-in to a sequel???