The Final Mission: Spooky 8 [Mass Market Paperback]

Bob King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2000

IN VIETNAM THEY TRAINED HIM TO DO WHAT NO ONE ELSE WOULD.

For seventeen years, Bob King, who began his military career as a member of the Special Forces Unit in Vietnam, led an incredible double life, carrying out the U.S. government's high-risk missions-- without involving its military. Then, in 1992, King and his men, secret members of a U.S. Tactical Reconnaissance Team, were sent to Colombia. The mission was "an easy breather," until the men walked into an ambush and found out the real reason they were there. They had been sent to die.

IN SOUTH AMERICA, HE HELPED THEM FIGHT THEIR DIRTY LITTLE WAR.

With three men dead, and King himself wounded, the band of mercenaries began a desperate battle for survival-- and for the truth-- that led from South America all the way to Washington, D.C. Now, in this chilling, action-packed book, Bob King goes public: with the covert operations he carried out, the hidden deals he witnessed, and the horrific shadow war he survived-- against a U.S. government desperate to bury its secrets and its own men.

NOW HE KNEW THEIR SECRETS. AND THEY WANTED HIM DEAD.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[THE FINAL MISSION] bears obvious similarities to Richard Marcinko's ROGUE WARRIOR series... and will surely disturb many readers". -- Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Bob King was born and raised in Wenatchee, Washington. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the army and eventually reached the rank of sergeant. While serving in Vietnam in 1973, King experienced his first encounter with the military's "black operations" as an unwitting participant in Operation Dragon Flower. In 1975, he was picked to be the leader of one of the government's most covert operative teams, Spooky 8. This is his first book.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312971451
• ISBN-13: 978-0312971458
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 95% Fiction, May 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Final Mission: Spooky 8 (Mass Market Paperback)

I was riveted by the first 6 chapters as everything seemed quite believable. However, starting with chapter 7, characters and events became implausible and fictional. Key events and characters that moved the story forward were completely based on coincidence.

The lead character Chance has a friend in DC he hasn't seen in a number of years. He asks to stay with her. She has a friend, Beth that coincidently Chance has previously met. What a small world! Then, Beth happens to coincidently know a former SEAL, Kevin Stacey, who works in Black Ops who knows Chance and his predicament. She sets up a meeting. And guess what, he has all this documentation Chance needs to answer his unknown questions. Coincidently, this guy keeps it all in a briefcase that never leaves his side because he can't trust anyone with it. Chance later acquires the briefcase and some of the documents he needs. Inside he finds a note from Stacey saying that he hopes Chance can use the info wisely and that he hopes it will help protect Chance. Give me a break!

What really got me questioning the truth of the story is the incident in Jamaica where Chance accidentally wondered into the wrong neighborhood and had to defend himself from the local hoodlums. A nice little event to move the story along; however I don't believe that this guy is dumb enough to accidentally wonder off into the bad side of town. This character is smarter than that.

I don't question the point the story is trying to make, US Government running drugs to fund secret operations etc. I do question this story however. Chapters 1-6 could well possibly be true; however the remainder of the book reads like fiction or a movie script. It's a great read if you like fiction, but if you are looking for a story that is believable, I wouldn't recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not buying it, February 16, 2005

By 

An avid movie buff (Mishawaka IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Final Mission: Spooky 8 (Mass Market Paperback)

A book about a supposed "Black op" from an alleged operator. Does this TYPE of thing happen? Sure. Did this "true story" happen? No.

The book reads as though the author read one of Marcinko's books and said "I can do that". There are some glaring problems with some of the things the author claims to have done for example buying a standard camcorder and leaving it unattended to tape a target for 24 hrs. How many camcorders have you seen that have enough tape and battery life to tape 24 hrs straight? And this is minor compared to his military and combat claims.

There are plenty of books available from real oparators about real secret missions. This is a poor copy of a rogue warrior book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Just not credible., March 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Final Mission: Spooky 8 (Mass Market Paperback)

Perhaps the story in this book did happen. Just not the way King writes it, and not to him. I run a small business, and have had no military experience. I found the book an easy read, but all the inconsistencies, and pubescent tales of sexual conquest make it impossible to believe to anyone really paying attention. I have read many other non-fiction military/intelligence-related stories, and always a gifted writer will put their experiences to pen remembering names, dates, places, and sequence of events etc. - an amazing amount of detail. Not this amazing though. I believe that this book is fiction.