Operation Hotel California: The Clandestine War Inside Iraq (Hardcover)

by Mike Tucker (Author), Charles S. Faddis (Author)
Key Phrases: clandestine field officer, peshmerga teams, counterterrorist team leader, Iraqi Army, Operation Hotel California, White House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Among Warriors in Iraq is hard-boiled and absorbing.Mike Tucker

also has Hemingway's eye for description, particularly of warriors."

BOOKLIST.

 

 “In Hell Is Over: Voices of the Kurds after Saddam, Mike Tucker

tells a story we should know, but would not except for his bravery.”

Senator Bob Kerrey, member of 9/11 Commission.

Product Description

The untold story of the CIA's secret mission inside Iraq to prepare for the invasion of Iraq--from the secret team leader who led the 2003 mission.

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Product Details Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: The Lyons Press; illustrated edition edition (October 21, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1599213664 ISBN-13: 978-1599213668 Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #219,968 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
clandestine field officer, peshmerga teams, counterterrorist team leader, deep recon teams, deep reconnaissance teams, surrender messages, sabotage teams

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Iraqi Army, Operation Hotel California, White House, Northern Iraq, Green Line, Clandestine Meetings, Near East, Group Special Forces, The General, Tracking Al-Qaeda, Tora Bora, Turkish Army, United States, Saddam's Mukhabarat, Nineveh Woods, Major General Osman, Ahmed Chalabi, Qal'ah Chulan, Iraq War, Iraq Operations Group, Turkish General Staff, General Amin, Special Operations, Land Cruisers, Iraqi Operations Group

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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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	52% buy the item featured on this page: Operation Hotel California: The Clandestine War Inside Iraq 3.5 out of 5 stars (16) $18.21
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews 5 star:  (8) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (5)           Average Customer Review 3.5 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 10 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Disapppointing, October 22, 2008 By  R. DiNardo "Bookreviewer" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews First of all I'd like to say the book was interesting. However, I was disappointed in that it is mostly written like a transcript from Mike Tucker's interviews with Mr. Faddis. There's alot of repetitiveness in what Mr. Faddis says and frankly, he comes across as a hot-headed, teenage Lee Marvin character. Makes one wonder if his personality affects his credibility and trustworthiness. I would not pay full price for this book but if you can borrow it from someone, sign it out from a library, or get real cheap, then go ahead and read it. I hope a better organized and written account comes out on this topic in the near future. 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, November 14, 2008 By  Christopher J. Snell (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I wish I had read the reviews here before I bought this book. A few pages into the book, I began to notice the word and idea repetition. Annoyed, I continued on, hoping that things would smooth out and the real story would begin. Unfortunately, it only got worse and by the time I got through the first chapter, I could take no more. Like another reviewer noted, I'll be selling my copy to a used book store. This book should have been edited by a competent editor before it was published. It was not and now I feel taken for $17. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 19, 2009 By  Wansley (South Carolina) - See all my reviews Disappointing. Don't waste your money on this one. Written mostly as verbatim interview in a bar room setting. Comes across as a know-it-all with a lot a pent-up testosterone and a bar room swagger. And he wonders why he did not instill confidence from his superiors. Blames the lack of success in Iraq on his superiors and the White House. His experiences could make an interesting read. . . but this is not it. He spends more time and energy castigating blaming others for what went wrong than telling his own story.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Was there any part of the Iraq war that was properly managed? There are now books about the bad intelligence, the botched occupation and almost any aspect of the Iraq war and its aftermath. Read more Published 2 months ago by Loves the View 4.0 out of 5 stars good infos its a quite comprehensive insight on the stupidity of bush administration and how bad the kurdish card was played. Read more Published 4 months ago by Leonidas A. Xifaras 5.0 out of 5 stars Very good overview into prelude events to the Iraq War This book will absolutely destroy the Bush-as-hero-who-deposed-Saddam point of view, and will vindicate the Bush-as-idiot point of view. Read more Published 4 months ago by Edwin G. Garver 5.0 out of 5 stars If truth, the book is earth shattering This book has much to offer with some limitations. The book makes some claims that you won't see anywhere else. Read more Published 5 months ago by Thomas M. Magee 5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening, informative, like real life Jack Bauer (24) The amount of actual information given in this book is amazing. The book should be "required reading" for anyone with any interest in world affairs and the war in Iraq. Read more Published 5 months ago by Susan Fiedor 5.0 out of 5 stars Very compelling account! Excellent read. Very compelling record of events. I had checked it out at the library and subsequently ordered it as a Christmas gift for my son, a US Army major who returned... Read more Published 6 months ago by Buddie L. Massey 5.0 out of 5 stars Two Voices on a Vital Subject OPERATION HOTEL CALIFORNIA is a unique and riveting book about war. The reviews here run hot and cold, and that's to be expected -- this is a war book like few others... Read more Published 7 months ago by William Layman 1.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre at best Its always amazing to me when an author who knows his subject well takes a fascinating subject and produces such a mediocre book. Published 8 months ago by Nuke41 4.0 out of 5 stars Patriotism Redefined A testament to the remarkable skills and patriotism of the CIA team in Iraq prior to the war. The accomplishments of this team are only overshadowed by what could have been if... Read more Published 8 months ago by Truth R. Consequences 1.0 out of 5 stars Tedious Rambling and repetitive, with an endorsement for Al Gore and pointless jazz references thrown in for good measure. Read more Published 8 months ago by Peter A. Buswell Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; illustrated edition edition (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599213664
• ISBN-13: 978-1599213668
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #219,968 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Disapppointing, October 22, 2008

By	R. DiNardo "Bookreviewer" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

First of all I'd like to say the book was interesting. However, I was disappointed in that it is mostly written like a transcript from Mike Tucker's interviews with Mr. Faddis. There's alot of repetitiveness in what Mr. Faddis says and frankly, he comes across as a hot-headed, teenage Lee Marvin character. Makes one wonder if his personality affects his credibility and trustworthiness. I would not pay full price for this book but if you can borrow it from someone, sign it out from a library, or get real cheap, then go ahead and read it. I hope a better organized and written account comes out on this topic in the near future.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, November 14, 2008

By	Christopher J. Snell (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wish I had read the reviews here before I bought this book. A few pages into the book, I began to notice the word and idea repetition. Annoyed, I continued on, hoping that things would smooth out and the real story would begin. Unfortunately, it only got worse and by the time I got through the first chapter, I could take no more. Like another reviewer noted, I'll be selling my copy to a used book store. This book should have been edited by a competent editor before it was published. It was not and now I feel taken for $17.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 19, 2009

By	Wansley (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Disappointing. Don't waste your money on this one. Written mostly as verbatim interview in a bar room setting. Comes across as a know-it-all with a lot a pent-up testosterone and a bar room swagger. And he wonders why he did not instill confidence from his superiors. Blames the lack of success in Iraq on his superiors and the White House.

His experiences could make an interesting read. . . but this is not it. He spends more time and energy castigating blaming others for what went wrong than telling his own story.