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Rules of Engagement
 
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Rules of Engagement [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Gordon Kent (Author), Kent Gordon (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 1999
An exhilarating novel of international spycraft and breathtaking flying action set in the world of U.S. Naval Intelligence.

"Flying, spying, dying--Rules of Engagement is the real straight Navy stuff. Better strap yourself to the chair for this one. I loved it."--Stephen Coonts, author of Fortunes of War

Rules of Engagement marks the spectacular debut of Gordon Kent, the pseudonym of a father-and-son writing team, both of whom have served in the U.S. Navy. They have crafted a tale with striking authenticity and remarkable psychological depth sure to appeal to the fans of Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts, and Dale Brown.

Shortly before the Gulf War, Alan Craik, a young U.S. Navy Intelligence officer, is posted to one of two aircraft carriers headed toward the Persian Gulf. On board the other is his father. When both take part in a nighttime strike on the Iranian coast, Lt. Craik's father's A-6 is hit and plunges into the sea.

Shocked by the loss of this commanding figure in his life, Craik refuses to accept the official explanation that a lucky strike from an Iranian missile has downed the plane. After further investigation his instincts tell him the real story is much more disturbing: someone on his father's ship sabotaged his plane and he's still on board. The hunt becomes increasingly urgent when Craik discovers that the Navy may be harboring not just one traitor, but two: a father-and-son team who have been betraying their country for years. As Craik gets closer and closer to uncovering them, they will risk everything to keep their secrets.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set just before the start of the Gulf War, this first novel by a pseudonymous father and son writing team (ex-navy officers, both) features a protagonist who inadvertently finds himself working alongside his father. After some bad judgment calls during flying maneuvers, U.S. Naval intelligence officer Alan Craik is stationed on one of two aircraft carriers steaming toward the Persian Gulf and a possible confrontation with Iran. His father is on the other. Unbeknownst to them both, Petty Officer Sheldon Bonner (aboard the same carrier as Alan's father) is selling top-secret information to a Russian mafioso who goes by the name of Carl. When Carl decides to trade up in the terrorist world and start working for the Iranians, he takes Bonner along with him. Offered more money (and a longer lease on life), Bonner is game. What's more, he enlists his son (also in the military) in his spy efforts. Then, Craik watches while his father's plane is shot down during a nighttime strike on the Iranian coast. Knowing full well the limited radar capabilities of the Iranians, Alan doesn't buy the official story that a "lucky hit" downed his father's A-6 aircraft. Further investigation leads Alan to the Bonners and Carl, and lands him in the middle of a security nightmare. The writers' knowledge of naval technology and wartime tactics is flawless, and they work it effortlessly into the plot. Unfortunately, the novel's characters aren't always as smoothly conceived (i.e., the stereotypical girlfriend, Kimberly Hoyt), and the pat ending is suffused with a little too much John Wayne bravado and flag waving. Foreign rights sold in U.K., Italy, Poland. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gordon Kent is the nom de plume of father-son writing team Kenneth M. Cameron and Christian G. Cameron, both former navy career officers. This debut joint effort concerns two sets of fathers and sons, one naval officers, the other spies. The period is just before the Gulf War. Lieutenant Alan Craik is on one of a pair of carriers headed for the Persian Gulf. His father is on the other. When Dad is killed during a night strike, Craik, an intelligence officer, doesn't buy the navy's explanation and begins his own investigation. The big break finally comes with a phone call from the drunken wife of the younger spy, and by the end of the story, Craik has answers to questions he hadn't even asked. This one is fast moving, heavy with air and land action, and authentic enough to satisfy the most demanding techno buffs. A nice combination of military thriller and spy novel. Budd Arthur --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 409 pages
  • Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0399144692
  • ASIN: B0000646QP
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,878,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gordon Kent was (is, I suppose) two people, my son - Christian Cameron, author of TYRANT and WASHINGTON AND CASEAR and other books - and me. The reason for the pseudonym was the obvious one that two names on a cover were not thought as good as one. And of course the one needed to be anglo and male; my suggestion of Max Cohen got nowhere, as did several dozen others we trotted by the publisher. Eventually, we settled on Gordon Kent: Gordon was my father's name, my son's middle name; Kent, oh, well.

We wrote eight novels - the Alan Craik books - under this pseudonym, starting with NIGHT TRAP (RULES OF ENGAGEMENT in the US, probably one of the most overworked titles there is) and ending with the much darker (and more satisfying) SPOILS OF WAR and THE FALCONER'S TALE. The books were about the air side of the US Navy, mostly about intelligence, but with a lot of derring-do that real intel officers never get to play at. They were usually fun to write because we'd both been in the navy, my son a good deal longer than I; we had our differences, as any two people must, but it was a surprisingly workable relationship. Lots of long-distance telephone calls, occasional meetings to go fishing and use the time in the car to plan books. We worked from outlines made on those trips, then divided the scenes up - we quickly learned who did which sorts of scenes and which characters better - and then we wrote and exchanged files and bickered and praised and wound up with a book.

Is Gordon Kent finished? We wonder. We're both writing our own books now under our own names, but occasionally we feel a nudge to go back to that partnership. Maybe, maybe....

 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a clever, riveting modern military thriller, November 4, 1999
an excellent first novel showing a racy, narrative style and a credible storyline with finely-drawn characters. The novel starts out aboard a US carrier, moves to naval intelligence and a several year investigation into espionage, culminating in a chase over many international frontiers into a military denouement in Africa. Good understanding of military matters and inter-service rivalries and a few subtle touches of romance make this a very good read for those who like Clancy, Patrick Robinson, Michael diMercurio and Peter Deutermann
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A mix of genres, December 30, 2000
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This was a refreshing change from the "traditional" action-oriented techno-thriller. The story starts as a war story and transitions seamlessly into a detective story. This reminded me somewhat of a P.D. James novel--we know who the bad guys are and we read to see how the protagonist puts the pieces together. Not only was this successful, but the authors manage to leave out the right-wing political drivel that so many techo-thrilller authors feel compelled to include. Not too deep, but very entertaining!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent thriller, February 6, 2000
By A Customer
I loved this book. The technical information about naval aviation was fascinating. The only complaint I have is that the author should have included a glossary of all of the initials he used. Some were easy to figure out, others were a puzzle. The combination of mystery, intrigue and romance were perfect. The end of the book is like a James Bond movie ending but the author is forgiven for getting just a little out of hand at that point. It was a fast read due to the fact that the reader is always in anticipation. It was written with great intelligence and clever plot weaving. I have to give it my highest rating despite its several flaws because of its great entertainment value.
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