Rules of Engagement [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley Books (1998)
• ASIN: B002Q8NYHA
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,595,489 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

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

By 

LRRosen ([e-mail]) (scottsdale AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rules of Engagement (Hardcover)

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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mix of genres, December 30, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rules of Engagement (Hardcover)

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!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent thriller, February 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rules of Engagement (Hardcover)

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.