Customer Reviews

Secret Honor (Honor Bound)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Compared to all of W. E. B. Griffin's published novels, I found his most recent effort, disappointing. Too much of Secret Honor, is concerned with the events surrounding the wedding of Clete Frade and Dorotea Mallin and the inconclusive efforts of the German government to identify the traitor responsible for the assassination of two senior SS officers which was described in the previous book.

Secret Honor seems to be a transition between the author's last book set in Argentina, Blood and Honor, and his next intended volume in the Honor Bound series. We are introduced to a series of important historical figures including Count Claus von Stauffenberg, Evita Duarta and General Adolf Galland, each of whom one hopes will figure prominently in the author's intended sequel. We also are familiarized with one of Germany's most important secret weapons of World War II, the ME-262 jet fighter aircraft.

Except for target practice, only one shot is fired in this book by or at any of the main characters. But many important events occurred the period covered, April through June 1943, including: the fall of North Africa to the Americans and English, Allied preparations to invade Sicily, the first Warsaw Ghetto uprising, the siege of Leningrad, preparations leading to the Battle at Kursk (the largest tank conflict in history), the introduction of escort carriers and advanced radar in the battle against U-boats in the Atlantic, and MacArthur's attack up coast of New Guinea.

I hope that W.E.B. Griffin's next effort is more exciting.

I have read every book W.E.B. Griffin has written and anxiously await each one's publication. I did so with this book also, but was disappointed that the storyline provided very little new excitement. It was tiresome to read. I particularly have trouble following the rank structure of the German military and seldom know what the character's position or function is within the story. The main character, Cletus Frade, seemed to do nothing in this book except be the "patron" of his deceased father's ranch and fly his airplane. In other words, he was a minor character when the focus of the book should be on him, activities of the OSS in Argentina during the war, and his relationship with the German officer he has developed as "Galahad". Recommendation----Finish this series or develop it to something more interesting. Another recommendation is that Griffin return to the stories of the Marines or the Philadelphia Police Department where the stories are still crisp and make you want to read them every free moment.

I love the storytelling ability of this author. His words are enjoyable to read and he knows all of the suspense hooks. I just wish that his ability to write included an ability to keep his stories straight.

Mr Griffin frequently forgets who has done what; who has said what and frequent readers are frequently annoyed at some of the plotline errors he makes.

All of the above does not cause me to shun his books: in truth, he and Clancy are about the only writers I buy in hardback, rather than wait for the paperback. Secret Honor certainly will continue his string of successful books.

While I have criticized some of the author's efforts in the past, I have to disagree with the above criticisms. What has set him apart from other military fiction authors has always been his character, plot and enviroment developments. You can imagine these worlds from his descriptions. I found the depictions of life in Nazi Germany fascinating, particularly the conferences between higher-ups which showed the evil banality of Hitler's thugs. Argentine society is more richly described in this book and you get a sense of the contradictions in Juan Peron. And, just as in the Corps series, you get a sense of how Washington bureaucrats fought each other, as well as the enemy, in WW II. Good work Mr. Butterworth!

As one of those readers who has also read all of W.E.B. Griffin's military books, I was not only highly disappointed by this book, but was also highly irritated by the fact that it is nothing more than the second book of the "Honor" series with a couple of extra characters thrown in and a new cover/name. If someone is interested in reading this book and has already read "Honor Bound", I would suggest that they save their money and simply read "Honor Bound" again. I haven't bothered to compare the two books side-by-side, by I imagine that many segments would prove to be identical, word-for-word.

I also agree with another reader who commented that he was tired of the fact that all of W.E.B. Griffin's books are centered around a wealthy individual who elects to serve in the military to do his country a big favor. These "heroes", who are totally independent throughout his books, continually refuse to follow orders from his superiors, and do as they please, free from any discipline which might follow. As a 22+ year military retiree, I can assure you that it just doesn't work that way.

While I won't necessarily say that I won't read any more of W.E.B. Griffin's books, I will say that it is highly doubtful that I will waste any more money on one. There are too many other authors out there that will give you more than your money's worth.

I have been a fan of W.E.B. Griffin's books since the first installment in THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR SERIES (The Lieutenants). But like so many of the author's fans, I have started to become annoyed with some of the more egregious storyline errors made by Mr. Griffin.

For a man who goes to such trouble to research detail to the most minute levels, he makes some very important errors. Most noticeable are those where he forgets who did what and to whom. Some of the other errors involve German military ranks and so on. For example, a "Kriegsmarine" lieutenant commander would have been addressed as "kapitanleutnant" and not korvettenkapitan. These are the types of repetitive errors that have cropped up in all of Mr. Griffin's books and it has become exasperating. It makes me wonder if his publisher even bothers to edit his works.

Another aspect of these novels that has really started to grate on me (and perhaps other readers as well) is Mr. Griffin's constant reliance on and dog-like devotion to the wealthier classes of American, Argentine, British and other national groups. It is fairly obvious that Mr. Griffin's devotion to the aristocrats of the world is based on envy and an almost pathological desire to be included in their ranks and social circles. Clete Frade and the senior American, Argentine as well as the German aristocrats all fare well in this story, while the common man is relegated to minor and subservient postings and roles. It's become so obvious, that is really sickening how much he fawns over the wealthy people in his stories.

To be sure, these are entertaining and somewhat informative historical fictions One gets more background on Juan Peron and Argentina than would be available otherwise. But let's not forget that the senior Argentine officers, painted so admirably here by Mr. Griffin were, for the most part, extremely pro-German throughout the war. They remained that way right up until the Nazis surrendered and ultimately, sheltered many of those lucky enough to escape from Europe at war's end.

Lest other readers question the four star rating I've given this book, let me say this. It was a quick, mainly enjoyable, if sometimes mildly annoying read. I like the characters for the most part. They are well fleshed out. Mr. Griffin and these books are a harmless vice. They're also a lot like potato chips. You have to keep eating till the bag's empty. I look forward to each installment like everyone else. But don't get me wrong; these are not great books; they're simply entertaining.

W.E.B. Griffin does the series justice in this episode however, in contrast to the others the book lacks action. Too much time is spent on the Germans in establishing background information at the beginning. The majority of the rest of the book follows suit to a lesser extent with character development, what each is thinking, and so on. The book flows well when discussing flying characteristics of a ME-262 or some other WWII aircraft, but these areas are fewer and farther between than in Mr. Griffin's other novels. A return to action is needed for the follow-on.

I also am an avid reader of Griffin's books. But this novel was like wanting a thick juicy steak and getting a thick juicy cheeseburger. You know, it was good but . . . I liked the fact that more background of the characters was provided in this work but there was a tremendous lack of action and now I am not sure where the next volume (if there is one in the works) will take the reader. As for any "inconsistencies" from previous novels, so what! This novel is a piece of fiction. I just wish Mr. Griffin had four hands so that he could put out a book for each series each year.

Having read all of Griffin's books, I've been accustomed to finding that he occasionally takes a side path. This is one of those side paths. But he carries it off with the same style and intensity that he puts into all his books. Not having served in the military, but having worked with and for senior military people all my life, I find his characterizations to be accurate and true to life. I can relate to the characters and find them worth knowing. I expect his next book will take us down yet another path and I am anxious to learn what it will be.

Having read all of W.E.B. Griffin's novels, in my personal opinion this is the best. It picks up seamlessly where BLOOD AND HONOR left off and continues an interesting and entertaining plot developed in the previous two books of this series. As for comments this novel is not "historically accurate" and is a "soap opera," novels are not supposed to be historically accurate. If it were the work would be nonfiction instead of fiction. A novel should be entertaining so a "soap opera" format is acceptable.