See You Later Alligator: A Blackford Oakes Novel (Blackford Oakes Novels) [Paperback]

William F., Jr. Buckley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2006 | Series: Blackford Oakes Novels

The year is 1961, the setting Havana. CIA super-secret agent Blackford Oakes is sent there on a mission only to find himself in the eye of an international political hurricane. President Kennedy, who has selected Oakes to meet with the Che Guevara inside Castro's Cuba, has contrived a daring plan—dubbed Operation Alligator—that will hopefully bring about an era of detente in East-West relations.

The communists, however, have another agenda: a double-cross that has terrifying consequences. Soon Oakes is trapped in Cuba, and the heat is on. Warming the climate greatly is the sultry beauty Catalina. The weather forecast: betrayal, power politics, and sudden death.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

8 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

William F. Buckley Jr. is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, writer of a syndicated newspaper column, founder of National Review, former longtime host of Public Television's Firing Line, and a much sought-after lecturer. His most recent volume in the Blackford Oakes series, Last Call for Blackford Oakes, was published in the Spring of 2005.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (December 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581825374
• ISBN-13: 978-1581825374
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,006,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of class - Blackford Oakes in Havana, July 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: See You Later Alligator (Blackford Oakes Novel) (Paperback)

This is the first of Buckley's books that I have read and it was a real treat. This book is so good in a variety of ways that I think it deserves five stars. It is a combination of good story-telling, historical information, compelling characters (including those taken from real life), clear writing, and intrigue. These elements are combined smoothly into a very entertaining and easy to read tale. The book starts with the thoughts of President Kennedy and ends with Johnson in the Oval Office. The story provides a fascinating glimpse of Cuba in the 1960's, starring Castro and Guevara. There is plenty of suspense to keep the pages turning, but the pace and tone are very even - not a run of peaks and valleys. Even the dedication and acknowledgements were interesting. It was fun!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great what-if scenario, October 20, 1997

By 

Joseph Horton (Hoover, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: See You Later Alligator (Blackford Oakes Novel) (Paperback)

Buckley's Blackford Oakes novels seem to remain one of the best-kept secrets around. For the record: These novels are all based on historic events, but, unless Mr. Buckley has even more of an inside track than I believe he does, they weave a wonderfully complex--and witty!-- web of circustances surrounding them. In this novel, we get a two-fer: the Cuban missile crisis *and* the assassination of JFK. Didn't know that they were linked? Read the book to see how they (maybe) were. [This one ought to be included under the Cuban missile crisis heading.]

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Che As the Monster He Truly Was, March 3, 2007

By 

Bradley O'brien "Knight of the Woeful Contenance" (Fort Jackson SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: See You Later, Alligator (Paperback)

A splendid tale. Buckley relied on information about Che provided by Richard Goodwin (husband of Doris Kerns Goodwin). Goodwin was a JFK staff guy who met Guevara at a conference in ..Mexico? I cant recall. The chat between Guevara and Blackie are priceless. I especially liked the background info on Cecilio Velasco, who had been a Spanish communist in the 30s but left after disillusionment with Stalinism.
The final meeting between Che and Blackford in 1967 (when Che has been captured by the Bolivians and Blackie could have interceded to save Che from eventual execution) is quite poignant. Blackie hears the two shots fired to execute the Commandante at the novel's end. Guevara in death has been mythologized and rendered into little more than a pop idol. Kids today who were images of El Che dont know and may never learn about this Caribbean Himmler or all the executions he personally conducted. The sadistic Che in "The Lost City" is in stark contrast to the Che seen in "The Motorcycle Diaries"

After you read this I'd say go watch the wonderful film "The Lost City" starring Andy Garcia. Then go read Carlos Eire's splendid memoir "Waiting for Snow in Havana". In Waiting you get a child's perspective of the Cuban revo. Eire was part of the "Operation Pedro Pan" exodus from Cuba and was inspired to write his book when he watched the USA hand Elian back to his father and Fidel.




Bill Buckley died just prior to the 2008 election.
That is a pity. Unlike Kim IL-sung in North Korea, Bill didnt prepare young Christopher to take the reigns. I had hoped that perhaps Blackie would be continued by Christopher. Surely a meeting between Bin Laden and our Mr Oakes would be memorable.