The Soldier Spies: A Men at War Novel (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third installment and first hardcover printing of Griffin's series of WWII espionage novels (originally published under the pseudonym Alex Baldwin) once again conjures up the year 1942, an era when men were boys and women were, well... large breasted. Between bed hopping and libidinous musings, intrepid secret agents Major Richard Caniday (who's really not a major) and Eric Fulmar, members of the fledging OSS, aim to smuggle out of Germany the scientist whose knowledge of metallurgy holds the key to the Third Reich's development of jet engines. The professor has a lovely daughter, of course, who is being sexually used by the sleazy Nazis; she is also used by double agents in the German high command as a tool to help undermine Hitler's mad schemes. Other plot lines explore Fulmar's mission in Morocco and the Allies' attempt to develop a "flying bomb" of their own. Cameos by such historical figures as William "Wild Bill" Donovan, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., David Niven and Peter Ustinov lend color to a story so cluttered with specific detail concerning uniforms, automobiles, airplanes and women's silk undergarments that readers may wonder how the war was won by people so obsessed by military protocol and mammary glands. Anachronisms in speech further mar the story, but after one gets past the multiple PG-13-rated sex scenes and hackneyed plot, there are suspenseful scenes of subterfuge and derring-do. Unfortunately for those who didn't read the previous volumes and who may miss the next, this book stops rather than concludes, leaving many painstakingly embroidered subplots unresolved.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Originally published as paperbacks under the name Alex Baldwin, Griffin's "Men at War" series is now being released in hardcover. In this installment, World War II has hit North Africa, and Lt. Joe Kennedy Jr. has some ideas about pilotless bombs.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; Third Printing edition (June 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399144943
• ISBN-13: 978-0399144943
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #344,290 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 3 in The Men at War Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delivers the goods., August 9, 1999

By	Norman L. Olsen ([e-mail]) (Jakarta, Indonesian) - See all my reviews

The Soldier Spies is classical but not great W.E.B. Griffin. It has what is fans have come to expect. Heroic characters in an engrossing plot. Language that at its best compares favorably with Herman Wouk and Scott Turow, and at its worse would draw reprimands from most conscientious eight grade English teachers. His faith in the moneyed classes continues unabated as does his rather juvenile view of women. The finish, traditionally weak in Griffin's books is especially limp in this volume. It reads as if he was late for an important social event and chose to stop in mid paragraph. But one reads Griffin for the flow not the finish, and for those of us who are fans, Soldier Spies once again delivers the basic goods. Bottom line: If you started the Men at War series you will enjoy reading the Soldier Spies and will happily purchase the next volume; if only to learn the fates of the spies and soldiers left stranded from Budapest to Manila. If you are new to Griffin start with the Marine Corps series.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor showing from a good writer, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

I normally like war time novels. I have read every one of W.E.B. Griffin's books, some several times. The Men at War series was originally written under his pen name Alec Baldwin, and came before all of his other series. This sequel to those two books is a poor follow-up to the first two. I felt the author was just going through the motions to make another buck after the re-release of the first two books in this series ( under his real name this time). Mr. Griffin, don't take this personally, but you can do a lot better.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

Not as good as The Corps books, or written in the searing '90's war fiction style of The Triumph and Glory or the more generally popular Schaara Civil War novels--but Griffin is still Griffin, he knows his stuff.