Flight of the Intruder (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The starboard bow catapult fired, and the A-6A Intruder accelerated down the flight deck with a roar that engulfed the aircraft carrier and reverberated over..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jake Grafton, Hong Kong, Frank Allen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With this well-crafted first novel, the publishers of The Hunt for Red October again demonstrate a sure eye for picking winners in the thriller genre. Jake Grafton is an A-6 Intruder pilot during the Vietnam War who flies his bomber on sorties past enemy flak and SAM missiles, and then must maneuver his plane, often at night, onto the relatively small deck of an aircraft carrier. Former Navy flyer Coonts gives an excellent sense of the complexities of modern air raids and how nerve-wracking it is, even for the best airmen, to technically solve sudden problems over and over, knowing that even a twist of fatea peasant wildly firing a rifle from a fieldcould wipe out the crew. Grafton alternates between remorse over the fate of his unseen Vietnamese victims on the ground and a gung-ho "let's win this war" sentiment that lashes at both policymakers who select less-than-important targets for the dangerous missions and advocates for peace back in the States. The action, though, is realistically detailed and absorbing. 75,000 first printing; $80,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The audio version of this gripping best seller about the men who flew Intruder attack planes in Vietnam drops the listener right into the cockpit. Frank Converse's cool but intense narration builds suspense throughout the book." -- The Sacramento Bee, July 13, 1991 --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 329 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr; 1St Edition edition (October 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870212001
• ISBN-13: 978-0870212000
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,001,071 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Jake Grafton Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jake Grafton, a hero then and a hero still..., October 13, 1999

By	P. Connors "Colonialpara" (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Flight Of The Intruder (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the story of navy attack pilots during the war in Vietnam. It is also the story of one particular pilot, LT Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton, an A6B Intruder pilot flying off the coast of North Vietnam as part of the Tonkin Gulf "Yacht Club."

This is a first novel by a writer who lived the experiences of his fictional character. When I first read this book about the time the hardcover was first published, I felt as if I was in the ready room with Grafton, Boxman, Razor and the others being briefed before "going downtown" to bomb Hanoi.

The feel for time and place is all here. The descriptions of the life aboard a carrier on station, the shore leave in Subic Bay and Olongapo City all ring true according to my navy veteran friends. As I read, I felt as if I could have been one of the characters Stephen Coonts wrote about.

For a debut novel, this one was extrememly well done. It was the entrant to a series that I hoped Coonts would write, and subsequently did. I like Jake Grafton because he is a man all of us could only hope to be. Most of all, he is a man of honor and integrity and this is demonstrated when he decides to put his career (and freedom) on the line by going after a target "downtown" after President Johnson has called a bombing halt over Hanoi and Haiphong.

Another wonderfully drawn character is LCDR Virgil Cole, Jake's B/N (bombardier/navigator). Cole has seen combat before and has the Silver Star. He trusts no one but himself but, does his job magnificently. In the movie version, the casting for this character was brilliantly handled when Willem Dafoe played the part to perfection. Although the book and the movie differ at the end, the characterization was true to Mr. Coonts' intent, in my opinion. Jake and Cole became a team and stuck together in thick and thin. Their friendship and loyalty to each other was proven when they went after their downed squadron commander, CDR Camparelli, were shot down themselves and had to survive. The two, who are bound by a well-defined sense of honor, keep their commitments to each other and their squadron.

Although Coonts the writer was also Coonts the lawyer at the time he wrote the novel, he introduces a question of military ethics and obedience when the navy investigates Grafton's and Cole's unauthorized mission against the North Vietnamese capital. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson of Tennessee, in one of his supporting screen roles, does an effective job as the navy Staff Judge Advocate arguing that control of the military must remain in the hands of civilians and elected officials if the United States is to avoid the dangers of military control of the government. Again, this actor turned politician mirrors exactly Mr. Coonts' character in the novel when he and other senior officers attempt to determine the fate of the two aviators who flew side by side in that wonderful Grumman attack aircraft.

Stephen Coonts' wrote a novel that begged for a sequel or a series. I am sure that most readers clamored for more of Jake Grafton after reading this book. I know I did. This book proves that Mr. Coonts is a man of many talents. After all, he flew the Intruder, came home to become a successful lawyer and then launched a very successful career doing something he really likes namely, writing popular novels. Even though I first read this book almost 11 years ago, I finally got the chance to thank the author for all the hours of reading enjoyment he's given me. I'd also like to thank him for his service in Vietnam and in the reserves from which he retired not so many years ago.

BZ CDR Stephen Coonts USNR (ret) and thank you!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

I am only 14 years old, and while my friends are only reading books about horror, or no books at all, I have been reading books like this classic. This book is the one that had me start to read serious books, and it is still the best book I have ever read because of it's realism and depth.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another technothriller..., May 4, 2002

By	Philip A. Clifton (Youngsville, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flight Of The Intruder (Mass Market Paperback)

I believe I have read this book at least ten times. It simply never gets old to me. Granted, the aviation geek in me loves all the technical details and the way Coonts put me right in the cockpit beside Jake Grafton, but what really keeps me coming back to this book is the amazing job of characterization done here. There is not a single cardboard character in this book- Cowboy Parker, Sammy Lundeen, Jake Grafton, Tiger Cole... the list goes on and on. I can't say enough in favor of this book.

Too many other writers would have focused too much on the technical aspects of the writing and not spent enough time making the characters, and not just the machines, real. Coonts, on the other hand, has struck the perfect balance between technical accuracy and glorious storytelling. A must-read in my opinion.