It's June 1950, and Captain Ken McCoy is convinced that the North Koreans are planning a major invasion of the South. But the Marines don't want to hear alarmist talk and drum McCoy out of the Corps. Before the month is out, the onslaught that McCoy predicted has begun, and he's been hired by the CIA to stop it in its tracks. After eight World War II novels, battle-tested W.E.B. Griffin advances to the Korean peninsula. FROM THE PUBLISHER Griffin leaves WWII behind and thrusts his readers deep into the heart of the Korean War. FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly After eight books in the popular WWII Corps series, Griffin's latest kicks off on the Korean peninsula, where forces from the Communist North have just stormed over the 38th Parallel. Within a few weeks, the old team is back together, most under the steady command of Brig. Gen. Fleming Pickering, whom President Truman recalls from the helm of Trans Global Airways to assume the CIA's top Asian post. As the U.S. Army flounders to contain the North, Pickering struggles to restore Washington's faith in Comdr. Douglas MacArthur and his daring proposal to invade at Inchon. Meanwhile, as Capt. Ken McCoy and Master Gunner Ernie Zimmerman skulk behind enemy lines, seizing a crucial island in preparation for the invasion, a new calamity breaks out: Pickering's son, daredevil pilot Malcolm ("Pick"), gets shot down over a North Korean rice paddy. This new entry in the series moves more slowly than previous ones, as Griffin who served in the army in Korea sets up the historical elements of the conflict and positions all his characters. But once he gets going, he writes with even assurance and a keen eye for military camaraderie and nuance, offering galvanizing drama and a respectful yet irreverent treatment of military procedure and attitudes, not to mention plenty of Scotch. As the book ends with U.S. forces digging in for battle and Pick still missing the dean of the American war adventure has left himself room for plenty of action ahead. National television and ad campaign. (Jan. 14) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. Library Journal Events surrounding the beginning of the Korean War on June 25, 1950 through the liberation of Seoul at the end of September provide the backdrop for this eighth installment in Griffin's popular "Corps" series. Many of the characters we've seen before are here: "Flem" Pickering is called back to service and is a deputy director of the CIA; his son "Pick" is a Marine aviator; Capt. Ken "Killer" McCoy and Gunny Ernie Zimmerman do clandestine operations. They and their cohorts are seen interacting with Truman, MacArthur, and Averell Harriman, among other historic figures. .

United  States  --  History,  Military  --  20th,  Century  --  Fiction,  United  States.  Marine  Corps  --  Fiction,  Korean  War,  1950-1953  --  Fiction,  Historical  Fiction,  War  Stories