- Paperback: 464 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (5 Jun 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007229267
- ISBN-13: 978-0007229260
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 125,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Spoils of War
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Kent knows his subject at first hand and the expertise shows on the page: high stakes, pounding tension and the best dogfights put on paper. A lot of thrillers these days, you come away feeling like you’ve been in a simulator. Gordon Kent straps you into the real thing. Enjoy the ride!’
IAN RANKIN, on Night Trap
‘Flying, spying and dying – Night Trap is the real straight Navy stuff. Better strap yourself to the chair. I loved it.’
STEPHEN COONTS
‘Tom Clancy used to have the high-tech military thriller stakes all to himself but now Gordon Kent has entered the field, and how. There’s action on all fronts with Alan Craik at the heart of it, whether it’s a carrier group in the Med confronting a rogue Russian sub commander, mounting a rescue mission for a captured CIA agent in Africa, or helping combat a high-level conspiracy in Washington. Non-stop … a smoking gun of a story.’
Northern Echo, on Peacemaker
‘Told with all the authority of inside knowledge … an absorbing tale of international skulduggery.’
Irish News, on Peacemaker
‘Consistently excellent … loaded with gunfights, snappy dialogue and the aerial hijinks of supersonic jet fighters. The high testosterone doses satisfy, but best is the complex and clever web of motive Kent weaves for the mole.’
Publishers Weekly, on Top Hookk
Review
Kent knows his subject at first hand and the expertise shows on the page: high stakes, pounding tension and the best dogfights put on paper. A lot of thrillers these days, you come away feeling like you've been in a simulator. Gordon Kent straps you into the real thing. Enjoy the ride!' IAN RANKIN, on Night Trap 'Flying, spying and dying -- Night Trap is the real straight Navy stuff. Better strap yourself to the chair. I loved it.' STEPHEN COONTS 'Tom Clancy used to have the high-tech military thriller stakes all to himself but now Gordon Kent has entered the field, and how. There's action on all fronts with Alan Craik at the heart of it, whether it's a carrier group in the Med confronting a rogue Russian sub commander, mounting a rescue mission for a captured CIA agent in Africa, or helping combat a high-level conspiracy in Washington. Non-stop ! a smoking gun of a story.' Northern Echo, on Peacemaker 'Told with all the authority of inside knowledge ! an absorbing tale of international skulduggery.' Irish News, on Peacemaker 'Consistently excellent ! loaded with gunfights, snappy dialogue and the aerial hijinks of supersonic jet fighters. The high testosterone doses satisfy, but best is the complex and clever web of motive Kent weaves for the mole.' Publishers Weekly, on Top Hookk
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A hugely enjoyable series with believable characters, who evolve credibly, and superbly feasible plot lines. This is the tale of an ancient artifact dug up illegally in Gaza. An inscription on it threatens Israel's very survival as it undermines their historical claim to the lands upon which the state now stands. This aspect of the story is intertwined with the hunt for those who killed the amateur archaeologist who discovered the ancient item, himself a former US Navy cryptologist. Really great story telling, superb atmosphere, wonderful style, and you have to wonder where this story came from.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Gordon Kent's strength is writing thrillers where the plots grow organically; where it linear story telling is replaced by coincidence & multiple intertwined plot strands and where things can become complicated very quickly. In other words Kent's thrillers show the worlds of the military and espionage as the really are; complicated and confusing.
The Spoils of War is no different. Apparently disassociated events all tie in to one another, linking up around the discovery in Gaza of an ancient relic that throws into doubt Israel's claim to exist. Unfortunately, by choosing to use this relic as the central 'maguffin' Kent sacrifices one of the key strengths of his earlier books; reality.
Its not that the relic is supernatural in either origin or influence, the problem is that it just doesn't have the ring of truth about it, and for a book otherwise very much 'torn from tomorrow's headlines' this is a weakness. Apart from this The Spoils of War is yet another brilliantly structured tale of espionage, politics, terrorism and the US Military. Alan Craik and Mike Dukas, Kent's heroes, return, along with a familit supporting cast. There is the usual mix of skullduggery, double crosses and betrayal. The action is competently handled and when it comes punchy and sometimes shocking.
If Kent had chosen a different central hook Spoils of War would haave been another great thriller. As it is, by choosing to dabble with a pseudo-historical conspiracy angle, what could have been great is simply good and that's a shame.
The Spoils of War is no different. Apparently disassociated events all tie in to one another, linking up around the discovery in Gaza of an ancient relic that throws into doubt Israel's claim to exist. Unfortunately, by choosing to use this relic as the central 'maguffin' Kent sacrifices one of the key strengths of his earlier books; reality.
Its not that the relic is supernatural in either origin or influence, the problem is that it just doesn't have the ring of truth about it, and for a book otherwise very much 'torn from tomorrow's headlines' this is a weakness. Apart from this The Spoils of War is yet another brilliantly structured tale of espionage, politics, terrorism and the US Military. Alan Craik and Mike Dukas, Kent's heroes, return, along with a familit supporting cast. There is the usual mix of skullduggery, double crosses and betrayal. The action is competently handled and when it comes punchy and sometimes shocking.
If Kent had chosen a different central hook Spoils of War would haave been another great thriller. As it is, by choosing to dabble with a pseudo-historical conspiracy angle, what could have been great is simply good and that's a shame.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Gordon Kent does not get the recognition for his (their's -it's a father and son team I understand) top quality thrillers. Far better then recent Clancy, Coonts or Patrick Robinson. The authors consistently deliver well written fast paced thrillers with witty dialogue and well scoped, interesting and evolving characters.
Here we have US Intelligence operatives caught in the middle of something going on between Israel and Palestine. Some historical item has been found that could tip the balance of power in the Middle East and elements of Mossad are prepared to endanger the relationship with the US to recover the item....
To have the Israelies as the bad guys while pretending to be allies worked well as the game of power politics developed and was a brave and unusual step. The authors also have a cynical slant which means that everything might not end well and as a reader that keeps you on your toes.
I agree with a previous reviewer that the only let down is the historical item bit, Gordon Kent is no Dan Brown (which is a good thing) and while everything else worked well in the book, this element did not.
Overall a good solid thriller, but not the stunning one it could have been.
Here we have US Intelligence operatives caught in the middle of something going on between Israel and Palestine. Some historical item has been found that could tip the balance of power in the Middle East and elements of Mossad are prepared to endanger the relationship with the US to recover the item....
To have the Israelies as the bad guys while pretending to be allies worked well as the game of power politics developed and was a brave and unusual step. The authors also have a cynical slant which means that everything might not end well and as a reader that keeps you on your toes.
I agree with a previous reviewer that the only let down is the historical item bit, Gordon Kent is no Dan Brown (which is a good thing) and while everything else worked well in the book, this element did not.
Overall a good solid thriller, but not the stunning one it could have been.
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