Flight of the Intruder (Jake Grafton Series #1)

by Stephen P. Coonts

Overview

In Flight of the Intruder 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 Stephen 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 fate like a peasant wildly firing a rifle from a field could 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591141273
Publisher:	Naval Institute Press
Publication date:	10/01/2006
Series:	Jake Grafton Series , #1
Edition description:	Anniversary
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	425,983
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephen Coonts logged 305 arrested carrier landings, over 100 of them at night, during his Vietnam tour. A native of West Virginia and former Denver attorney, he now lives and writes in Las Vegas. Jake Grafton stars once again in his latest novel The Traitor.

Editorial Reviews

[Coonts's] gripping, first-person narration of aerial combat is the best I've ever read. Once begun, this book cannot be laid aside.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Coont's pilots are the real McCoy and his compassion for them sustains his story from first page to last . . . a sometimes exhilarating, often nightmarish tale.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A winner.” — Philadelphia Inquirer

“Kept me strapped in the cockpit of the author's imagination for a down-and-dirty novel.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Coonts makes us see, smell, hear, taste, and feel battle.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

From the Publisher

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.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly