Bestselling author W.E.B. Griffin, whose novels about various branches of the military have won him battalions of fans, returns to the Brotherhood of War series with this crackling yarn. A detachment of Special Forces hotshots teams up with presidential counselor Sandy Felter to put a stop to Che Guevara's attempts to "liberate" the Congo from President Joseph Mobutu's anticommunist government.

Under Felter's direction, the Green Berets dispatch a special detachment to the Congo. Their mission is to convince Mobutu of the wisdom of the American plan to discredit and humiliate Che and his Cuban troops, rather than martyr him, and thus bring an end to his plan to export Castro-style communism to Africa and South America. Repelling the Simba insurgents with help from forces led by South African mercenary Mike Hoare, Mobutu accepts the plan, along with the Green Beret's covert assistance, war materiel, and a fighting force manned by many of the characters who peopled The Aviators, Griffin's last Brotherhood adventure. Yes, fans, the good guys are back--especially flying ace Jack Portet, (a pilot drafted into the army right out of Leopoldville, where he was helping his father run a regional airline), George Washington "Father" Lunsford, and Master Sergeant "Doubting" Thomas. And a lot of them are black, a talented crew of African American airmen and specialists pressed into the Special Forces not just because they're brave and able but because they can pass as Congolese soldiers and thereby keep the American presence under wraps.

As a matter of historical fact Guevara failed badly in the Congo, and after retreating to Cuba, tried the same gambit in Bolivia, where he eventually died under fire and gained the martyrdom the U.S. tried so hard to prevent. But Special Ops offers a close-up look at a little-known piece of military history in a gloriously testosterone-pumped epic, seasoned with a touch of sex and romance. That may seem incongruous, given Griffin's clipped, terse writing style, which is punctuated with plenty of military dispatches and a few gratuitous growls at the internecine rivalry among American intelligence agencies. It's even more incongruous when the general's daughter gets the flying ace, and her father's highly placed friends not only get Portet an officer's stripes but fly her to the Congo to stand by her man. But none of that will stop Griffin's delighted readers from snapping up his latest chronicle of men at war. --Jane Adams


From Publishers Weekly
Newly initiated readers of Griffin (The Fighting Agents) will find the latest in the Brotherhood of War series strongly reminiscent of modern American military classics From Here to Eternity and The Winds of War. Longtime Griffin faithful, eager since 1988's The Aviators for the next BOW installment, will deem this '60s action drama well worth the wait. Fresh from disobeying orders on a rescue mission to the Congo in November 1964 (and receiving two medals for his heroic efforts), former airline pilotDnow Green Beret Sgt.DJack Portet is promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Top Secret Special Operations under Col. Sanford T. Felter, adviser to the president. CIA sources report that Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara is going to the Congo to establish a major Communist foothold in Africa, before moving on to South America. LBJ, with counsel from Felter, decides that it would be better politics to humiliate Guevara in the Congo than to elevate him to martyr status by killing him. To that end, Portet, Felton and Maj. George Washington "Father" Lunsford persuade Joseph Mobutu, president of the Republic of the Congo, to allow a crack unit of African-American Green Berets, all fluent in Swahili, to carry out the assignment. The Special Ops manage to chase Che out of Africa only to see him try to gain power in Bolivia. His writing enriched by new, fully developed characters, Griffin also reprises BOW favorites Craig Lowell, Robert Bellmon, Geoff Craig and William "Doubting" Thomas as he renders an intricately layered, epic novel of the fascinating machinations of international politics and the life and passions of the men who make it happen. Given Griffin's track record with military adventureDhe launched the Lieutenants of the Brotherhood in 1982Dthe audience for this rouser is ready and waiting. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The extremely prolific Griffin has returned to the "Brotherhood of War" series, which began nine books (e.g., The Aviators) and several other series ago. In 1964, Cuba's Fidel Castro tried to export communism to Africa under the leadership of the legendary Che Guevera, and Special Ops details the efforts of the U.S. military and the CIA to stop him. With the world's attention focused on Vietnam and Europe, the deadly fighting in some of the world's most remote and primitive places went unnoticed. Griffin writes from the military perspective, and while it helps to enjoy his unique style and to be familiar with characters from the preceding books (many of whom are featured here), neither is necessary. This is an exciting, intriguing, and fast-paced novel about an often-ignored period in our recent history. For general collections.-DRobert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
When it comes to military stories, W.E.B. Griffin is one of the best. His latest novel continues that tradition. Readers learn of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara, who wanted to take over Africa. When that effort failed, Guevara went back to Cuba; from there he tried--and failed--to take over Bolivia. This is the story of Guevara, who died in Bolivia and, despite his incompetence, became a martyr for his cause. Joe Morton's narration is crisp, and his voice fits the characters well. For those who enjoy adventure in a military setting, the story of who killed Guevara, and who tried to keep him alive, is an ideal choice. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
For readers who are counting, this is Griffin's thirty-first book. Previous ones have included such popular titles as Brotherhood of War (1982), Honor Bound (1994), The Corps (1990), Badge of Honor (1992), and Men at War (2000). Now comes Special Ops , the ninth Brotherhood of War novel, and it's filled with characters from Griffin's other works. The story is set in 1964 and involves the real-life Che Guevara, the Argentine-born Cuban revolutionary leader who was Fidel Castro's chief lieutenant in the Cuban revolution. Guevara, with the help of 200 soldiers, wants to overthrow the government of the Congo and ultimately all the governments in Africa and South America. He fails, returns to Cuba, recruits more mercenaries, tries to take over Bolivia, fails again, and dies there under mysterious circumstances. Griffin's characters include, as always, Green Berets, beautiful women, good guys, and bad guys--all tough talkers and heavy drinkers. One of Griffin's more interesting features is his inclusion of the texts of many "top secret" memos, most of them from the CIA to the president. The result is the kind of sophisticated entertainment typical of Griffin, and his many fans won't be disappointed. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

W.E.B. Griffin is the commander in chief of American military fiction, the man Tom Clancy calls "a storyteller in the grand tradition." Special Ops, a riveting thriller about Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara and the men who desperately hunted him down, revisits the popular Brotherhood of War series for the first time since 1988, reuniting fans with many of Griffin's favorite characters. Heaped with excitement and startling historical detail, Special Ops is for newcomers and seasoned Griffinites alike; it's another winner from this time- and battle-tested veteran.

ANNOTATION

A vicious madman is on a kidnapping and rape spree. Inspector Peter Wohl, commander of the new Special Operations task force, is determined to stop the maniacal reign of violence, facing off against a desperate public, a hostile press and reluctant witnesses.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

W.E.B. Griffin returns to the series that launched his phenomenal career— in an explosive new novel that pits a team of Special Forces warriors against the legendary revolutionary Che Guevara.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Newly initiated readers of Griffin (The Fighting Agents ) will find the latest in the Brotherhood of War series strongly reminiscent of modern American military classics From Here to Eternity and The Winds of War. Longtime Griffin faithful, eager since 1988's The Aviators for the next BOW installment, will deem this '60s action drama well worth the wait. Fresh from disobeying orders on a rescue mission to the Congo in November 1964 (and receiving two medals for his heroic efforts), former airline pilot--now Green Beret Sgt.--Jack Portet is promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Top Secret Special Operations under Col. Sanford T. Felter, adviser to the president. CIA sources report that Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara is going to the Congo to establish a major Communist foothold in Africa, before moving on to South America. LBJ, with counsel from Felter, decides that it would be better politics to humiliate Guevara in the Congo than to elevate him to martyr status by killing him. To that end, Portet, Felton and Maj. George Washington "Father" Lunsford persuade Joseph Mobutu, president of the Republic of the Congo, to allow a crack unit of African-American Green Berets, all fluent in Swahili, to carry out the assignment. The Special Ops manage to chase Che out of Africa only to see him try to gain power in Bolivia. His writing enriched by new, fully developed characters, Griffin also reprises BOW favorites Craig Lowell, Robert Bellmon, Geoff Craig and William "Doubting" Thomas as he renders an intricately layered, epic novel of the fascinating machinations of international politics and the life and passions of the men who make it happen. Given Griffin's track record with military adventure--he launched the Lieutenants of the Brotherhood in 1982--the audience for this rouser is ready and waiting. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Griffin, who has written so many stories for so many series that one is hard-pressed to keep track of them, here offers a postscript to his immensely popular "Brotherhood of War" series. This series, which began with The Lieutenants (World War II and Korea), ends in Special Ops with Craig Lowell, Sandy Felter, and others tracking down Ernesto "Che" Guevara to the jungles of the Congo and his eventual death in Bolivia in 1967. Joe Morton's narration is more than adequate; his smooth voice creates dialog with great skill and versatility. Narrative sections are just as adroitly read, making this a nice treat for fans of action/ adventure novels. Even the sound effects and music fit well. Public libraries should consider. Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Mammoth, Clancy-sized novel, ninth in the Brotherhood of War series by immensely canny superseller Griffin (Secret Honor, 2000, etc). Previously, in this and other multivolume sagas, Griffin has covered encyclopedic aspects of US military history, as well as the birth of OSS and US spycraft. Now he takes on the political passions of the 1960s, chronicling US Special Ops' successful effort to undermine Che Guevara's hopes of spreading revolution throughout Africa and South America. For this massive operation, Griffin brings back all the Brotherhood regulars: Craig Lowell, Geoff Craig, Master Sergeant doubting Thomas, Robert Bellmon, George Washington, "Father" Lunsford, Sandy Felter, et al. First, the President orders Lowell's Operation Dragon Rouge to rescue 1,600 white people, including the staff of the US consulate and 60 Americans, held captive in Stanleyville, Republic of Congo, by Joseph Olenga's rebel Simbas, who threaten to kill two or more hostages per day if Olenga doesn't get his way. As Lowell leads the strike staff of Green Berets, Guevara addresses the United Nations General Assembly to great applause, then goes back to plotting takeovers in Africa and Central and South America. Often telling his story through top-secret letters among the White House, the CIA, and other groups, Griffin's smarts about how undercover ops are carried out blister the pages with irony and a towering wisdom as he holds each richly satisfied fan in the palm of his hand. Eventually, Guevara is run to ground in Bolivia. The CIA wants to ship him back to Argentina, but Bolivia's president won't give up the prisoner—and there the story ends, as foredoomed, withthefamous image of Guevara'swounded corpse stretched out on a table. Gripping indeed, far more readable than Clancy, and as a bonus we get the heroes' love lives limned in hugely amusing detail. Griffin fans will dance with delight.