Close Combat (The Corps, Book 6)

This series of books are a searies that can be read alone however best read by number in the series (1-8). Because there is a series and they can be read separately there is quite a bit of repetive explanation of characters. Over all it was an interesting look into the workings of the US Government and the way things were done behind the scenes. The Corps: Book 1 Semper FiThe Corps, Book 2: Call To ArmsCounterattack (The Corps Book 3)Battleground: The CorpsLine of Fire: Corps 05Under Fire: Corps 09Behind the Lines: Corps 07In Danger's Path: Corps 08

Griffen is one of my favorite authors, and this novel didn't change my opinion. The book is well balanced, in that it concentrates more on the interaction of military people, their foibles as well as their strengths, and not just the violent battles. It, like all his others, is hard to put down. He makes his characters so real that a person with a military bent will certainly recognize many of his peers, and superiors. It is the kind of book that the Berkeley crowd would enjoy burning.

Griffin pulls off what so many writers get close to but never quite seem to manage -- an authentic, if slightly romantic, portrait of the US military during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. True, many of the protagonists are wealthy, but many are not. For example, Ken Mccoy is dirt poor until he marries up. There are a lot of promotions to keep things moving, but there's also a number of guys who stay enlisted. What is captured accurately is the look and feel of serving in the pre-Vietnam US military. The Brotherhood of War and The Corps both remind me of Bernard Cornwell's series about Richard Sharpe, tracing his advancement from a Redcoat private and then sergeant in 1799 India to his elevation to Lt. of the 95th Rifles at the Battle of Assaye, and then through the Napoleonic Wars in Portugal, Spain, Denmark and ultimately Waterloo. He retires a Lt. Col., which was almost unheard of for someone raised from the ranks of the British Army, but the chronology is plausible, particularly given the wartime death rate. all in all, I go through the Griffin novels like Doritos and beer -- you can't read just one of them. He is indeed the poet laureate of the American military. Read the Sharpe books too -- you will really enjoy his ability to put you in the action of a 19th century battlefield. They also were made into a first-class series of fourteen 2-hour movies by the BBC, starring Sean Bean as a very convincing Richard Sharpe.

In this,the sixth volume of The Corps series,Griffin seems to have all of his characters introduced and is now starting to utilise them in some action. The novel picks up at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal with Billy Dunn and VMF-229. The Marines are hanging on to the field (and the island) by a thread. After several battles in which the Japanese are soundly defeated,our heroes (Dunn , Jake Dillon , McCoy,Zimmerman,and "the Easterbunny") are all returned to the States. We see an expansion of Jake Dillon's role as the tour director for a War Bond tour featuring the Guadalcanal Aces and Ken McCoy's idiot brother Tommy.The novel introduces the Guerrilla potential of Wendell Fertig on Mindinao and also the problem of the Gobi desert weather station required by the Navy and sets up the next two novels in the series,which I happen to like better than this particular episode.I gave this particular installment 4 stars based on the character development of many of the minor characters in the series. Griffin really brings people to life--I feel as though I KNOW some of these individuals in real life. I do get a bit bored at times with "Pick" Pickering's poor little rich boy behavior,and some of the Scotch guzzling scenes get on my nerves.In spite of these few warts,I really enjoy these books as much as any I have read. Perhaps if Griffin had given us a little more firsthand smell of gunpowder and sped things up a little more I would have rated the book 5 stars. Overall highly recommended!

Needless to say, if you are reading Corps: Close Combat, you are either a fan of Griffin, a fan of the series, or you found a copy propping up the corner of your bed at the Motel 6. For whatever reason, you found the book or the book found you. Griffin delivers once again with his veritable mix of smell the gunpowder graphic and fairy tale doubtful character interludes. There is nothing like coming home from the gritty front to your millionaire girlfriend, your million dollar trust fund, your Hollywood beach house or as the creme de la creme, your multimillionaire boss and benefactor with a luxury hotel in every city, a beach house in every port and enough Old Grouse to fill a swimming pool.Griffin delivers a romantic war epic and despite my disdain, having a millionaire or two close at hand definitely keeps the story line interesting. Besides, who wants to see our heroes pulling OOD duty when they can be sipping whiskey and romancing the next available nurse! Close Combat lasted a day and a half for me so even as I point out the implausible, I must also state: Enjoyable.