Echo Platoon is just like those before it. Lots of blood, guts, cussing and thrill. Nothing here is new except the people who get killed. People should read this book if 1) they want to know more about the capabilities of the military, 2) they want to learn a little more about what happens around the world, 3) the just enjoy plain old action adventures. Stay away from the book if fair writing and extreme use of foul language bothers you. I would prefer Marcinko to quit making asides to his editor during the story. It only seems to help fill up pages. I would also prefer he stay within the action once it starts and identifies people and past events within another part of the book. Once the the hunter is after the prey and the killing begins, stay there. I find myself jumping through some passages just to stay on track with what is happening.
Marcinko will give you a slight sense of the fast-paced action of war and will give you an appreciation for those who still wish to make men of war within our military instead of trying to make the military a social club. I think future books will be even better based on the current status of our country and President Bush's attack attitude favored by Marcinko.

No hold Barred. I'm a BIG Marcinko fan. So you know where I'm coming from. Marcinko is the real thing. He's not making this stuff up as he goes along. BTDT is the code of the Rogue Warrior. Action fans will love this one as all the others. Sure they're all the same, but WHO cares!? We read Marcinko because we know what to expect. Blood & Guts action. Tell it like it is politics and tongue & cheek narrative. If you want the technicalities of Plot, read Clancy. If you crave prose, stick to your romance. But if you love a good fight Marcinko is your man! He doesn't pull any punches. He's rude crude and meaner than a Cobra and he makes absolutely certain you get your money's worth out of every read. I hope he keeps them coming for the fans. I highly recommend this book.

Yeah, we know how The Rogue Warrior says he "loves pain" because it lets him know he's "alive", but having enjoyed all of the previous titles in this series, this long awaited sequel was, to me, more than a bit disappointing.

First, we had to wait too many months for the paperback! Seems like TRW is milking his true fans for hardcover-prices longer and longer. Or is that his publisher we should blame?

Ol' Richard is getting on in years, as he admits himself. His formula plots are getting a bit tired too. This book reads just like the last two with almost identical action scenes. Haven't we clambered up the off-shore oil rig before? Didn't we waste some lizard-lipped political bad-guy in previous titles.

Marcinko is still at the head of the assault, but suffers more (self-sustained) injuries than any of his team. Will he ever admit he's too old for this kind of life? Still, the action is fast, the language "frank" and the victories oh-so sweet.

Not five stars, like the previous titles, but still worth a good read. But save your $ and just go for the paperback... preferably used.

Most people who know this author are familiar with his work on the great Rogue Warrior series. And his work with Richard Marchinko is awesome.

However, he wrote this book solo before the whole Rogue Warrior thing. The novel is a interesting and entertaining look at modern Israel and the issues of security and peace it shares with its neighbors.

I enjoyed the book very much and was very interested in its depiction of Israel. The author does some great stuff with the Rogue Warrior and I hope he does some more solo work too.

I have been a big fan of the Rogue Warrior since his first book was released. While much of the books are fiction, there is also a great deal of understanding you can receive on what the military has the capability to do. I read this latest book after the 9.11.01 attack because I appreciate Marcinko's patriotism and desire to create warriors in the military. It seems to be the job of military shoul be to protect and defend, sometimes be being offensive. The two negatives I have towards his more recent books are the increased use of foul language and his use of "insights" of people, places and things during an action sequence in the story.
I understand that the language used in the book is authentic but at what point there seems to be more of it just to reach the number of words appropriate for the book, what's the point? He also spends more time telling background on people or past events during an action sequence that should either be more concise or placed before the sequence begins. I find myself skipping over some of the history of his friends to find out what is happening in the present.
I will look forward to future books, especially in light of the bombings and the American response and hope that Marcinko will return to a more direct type of story-telling that will encourage us to create and support men of war.

Not quite as good as Echo Platoon, or previous works, but still a decent read.

The basic gist is that Dick has been exiled to running a joint counter-terrorist operation in England/N. Ireland with Mick Owen and soldiers from various services. They're hunting the True IRA, a group that in Real Life is laughably incompetent but suddenly has an infusion of funds that they're using to do some really unpleasant stuff. Things go wrong, Dick gets his face in the news, again, and he gets an assignment to hunt down a splinter group, the Green Hand Defenders, and to eventually get their backers, a pair of Irish dot-com billionaires.

Several themes stand out. First, the Rogue Warrior (R) is getting really old. He misses stuff he would've picked up on three books ago, stuff that's blindingly obvious to the reader. His network of support is retiring, and his patron, General Crocker, is taking his terminal leave.

There's also more of a focus on Dick this time. In past issues, his supporting cast was a lot more involved. This time, though, it seems like they're just...there. Even Mick Owens barely does anything all novel long. Oh, they do stuff, it's just more glossed over than anything else.

Finally, the opposition...just doesn't have any caliber to it. The dot-com billionaires are really rather pathetic, and none of the hired hands stand out as worthy opponents. The method the tangos were going to hit Target # 1 with was impressive, to say the least, but that was it. I'd really've liked somebody for Dick to fight who I could be truly worried would win.

This is, of course, a good novel. It's entertaining, informative, and downright humorous at times. It's not quite as good as those that have come before, though.

This is another great book by Marcinko. In this book Marcinko comes up against one of the World's deadliest terror groups, the IRA. To be specific he actually takes on several IRA splinter groups two of which(the Green Hand Defenders and another one called the True IRA) prove to be some of the toughest and best trained bad guys dick has yet faced.
Like all of his books this one is true to life in terms of Counter Terrorist tactics, intelligence gathering and the deadly effeicency of the Irish guerillas. But in the end the bad people all get thier just desserts and Dickey boy saves the day, it is good fun and an exciting read all the way.

i am an avid, prolific reader of many detective novels. i found the main characters in this one shallow, unrealistic and narrow-minded. the plot centers around a newpaper investigative reporter who probes into the death of his best friend, another reporter. he uncovers a seamy lifestyle of the murdered friend, filled with drugs and homosexuality. in my opinion it was poorly written and it took all my will power just to finish it. don't even waste your precious time when there are so many other good writers out there that are worth reading.