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Summary: Grafton returns to form (almost)
Review: "Intruders", another of Coonts' books based on the misadventures of naval aviator Jake Grafton, takes place right after Grafton's debut in "Flight of the Intruder".Finding himself stateside in the immediate aftermath of the war in Vietnam, Grafton feels a growing malaise, hamstrung to win the hand of Callie Mackenzie. (Though Grafton fans know the romance turns out okay, Coonts shows us how far from certain the romance was). As punishment for getting into a bar fight, Grafton is shipped to sea so he can tutor a new generation of aviators in flying the new generation of Intruder, the A-6E. Though he'd jump at the chance to fly the new plane, the fliers themselves are Marines - considered ham-handed apes not up to flying complex hardware. To add to the mix is Grafton's new commander, an ernest type hungry for action. With no airstrikes to keep them occupied, the new CAG spends his time planning attacks against soviet ships (Coonts makes the point that air-launched anti-ship missiles have not yet made it to American inventories, requiring planners and fliers to fall back on more reckless tactics). Is the new CAG in control or does he have an itchy trigger finger? And can Grafton get his cadets up to speed? Unfortunately, while episodic takes that drive "Intruders" worked on "Flight of the Intruder", there isn't a central story to bring it together as that older book had. Planes crash, men die, carrier ops is just the most damgerous job in the world. Also, the green marines are cardboard characters who are not only less capable at flying then the characters of "Flight of the Intruder", but simply less interesting as well - like Razor, Boxman (who died in that older book), Cole and Cowboy (who lost his life years later in "Final Flight"). Even the postwar setting seems to work more against the novel then for it - there's no war to add to the dynamism of the situation. But at sea, there isn't any sense of the relief or shame or anything for the sacrifices of the war and its perceived results. Coonts wraps things up with an completely implausible tale involving a showdown with modern day pirates. This really kills the book which had started out as a return to the seeming homespun honesty (for a technothriller) of the first book - eschewing the villains, plots and schemes, and hidden agendas of Dale Brown, Clive Cussler and the latter Grafton books. Still closer to that spirit of the original "Flight" than Coonts' other books, and still well ahead of any competitors.
Rating: 
Summary: The hero, Jake Grafton, returns.
Review: 1973. The Vietnam war is over, but for Lt. Jake Grafton,USN, freshly returned from two victorious combat cruises, his own country seems almost as hostile. When his fighting fists get him in trouble, le is landed on a horrible eight-month cruise on the carrier, Coloumbia, teaching jarhead marines, the finer points of carrier aviation. As a navy boy, working with marines with no carrier experience, Jake Grafton is about to discover a new world of hell
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Summary: A Vietnam Veteran
Review: Being a veteran of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1972, I was in Vietnam when Stephen Coonts was flying missions off carriers. Many times the Navy was there to help our missions. I like reading Stephen's novels, because he tells it like it is, and like it was. Too many have misperceptions about our war. We were just young, American kids who answered our country's call, as in every war that we have ever fought. Stephen takes the reader right into the cockpits, and the minds of the fliers. I am forever in his debt.
Rating:
Summary: A Vietnam Veteran
Review: Being a veteran of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1972, I was in Vietnam when Stephen Coonts was flying missions off carriers. Many times the Navy was there to help our missions. I like reading Stephen's novels, because he tells it like it is, and like it was. Too many have misperceptions about our war. We were just young, American kids who answered our country's call, as in every war that we have ever fought. Stephen takes the reader right into the cockpits, and the minds of the fliers. I am forever in his debt.
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Summary: Coonts, and Grafton have done it again with The Intruders.
Review: Coonts, has again, brought the thrill of Jake Graftons navy life to my eyes. The Intruders is an outstanding book, and will be enjoyed by all who read it. My compliments to author Stephen Coonts, it's another great book. When's the next one? I would like to e-mail the author, so please send me the address.
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Summary: Cool book
Review: Excellent book - well written !!
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Summary: Strap in and hold on! It's gonna be a helluva flight!
Review: Hey, this fits perfect between Flight of the Intruder and Final Flight. It'll fill you in on some of Jake's background and oh my, there is some EXPLOSIVE action in it along with the occasional joke or story that'll make you laugh until your face hurts!
Flap LeBeau is a great suporting character, in fact, one of Coonts' best ever! Even Tiger Cole might not be able to knock this guy out of the right-hand seat!
The novel is definately not some cushy romance type junk but does have an interesting relationship between Jake and Callie that builds up through the novel and is great to follow.
It's got more than just action,butt that's what it has the most of. READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A different look after a war
Review: I read 'Flight of the Intruder' some ten years ago, and it was with some anticipation that I picked up 'The Intruders.' There are few books that deal with the period immediately after Vietnam, and although this is fiction, this depicts in brutal clarity the way Vietnam had changed America, both inside and outside of its military. 'The Intruders' is a thinker's book, in spite of its action. I recommend it highly - there are few that equal its insight and focus for what it covers
Rating: 
Summary: A Return to Flight
Review: I remember walking down the aisles of a bookstore and I literally chanced upon this book. Was this a sequel to "Flight of the Intruder"? It was a dream come true! However much I liked Coonts' follow-up Grafton novels, they lacked the original book's magic. And since I'm a sucker for marketing, I thought the cover wasn't half bad either.
There are plenty of reviews here that will tell you what the book's about. Seems to me most people don't care all that much for it. I wasn't looking for something incredible. I just wanted young Grafton again, and I got him. The flying, the power, the wind... I was happy.
Ever wonder who does those covers? In this case, it's Dru Blair who paints aircraft, tanks, helicopters, eagles, and Star Trek book covers of all things!
"Intruders" was commissioned for the cover of this book (sadly his own website gets the title wrong): http://www.drublair.com/portintruder.html
"Intruders" was exactly what I was looking for: a fast read, fun, slick, and Coonts as I grew up knowing.
Rating:
Summary: Totally fantastic!
Review: I thought that Coonts couldn't improve on Flight of the Intruder - well I was wrong. He just keeps getting better and The Intruders is no exception
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