Rating: 
Summary: Leadership demands decisions.
Review: "Black Hawk Down [the movie] and our government's commitment to hunt down terrorist groups and destroy them has brought the suffering and oppression in Somalia to our attention once again. Somalia was in our cross hairs in the 90's. Now, because of 9/11 and the terrorist's need for a new home base, Somalia will be on our military radar again, soon. Mark Bowden's brilliant book, "Black Hawk Down" establishes the bar for other books dealing with military action in Somalia. Owen West's story of the hellacious problems that US military men encounter doesn't quite reach the bar that Mark Bowden set. West builds the central charter of Lieutenant Galvin Kelly by flipping back and forth from Somalia to Lt. Kelly's childhood in the USA. One chapter you are with the LT. in Somalia looking into the faces of the suffering and famished. Then next chapter you are reliving Galvin Kelly's childhood, adolescence or college years; back and forth. This ocellation causes the focus and momentum of the story line to crippled. Thus, the first hundred pages of "Sharkman Six" F.T.E. (fail to engage) me. However, about 100 pages into the book the pace picks up, the story stays in Mogadishu and the action engages both the enemy and my attention. Leadership demands decisions; decisions that will cause the Lieutenant and the reader to struggle with dilemmas and moral issues. Complex compromises will be made and great warriors will sacrifice their military career and lives. The climax and battle scene is absorbing and intense. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Boy meets girl on camera
Review: (...) Sharkman Six is an entertaining and intelligent examination of the symbiotic relationship between the military and the media in modern warfare.
The novel's protagonist, Lieutenant Gavin Kelly, a third generation marine, is a conflicted hero trying to live up to his grandfather's heroism and live down his father's cowardice. The book is set during humanitarian aid operations in Somalia in the 1990's. It begins with a secret nighttime amphibious assault on Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. As the troops reach the beach they are greeted by a robust media contingent.
Amid the chaos of the landing a local press bodyguard is killed by a marine thus creating the central tension of the novel: how to operate a military both dependent on the media for publicity and resentful of the scrutiny that comes with attention.
The marines must survive in an environment that is lawless and violent. They resist continual provocation and wrestle with complex moral dilemmas such as, should we act or should we just stand here and listen to that woman being raped? Often attempts to help the innocent result in deadly reprisals from warlords against those same innocents. A series of events triggered by the marine presence turns operation 'Restore Hope' into a classic right of passage story (cowardly boy to heroic man).
West's language, like that of Irish writer Roddy Doyle, is so testosterone charged that it sometimes crosses the line from highly entertaining to tedious. None-the-less this book provides a fascinating look into the tense world of international military coalitions and the role of a superpower in the modern world. Most interesting of all is the interdependence of the media and the military. Four stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Sharkman rules
Review: A mantra taught to aspiring writers is to write what you know. Former Marines Corps Captain Owen West has done just that in Sharkman Six. Part John Grisham and part Harvard Kennedy School of Government Case Study, Sharkman has a fast cadence, good wit and the combat is believable. More than a coming of age story, the book is a metaphor for waging modern war. What foreign policy goals were the Marines sent to Somilia to accomplish? How is victory defined? Why limit the rules of engagement? That the military is perplexed by these questions is not all its fault; the civilian leadership, as West argues, has no answers either. And it is to Sharkman's credit that its ending is not black and white, but like past experience, a shade of gray.
Rating:
Summary: An Unfolding Tale of Human Instincts and Trials
Review: Amazing! West has managed to draw you inside the story, enabling the feeling of being right there with this interesting and motley crew. The main character's constant pressure to make quick and precise decisions for his men unfolds the true emotion any leader must feel under such dire circumstances.
I found myself drawn into the book, but more into the character thoughts and emotions. With all that is taking place in our own current events this book couldn't come at a better time. It's like a great ride full of exhilaration and anticipation.
Finally! We have our next young action writer amongst us!
Rating:
Summary: Great and Realistic Read
Review: Anyone interested in a realistic, timely, and intelligent book will enjoy Sharkman Six. In our current situation and the way the world is, this book becomes even more important. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great and Realistic Read
Review: Anyone interested in a realistic, timely, and intelligent book will enjoy Sharkman Six. In our current situation and the way the world is, this book becomes even more important. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Honest story by a guy who's been there and done that
Review: As a former marine grunt, I found the book to be realistic, genuine, and real. From the initial beach insertion to the firefight toward the end of book, I experienced a wide range of emotion from laugh, frustration, sadness, adrenaline rush, and rage. And it reminded me once again about the reality of combat faced by the guys on the ground who have to reach down, grab a hole and suck it up as best as humanly possible against the enemies, politics, media, chain of command, and their own fear of combat. This is a smart and intelligent book. I couldn't put it down and had to finish it. Thank you, Mr. Owens and Semper Fi.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: As a marine in a rubber boat raid company I crashed through several surf zones with the author, Owen West. Mr. West is one tough dude and an inspiring leader. The book highlights the cameraderie of marines and has humour but not at the expense of believable action scenes. At first glance the book may make you think of Richard Marcinko but in the end it's more like James Webb. This is a thinking man's action novel by a man with a pulse on todays military enviorment. We will hear from this author again.
Rating:
Summary: A Morality Tale for Our Ambiguous Age
Review: As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I found Owen West's SHARKMAN SIX a fascinating work. West tells the tale of a young American military officer assigned to help restore hope to nation sadly lacking almost all hope. SHARKMAN SIX is set in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope. Gavin Kelly is the military man in one of America's most unusual military adventures. One of the men under Kelly's command shoots a Somali a short while after their unit lands on the shore. Kelly must decide how to act and what to do. This is a serious story that also explores the problems of contemporary military action by a superpower in the developing world. It is a morality tale for our ambiguous age and an important book now more than ever.
Rating:
Summary: Never leave the friggin boat
Review: Bravo. If your looking for some military action combined with page flipping suspense you have come to the right place. In the technical prose of Tom Clancy with a splash of Stephen Ambrose reality, Owen West does a superb job at nailing his first novel head on. Without the usual bravado, Mr. West shows the strengths and weaknesses of today's heroes. The author's own experiences, ...make this novel all so believible and interesting. I'm looking foward to his next book.
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