Rating: 
Summary: Another Feast for Marcinko Fans
Review: My wife takes it as evidence of something profoundly wrong with me that I've read every one of Dick Marcinko's books. But then ... she can hardly be expected to understand anything about the joys of Rogue Fiction. Yes, sure, this is formula writing at it's most extreme: Marcinko has gotten rich writing the same book nine times. And, worse than that, if you think it's bad, I suspect he delegates all the work to co-author John Weisman, confining his own contribution to probably not much more than his name, Rogue persona, and the ugly mugshot they print on the flyleaves of these books. But Marcinko fans don't care about any of that, and in fact we admire him all the more for his self-interested Rogue cunning. Moreover, we like to think that he has more important things to do with his time - especially now - than sitting around like some kind of wonk in front of a keyboard typing out entertainment for us chair-bound tadpoles. Detachment Bravo has all the classic Marcinko plot motifs. It opens with a fast action scene in which Dick and his squad of oddly-named heroes take down a band of Tangos (terrorists for those unschooled in Rogue lingo), foiling their bloodthirsty plans. But, as always, there's no gratitude for Dickie. By flaunting the rules and showing up the incompetence of pencil-pushing military bureaucrats, he's brings down their vengeance instead. He and his loyal boys are forced out on the lam to unravel the vast Tango conspiracy, of which the opening attack was only a small manifestation. Relying on the limited protection of one True Warrior who has somehow survived in the military high command, and supported by his dwindling and embattled network of old-salt chiefs and other kindred sprits still scattered around in various places, Dick and his team go to work. They head off to various parts of the world and for several chapters engage in global high-tech sleuth work. They soon uncover evidence of a degenerate billionaire somewhere who is funding and masterminding the terrorists. Dick quickly tracks the guy down and, while not having enough evidence yet to take him out, nevertheless initiates an up-front-and-personal confrontation with him (i.e., slaps him around) just to let him know who's on the case. ... There is, of course, at least one detailed and slow-motion account of hand-to-hand combat between Dick himself and one of the unfortunate tangos, who meets his just end inevitably with something gruesome like a crushed skull. To anyone who has read even one of the books in this series, all this should all sound very familiar. Not that Detachment Bravo, like the others, doesn't have it's own unique wrinkles. The degenerate billionaire, for example, here is actually two degenerate billionaires, a couple of twenty-something Irish brothers who have made it as (what else!) dot.com entrepreneurs. Who says Dickie can't stay current with the times? The novel also sports all the trademark stylistic devices: half a dozen or so 'f' and 's' words per page, parenthetical lectures on the perils of underestimating Mr. Murphy, goofy asides to the pedantic APE (All-Powerful Editor), sappy prayers of gratitude to the God of War for the privilege of leading brave warriors into battle, panegyrics to the healing powers of Bombay gin, and so forth. I sometimes worry about what would happen if Marcinko ever goes creative or sensitive on us, the way Clancy has tried to do in his more recent novels. However, I can happily report that Detachment Bravo gives strong evidence that we have nothing to fear on that score. I'm afraid I can't recommend this book to most wives or other sensitive souls, but Marcinko enthusiasts will love it. If he writes the book another nine times, I intend to buy every one.
Rating: 
Summary: Rogue, Twisting in the Wind...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Move fast, stay low!
Review: Once again, the Marcinko/Weisman duo take the us on a trip with the wild bunch (read Rogue Warrior: The Real Team). And once more, the bad guys get theirs from every direction imaginable and a few that are beyond imagination, in spite of the incompentent leadership at the top. Dirty Dick will warp your mind if you don't move fast, stay low and watch your six! As the author of FADED COLORS, knowing personally "Nasty Nick Grundle", "Indian Jew" and some of the other sorry lot of heroes, brave American warriors each, put nothing past these characters. Grab a copy, bite a nail and cheer them on to victory over evil...or? And sleep tight tonight. They're really out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Detachment Blotto
Review: Probably the weakest of the entire Rogue Warrior series, but the Rogue at half-strength is still much better than 90% of the writers out there and still worth reading. Some polemical asides on the nature of war, warriordom, spec ops, anti-terrorist tactics, etc. His explanations on some of the technical aspects of operations are interesting. When will he run out of Bad Guys? Who's next? Not a bad read but I am eager to see the next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Marcinko Faces His Deadliest Foes Yet
Review: 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.
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