Rating: 
Summary: It's Just Like Being There!
Review: For projecting the true realism of war, no one does it better than Harold Coyle. In a well timed piece of fiction, Mr. Coyle has American forces engaging in pre-emptive aerial strikes on suspected ex-Iraqi chemical and biological warfare sites in Syria. On-the-ground Humvee hit teams initiate the attacks, and one of them is captured and tortured. This book lays out in meticulous detail the grueling preparation and precision execution needed for the assault that gets them out.Its all in there -- high tech weaponry; the coordination of ground, air and naval assets; the importance of aerial supremacy and situational awareness; the benefits of soldier-carried computers, aiming devices, and GPS; the cruelty of third world countries violating the principles of the Geneva Convention in order to gain a propaganda advantage; and the brutality of so-called "surgical strikes" which, in order to minimize the loss-of-life for Americans, may actually necessitate the killing of the enemy in large numbers. Mr. Coyle's specialty, however, is ground combat. If you've ever wondered if you have what it takes to survive in war, now's your chance to find out. Desk jockey ... try to prove themselves in combat. The recent experiences of embedded journalists during Operation Iraqi Freedom will feel like a cakewalk by comparison. High tech killing still requires the unflinching professionalism of highly trained individuals to carry it out. Experience the excitement first hand in Harold Coyle's 'More Than Courage.' You won't want to put it down.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, couple of technical innaccuracies
Review: For those who have enjoyed the previous works of Harold Coyle, More than Courage will not disappoint. Coyle's latest is a strong, compelling story --- a real page turner from the very beginning of the book. Coyle grabs the reader and does not let go. Character development is strong. Coyle excels in his ability to portray duty, honor and courage right next to the anxiety, turmoil and inner conflict experienced by combatants and military planners. All in all, this is a very strong effort from Coyle. In fact, I think that More than Courage in on a par with The Ten Thousand, which I found to be Coyle's best previous work.
Rating:
Summary: Equal to Coyle's previous best
Review: For those who have enjoyed the previous works of Harold Coyle, More than Courage will not disappoint. Coyle's latest is a strong, compelling story --- a real page turner from the very beginning of the book. Coyle grabs the reader and does not let go. Character development is strong. Coyle excels in his ability to portray duty, honor and courage right next to the anxiety, turmoil and inner conflict experienced by combatants and military planners. All in all, this is a very strong effort from Coyle. In fact, I think that More than Courage in on a par with The Ten Thousand, which I found to be Coyle's best previous work.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor research and attention to detail
Review: Harold Coyle should do better research about Special Forces and ABN units before focusing a novel on them. In the past I have toughly enjoyed his novels, but this one was annoying. 1st LTs are not XOs on A teams. Warrant officers fill this role. You have to be a 1LT (P) to even apply to Special Forces. Spec 4s are not on A teams either. These oversights may seem minor to some but Coyle lost his credibility with me in first 20 pages. The rest of the book was painful with more technical oversights and failures in proof reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor research produces fatal flaw in storyline
Review: Harold Coyle usually does a fine job writing and researching his stories. Up until this latest product, I enjoyed seeing the improving quality of his stories. More than Courage however does not reflect a Special Forces A-team. The members of a real team have much more experience then reflected in Coyle's characters. The inclusion of Specialist and an inexperienced officer as part of the team goes beyond fiction. He could have accurately reflected an A-team and still tracked along the basic plot. I recommend passing on this book and hope his next one is better.
Rating:
Summary: Poor research produces fatal flaw in storyline
Review: Harold Coyle usually does a fine job writing and researching his stories. Up until this latest product, I enjoyed seeing the improving quality of his stories. More than Courage however does not reflect a Special Forces A-team. The members of a real team have much more experience then reflected in Coyle's characters. The inclusion of Specialist and an inexperienced officer as part of the team goes beyond fiction. He could have accurately reflected an A-team and still tracked along the basic plot. I recommend passing on this book and hope his next one is better.
Rating:
Summary: Inaccuracies ruin a good storyline
Review: I have enjoyed Coyle's books in the past. However, I found too many technical flaws in this story to really get into it. From the start, the make-up and equipment of an ODA (Special Forces 'A' team) are completely incorrect. You will not find an ODA run by a junior liuetenant or captain, nor with Spec-4s as operators. The senior NCO is likely to be an E8 (master or first sergeant) and the other members will be E6s and 7s. Even to such trivial things as the terminology of the M-2 machine gun. It's a "Ma Deuce", not a "Ma Two". Much as I tried to just go with the story, I seemed to find myself saying "Well, that's wrong" about every other paragraph.
Rating:
Summary: Skip it
Review: I literally could not finish this book; I stopped after exactly 100 pages. There were too many technical flaws that anybody familiar with the US military and its special operations forces would be able to point out. I felt like I was reading a Hollywood manuscript...that's how technically inaccurate it was. Sorry, but when it comes to military books, suspension of belief is not in my vernacular. The author obviously did very little research in writing this book. His editor should also be ashamed as I found a couple of proofreading errors within the 100 pages that I read. Although I feel bad for giving this book a review without even having read the whole book, I cannot bring myself to read a book on military fiction that is technically inaccurate with proofreading errors. I suggest the author research his material better next time.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read that leaves a headache
Review: If you're interested in a good contemporary war story, buy the book. It's a good read. It's rich in behind-the-lines detail. But be aware that the structure of the story is more complex than expected and twists between a good war story accurately and plausibly told but probably too much technical detail (some readers may like that). Turning every page I looked forward with anticipation to what a US Army Ranger Battalion was going to do at the end of the story to the enemy. I was disappointed. Rather than enjoying total devastation, I had to bog through descriptions of pocket sized computers and command and control procedures when I wanted to read exclusively about payback. Good grief, if you're going to kill this enemy, in this kind of story, do it with all the advantages and brutal details of Ranger combat. Harold Coyle has the potential to write 5-star books with Tom Clancy type sales. In fact, Tom Clancy wrote that Harold Coyle is the best natural story teller he knows. That could be true provided a good editor and proof reader are provided. Let me give full credit to Coyle's publisher, Forge Books, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC for the worst edited and published book I have read. The book is riddled with spelling and grammar errors throughout. I'm not picky, the errors distracted from a good read. The book reads as though proof reading was out sourced to Syria, a computerized checking system used, and the results automatically incorporated without human intervention. Coyle needs to apply some of that command and control computing capability he describes extensively in his story to publishing his books. As for all the "professional reviewers" cited on the books covers and brag pages -- you guys really read this book before providing your proforma accolades, right?
Rating:
Summary: A good read that leaves a headache
Review: If you're interested in a good contemporary war story, buy the book. It's a good read. It's rich in behind-the-lines detail. But be aware that the structure of the story is more complex than expected and twists between a good war story accurately and plausibly told but probably too much technical detail (some readers may like that). Turning every page I looked forward with anticipation to what a US Army Ranger Battalion was going to do at the end of the story to the enemy. I was disappointed. Rather than enjoying total devastation, I had to bog through descriptions of pocket sized computers and command and control procedures when I wanted to read exclusively about payback. Good grief, if you're going to kill this enemy, in this kind of story, do it with all the advantages and brutal details of Ranger combat. Harold Coyle has the potential to write 5-star books with Tom Clancy type sales. In fact, Tom Clancy wrote that Harold Coyle is the best natural story teller he knows. That could be true provided a good editor and proof reader are provided. Let me give full credit to Coyle's publisher, Forge Books, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC for the worst edited and published book I have read. The book is riddled with spelling and grammar errors throughout. I'm not picky, the errors distracted from a good read. The book reads as though proof reading was out sourced to Syria, a computerized checking system used, and the results automatically incorporated without human intervention. Coyle needs to apply some of that command and control computing capability he describes extensively in his story to publishing his books. As for all the "professional reviewers" cited on the books covers and brag pages -- you guys really read this book before providing your proforma accolades, right?
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