From Publishers Weekly
Retired army colonel and reporter Hackworth's first novel, a fine-tuned military thriller, follows on the heels of his two acclaimed nonfiction critiques of the U.S. military, About Face and Hazardous Duty. While conducting a mission in Somalia, Special Forces Captain Sandy Caine (an eighth generation warrior) meets up with Sgt. Major Dan Perkins, a soldier who fought alongside his father, Lt. Alex Caine, in Vietnam. The elder Caine, in his final battle, was branded a coward by men who "witnessed" the fight from a chopper overhead. The only survivor, Medal of Honor winner and now Republican senator Jefferson Taylor, has confirmed the story. But Perkins tells Sandy that his father was a hero. Before he can explain further, he is killed in action. Haunted by Perkins's statement, Caine and his lover, Abigail Mancini, a Washington D.C.-based investigative reporter, embark on a search for the truth. The discovery of a conspiracy (involving weapons procurement for the military) and a cover-up (which tarnished Alex Caine's record) draws Sandy and Abbie into a tangled web of army generals and Beltway politicians. And Abbie's investigations turn up another survivor of Alex Caine's final battle. As they edge closer to the truth, Abbie, Sandy and anyone connected to them find their lives threatened by guns-for-hire. What's more, Sandy's grandfather, General Caine, seems to be up to his elbows in all of it. With the help of Sandy's A-Team army pals (an ethnic mix of Caldwell, Mayemura, Kruger and Santana), Sandy and Abbie declare war on the conspirators. Despite some improbable typecastingAall the Special Forces soldiers seem to be buff and brainy culinary mastersAHackworth has written a top-notch, action-packed thriller that also ruminates on the state of America's military establishment. Author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Hackworth (Hazardous Duty: America's Most Decorated Soldier Exposes the Real Truth About the U.S. Military), a distinguished and decorated former army colonel, presents his first novelAa story of deceit and corruption ranging from Vietnam to the present. The book's hero is Sandy Craine, a young army captain bent on clearing his father's name. But what begins as Craine's personal journey soon gets politicalAand treacherousAas he and his ally at the Washington Chronicle begin uncovering a decades-old conspiracy. Hackworth tells a story that is both exciting and raw, even brutal, with a high body count. And although his dialog is often painfully terse, in the end this is a strong story by an author whose reputation and expertise guarantee a wide readership among those who enjoy modern military fiction.-ARobert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The ghost of the Vietnam War figures prominently in this action-packed novel of betrayal, greed, and ambition. Army Special Forces Captain Sandy Caine is from a long line of military men and war heroes. Sandy is haunted by his deceased father's service in Vietnam. And Sandy's issue is not just the regular attempts to decipher that war and what it did to the men who fought it but a very personal search for the secret behind a botched mission that branded his father a coward and another man a hero. The hero, closer to Sandy than his father, is Senator Jeff Taylor, a promising presidential candidate and a man with a sterling reputation that is threatened by Sandy's search for the truth. Sandy leads a multiethnic, testosterone-pumped Special Forces team on covert missions from Mogadishu to Bosnia, running into an ambitious reporter out to prove her mettle and make a name for herself as a correspondent. Abigail Mancini has the investigative skills Sandy needs for his personal mission and just the right charm to fill the emotional void in his life. Sandy and Abigail team up to uncover a plot between ambitious politicians and ruthless defense contractors to protect a lucrative aircraft deal and a long-buried secret. The covert operation is headed by the mysterious Mad Max, who communicates surreptitiously via the Internet and commands a secret force of ex-military men. Hackworth, a retired army colonel, delivers a cynical tale for lovers of the action novel and conspiracy theories. Vanessa Bush


From Kirkus Reviews
Sturm und Drang in a debut novel about a military hero's identity crisis. Despite eight generations of warrior forebearers, Captain Sandy Caine keeps asking himself this central question: Was I meant to be a soldier? His doubt stems mostly from the mystery surrounding the demise of his father. Lieutenant Alex Caine died a coward in Viet Nam, Sandy has always been led to believe. But is it true? His grandfather, the revered Four Star General John Pershing Caine, has never left much room for doubt, and yet doubts persist, nagging at Sandy like a shirked responsibility. Then, while on duty in Somalia, in the aftermath of a firefight, he has a fateful encounter. Actually, two. As a result of the firstwith a sergeant who served alongside his fatherhe receives a tantalizing revisionist report. Lieutenant Caine was steadfast and true, the sergeant maintains, but then is killed before he can say much more. The second encounter is with beautiful, imperturbable Abigail Mancini, a reporter for the Washington Chronicle, indefatigable in pursuit of a story. Until, that is, the advent of Sandy, who stops her presses and activates a trade-off of ambition for love. And since she's a skilled investigative journalist, who better than Abby to help dig the dirt off long-buried secretsespecially since there has indeed been a cover-up, an astounding one, reaching into the loftiest corridors of power. With Abby at his side, plus several swashbuckling members of his Special Forces team, Sandy goes after the bad guys. Bullets mash, knives slash, blood gushes, and at the end triumphant Sandy, buoyed by self knowledge, has restored the family reputation, raising Caines to their accustomed place of honor. Decorated soldier, memorist, respected critic, Hackworth (Hazardous Duty, 1996, etc.) in his first fling at fiction gets some of it right. But 512 pages is too much military sprawl. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Nelson DeMille
Not many men in America could have written a story like this, but Colonel David H. Hackworth is one of those few. This is a sprawling, fast-paced, and damned good novel about the legacy war, about truth, honor, and courage, and about lies, cover-ups, and cowardice. For all of those who served in Vietnam, and those who lived through that interesting and terrible time, this is a must read.


W.E.B. Griffin
Front line legend Colonel David H. Hackworth proves in this gripping tale that he is as accomplished a story-teller as he is a soldier. With vivid, powerful combat action and a terrific band of brothers in arms, The Price Of Honor is one of the year's outstanding military thrillers.


Michael Schiffer, author of Crimson Tide, Colors
Colonel David Hackworth is one of the best war writers I've ever read. No one understands the soul of a warrior better than he does, and his battle scene in Somalia, in The Price Of Honor, is hellacious.


Stephen Coonts
Hackworth writes like he fought- -fiercely, savagely, taking no prisoners.


Clive Cussler
Expertly told by a man who's braved the heat of battle time and time again. The Price Of Honor is tell-it-like-it-is, epic storytelling that's as exciting as it is suspenseful. There is little more that Hackworth could put into a gripping and yet thoughtful thriller.


Bill O'Reilly, Anchor, Fox News Channel
One of America's bravest soldiers cannot only fight, he can also write. Colonel Hackworth's The Price Of Honor is a first-rate military adventure novel.


Susan Isaacs
A huge novel that combines power and politics with the personal lives of it's heroes. The suspense was terrific, the characters just dandy.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Conspiracy Revealed

General David H. Hackworth seems like someone who likes to keep busy. After retiring from the army (a veteran of three wars, he joined the army at 15), Hackworth began covering armed conflicts for Newsweek in 1990. Besides his reporting, he's penned two nonfiction tomes: his autobiography, About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior, and Hazardous Duty: One of America's Most Decorated Soldiers Reports from the Front with the Truth about the US Military Today. Most recently, Hackworth turned to fiction: The result is The Price of Honor, a novel that combines vivid, grueling combat action with a quest to uncover secrets that could literally change the course of history.

Hackworth's hero is Army Special Forces Captain Sandy Caine, an eighth-generation warrior. Raised by his grandfather, the imposing General John Pershing Caine, Sandy was steeped in military history, tradition, and the exploits of his progenitors. The Caine history is a proud one, but it is stained: Sandy's father, Alexander Grant Caine, is said to have cracked under pressure during a firefight in Vietnam, costing the lives of the men under his command. The only survivor of that firefight was Alex's friend, Jefferson Taylor, who went on to become a U.S. senator with presidential ambitions.

Although troubled by his father's alleged cowardice, Sandy never thinks to question the army's official version of events until he meets Sgt. Major Dan Perkins in the midst of a pitched battle in Mogadishu, Somalia. Perkins, who served with Alex in Vietnam, paints a completely different portrait of the man Sandy has been taught to think of as a coward, describing him as a soldier's soldier. Perkins is killed before he can tell Sandy anything else, but his comments spur the young captain to investigate. Teaming with his volatile love interest, Washington Chronicle investigative reporter Abigail Mancini, Sandy starts asking questions about his father, questions that threaten to uncover secrets long thought buried. Before the book's end, Sandy and Abby will fight for their lives as well as for the truth.

Although overwritten in places, The Price of Honor still entertains. Hackworth's gritty, utterly realistic battle scenes alone are worth the price of admission; it's here that his firsthand experience shows the most. An instinctive storyteller, Hackworth has created a cast of likable, larger than life characters to carry the action in between the very credible violence, providing a refreshing counterpoint to the bloodshed. His insight into military affairs also provides food for thought -- careful to present varying points of view through a number of characters, Hackworth indirectly raises questions about the state of today's military.

It's been said that old soldiers don't die, they just fade away. Well, I think it would be a shame for a writer who shows as much talent and potential as Hackworth to do that -- the high quality of The Price of Honor argues well for future books from this first-time novelist. Let's all hope the general decides to return to the fray soon.

—Hank Wagner

Hank Wagner is a book reviewer for Cemetery Dance magazine and The Overlook Connection.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One of America's most highly decorated soldiers delivers a rich, contemporary novel about the haunting legacy of combat and the wilder shores of love. U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Sandy Caine finds himself in Bosnia, where he discovers that, in time of war, the first casualty is the truth.

FROM THE CRITICS

Nelson DeMille - USA Today

For all of us who served in Vietnam, and those who lived through that interesting and terrible time, this is a must-read.

Publishers Weekly

Retired army colonel and reporter Hackworth's first novel, a fine-tuned military thriller, follows on the heels of his two acclaimed nonfiction critiques of the U.S. military, About Face and Hazardous Duty. While conducting a mission in Somalia, Special Forces Captain Sandy Caine (an eighth generation warrior) meets up with Sgt. Major Dan Perkins, a soldier who fought alongside his father, Lt. Alex Caine, in Vietnam. The elder Caine, in his final battle, was branded a coward by men who "witnessed" the fight from a chopper overhead. The only survivor, Medal of Honor winner and now Republican senator Jefferson Taylor, has confirmed the story. But Perkins tells Sandy that his father was a hero. Before he can explain further, he is killed in action. Haunted by Perkins's statement, Caine and his lover, Abigail Mancini, a Washington D.C.-based investigative reporter, embark on a search for the truth. The discovery of a conspiracy (involving weapons procurement for the military) and a cover-up (which tarnished Alex Caine's record) draws Sandy and Abbie into a tangled web of army generals and Beltway politicians. And Abbie's investigations turn up another survivor of Alex Caine's final battle. As they edge closer to the truth, Abbie, Sandy and anyone connected to them find their lives threatened by guns-for-hire. What's more, Sandy's grandfather, General Caine, seems to be up to his elbows in all of it. With the help of Sandy's A-Team army pals (an ethnic mix of Caldwell, Mayemura, Kruger and Santana), Sandy and Abbie declare war on the conspirators. Despite some improbable typecasting--all the Special Forces soldiers seem to be buff and brainy culinary masters--Hackworth has written a top-notch, action-packed thriller that also ruminates on the state of America's military establishment. Author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Hackworth (Hazardous Duty: America's Most Decorated Soldier Exposes the Real Truth About the U.S. Military), a distinguished and decorated former army colonel, presents his first novel--a story of deceit and corruption ranging from Vietnam to the present. The book's hero is Sandy Craine, a young army captain bent on clearing his father's name. But what begins as Craine's personal journey soon gets political--and treacherous--as he and his ally at the Washington Chronicle begin uncovering a decades-old conspiracy. Hackworth tells a story that is both exciting and raw, even brutal, with a high body count. And although his dialog is often painfully terse, in the end this is a strong story by an author whose reputation and expertise guarantee a wide readership among those who enjoy modern military fiction. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/99.]--Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

William Nicholson

Hackworth makes a fine debut with The Price of Honor, redolent with what we look for in this kind of military thriller...He's a natural storyteller; and you will quickly be yanked into the breathtaking action.

USA Today

Kirkus Reviews

Sturm und Drang in a debut novel about a military hero's identity crisis. Despite eight generations of warrior forebearers, Captain Sandy Caine keeps asking himself this central question: Was I meant to be a soldier? His doubt stems mostly from the mystery surrounding the demise of his father. Lieutenant Alex Caine died a coward in Viet Nam, Sandy has always been led to believe. But is it true? His grandfather, the revered Four Star General John Pershing Caine, has never left much room for doubt, and yet doubts persist, nagging at Sandy like a shirked responsibility. Then, while on duty in Somalia, in the aftermath of a firefight, he has a fateful encounter. Actually, two. As a result of the first—with a sergeant who served alongside his father—he receives a tantalizing revisionist report. Lieutenant Caine was steadfast and true, the sergeant maintains, but then is killed before he can say much more. The second encounter is with beautiful, imperturbable Abigail Mancini, a reporter for the Washington Chronicle, indefatigable in pursuit of a story. Until, that is, the advent of Sandy, who stops her presses and activates a trade-off of ambition for love. And since she's a skilled investigative journalist, who better than Abby to help dig the dirt off long-buried secrets—especially since there has indeed been a cover-up, an astounding one, reaching into the loftiest corridors of power. With Abby at his side, plus several swashbuckling members of his Special Forces team, Sandy goes after the bad guys. Bullets mash, knives slash, blood gushes, and at the end triumphant Sandy, buoyed by self knowledge, has restored the family reputation, raising Caines to their accustomedplace of honor. Decorated soldier, memorist, respected critic, Hackworth (Hazardous Duty, 1996, etc.) in his first fling at fiction gets some of it right. But 512 pages is too much military sprawl.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Expertly told by a man who's braved the heat of battle time and time again, The Price of Honor is tell-it-like-it-is, epic storytelling that's as exciting as it is suspenseful. There is little more that Hackworth could put into a gripping and yet thoughtful thriller.  — Clive Cussler

Colonel David Hackworth is one of the best war writers I've ever read. No one understands the soul of a warrior better than he does, and his battle scene in Somalia, in The Price of Honor, is hellacious.  — (Michael Schiffer, author of Crimson Tide, Colors)