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Honor Bound #6
Victory and Honor
The spectacular new book in New York Times -bestselling author W.E.B. Griffin's Honor Bound saga of World War II espionage. Wars come to an end. But then new ones begin. Just weeks after Hitler's suicide, Cletus Frade and his colleagues in the OSS find themselves up to their necks in battles every bit as fierce as the ones just ended. The first is political-the very survival of the OSS, with every department from Treasury to War to the FBI grabbing for its covert agents and assets. The second is on a much grander scale-the possible next world war, against Joe Stalin and his voracious ambitions. To get a jump on the latter, Frade has been conducting a secret operation, one of great daring-and great danger-but to conduct it and not be discovered, he and his men must walk a perilously dark line. One slip, and everyone becomes a casualty of war.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2011
448 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Griffin
351 books1,299 followersW.E.B. Griffin was one of several pseudonyms for William E. Butterworth III.
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
July 14, 2019
A post WWII adventure story of the OSS. This is part of a series. The story concerns the OSS flying good Nazis out of Germany into Argentina while trying to stop bad Nazis. There is very little action in this tale. It is an interesting concept, but not really developed very well. The book is okay, but not above the ordinary in any way. Recommended only to fans of the series.
February 14, 2017
This story starts slow, reads slow and finishes...wait for it...s-l-o-w! 1 of 10 stars
August 24, 2011
This eagerly awaited addition to the Honor Bound series was a disappointment, as have most of the books where WEB Griffin's son was listed as co-author.
The best I can say is that it was okay. Sadly, the son may be a decent author, but he's not the man to fill is father's footsteps.
The best I can say is that it was okay. Sadly, the son may be a decent author, but he's not the man to fill is father's footsteps.
May 29, 2022
Started slow but ended good.
January 16, 2013
While I like the author’s Argentina “Honor” series very much overall, the story lines have gotten pretty thin and it’s probably time to put the old girl to rest. Victory and Honor is #6 in the series about O.S.S. operations in WWII South America. While the war ended sometime in #5, for some reason, the story continues into this volume….. and the next – I see #7, Empire and Honor just got published. This all seems to be about the author providing a writing career for his son, listed as a co-author on all Griffin series for the last few years. Even the WWII USMC series continues on into the Korean War. When will it all end? Who knows? Who cares? Suffice it to say, I’m already pot-committed, I.e. I’m all in, as are thousands of other Griffin fans. We keep buying the books because it’s very much like reading letters about family and old friends – you want to know what happens to them, however mundane and trivial. He brilliantly tosses in a few morsels of new info amid the pages and pages of chronicling daily life. For example, I became very happy when Griffin finally had the Navy dock Cletus Frade’s pay for the chronograph watch he never turned in after returning from Guadalcanal three years earlier in the story. And an even bigger nugget, he referenced the only crossover character in all of Griffin’s books, I.e. Lt. Colonel Clyde W. Dawkins – WOW! That’ll make the Griffin geeks keep coming back for more. I would never suggest anyone read a Griffin book as a stand-alone – it’s really about the journey and understanding the Griffin formula. On to Empire and Honor to find out what Cletus Frade is having for breakfast…..
June 12, 2014
Although I realize that many people enjoy this book, I thought this book to be extremely dry and overall boring. I felt this book was mostly a chore to read and really didn't find any enjoyment in this book at all. Although the characters seemed somewhat well developed, the plot lacked because it was barely developed. For those in the future, I recommend that no one would repeat this book unless one truly enjoys reading about characters that are flat with a plot that doesn't keep a reader interested.
August 15, 2011
Well written. Extremely well researched. And a lot less wordy than too many of his books have been lately. I'd recommend this series.
November 7, 2011
I think the Honor Bound series is my favorite Griffin world. "Victory and Honor," though enjoyable, is far from the best. We've jumped forward in time a bit from the last book, and find the war in Europe over. More Nazi's (both good and bad) are trying to escape to South America, and our hero Frade is caught literally in the middle: Trying to catch the bad guys, and trying to hide the good ones.
Victory seems to be a place holder for the series. It introduces the reader to the next step in the characters' evolution: From WWII warriors for the OSS to Cold War spies for the soon to be founded CIA.
Victory seems to be a place holder for the series. It introduces the reader to the next step in the characters' evolution: From WWII warriors for the OSS to Cold War spies for the soon to be founded CIA.
March 6, 2012
Although it was an interesting insight into a period of history that I knew little of . . .and it did move familiar characters along their serialized life path, it fell short of any thing close to the action I recall from previous efforts. This installment was all politics and maneuvering . . .with nary a shot fired in anger. There were several opportunities missed . . .and I am left wondering as to why.
August 24, 2012
Let me start out by noting that I'm a huge W.E.B. Griffin fan. I've read every book of every series. Having just finished this one I'm feeling like the author is losing the touch that has kept me coming back for more. All his main characters have become the same person-extrememely competent but arrogant, independently wealthy and rude. At least the author can still put a lump in my throat like nobody else when he describes moments of respect, honor and pride between warriors.
August 17, 2014
World War II is winding down and there is talk of disbanding the OSS. Marine LtCol. Cletus Frade is smuggling Germans into Argentina for the OSS using his airline as both a cover and the vehicle to accomplish the mission. The story is full of political and infighting among the intelligence agencies. The authors make fewer historical references than in previous works of this series and the Corps series. But, it is still a good read.
May 9, 2012
Not one of my favorites. The story concept was compelling, but the execution was not so good in my view. It just seemed like there were a million great potential plot lines attached to the one actually chosen, which wasn't that well told. It was my first WEB Griffin book. Won't be the last, but the next one needs to be better.
September 30, 2012
I think this is the end of the Honor Bound series, given the brevity of the book [400 pages v. 700+ for the previous few], and I think that's fine. I am not as much of a fan of the writing when Griffin and his son are teaming up.
[:gasp: At the end of VII, Griffin makes an unexpected plot twist, having set it up with a diversion. He doesn't do that much anymore, so I'm appreciative.]
[:gasp: At the end of VII, Griffin makes an unexpected plot twist, having set it up with a diversion. He doesn't do that much anymore, so I'm appreciative.]
November 29, 2012
Surprisingly disappointing... I suppose it was 'ok' but it really did read more like a plot outline than a legitimate novel. Couldn't help but feel that the author(s) themselves were a bit bored with where to take it and I really regret that because I had thoroughly enjoyed the earlier books in the series.
November 9, 2011
A good finish to this series. Interesting detail about Germany immediately after the war. I was sorry to see the series end, especially since I couldn't help but be interested in more Argentinian history.
November 24, 2013
I'm surprised this has been ranked so high. After a third of the way through the book I'm so bored with it I have zero desire to finish it. Looks like it gets action filled later on, but I can't get that far to see if it gets better.
November 29, 2011
I love the "Cletus Frade" series of books and can't wait for the next one.
March 18, 2019
Ok but I wasn’t impressed. I will try some earlier books by griffin.
September 18, 2011
Love this series. Glad that he is continuing the series through the cold war with Russia.
August 30, 2024
We’re coming to the end of this series about the OSS in WWII and its operations in Argentina. For a few books we’ve watched as the Argentine contingent gets involved in smuggling former German officers into Argentina in return for important intelligence involving Russian spies in the US government. In the context of the book the OSS wasn’t too popular with the FBI, Army Intelligence or the Secret Service. And the OSS had begun the very bad habit of covert operations where subordinate officers such as Allen Dulles didn’t even tell his boss General Donovan because Donovan would tell Roosevelt whose wife and Vice President sympathized with Russia probably allowing the Russians to know about the operation. At the end of this volume the OSS is on the ropes and Cletus Frade is chosen to be the fall guy. He is returned to the US to be interrogated and investigated but before that occurs he is hustled off to Potsdam where new President Harry S Truman appears and saves the day. Truman’s rational is that because every other agency is volunteering to incorporate the OSS it must be an effective organization. Frade is sent back to Argentina to continue importing good Nazis while trying to ferret out the bad ones. Truman disbands the OSS and creates a new group which becomes the CIA. The OSS is portrayed as good guys throughout and Dulles as heroic figure in WWII. (To get a different view of Dulles read The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government. The author is clearly anti Peron, thus anti Nazi but weirdly pro German. As in all the books there’s lots of detail much of which might be deleted by some editors but becomes a necessary characteristic of the author’s style. Things move slowly with lots of re-capping, retelling, and internal summaries of events and bios. This is off putting for a lot of readers but for me is somehow compelling.
April 18, 2023
In this shortest volume of the Honor Bound series, W.E.B. Griffin brings his story to the end of World War II and begins a transition into the postwar world for his intelligence officers. The OSS is about to be disbanded, its operatives and assets divided among the FBI and the military intelligence units. This causes difficulties for the heroes of the series because they have been involved in an operation that they never reported to William Donovan, head of the OSS, because they believed he would feel honor bound to report on their actions to FDR and then a priceless intelligence opportunity would be lost. The opportunity is to find out about Soviet spies throughout the U.S. including in the Manhattan Project—a circumstance which many of FDR’s top people naively believe couldn’t happen because the Soviets were allies. The price of this information is to smuggle into Argentina many German families and in a few cases, Nazi officials. It’s this latter part of the deal that is causing the difficulties now as the Secretary of State has his own intelligence suggesting that Nazis have gotten into Argentina (many did outside of this very limited program) and he is trying to get those responsible for getting them there.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I understand the deal that was made and why it was necessary, but I also was totally uncomfortable with our heroes working to help Nazis and justifying it. It’s ugly and it weakens my support for the heroes. The truth is, I wouldn’t have minded them being exposed and suffering the consequences for their actions. However well intentioned they were, they knew they were not acting with the support of their superiors and in fact, thought their superiors might shut them down.
That being said, it’s an exciting novel and moved faster than is often the case in a W.E.B. Griffin book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I understand the deal that was made and why it was necessary, but I also was totally uncomfortable with our heroes working to help Nazis and justifying it. It’s ugly and it weakens my support for the heroes. The truth is, I wouldn’t have minded them being exposed and suffering the consequences for their actions. However well intentioned they were, they knew they were not acting with the support of their superiors and in fact, thought their superiors might shut them down.
That being said, it’s an exciting novel and moved faster than is often the case in a W.E.B. Griffin book.
January 2, 2025
started finished 1st january 2025 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner honor bound #6 have read at least two others from this series not in any order i think five a year or more ago and then four just recently and writing up a review of that one i'd forgotten i'd read five and then i looked at the review for five realized more of the same...don't remember much.
but looked like i had thoughts that have carried through from one story to another maybe all of the griffin series that there's a good number of names/characters one would like to track like who's on stage now and what's their reason for being there. that's why i start every morning with a big bowl of kellogg's cereal (cue to me shoveling a heaping helping spoonful of rice krispies)...
war is ending...oss is likely to be dissolved...various others would like to absorb oss for their gain though they've been hell-bent on marginalizing and minimizing any gains of oss. that situation is on the way to resolution by story end. most of griffin's stories include the battled and bruised egos shuffling and jiving for rank and power, damn the rest of the world, damn the country, and damn anyone who gets in their way. some have a kind of cognitive dissonance that should turn most eleven year olds from ever growing up. not in this one, but macarthur saying guerrilla warfare in the p.i. would not work...though it was already in existence. or like the dumn fucks who like to shout "maccarthyism!" while denying the infiltration by communists from day one...and their successes in gathering intel.
good and bad nazis...foul russians skinning nazis of their flesh, raping women with a line out the door and a week and half down the street. various people stepping up to the plate. entertaining read.
but looked like i had thoughts that have carried through from one story to another maybe all of the griffin series that there's a good number of names/characters one would like to track like who's on stage now and what's their reason for being there. that's why i start every morning with a big bowl of kellogg's cereal (cue to me shoveling a heaping helping spoonful of rice krispies)...
war is ending...oss is likely to be dissolved...various others would like to absorb oss for their gain though they've been hell-bent on marginalizing and minimizing any gains of oss. that situation is on the way to resolution by story end. most of griffin's stories include the battled and bruised egos shuffling and jiving for rank and power, damn the rest of the world, damn the country, and damn anyone who gets in their way. some have a kind of cognitive dissonance that should turn most eleven year olds from ever growing up. not in this one, but macarthur saying guerrilla warfare in the p.i. would not work...though it was already in existence. or like the dumn fucks who like to shout "maccarthyism!" while denying the infiltration by communists from day one...and their successes in gathering intel.
good and bad nazis...foul russians skinning nazis of their flesh, raping women with a line out the door and a week and half down the street. various people stepping up to the plate. entertaining read.
June 24, 2024
The war is over, yet isn’t
LtCol Cletus Frade has to deal with more irons in the fire than ever. He is deeply involved in the task of working to protect General Gehlen & the secret of his agreement with the OSS and in protecting the families of the various people who have already been brought to Argentina. 🇦🇷
However the new President is being heavily influenced to shut down the OSS by the different factions who have hated Donovan for his refusal to become subordinate to the “party line” and Clete is the infuriating example of the “Loose Cannon” that is so much disliked by the crusty types who need the constant bowing & scraping to reinforce their own poor self esteem. The confidence shown by Frade, Graham and others is anathema to this type of person who the antithesis of a team player. They are more than willing to accept the credit for the work of others while they not only place the blame on others but even invent false claims like the chickens-it people like Flowers does.
LtCol Cletus Frade has to deal with more irons in the fire than ever. He is deeply involved in the task of working to protect General Gehlen & the secret of his agreement with the OSS and in protecting the families of the various people who have already been brought to Argentina. 🇦🇷
However the new President is being heavily influenced to shut down the OSS by the different factions who have hated Donovan for his refusal to become subordinate to the “party line” and Clete is the infuriating example of the “Loose Cannon” that is so much disliked by the crusty types who need the constant bowing & scraping to reinforce their own poor self esteem. The confidence shown by Frade, Graham and others is anathema to this type of person who the antithesis of a team player. They are more than willing to accept the credit for the work of others while they not only place the blame on others but even invent false claims like the chickens-it people like Flowers does.
May 1, 2020
At 9.8 hours, one of the shortest W.E.B. Griffin books I've ever read. Since this is the sixth book in the series, all the characters make sense. This one deals with the end of WWII and the confusion around Nazi defeat. It's largely set in Europe and on trans-Atlantic flights. One of the inconsistencies was that on one occasion, the Argentine crew went to an evening meeting in a Schloss (Castle) just a few minutes outside of Frankfurt, when really, its about a 4 hour drive in today's traffic. I had to suspend believeability. The Nazi atrocities are right there, on full display. if you're a fan of military history, Griffin's books are for you.
July 11, 2018
Like a family reunion
Having read almost all of Griffin's books each new one is like going to a family reunion. This one is as good as they get. The worst part was realizing that the book was over. I can only hope that this wasn't the last one. Until that happens I'll have to kill time with something not nearly as good.
Having read almost all of Griffin's books each new one is like going to a family reunion. This one is as good as they get. The worst part was realizing that the book was over. I can only hope that this wasn't the last one. Until that happens I'll have to kill time with something not nearly as good.
October 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. So many stories end when the war ends and this one was a great way of continuing the series. I'm excited to see what happens next. And I enjoyed that it was a little shorter.
October 28, 2019
Another terrific book in the Honor Bound series. I finished this one yesterday and I'm already thirty percent into the next one. I can't remembert where one ends and the next starts, but It's great fun to live in this world for awhile. It moves pretty fast.
October 11, 2023
blah
I thought this book was going to get interesting when there was talk of the German Navy taking Hitler to Argentina. Also talk of nuclear weapons on U boats but never happened. Just led up to the OSS eventually being disbanded and the new “agency” was going to be formed.
I thought this book was going to get interesting when there was talk of the German Navy taking Hitler to Argentina. Also talk of nuclear weapons on U boats but never happened. Just led up to the OSS eventually being disbanded and the new “agency” was going to be formed.
October 18, 2024
Actually 3.5*. Close to a 4*. A decent read with all the usual characters. But Clete's flippant attitude is somtimes a bit much. As is his ability to walk away from any issue unscathed. It was however an entertaining read and a good wrap to the series.
October 14, 2025
Unfortunate writing full of winks and nods but not supported by clever narrative or plot. I stopped reading it 100 pages in, then read the back cover author bio that says he is a lifetime member of the Flat Earth Society. Yeah that tracks. My first and last W.E.B. Griffin “novel”.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews