Cat and Mouse

Scott Dixon #2

by Harold Coyle

In the War on Terror, it is often difficult to tell who the enemy is. Sometimes your fiercest opponent isn’t an insurgent or a fanatic bent on making a statement in blood, but a chain of command that is pursuing goals and objectives that have nothing to do with your unit’s stated mission. Nathan Dixon finds out just how true this is when a new battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Delmont, convinces his superiors that he has an all but foolproof plan for defeating Islamic terrorists in the Philippines—a plan that will ensure Delmont’s promotion to full colonel and beyond. But the 3rd Regiment of the 75th Ranger battalion is pitted against no fool. Determined to create a fundamental Islamic state in Southeast Asia, a charismatic terrorist by the name of Hamdani Summirat unites the various Islamic factions into a confederation. Their aim is to drag the United States into a protracted war of attrition that the Americans cannot win. Summirat’s factions play out a deadly game of cat and mouse, drawing the American forces into ambushes and small, bloody encounters with a small but highly trained core of Islamic fighters. Lieutenant General Scott Dixon, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations with the US Army--and Nathan's father—soon finds that these enemies are practically impossible to hunt down. They are killing American troops almost at will. He realizes quickly that if the mission continues, many more Americans will be wounded or killed-- perhaps even his own son. But his pleas to his Commander-in-Chief are practically ignored. This dual game of cat and mouse is played out both in the jungles of Mindanae and in the forward operations base. Nathan Dixon must deal with a battalion commander who is determined to see his plan through, regardless of the price Nathan and his company must pay, while Scott Dixon must deal with a chain of command that refuses to alter a plan of attack in the face of a losing effort.

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Thriller, War, Military Thriller, Action, Historical Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2002

About the author

Harold Coyle is an American author of historical, speculative fiction and war novels including Team Yankee, a New York Times best-seller.He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1974 and spent seventeen years on active duty with the U.S. Army.He lives in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Reviews

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1990 this book about a 'future' middle east conflict between Libya & Egypt instigated by Libya in the midst of a political power struggle.

Not much time is spent on the political side of things, just enough so that the story has a realistic setting without becoming bogged down in political wrangling.

The novel builds like a coming storm as events lead up to the eventual conflict, the conflict itself is well written and, I feel, a good portrayal of modern war.

I read a 1990 second reprint hardcover copy which also included diagrams of the battles (with legends) and a comprehensive glossary and bibliography.

[Kbrandon62 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shouldn't this be book 1?
I started this series with the book God's Children because it was the first in the series,but from what I read this is the second in the series.
Against All Enemies the book I'm reading now is the first book in the Nathan Dixon Series.

[Hilmi Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ulasan Kali Kedua (08 Oktober 2021 - 21 Oktober 2021)

Bright Star merupakan novel kedua atau direct sequel kepada novel yang pertama iaitu Sword Point. Masih menampilkan genre yang sama dan gaya penceritaan yang serupa seperti sebelumnya,tetapi,lebih difokuskan kepada watak utamanya iaitu Leftenan Kolonel Scott Dixon. Aspek-aspek lain juga ditonjolkan yang memaparkan konflik antara watak-watak yang tidak ditunjukkan di dalam novel sebelumnya. Selain Dixon,banyak watak-watak yang muncul di dalam Sword Point turut melakukan penampilan semula,sama ada dari pihak protagonis dan antagonis.

Premis atau latar belakang cerita pada novel kali ini adalah berdasarkan atau mengambil inspirasi dari sejarah konflik atau perang sempadan antara Mesir dan Libya yang pernah berlaku pada 21 hingga 24 Julai 1977. Konflik bersenjata antara dua negara ini dipanggil Perang Empat Hari. Penulis membuat satu hipotesis perang antara Mesir dan Libya yang turut melibatkan kepentingan strategik Amerika Syarikat dan Kesatuan Soviet ke atas sekutu masing-masing. Menariknya juga,Bright Star juga merupakan kod nama kepada kerjasama latihan ketenteraan antara Amerika Syarikat dan Mesir yang dilakukan sejak era Perang Dingin lagi.


Ulasan Kali Pertama

Amerika Syarikat dan Mesir bersiap sedia untuk mengadakan latihan ketenteraan antara kedua-dua negara di dalam latihan ketenteraan yang dipanggil Bright Star. Acara kemuncaknya akan dihadiri oleh kedua-dua presiden. Peluang ini digunakan oleh Brotherhood,sebuah gerakan bersenjata Islam untuk membunuh Presiden Mesir dan Presiden Amerika Syarikat. Namun demikian,operasi tersebut berjaya dipatahkan.
Menyedari bahawa Libya merupakan dalang utama,Mesir bertindak menghukum Libya dengan melaksanakan operasi perang terhad merentasi sempadan Mesir-Libya. Namun demikian,perang di antara kedua-dua negara disengit dan disemarakkan lagi dengan penggunaan senjata kimia dan penglibatan tentera Soviet Union dan Cuba menentang tentera Mesir. Amerika Syarikat tidak boleh sewenang-wenangnya menyertai peperangan ini secara terang-terangan. Operasi ketenteraan yang terhad dan terpilih,walau bagaimanapun,dilaksanakan untuk memastikan keselamatan Mesir dan kepentingan Amerika Syarikat di utara benua Afrika terjamin.

Untuk pengetahuan pembaca,Bright Star merupakan novel kedua (selepas Sword Point) yang melibatkan watak utama novel tulisan Harold Coyle,iaitu Scott Dixon,seorang anggota tentera darat Amerika Syarikat berpangkat Leftenan Kolonel.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 3 out of 5]

For crying out loud use a spell checker and get an editor who speaks English as their primary language! A great yarn was ruined because the finished text reads like Coyle dictated the book to a typist in Bangalore. Referring to an elusive enemy as "illusive" is ridiculous. Then there's the gaping "maul" of a C-17. A maul is a type of sledgehammer; what gapes on a C-17 is a maw. "Caulk" for chalk, "absconded" for ensconced - the list goes on. I finally got a pen and started editing the book myself. At more than fifty corrections halfway through I stopped and threw the book away.

Some examples: "caulking up" a victory (page 338); "everyone chaffed at these restrictions" (page 339); sorted follies [instead of sordid follies] (page 251); "I resemble that remark!" (page 267); "without a wit of enthusiasm" (page 354); staff "absconded" [ensconced?] in their offices in Manila (page 177); and "reaping havoc" (page 177). These zingers just kept on coming. And then, those oddities that spell-checker couldn't counter: "rice patties" (pages 289 and 290); "a "white plum of smoke" (page 389); "popping flairs" as a countermeasure to surface-to-air missiles"; and the "new winkle in the plans" (page 477).

1. There are not a whole lot of Abu Sayyaf Group running around anymore and they stepped away from religious fundamentalism and became more of a criminal gang long ago.

2. ASG is a homegrown Filipino organization and while they do collaborate with other groups in the region, having a non-Filipino as their commander is unlikely.

3. ASG uses primarily US weapons, not AK-47s.

4. Apparently Coyle thinks that OPLANS are drawn up by Lieutenant Colonels in line units and the Geographic Combatant Commander is not involved in the process.

5. Coyle thinks that a Ranger Battalion is tasked by big army and not USSOCOM.

6. Apparenly Coyle thinks that a SAW is a crew-served weapon.

7. Why would the Task Force use an airstrip on the complete opposite side of Mindanao as their Aerial Port of Debarkation when there's an airport in Zamboanga that can handle C-17s and another in Cotabato that can handle them as long as they're lightly loaded on the flight out. Both Zambo and Cotabato are in the immediate area where the JTF was conducting all their operations.

8. I cringed every time I saw the word "absconded" used for "ensconsced." And referring to a unit of Rangers as a "caulk" instead of the proper term "chalk" or the caliber of a weapon fired by an American character as 7.62mm (the AK is 7.62mm, the M-16 is 5.56mm) are mistakes someone of Coyle's experience should never make. When you write military thrillers, the military details better be correct, or the reader will suspend belief quickly.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're getting into the personal lives of our characters here more as Scott Dixon considers resignation for his marriage's sake, but of course, doesn't go through with it.

Once we get through the personal struggles (which of course go on in the back ground) we get involved in another conflict. Coyle here is laying out things from the soldier's point of view again and I suppose it goes without saying that a lot of soldiers go into action with family matters dragging at the back of their minds making not only their jobs but their very survival more of a problem.

I like Coyle and this book also lays out believable battle with tanks crossing the sands and soldiers doing their jobs....

This one is still "sometime" before the fall of the Soviet Union and involves events in the Sudan and Libya. It takes place after Sword Point and is another good read.

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have yet to read a Harold Coyle book that I didn't enjoy and this was no exception. What I found most interesting about this particular story, written in 2001 (published in 2002) was the parallels between the fictional political climate and our current actual political climate. Could somewhere like present-day Arizona turn into the Idaho portrayed in this book? Most likely not but I certainly see some similarities.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I am only a third of the way thru and I really am enjoying this book/genre. I have not read much of this military/action/neo-battle report style. Maybe Hunt for Red October-readers would enjoy this...alas it is about tanks/infantry rather than ships and subs. set in a communist Soviet era , this book still seems fresh. I guess war is universal. the weapons are all that change.

[Kevin (The Jester) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlikeable, poorly developed characters and an all to familiar and expected ending made this a disappointing read. Had hopes for this one given the subject and the possibility of a good fictional conspiracy but was left wanting by the disjointed style and the rather boring end to the conspiracy which was never fully fleshed out to begin with.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid military thriller from Coyle...dealing with a pre-Soviet break-up confrontation between USSR & the US involving a "client state" confrontation between Libya & Egypt...Coyle uses the Scott Dixon storyline to exemplify the pressures on the family of modern military life...good stuff!

[Barry Medlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read!

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look. This book was relatively entertaining. It had me turning pages. Partly that's because it was talking about an army I was familiar with (I was actually involved in planning the seaborne portion of Bright Star in the early 2000s). Partly, it did have a good pace to the action.

The biggest flaw in this book were the characters. Tom Clancy generally created some fairly well crafted characters that you were upset about when they died or suffered. Most of Mr. Coyle's characters were cut-outs that serve as mouthpieces to show some sort of quality of the late 20th century military establishment. They die, you shrug your shoulders and read about the next battle.

I suppose on some level the war scenario itself was plausible, but with the long history of the USSR and US choosing to fight through proxies, I found the direct clashes between their troops to be somewhat unlikely. I also question some of the logistical feats associated with various raids, but these weren't the biggest failings of the story necessarily.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless they were specifically looking for hypothetical modern warfare books. I mean this was an easy 2.5 stars and a darn sight better than 2034. It's just not the same caliber as Red Storm Rising. Take it off the shelf if you want to read this specific kind of book, otherwise leave it.

[Jim Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be a five star book.

The story is intriguing.

The area it takes place is fascinating.

The characters - in the field are realistic and credible.

The action is very well done.

So why only three stars? The love story - which is wholly unnecessary - is horrific. Every time we leave the field and go into the personal life of the hero - Scott Dixon - it is like getting on a plane, opening the air sickness bag, and seeing that it has already been used. To call it ham-fisted is to seriously insult ham-fisted authors. And it is tragic because it is not necessary, adds nothing to the story and is jarringly bad every time it comes up in the book.

This could have been a great book - if Coyle had had a decent editor.

[Anthony Emmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this gets 4 stars instead of 5 is in his third novel, Coyle still goes into too much detail. When describes soldiers performing tasks, he's still going step-by-step as of he's writing a training manual. Still a fun read, though.

[Guillaume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toujours dans un contexte "de son temps", des histoires d'êtres humains dans la guerre.
Malgré le portrait un peu caricatural de l'épouse, cela donne une vision assez pertinente de la vie et de la mort en temps de conflit

[Mark Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time the fighting takes place around Egypt.

[Michael Toleno · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good military techno-thriller, at least as good as most of Tom Clancy's novels. Coyle depicts a war between Egypt and Libya that draws in the superpowers.

[Mirko Unipan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really long-winded and frankly, boring

[R.G. Ziemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy the combat fiction of Harold Coyle for its fast-paced and clearly-portrayed scenes of military action. Coyle’s work is full of technical detail about the hardware and sensible discussions of strategy and tactics. “Cat and Mouse” follows the U.S. Army Ranger company under the command of Captain Nathan Dixon as they maneuver against Muslim insurgents in the Philippines. But who is the cat and who is the mouse?

The story holds up, and the action scenes fulfill the promise of excitement, but in this book I found myself a little bored by the scenes behind the scenes – meetings among officers in Washington, conversations between Nathan’s high-ranking father and his journalist stepmother. Some of the intrigue is important to the plot, as the Rangers discover they have as much to fear from their career-oriented colonel as from the enemy in the field. It was also interesting to get the point of view of the leader of the insurgents. Coyle manages to warn the reader of the enemy’s danger while still keeping the ultimate threats until the very end. I will say also that for some reason this book is a little roughly edited – extra words, wrong words, sentences left hanging – these kinds of things were an occasional distraction. You don’t expect that sort of thing in a mainstream-published hardcover (Tom Doherty).

[Tom Tischler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Capt. Nathan Dixon U.S. Army Rangers has been picked to command
Company A 3rd Battalion Rangers. These members have been hand
picked to be a part of a new joint task force Sierra. This force
has been formed to conduct anti terrorist operations in the Phil-
ippines and Indonesia. A terrorist leader has united various Islamic
factions into a confederation that is trying to drag the U.S.
forces into a deadly game of cat and mouse as they lead them into
ambushes and small bloody encounters. Lt General Scott Dixon is
Nathan's father and it's his duty to put his son in harms way.
The Islamic's seem to be killing American troops at will and Capt.
Dixon and his troops know that even though they continue to fight
their fate is soon to be determined. On top of all this Capt. Dixon
has been assigned a new battalion commander. A Lt. Col. determined
to make Colonel no matter who he has to stab in the back.This
book will probably only interest someone who has spent some time
in the service. The battle tactics are very good and most people
never know about the internal backstabbing except the poor Captain's
who are Company Commanders and must bite their tongue and suffer
the abuse.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book by Coyle I read was _Team Yankee_. Other pretty good to excellent books followed. Alas, I was sorely disappointed by this one.

The spell-check errors in the book are *very* distracting. Did anyone proof this book before sending it to press or did they just run spell check and call it good? There are numerous errors throughout. For example, "chalk" become "caulk" - and pretty consistently. "Maw" becomes "maul". And, the list goes on. I doubt that Coyle made these errors himself, but they still found their way into print.

Another distraction was the author's politics. The story could have been told without any of the digs at democrats and liberals. Yes, I realize that the Army leans to the right. However, this book sometimes reads like a bit of Tea Party propaganda. No thanks to that. It does nothing for the story, only distracts from it.

The story itself is well built and the threads of conflict twist and flow reasonably. But the book seems to simply fall off at the end. It builds to a climax and then suddenly we read that "they didn't live happily every after, the end."

[Matt Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harold Coyle has been a reliable source for tight military fiction that bordered on science fiction for years. This book suggests he's reached his sell-by date. Either that or he thinks he's the Red Queen and can use any word he likes and give it a new meaning. According to Coyle, absconded means sitting behind a desk rather than "To leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution." Collaborated means provided rather than to work together, either in the good sense or in the sense of treasonous activity. He says a person who is not disturbed is not "phased" rather than "fazed." To add to this, his pattern of giving us the inner thoughts of the characters, and explaining in advance why they have gone astray, has become a gimmick. A real disappointment.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Scott Dixon was forced to command American troops in combat and losing most of the brigade, he turns down command of a tank unit winding up in a dead end job at the Pentagon. Two years later he is sent to Egypt as an operations officer when rebels kill his predecessor. As war breaks out between Libya and Egypt he faces many difficult choices including a combat command that he does not want and a breakdown in his marriage. There is a glossy of military terms included. Note to the author: Corporals are non-commissioned officers.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold Coyle continues to impress me...love both the Dixon's series & was rewarded with both appearing in this one..."Against All Enemies" deals with domestic application of military force...Idaho has rebelled against an overreaching Federal Government & is in open rebellion...the use of both Dixon's allows Coyne to provide "big picture" as well as "small unit' stories in the resolution of this scenario...Coyle provides a sympathetic voice to both sides of the 10th Amendment debate, while maintaining a fun read!!!

[Patricrk patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Coyle's work, This one is a little bit more preachy that others on the duty of the soldier. I also find it hard to believe that the President would order military action against a whole state without trying the money spigot method of influence first. However, this a military fiction piece and worth reading.

[Mike Emett · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 but decided to round up. Got a bit loose on his use of f-bombs, with a (to me) out of nowhere love story along with what may have been a rushed ending. Though over 20 years old, the detail in which he writes battle scenes and the men who are in the midst of battle is great. Almost feel like you are there. Good 'what-ifs' keep on a coming from Coyle.

[Kym Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harold Coyle continues the gritty Cold War action well in this follow up to the first 'Scott Dixon' story nicely.
It is one of my favorite Coyle books and as an avid reader I would naturally suggest it to any one who seeks a credible modern war story with a focus on the violence of mechanised desert fighting.

70 %

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in the Dixon Family Saga. Not as good as some of the previous books, but still accurately portraying military campaigning. While slow at the start, and long moments of waiting for something to happen, until finally all of the pressure exploded in a few hours of furious combat ending quickly.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Coyle book. I really enjoyed the detail given to the two sided storyline. Following the test for Dixon allowed me to feel a part of the force he commanded. I also enjoyed his insights into the mind of Summirat as he planned his military options. Then the interaction of these two soldiers results in a classic battle. I look forward to another Coyle book soon.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful call for national unity cloaked in a techno thriller

Just reread this techno thriller I read in hardback as a boy in Kindle format on 12/2020. Seems almost timely with all this uproar over the Presidential election... and more political unrest in Idaho. Just hope this doomsday scenario does not come to life.

[Karen Fyke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book. The author has no idea at how to accomplish "back story" and is clumsy at giving info on how the military works. Should have used side-bars. I quit half way through and just read the ending. Even that wasn't very good. Ugh.