Without Honor

Kirk McGarvey #1

by David Hagberg

The skyjacking of a plane bound for Cuba left four people dead, two of them CIA operatives. To reveal the true nature of the incident, the CIA knows of one man that can get them the answers they need; a man whom they had relied on before...Kirk McGarvey is a man with a past; a past that has recently resurfaced and threatens to darken a present in which he tries to put the days of "The Company" behind him. However, drawn back in to help the agency ferret out a spy who has penetrated the upper echelon of the U.S. Government, he discovers that who he was then had never really been that far away from who he is now. In a world where deception is a survival trait, can McGarvey trust anyone to tell him the truth?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Espionage, Action, Mystery Thriller, Spy Thriller

448 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1989

About the author

aka David Bannerman, Sean Flannery, David James, Robert Pell, Eric Ramsey

David Hagberg is a former Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than twenty novels of suspense, including the bestselling High Flight, Assassin, and Joshua's Hammer.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidh...

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the first of 21 (so far) "Kirk McGarvey" stories by David Hagberg, written in 1989. I can only surmise that since there are so many more that follow, they MUST get better.

Because this one was a tedious, incomprehensible, talky piece of shit in which nothing happened. Not sure how Hagberg turned a story line about Soviet nuclear missiles in Mexico aimed at the U.S. into such a snoozefest, but he managed quite well.

I've heard good things about this series, so I'm willing to give it another chance. But this just in, Mr. Hagberg: your "thrillers?" They should, well, "thrill."

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five years after getting kicked out of the CIA, Kirk McGarvey is pulled back into the spy business in secret when an outsider with inside knowledge and McGarvey's skill set is needed to help uncover a spy with influence in the highest echelons of the US government.

Took me a bit to get into this book, but I soon found myself quite thoroughly hooked. People who like their spy thrillers to be all action and little else might get bored, but I rather prefer mine to offer extra helpings of intrigue, betrayals and doublecrosses instead - and on that front, this one delivered in full. I expect this series will be keeping me busy for quite some time...

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

THe book has lots of complicated scenarios and keeps the brain on the move trying to keep things in order and keeps the reader wondering who and what is going on. The ending is a little abrupt but I have the feeling it is done on purpose as Hagberg wants the reader to keep on reading and become a staple of his inventory. The jury is still out on that one.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without Honor by David Hagberg is the first in the series about ex CIA agent Kirk McGarvey and it is a great book. The story jumps back and forth in time between the 60s and the 80s and the end is not what I expected. I think I will have many great hours of reading in front of me going through this series.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quite pleasantly surprised with this novel. Normally I would have to turn to a favorite British author to obtain a top notch, cerebral espionage story but Hagberg crafted a very intriguing tale here. Circles within circles, lies within lies, plots within plots with the Russians and CIA trying to correct the mistakes made during the Bay of Pigs era with Mexico the new target. All the characters were spot on and the mystery of who is playing who just draws the reader in. Great stuff!

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has to be the most tedious book I have ever read. Thank God I have finished it. It was painful.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book, although it is noticeably short on action and long on talking. On reflection, there are quite a few loose ends that are left unresolved at the end of the book too. That being said, it is still a good read. The hero, Kirk McGarvey, is not your normal action novel hero. He is not infallible and able to beat off hordes of foes with one hand tied behind his back. He is not a magnet for the ladies or a man who intimidates every other man within ten feet of him. He seems pretty ordinary really and, because of that, more true to life. I mentioned earlier that there is more talking than action in this book. I suspect that is more how things are in the real world of international espionage than the feats of derring-do that are recounted in many novels. None of this is to suggest that this is a dull read. It is quite enthralling and, I suspect and hope, further novels in the series will be even more enjoyable. This book necessarily devotes a fair swag of space to introducing its main character. With that out of the way, future books should be more focused on the plot. I look forward to reading them.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember how I heard about this book published in 1989. It's a spy novel that revolves around Russian influence in Mexico after the Bay of Pigs incident in Cuba in the 60's. The main character is an ex CIA assassin who is brought in to deal with a double agent that would cause a lot of harm to the USA if he were processed in the normal legal manner. The story goes berserk from there. The most interesting thing is that most of the story takes place in Washington DC and my master's degree alma mater is mentioned twice in the book.

[Ty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm on page 308 of 441 of Without Honor: I’ve read all the McGarvey books. For some reason I missed this one or I never would have read the others, which were good. This one sucks. Don’t read it and waste your time like I did. All talk and thought NO ACTION. Absolutely terrible. The main characters show almost no tradecraft and what they do show is terrible.
Super boring book. I’ve read two other since I started this! I never pick up another without finishing what I’m reading unless the book is that bad. It’s just I read and enjoyed the others first. Of all Hagbergs books I’ve read this is the worst.

[Howard Sachs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable start to the series.

[Corey Baltzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow, but a great story.

[Jud Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written book, the first in a long-running series featuring former CIA operative Kirk McGarvey. Fans of Clancy and Flynn will enjoy this book.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirk is not very developed at this time. Later books are better