Designation Gold

Rogue Warrior #5

by Richard Marcinko

The Rogue Warrior is in Moscow with murder and mayhem on his mind. The reason: his old friend, Paul Mahon, Washington's defense attache in Russia, has been assassinated. Marcinko knows who killed him-- Andrei Yudin, a godfather in the Russian mafia-- and he just wants to know why. But Yudin's not talking. In fact, he's been silenced forever. The Rogue Warrior can't raise the dead, but he can uncover a cabal of Russian politicians in bed with the mob. The revelation buys him a one-way ticket to Washington, courtesy of the Russian Ministry of the Interior... and his own State Department. Back in the Pentagon, Marcinko finds that the chain of command has turned into a noose around his neck. He's asking questions some powerful people don't want answered, and he's drawing heavy fire. Orders come down from the top to disband his elite group of Navy SEALs-- and to put the Rogue Warrior out to pasture. But this is one stud who's not ready to go down to the farm. He is ready, however, to prowl and growl, to cut and slash his way to the real story behind Mahon's death-- a search that takes him to Paris and into the heart of a black-market network peddling terrorism and mass murder. Marcinko connects Paul's murder to break-ins at the dozen NATO installations throughout Europe, to the infiltration of the American Embassy in Paris, and to a series of sinister and mysterious shipments to the Middle East. Masterminded by an international financier in the employ of the CIA, a devil of a deal is in the works, and it's America's safety that's for sale. It's time to play truth or consequences. The Rogue Warrior will uncover the truth-- and his enemies will have hell to pay.

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Action, Audiobook, Adventure, Thriller, Espionage

368 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Richard Marcinko is the author of the Rogue Warrior thrillers and is a living, breathing hero honored with the silver star and four bronze stars for valor, along with two Navy Commendation medals and other honors. After serving in Vietnam, he went on to start and command SEAL Team 6, the Navy's anti-terrorist group, and Red Cell, a high-level anti-terrorist unit. Marcinko keeps his hand in the field as the president of a private international security company and now lives in Warrington, Virginia.

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

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rogue Warrior is trying to find out who murdered a US defense attache. Of course, bungling diplomatic bureaucrats get in the way, because they care a lot more about cocktail parties than their country.

He eventually finds a conspiracy of Russian mobsters and gets to the bottom of things. Pretty exciting.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I pressed on and finished the book because I just couldn't waste another day with it sitting on my shelf.

Marcinko's auto-bio about 25 years ago was well done, but this entry in his fictional adventures was tiring. Breaking the fourth wall now and then is fine, but every chapter and nearly every other page becomes tiring to the point of almost throwing the book out.

Take that out and his "Lissen up Chillins, I am about to drop some valuable info on you" pages, and you probably have a solid 250 page novel. Unfortunately, he stretched it out another 86 pages.

Take it or leave it.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to get past Marcinko's delivery. It took me a while to stop hearing his arrogance and try to get into the story. Maybe that's the kind of personality you have to have to be a SEAL, but it gets in the way of the material. What I do like about the book is that it's probably pretty accurate in the real world since Marcinko has lived this life. But I still prefer reading Jack Reacher books (even though he's not real), because of his ability to be blunt with humility.

[Kurt Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considerably fewer fucks than previous volumes.

[Bruce L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Marcinko, in full UNODIR mode

The politics don't yet seem dated, despite the age of this SEAL novel, although the tech might be. Still, there is plenty of variety on the weapons buffet, conspicuous visits by the grumpy Mr. Murphy, and the sort of deliberately mangled wordplay that makes these novels so novel.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Marcinko lives in a different universe than I do. One where if you feel like killing a few Russians, in Russia no less, you do and nobody really minds all that much. That said the book was both entertaining and interesting.

Entertaining because Marcinko can himself or has been sufficiently coached by his co-author John Weisman into telling a romping good story.

Interesting because it is somewhere between the Ra-Ra America crowd and myself. I say this not in any way to question the authors patriotism, I think that matter is safely attested to already. But rather to say he possesses all the Ra-Ra America cred without their blindness.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 in the Rogue Warrior series.

Rogue Warrior series - fiction - As before, Marcinko casts himself as hero. He is in Russia and on a personal vendetta to extract revenge against whomever assassinated his old friend Rear Admiral Paul Mahon, along with Mahon's family, including Marcinko's godson, Adam. The Rogue Warrior connects Russian crooks with U.S. and Syrian arms dealers. His roughest opposition, as usual, comes in the form of America's stick-in-the-mud bureaucrats, but he must battle Russian thugs as well until he completes his case against a venal diplomat and a merciless arms merchant.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only "ironic" 5-star rating on my list. This book is so bad, it's hilarious. I cannot recommend it enough. You will laugh until your ribs hurt. So bombastic, this guy loves his military clothing and gear so much that it borders on a fetish, and the dialogue is worth its word count in gold.

[Eric Sandoval · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting how when I read these books that I realize that hindsight is truly 20/20 and that many of my theories and suspicions about our current realpolitik. Then again if globalization were democratic then it would never happen. Ne!

[Steve]

Rogue Warrior

[John F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Patriotic work!

Captain Marcinko-san, you Sir, are and outstanding Special Operator. I enjoy your work. Action from start to finish! I can't wait to start the next book!

[Christian D. D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic, old-school, fun-filled Dick Marcinko/John Weisman action-adventure, this time following our beloved Rogue Warrior as he galavants through Russia, France, and Israel to sneak & peep, snoop & poop, hop & pop, shoot & loot, and wax tangos, all the while dealing with pus-nutted bureaucrats (U.S. military and civilian government bigwigs alike) who forget whose side they're supposed to be on.

RANDOM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

--p. 33: "Ghetto blaster" instead of "boombox," gee, how un-PC! Heh heh.

--p. 51: does "Dolboeb" really mean "Dickhead" in Russian?

--p. 52: Umm, the Glock 27 is a .40 cal, not a 9mm (that'd be the Glock 26).

--p. 62: Yes, surveillance is indeed "absofuckinglutely exhausting."

--p. 70: "Ya veh pizde" = "Goatfuck/I am stuck in a very deep vagina?"

--p. 71: Zahal = IDF? Agaf Modiin (AMAN) = "Intelligence Branch of the General Staff" in Hebrew?

--p. 75: "I am large and somewhat flamboyant, in case you hadn't noticed....libidinously impetuous." Haha, those are massive understatements there, Dickie!

--p. 83: "Biduke" = "Exactly" in Hebrew?

--p. 91: "Dom [Perignon] is what people who don't know the difference between good and great champagne drink when they want the expensive stuff." Ha, tell that to James Bond!

--p. 97: "Moodyuck" = "Asshole" in Russian?

Ah, the telltale pulsing carotid artery....

--p. 98: "Koresh" = "pal?" Different from "druk" (friend)?

--p. 102: "zomochit" = piss on grave?

--p. 132: Er, "dial tone" on a mobile phone??

--p. 134: "Stars and Bars?" On an official DOS vehicle?

--p. 184: "noviry v proviry" = Trust but verify?

--p. 189: "Rak rayga" = wait a second; "Mazzeh" = what is it? (Hebrew)

--p. 203: Mama Mascalzone's Casa Italia in Huntington Beach--still in existence? And how about Germaine's Restaurant in Washington and Café Augustin in Paris (in St. Augustin)?

--pp. 204-205: "regarde qui est là" = look who's here; "minou" = pet (French)
"When you're in Paris, you do not watch your cholesterol." Haha.

--p. 296: "Litrahot" = see you later (Hebrew)

--p. 297 "Jewish Booze--J&B Scotch," haha.

--p. 298-300: "Sheket, klavim" = Shaddup, dogs; "Shev" = sit (Hebrew)
Bouvier dog breed?
"To-vah' kal-bah'" = good dog

--p. 307: "There is truly something mystical about the ocean. It is transcendental, metaphysical--magic." Truth.

--p. 309: "Metsuyan" = Excellent (Hebrew)

--p. 320-322: Lech la-azalel" = Go to hell; Tat-aluf" = Brigadier General; "Hava na moova" = C'mon

--p. 325: "Shiga-on" = fantastic

--p. 327: "'...you use piss if you have to'....I was downright relieved...." Haha, pun intended?

--p. 354: "Bokker-tov" = good morning; "Manneh sh'ma" = how's it going?

--p. 355: "the M-16 is basically a .22 on steroids"

--p. 397: The Goat, Dick's "favourite London pub;" still in existence?

[William Lotten]

Jackpot again

[Greg Rogers]

Listened to this one and it was read by the author who is a navy seal not a voice actor but that aside I really liked the story and the dialogue.