What do you think?
Rate this book
Raven One #2
Declared Hostile
IT HAD ALL GONE TO HELL SO QUICKLY... Wilson shot a glance over his right shoulder at San Ramón. In addition to the blinking of anti-aircraft artillery guns, he could see clouds of smoke on the field from the numerous Slash hits. Breathing through his mouth, he concentrated on getting fast and maintaining a slight climb. Bright fireballs of AAA shot by him in groups of three and four, orderly trails from low to high. His body was tense, ready for impact.
He felt and heard the thud behind, on his right.
Terrified, he twisted his body in the ejection seat to see what he could, pushing his helmet and goggles with his left hand to see over his wing. Through the narrow field of view of the goggles, he sensed flickering behind him. He then felt the airplane yaw right. Both were signs he had lost thrust on the right side.
Sonofabitch!
He felt and heard the thud behind, on his right.
Terrified, he twisted his body in the ejection seat to see what he could, pushing his helmet and goggles with his left hand to see over his wing. Through the narrow field of view of the goggles, he sensed flickering behind him. He then felt the airplane yaw right. Both were signs he had lost thrust on the right side.
Sonofabitch!
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2016
595 people are currently reading
794 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Miller
6 books177 followersCaptain Kevin Miller, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, is a former tactical naval aviator and has flown the A-7E Corsair II and FA-18 Hornet operationally. He commanded a carrier-based strike-fighter squadron, and, during his career, logged over 1,000 carrier-arrested landings, made possible as he served alongside outstanding men and women as part of a winning team. Captain Miller lives and writes in Pensacola, Florida.
His first novel, RAVEN ONE, was published in June 2014 and peaked at #29 in Amazon's sales ranking. The sequel, DECLARED HOSTILE, was published in August, 2016. HIGH DESERT REFLECTIONS is an autobiographical short story of his flying experiences in the American mountain west. FIGHT FIGHT was published in 2018 followed by HIGH END in 2024 to complete the R1 series, In June 2020, his long-awaited Battle of Midway historical fiction novel, THE SILVER WATERFALL, was published going on to win five writing awards. Please follow Kevin on Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kevin...
Raven One
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Declared Hostile
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Fight Fight
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Silver Waterfall
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
High Desert Reflections
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
His first novel, RAVEN ONE, was published in June 2014 and peaked at #29 in Amazon's sales ranking. The sequel, DECLARED HOSTILE, was published in August, 2016. HIGH DESERT REFLECTIONS is an autobiographical short story of his flying experiences in the American mountain west. FIGHT FIGHT was published in 2018 followed by HIGH END in 2024 to complete the R1 series, In June 2020, his long-awaited Battle of Midway historical fiction novel, THE SILVER WATERFALL, was published going on to win five writing awards. Please follow Kevin on Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kevin...
Raven One
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Declared Hostile
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Fight Fight
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Silver Waterfall
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
High Desert Reflections
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
January 18, 2018
In Kevin Miller’s Declared Hostile (Book #2 of Raven One) getting promoted can be fatal.
Does the sequel to the astoundingly excellent Raven One hold up against its predecessor?
The answer is . . . no.
This will be a difficult review for me to write because I adored Raven One and I think author Kevin Miller is a very cool dude. Unfortunately, Declared Hostile, a book which I started in September of 2016, simply didn’t have the addictive nature laced in the text of Raven One. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Raven One and Declared Hostile are Naval Aviation stories. They center on a group of navy fighter pilots, specifically Commander Flip Wilson, and their experiences aboard a naval aircraft carrier Coral Sea.
Where as Raven One sucked you into the tense moments of a night time carrier landing, launching from the flight deck of a carrier, fighting skilled pilots in enemy territory; Declared Hostile switches gears and focuses on the characters and the responsibilities of command. This by itself is not inherently a bad thing. But the tepid plot, underwhelming antagonist, preachy scenes, unfortunate typos, and unnecessary focus on irrelevant characters blow out the engines of what could have been an exciting sequel.
Let’s start with the plot.
The story revolves around a secretive U.S. Naval group conducting black ops to illegally neutralize boats suspected of smuggling drugs into the United States. The drug dealers, feeling pressure from the navy, call one of their generals in Venezuela to provoke the U.S. to draw attention away from their shipments. The plan works a little too well and in response the U.S. goes full ham on attacking Venezuela which doesn’t have a strong enough military to counter the U.S. Navy.
So . . . the U.S. Navy, one of the most powerful navies in the world, is expending its very expensive resources to blow up drug dealers and a country ill equipped to retaliate? Color me unimpressed. The lack of a dangerous antagonist like say Iran, or Russia, or China, makes the good guys (U.S. Navy) seem like the bullies, or in other words, the bad guys. Yes, drugs are bad. But using a 70 million dollar fighter/bomber jet to attack a freighter full of drugs seems like overkill.
Without a worthy adversary, Declared Hostile paints the U.S. Navy and the government in a very negative light (as if we needed more negative publicity). Maybe this is intentional, but still, a weak antagonist does not make for a very interesting book. In fact, I found myself completely underwhelmed and bored whenever the jets would go on sorties to attack Venezuela. Since I knew Venezuela didn’t have the technology or the manpower to fight back, the normally exciting mission sorties became dull.
That’s not to say that Miller didn’t make things exciting. Some pilots were blinded, some jets were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and a few deaths in this book left me completely shocked and in disbelief. I kept saying to myself, “Did (the character) really die? Oh my God.”
Those moments were great. In fact,
the final chapters of Declared Hostile recapture what made Raven One so thrilling.
But Declared Hostile is needlessly long and two hundred pages longer than it needs to be.
The entire front half of the book is forgettable and superficial. There’s an aircraft carrier admiral, Meyerkopf who gets a lot of scene time . A lot of buildup was created around how he wasn’t qualified to lead a carrier group. It was implied through dialogue with the drug dealers, that Meyerkopf would turn traitor after being forced out of his command position by SouthCom. But instead Meyerkopf simply boards a plane and flies off never to be heard of or mentioned again.
What was the point of this character? It bugged me to no end that Meyerkopf had zero effect on the plot and yet was featured heavily throughout the beginning of the book. If his being ousted from command doesn’t create drama, betrayal, tension, or solve a plot point, why have it? There was also intense focus put on “Macho” one of the female aviators in the strike group. This character was grating and annoying and she got way more focus than she deserved. Her constant shtick where she complains about men leering at her and her constant negative attitude really made it difficult for me to empathize with her.
What’s ironic is that the descriptions in the beginning of the book implied a juicy story idling hot on the runway. We’re set up in this beautiful location in the Caribbean with the pilots on shore leave, the fly boys checking out the girls, and we get a sense that paradise is going to burn. Yet, this never happens. Instead the focus is on inner squad bickering, naval women being treated like meat, and Meyerkopf complaining about losing his job.
A quick aside: I don’t mind scenes or themes focusing on how women are not as highly regarded in the navy. But the execution left me wondering why it was included because nothing changed nor did a character change. It’s just there without feeling meaningful. If it’s commentary on the boy’s club environment of the U.S. Navy, it would have been better if our main protagonist Flip Wilson had an opinion on it.
Once the mini war against Venezuela starts the action noticeably picks up but so do the worst flaws of this book. Campy dialogue, a preachy scene with . . . a preacher, and typos which cause more than a little turbulence on this flight.
At some point during this naval aviation book, Miller banks a hard left away from his target and detours into ham-fisted religious bible thumping.
These scenes are further exacerbated by an annoying and frustrating to read Father Dan, who questions Flip Wilson on why he’s in the military. “Do you think you’re doing God’s work by killing drug dealers?” “Do you regret killing men?” “Do you think the Navy is doing God’s work?” And then Flip Wilson (our protagonist) wastes time defending his actions to Father Dan. The man is a pilot who was shot down and being hunted by a hostile militia. Does that strike you as a good time to discuss theology and God’s Will?
Why are we going in this direction? Where did this sudden preachiness (which was non existent in Raven One) come from? Scenes with Father Dan blow out the tires of this aircraft and the awful dialogue makes these scenes drag on forever and ever. If Flip decides Father Dan is right and he chooses to follow in God’s footsteps, guess what? Unless the books are going to become about a Navy Chamberlain holding mass, Flip’s story will come to an unceremonious end.
Here’s an actual quote of dialogue from Macho, the most annoying character in the book. Spoilers: She doesn’t change.
“Because I sinned. And since I can’t make it up to the person I betrayed, I’m trying to make it up to you.”
Because I sinned? Really? Even the staunchest Catholic, Christian, whatever, wouldn’t ever say, “Because I sinned.” I could see, “Because I screwed up. Because I made a mistake. Because I was wrong.”
Using “Because I sinned” and other instances of bad dialogue and cheesy scenes turned Declared Hostile, a naval action thriller, into a sanctimonious dud.
Also, and this may be overly nit-picky but it has to be stated. As I progressed to the end of the book, I encountered more and more typos which ruined the reading experience for me. Unlike Raven One which was a masterpiece and at most had one typo, Declared Hostile is riddled with them. It almost felt as if the editing team was shrunk down and as a result, not as many eyes read the book to catch the various typos littered throughout.
There were also numerous instances of POV switches in the book. Though most of them felt natural, there were more than a few where the POV shift was jarring and left me confused as to whose head we were in.
It pains me to be so harsh on this book, because I truly loved Raven One, but the reason I loved Raven One was not present in this book. First of all, Raven One had an awesome antagonist by the name of Saint. The guy didn’t do much, but when he did something, man you couldn’t help but hate him. Also, the fighter pilots had a formidable foe in Iran and we were introduced to a new fighter craft capable of standing toe to toe with the F-18 Hornet. They weren’t fighting drug dealers, they were fighting a nation.
Ultimately, if this series is to survive another sortie, it needs to go back to what made Raven One so special. It should be a much larger conflict against a super power capable of attacking the mainland, not drug dealers and an ill-equipped country incapable of fighting back. I don’t care about Flip Wilson going over his mission aim points with the Carrier Air Group, and I definitely don’t care about Macho’s hatred against men, nor do I care to be told to ‘believe in a higher power’ when I’m trying to read a book that lets me feel like a fighter pilot undertaking dangerous missions. Not that I don’t believe, but I didn’t pick up the book to read sermons.
Declared Hostile is sadly, a bolter landing, but I have hope that the next book will be able to line up its ILS, get the ball, and make a solid trap.
(Sorry for all the military aviation lingo. I really love military jets.)
A low 3 out of 5 stars.
Does the sequel to the astoundingly excellent Raven One hold up against its predecessor?
The answer is . . . no.
This will be a difficult review for me to write because I adored Raven One and I think author Kevin Miller is a very cool dude. Unfortunately, Declared Hostile, a book which I started in September of 2016, simply didn’t have the addictive nature laced in the text of Raven One. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Raven One and Declared Hostile are Naval Aviation stories. They center on a group of navy fighter pilots, specifically Commander Flip Wilson, and their experiences aboard a naval aircraft carrier Coral Sea.
Where as Raven One sucked you into the tense moments of a night time carrier landing, launching from the flight deck of a carrier, fighting skilled pilots in enemy territory; Declared Hostile switches gears and focuses on the characters and the responsibilities of command. This by itself is not inherently a bad thing. But the tepid plot, underwhelming antagonist, preachy scenes, unfortunate typos, and unnecessary focus on irrelevant characters blow out the engines of what could have been an exciting sequel.
Let’s start with the plot.
The story revolves around a secretive U.S. Naval group conducting black ops to illegally neutralize boats suspected of smuggling drugs into the United States. The drug dealers, feeling pressure from the navy, call one of their generals in Venezuela to provoke the U.S. to draw attention away from their shipments. The plan works a little too well and in response the U.S. goes full ham on attacking Venezuela which doesn’t have a strong enough military to counter the U.S. Navy.
So . . . the U.S. Navy, one of the most powerful navies in the world, is expending its very expensive resources to blow up drug dealers and a country ill equipped to retaliate? Color me unimpressed. The lack of a dangerous antagonist like say Iran, or Russia, or China, makes the good guys (U.S. Navy) seem like the bullies, or in other words, the bad guys. Yes, drugs are bad. But using a 70 million dollar fighter/bomber jet to attack a freighter full of drugs seems like overkill.
Without a worthy adversary, Declared Hostile paints the U.S. Navy and the government in a very negative light (as if we needed more negative publicity). Maybe this is intentional, but still, a weak antagonist does not make for a very interesting book. In fact, I found myself completely underwhelmed and bored whenever the jets would go on sorties to attack Venezuela. Since I knew Venezuela didn’t have the technology or the manpower to fight back, the normally exciting mission sorties became dull.
That’s not to say that Miller didn’t make things exciting. Some pilots were blinded, some jets were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and a few deaths in this book left me completely shocked and in disbelief. I kept saying to myself, “Did (the character) really die? Oh my God.”
Those moments were great. In fact,
the final chapters of Declared Hostile recapture what made Raven One so thrilling.
But Declared Hostile is needlessly long and two hundred pages longer than it needs to be.
The entire front half of the book is forgettable and superficial. There’s an aircraft carrier admiral, Meyerkopf who gets a lot of scene time . A lot of buildup was created around how he wasn’t qualified to lead a carrier group. It was implied through dialogue with the drug dealers, that Meyerkopf would turn traitor after being forced out of his command position by SouthCom. But instead Meyerkopf simply boards a plane and flies off never to be heard of or mentioned again.
What was the point of this character? It bugged me to no end that Meyerkopf had zero effect on the plot and yet was featured heavily throughout the beginning of the book. If his being ousted from command doesn’t create drama, betrayal, tension, or solve a plot point, why have it? There was also intense focus put on “Macho” one of the female aviators in the strike group. This character was grating and annoying and she got way more focus than she deserved. Her constant shtick where she complains about men leering at her and her constant negative attitude really made it difficult for me to empathize with her.
What’s ironic is that the descriptions in the beginning of the book implied a juicy story idling hot on the runway. We’re set up in this beautiful location in the Caribbean with the pilots on shore leave, the fly boys checking out the girls, and we get a sense that paradise is going to burn. Yet, this never happens. Instead the focus is on inner squad bickering, naval women being treated like meat, and Meyerkopf complaining about losing his job.
A quick aside: I don’t mind scenes or themes focusing on how women are not as highly regarded in the navy. But the execution left me wondering why it was included because nothing changed nor did a character change. It’s just there without feeling meaningful. If it’s commentary on the boy’s club environment of the U.S. Navy, it would have been better if our main protagonist Flip Wilson had an opinion on it.
Once the mini war against Venezuela starts the action noticeably picks up but so do the worst flaws of this book. Campy dialogue, a preachy scene with . . . a preacher, and typos which cause more than a little turbulence on this flight.
At some point during this naval aviation book, Miller banks a hard left away from his target and detours into ham-fisted religious bible thumping.
These scenes are further exacerbated by an annoying and frustrating to read Father Dan, who questions Flip Wilson on why he’s in the military. “Do you think you’re doing God’s work by killing drug dealers?” “Do you regret killing men?” “Do you think the Navy is doing God’s work?” And then Flip Wilson (our protagonist) wastes time defending his actions to Father Dan. The man is a pilot who was shot down and being hunted by a hostile militia. Does that strike you as a good time to discuss theology and God’s Will?
Why are we going in this direction? Where did this sudden preachiness (which was non existent in Raven One) come from? Scenes with Father Dan blow out the tires of this aircraft and the awful dialogue makes these scenes drag on forever and ever. If Flip decides Father Dan is right and he chooses to follow in God’s footsteps, guess what? Unless the books are going to become about a Navy Chamberlain holding mass, Flip’s story will come to an unceremonious end.
Here’s an actual quote of dialogue from Macho, the most annoying character in the book. Spoilers: She doesn’t change.
“Because I sinned. And since I can’t make it up to the person I betrayed, I’m trying to make it up to you.”
Because I sinned? Really? Even the staunchest Catholic, Christian, whatever, wouldn’t ever say, “Because I sinned.” I could see, “Because I screwed up. Because I made a mistake. Because I was wrong.”
Using “Because I sinned” and other instances of bad dialogue and cheesy scenes turned Declared Hostile, a naval action thriller, into a sanctimonious dud.
Also, and this may be overly nit-picky but it has to be stated. As I progressed to the end of the book, I encountered more and more typos which ruined the reading experience for me. Unlike Raven One which was a masterpiece and at most had one typo, Declared Hostile is riddled with them. It almost felt as if the editing team was shrunk down and as a result, not as many eyes read the book to catch the various typos littered throughout.
There were also numerous instances of POV switches in the book. Though most of them felt natural, there were more than a few where the POV shift was jarring and left me confused as to whose head we were in.
It pains me to be so harsh on this book, because I truly loved Raven One, but the reason I loved Raven One was not present in this book. First of all, Raven One had an awesome antagonist by the name of Saint. The guy didn’t do much, but when he did something, man you couldn’t help but hate him. Also, the fighter pilots had a formidable foe in Iran and we were introduced to a new fighter craft capable of standing toe to toe with the F-18 Hornet. They weren’t fighting drug dealers, they were fighting a nation.
Ultimately, if this series is to survive another sortie, it needs to go back to what made Raven One so special. It should be a much larger conflict against a super power capable of attacking the mainland, not drug dealers and an ill-equipped country incapable of fighting back. I don’t care about Flip Wilson going over his mission aim points with the Carrier Air Group, and I definitely don’t care about Macho’s hatred against men, nor do I care to be told to ‘believe in a higher power’ when I’m trying to read a book that lets me feel like a fighter pilot undertaking dangerous missions. Not that I don’t believe, but I didn’t pick up the book to read sermons.
Declared Hostile is sadly, a bolter landing, but I have hope that the next book will be able to line up its ILS, get the ball, and make a solid trap.
(Sorry for all the military aviation lingo. I really love military jets.)
A low 3 out of 5 stars.
February 14, 2021
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
An aircraft carrier is doing training exercises in the Caribbean Sea. There are several pages of soap opera including an admiral who may not be all there, a woman trying to get all the guys in trouble, a new beautiful intelligence officer, and other sub-plots.
A secret program is intercepting drug shipments with lethal force.
Then military action in Venezuela.
Not bad, some subplots are not resolved, but the war action isn't bad.
An aircraft carrier is doing training exercises in the Caribbean Sea. There are several pages of soap opera including an admiral who may not be all there, a woman trying to get all the guys in trouble, a new beautiful intelligence officer, and other sub-plots.
A secret program is intercepting drug shipments with lethal force.
Then military action in Venezuela.
Not bad, some subplots are not resolved, but the war action isn't bad.
March 31, 2022
A very enjoyable read. The flight combat has been really well captured which keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and who will make it through. The characters have been well developed and Wilson is great.
I would have given this 5 stars if the side-story about Macho, a pilot with a chip on her shoulder, was dropped, this didn’t really add anything to the story unless she re-appears in future books.
Looking forward to reading the third book in the series!
I would have given this 5 stars if the side-story about Macho, a pilot with a chip on her shoulder, was dropped, this didn’t really add anything to the story unless she re-appears in future books.
Looking forward to reading the third book in the series!
September 18, 2016
Call it three-and-a-half stars. For the first three dozen pages, I feared it would be another David Poyer novel (Dan Lenson series), which became increasingly preachy about women in combat aboard U. S. Navy ships. Turned out to be a better advocate than Poyer for women in the Navy, while recognizing they (especially female Naval Aviators) have enormous powers of accusation. Here, by contrast, the women pilots and spooks who did their jobs without taking every raised eyebrow to Captain's Mast came off well.
There are moments of high drama. Yet, the convoluted and artificial "we got ourself a war" on which the plot turned simply flopped. Even Bill Clinton hammered aspirin factories with Tomahawk missiles; he didn't send dozens of Super Hornets FIRST, in a conflict of limited objectives. America prefers to shoot supersonic pilotless warheads, at 1$ million each, rather than risk an F-18 going low and slow, particularly against hostile aircraft. And although drones are a major plot element of the first third of the book -- and could perform similar functions as Tomahawks, albeit a lot cheaper -- they (unconvincingly) all but disappear once the shooting starts.
There are moments of high drama. Yet, the convoluted and artificial "we got ourself a war" on which the plot turned simply flopped. Even Bill Clinton hammered aspirin factories with Tomahawk missiles; he didn't send dozens of Super Hornets FIRST, in a conflict of limited objectives. America prefers to shoot supersonic pilotless warheads, at 1$ million each, rather than risk an F-18 going low and slow, particularly against hostile aircraft. And although drones are a major plot element of the first third of the book -- and could perform similar functions as Tomahawks, albeit a lot cheaper -- they (unconvincingly) all but disappear once the shooting starts.
December 24, 2022
Excellent follow up to Raven One
Really enjoyed this continuation of the story. Characters keep you interested and wanting to see what happens next. There's a definite sense of realism to the life on board the ship and the various "types" of people you meet in the service. Can't wait to read the next installment.
Really enjoyed this continuation of the story. Characters keep you interested and wanting to see what happens next. There's a definite sense of realism to the life on board the ship and the various "types" of people you meet in the service. Can't wait to read the next installment.
June 3, 2017
Another winner by Miller
Recently read two Flip Wilson novels, by Kevin Miller. They put you in the cockpit during the action, a winner.
Recently read two Flip Wilson novels, by Kevin Miller. They put you in the cockpit during the action, a winner.
January 19, 2019
Great read and awesome series starting the 3rd book right away.
Great series thus far. Lots of detail and finger biting suspense. Real page turner Kevin Miller is a great writer with a knack for military fiction.
Great series thus far. Lots of detail and finger biting suspense. Real page turner Kevin Miller is a great writer with a knack for military fiction.
March 16, 2017
A great novel with good characters and plot. A thrill a minute exploring the contemporary worlds problems, armed services and the conflict with drugs.
Cant wait for another instalment Kevin, hope to enjoy another 'great ride'.
Cheers
Cant wait for another instalment Kevin, hope to enjoy another 'great ride'.
Cheers
January 28, 2018
Great read. Authentic and timely. Full of action. Author is very convincing and the plot is realistic and riviting. Highly recommend it.
March 18, 2022
After first reading Raven One and now having completed Declared Hostile, Kevin Miller continues to be one of my newest favorite authors. In my estimation, no one can beat the realism of his naval aviation stories. When some authors use cryptic military jargon or acronyms, they typically go on to explain what they mean. Kevin Miller might occasionally explain something but most often lets the communication between pilots and the ship just flow with no explanation. That adds to the realism of his stories. Someday I'd like to learn what all that military aviation jargon means. It's really them speaking another language that's fast, precise and purposely cryptic to others. As for this story itself, it's great. While Russia or the middle east are usually favorite targets, drug runners and Venezuela are the foes in this story. And just like in Raven One, personality conflicts between shipmates is a large part of the Declared Hostile story. I look forward to reading more from Kevin Miller.
March 30, 2019
I enjoyed Raven One, so I was excited when book 2 of the series came out. It was not disappointing.
Kevin Miller draws on his personal experience to bring a true to life novel of life on an aircraft carrier and with the pilots of a combat air wing.
We follow the routine aspects of daily flights to keep the pilots skills honed and then follow them into real action as the U.S. goes to battle against Drug runners and the government of Venezuela. That along with some aggressive moves by the Russians and an uprising in Cuba near Guantanamo Bay add to the suspense.
Also following the story of some of the first female fighter pilots adds to the thrill of the read.
I don't want to give much away, so I will just end by saying the true life action drama of pilots and their shipmates will keep you wanting more as you work through the dangers, thrills, love and loss that they experience.
Enjoy!
Kevin Miller draws on his personal experience to bring a true to life novel of life on an aircraft carrier and with the pilots of a combat air wing.
We follow the routine aspects of daily flights to keep the pilots skills honed and then follow them into real action as the U.S. goes to battle against Drug runners and the government of Venezuela. That along with some aggressive moves by the Russians and an uprising in Cuba near Guantanamo Bay add to the suspense.
Also following the story of some of the first female fighter pilots adds to the thrill of the read.
I don't want to give much away, so I will just end by saying the true life action drama of pilots and their shipmates will keep you wanting more as you work through the dangers, thrills, love and loss that they experience.
Enjoy!
January 28, 2019
A KM Military Flight Action Thriller/The South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico
KM. has. penned a Military Flight Action Thriller about the high speed boats used by drug smugglers off the Southeastern seaboards. In the 60's and 70's the drug smugglers used small single or twin engine aircraft!. After an FBI. helicopter was shot down the law enforcement teams switched to armored helicopters. Then the smugglers began to use the high speed boats and would begin their runs from the nOrth side of Great Abaco. They would head for fishing trawlers inbound with their catch of the day and drop the drugs into the water. When the USA. Decided to escalate their activities the real drug wars started. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
KM. has. penned a Military Flight Action Thriller about the high speed boats used by drug smugglers off the Southeastern seaboards. In the 60's and 70's the drug smugglers used small single or twin engine aircraft!. After an FBI. helicopter was shot down the law enforcement teams switched to armored helicopters. Then the smugglers began to use the high speed boats and would begin their runs from the nOrth side of Great Abaco. They would head for fishing trawlers inbound with their catch of the day and drop the drugs into the water. When the USA. Decided to escalate their activities the real drug wars started. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
July 31, 2018
Another outstanding naval aviation novel
Really enjoyed this second instalment of the Raven series. More story, more characters, more action. My only gripe is it took a long time for the first cat launch but there was plenty of action to come. The complex strike package sequences are particularly interesting and give a great insight to the complexities of planning and executing a long range carrier borne strike with an integrated, multi role team. The flexibility and real time problem solving required of a modern fighter pilot is evident in many scenes especially the final sequence. Bring on the next one!
Really enjoyed this second instalment of the Raven series. More story, more characters, more action. My only gripe is it took a long time for the first cat launch but there was plenty of action to come. The complex strike package sequences are particularly interesting and give a great insight to the complexities of planning and executing a long range carrier borne strike with an integrated, multi role team. The flexibility and real time problem solving required of a modern fighter pilot is evident in many scenes especially the final sequence. Bring on the next one!
June 11, 2021
Just wrong.
Raven One put tension in a landing- this sequel goes overboard and blows up the Caribbean.
Good people die, for no reason.
But it really annoys me that the aviators follow illegal orders and attack a country with no warning - Venezuels Pearl Harbour moment.
Wilson rightly agonized over Weeds mission, justifiably retaliated for the attack on Trench - then just went ahead to please some Trump like clown in Washington.
Annie tried to give reason - just trust in command - but that does not wash.
Then Wilson & priest try to convert each other, while Shane's story is never satisfactorily concluded.
I'll still read the next.
Raven One put tension in a landing- this sequel goes overboard and blows up the Caribbean.
Good people die, for no reason.
But it really annoys me that the aviators follow illegal orders and attack a country with no warning - Venezuels Pearl Harbour moment.
Wilson rightly agonized over Weeds mission, justifiably retaliated for the attack on Trench - then just went ahead to please some Trump like clown in Washington.
Annie tried to give reason - just trust in command - but that does not wash.
Then Wilson & priest try to convert each other, while Shane's story is never satisfactorily concluded.
I'll still read the next.
September 21, 2023
Enjoyable read with good characters and plot. There were some defects in the book--the narrator had not done his research and mispronounced some geography. Shane's story is not concluded--just hanging. The interaction of the flag and general officers was true to form but how could a sub driver wind up as a Carrier Group Commander? The action was heart pounding and interesting, but if you don't like aviation, you won't get it as it's highly technical. Author addressed some hot button national issues, namely about undeclared raid-type military action, which was more prevalent during his Navy career. Looking for R3.
December 3, 2023
If you’ve read Raven One, then you must read Declared Hostile. It’s Kevin Miller’s second novel in the series, and a story every bit as exciting and filled with real life characters as his first book. Kevin’s ability to place the reader inside the cockpit of supersonic fighter jets, alongside characters who we not only know and respect but actually share their fears and the myriad of split second decisions they are forced to make, creates some of the most compelling fiction I’ve ever read. And not since Neville Shute have I met aviators who I truly care about as much as the pilots in Mr. Miller’s novels. This guy can really write.
November 7, 2019
Very Good Reading!
I very much liked this Book #2 of the Raven series, its writing and its plots. The action in Book #1 seemed a bit more believable, though.
That being said, the choice of enemies is dubious, and it’s mostly unbelievable for the extent to which the enemies ‘worked’ for a common goal.
The author’s choices were a bit weak for who lives, who dies, and the honor some believe at some times, not others ...
I very much liked this Book #2 of the Raven series, its writing and its plots. The action in Book #1 seemed a bit more believable, though.
That being said, the choice of enemies is dubious, and it’s mostly unbelievable for the extent to which the enemies ‘worked’ for a common goal.
The author’s choices were a bit weak for who lives, who dies, and the honor some believe at some times, not others ...
January 11, 2025
Awesome book
I've read war book before but the detail and heart of this book is extraordinary. I'm a Christian and God was there in this book, working miracles. He was ultimately in control and the book finished with forgiveness. I would recommend this book and it's message to anyone who is searching for truth and reality. Also the bravery and dedication of our military who are under orders from Washington. May they not be taken for granted for their sacrifice.
I've read war book before but the detail and heart of this book is extraordinary. I'm a Christian and God was there in this book, working miracles. He was ultimately in control and the book finished with forgiveness. I would recommend this book and it's message to anyone who is searching for truth and reality. Also the bravery and dedication of our military who are under orders from Washington. May they not be taken for granted for their sacrifice.
January 27, 2025
Close to the mark…
I flew F-16’s for the Air Force in Desert Storm and the A-10 in Iraqi Freedom. I did 30+ years with my family in tow. Much of what was expressed in the flying and fighting might be lost to the laymen but thank you for capturing the complexities and unknowns of command. But most of all, thank-you for trying to tell a little bit about our families what they are left to endure because of our military service…which includes them!
I flew F-16’s for the Air Force in Desert Storm and the A-10 in Iraqi Freedom. I did 30+ years with my family in tow. Much of what was expressed in the flying and fighting might be lost to the laymen but thank you for capturing the complexities and unknowns of command. But most of all, thank-you for trying to tell a little bit about our families what they are left to endure because of our military service…which includes them!
August 6, 2025
Coming from a Navy family myself, father USNA’52 Submarine Service, uncles, aunts, cousins I thoroughly enjoy Capt Miller’s books. I particularly appreciate his descriptions of family life for the spouses, sons and daughters who also ‘serve’. We too gave/give much so the active duty members can give their all and go to sea or on any deployment knowing that we are always there for them and love them from afar while they do the necessary work and sacrifice for the security of the nation. Go Navy!
April 9, 2019
Great read
A tad too technical at times leaving us black shoe sailors in the dark. Good human story. It is not politically correct which is true about most veterans. One question, how could a sub driver wind up as a Carrier Group Commander. I thought that the CO, XO and Flag all had wings.
A tad too technical at times leaving us black shoe sailors in the dark. Good human story. It is not politically correct which is true about most veterans. One question, how could a sub driver wind up as a Carrier Group Commander. I thought that the CO, XO and Flag all had wings.
February 7, 2020
Another great naval aviation story by Kevin Miller
This second part of the Flip Wilson series has a lot of personal stories, but the naval aviation action set in an uncommon but likely place (Caribbean) is priceless. There’s multiple air raids, SAR missions and so much more... this is way better than TopGun the Hollywood movie!
This second part of the Flip Wilson series has a lot of personal stories, but the naval aviation action set in an uncommon but likely place (Caribbean) is priceless. There’s multiple air raids, SAR missions and so much more... this is way better than TopGun the Hollywood movie!
January 10, 2021
Kevin Miller reminds of mega-best-seller Bernard Cornwell in his ability to thrust the reader into the nonstop chaos of combat. That comparison might seem odd, since their stories are set in different centuries, but it’s what came to mind as soon as I finished Declared Hostile, a book that offers not only action and surprises, but some interesting observations about gender integration in combat units.
August 24, 2021
Narco-Incited Limited War
The descriptions of aerial flight and combat operations is superb! It draws the reader right into the action. The narrative of the military mindset and ways of communicating has spot on. The story is super interesting and could have been taken from recent headlines. Highly recommended.
The descriptions of aerial flight and combat operations is superb! It draws the reader right into the action. The narrative of the military mindset and ways of communicating has spot on. The story is super interesting and could have been taken from recent headlines. Highly recommended.
November 13, 2021
stunningly realistic
Captain Miller writes with an incredible grasp of the technology, politics and action of a USN carrier and the politics that drive human interaction/relationships. Additionally, his grasp of the relationship with higher command is spot on.
As a retired defense industry engineer and executive I can vouch for the realism of this set of books.
Captain Miller writes with an incredible grasp of the technology, politics and action of a USN carrier and the politics that drive human interaction/relationships. Additionally, his grasp of the relationship with higher command is spot on.
As a retired defense industry engineer and executive I can vouch for the realism of this set of books.
June 16, 2022
Wordy
There was a little too much repeated “wording in flight preparation” for missions & flight like the the author believed the reader would forget between chapters. However, it was hard to stop reading because of the multi-plots unwinding at the same time - draws the reader into each plot !!
Good read.
There was a little too much repeated “wording in flight preparation” for missions & flight like the the author believed the reader would forget between chapters. However, it was hard to stop reading because of the multi-plots unwinding at the same time - draws the reader into each plot !!
Good read.
January 7, 2018
Great, but..
I would have given this a five for the action, technical details, the scenarios, but there was a stretch of typos that had me tripping all over myself.... Ugh, don't people hire proofreaders any more?
I would have given this a five for the action, technical details, the scenarios, but there was a stretch of typos that had me tripping all over myself.... Ugh, don't people hire proofreaders any more?
February 20, 2018
This is a good read. I won this book on Goodreads . I normally do not read action books, but this was an exception for me. Recommend this more to guys than us ladies, but it did hold my interest and enjoyed the change of genre.
March 26, 2019
A great read !
Fantastic seat of the pants action with loads of jargon- loved it.
Didn’t care much for the ‘battle of the sexes’ aspects of the story but that’s just a minor point - deffo 5 stars !!
Fantastic seat of the pants action with loads of jargon- loved it.
Didn’t care much for the ‘battle of the sexes’ aspects of the story but that’s just a minor point - deffo 5 stars !!
January 1, 2020
Great book
Kevin Miller writes well, develops his characters and builds the plot to volcanic eruption action level. Very real and full of life which includes sadness, happiness and everything in between. Highly recommend his books.
Kevin Miller writes well, develops his characters and builds the plot to volcanic eruption action level. Very real and full of life which includes sadness, happiness and everything in between. Highly recommend his books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews