Honor Bound (W.E.B Griffin) Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Honor Bound Books
Honor Bound | (1994) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Blood and Honor | (1996) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Secret Honor | (2000) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Death and Honor | (2008) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
The Honor of Spies | (2009) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Victory and Honor | (2011) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Empire and Honor | (2012) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Honor Bound is a World War II thriller by the critically acclaimed author, W.E.B Griffin. The last three books in the series were co-authored by Griffin’s son, William E. Butterworth. The setting in this series is Argentina. Honor Bound mainly deals with the Nazi Party’s internal struggles during the World War II era. The author has based the events in this book partly on real historical events.
Honor Bound
In this installment, we are introduced to one Cletus Frade who has just returned from a flying excursion on crashlands and Guiadalcanal. After recovering fully, Cletus is informed that he had not only been awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross but also he was being sent home to participate in a war bonds tour. Nonetheless, as he arrives in the US, Cletus is approached by Colonel Graham who is keen on recruiting him into the OSS. Cletus mission is to pose as an employer for one of the leading distributors, Howell Petroleum. Cletus and his team mission is to sink a German replenishment ship, Reine de la Mar which was posing as a neutral.
Furthermore, Cletus is expected to reestablish contact with his long lost father, who is currently among the most powerful men in Argentina. Frade’s father is also the leader of an impending coup which is keen on overthrowing the sitting government in a military coup. Apart from Frade’s father, there are also other two influential party members i.e. David Hettinger and Tony Pelosi. David Hetinger is informed that the German Nazi’s are ransoming the Jews who live in concentration camps and are also accepting money from their families so that they can guarantee a safe passage of the Jews out of Argentina.
The author, W.E.B Griffin, introduces a young pilot, Hans-Peter who has just been selected to transport the remains of Captain Alejandro back home to Argentina. As Hans Peter was planning to escort Alejandro’s remains back home, a neutral plane is shot down. Shooting down a neutral plane is against the rules guarding neutral observation. Hans Peter’s father who is a general in the army staff, reveals that he together with a team of other officers have been tasked with the task of removing Adolf Hitler from power. Thus, he sends his son with lots of money so that he can take it back to Argentina.
The relation between Cletus Frade and his host is a little bit strained. Their strained relationship takes a worse turn when Enrico Mallin’s daughter shows a liking for Cletus. Eventually Cletus manages to meet his father, who explains to him why he had to be abandoned when he was a baby. Cletus grandfather ensured that his father was denied entry into the country.
Blood and Honor
Blood and Honor is the second book in the series and it begins as Cletus is staying at his grandfather’s house while on leave. One day, Cletus is contacted by one Colonel Graham who informs him that his dad had been assassinated. However, Cletus does not return to Argentina as an attaché but instead he assumes a story that he has been discharged from the Marine Corps so that he can claim his inheritance. Upon returning to Argentina, Cletus learns that, Dorea, Mallin’s daughter is pregnant. As he returns to Argentina, the army officers who are allied to Colonel Frade are afraid since their leader has been assassinated. They in turn contact his son Frade, who gives them the operations order known as Esquema Azul. As the story continues, Cletus finds himself facing two exceedingly difficult tasks.
He is not only expected to penetrate a second OSS group but he is also supposed to fly a Lockhead Lodestar from Brazil to Argentina. The only challenge is that he has never flown this kind of plane before. Peter luckily stumbles upon the Nazi’s ransoming operation and thus he is able to confirm that it truly exists. Upon investigating further, Ettinger is assassinated, thus making Wachstein as the only source of information. Peter is eventually able to establish that the money collected is part of an operation, Operation Phoenix, which was mainly established to hide the high-ranking Nazi officials in South Africa.
Furthermore, he is also able to establish that the officers who had access to these funds were using it for personal gains. Angered by this, Peter informs Cletus of the location where the second shipment containing the cash was supposed to stop. Thus, Cletus sends two officers to document the drop and then send the video back to him. However, upon arriving, one of the officers recognizes two officers who were responsible for shooting Cletus father and his sister. The coup is executed as planned and the sitting government is successfully overthrown. Arturo Rawson is selected as the new president.
Secret Honor
The Nazis have decided to look into the assassination of their operatives who were posted in Argentina. From the look of things it appears as if there is a double agent who works at the German embassy. Peter together with a few others are singled out and sent back to Germany. Upon reaching Germany, Peter is reunited with his father and childhood friend, Claus. Peter is once again sent back to Germany where he learns that Alicia is pregnant. Once he lands in Argetina, Karl one of the officers appointed to look into the issue, informs Peter that he has already discovered the person who was leaking out the intel. Thus, he directs Peter to crash his plane, thereby sparing his dad the suspicion and his possible death. Cletus and Dorotea eventually get married.
Death and Honor
Peter reveals to Clade that Boltitz has now joined them and that the head of Abwehir, Canaris has now confirmed his dislike for the Nazi’s. Cletus informs Colonel Graham that he would like to meet him in person in Argentina using the Army Air corps, a surplus airplane. Donovan is hopeful that the airline’s assets are going to be available for the OSS. Cletus on the other hand is suspicious that the president has been trying to pressurize the Pan American Airways. As one of the most successful airlines, Pan American Airways has monopolized the South American travel trade. With that said, this is an excellent read which will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Book Series In Order » Characters »