The Advocate : A Novel of World War II

Rating:
Summary: Two Heads are Better than One!
Review: I usually avoid "co-written" books like the plague. But this book intrigued me enough to give it a go. It is a sleeper of a book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys WWII fiction. The characters are believable, the authors get the tone and feel of the times right. You pick up little nuances like calling a Rolls Royce a Rollers. I chuckled at the prospect of Harry Voss fighting the intractable gear shift of a jeep and the MP sargent finally offering to park it for him. This stuff rings true. The story itself is well crafted and has enough surprises to keep you interested. It is not a hell bent action story and may leave some readers who are used to that type of story unsatisfied. The military details are right, I kept seeing scenes of 12 O'Clock High running through my mind. It was enjoyable to see a rumpled, overweight main character in contrast to so many super heroes that are now the norm. If you are looking for a different take on WWII air combat and a military legal mystery rolled together, this is it.

Rating:
Summary: What Am I Missing?
Review: Sometimes I think I'm living in a Twilight Zone World. Here are all these raves for The Advocate, and I think: "I must have read another book!" This WWII "thriller" contains No Characters (only physical types); no suspense (We are shown a situation at the beginning that appears clear on the surface, but... underneath... is EXACTLY as it seems); No surprises (see previous entry); and offers the "astonishing" plot twist that says high ranking officers in the military may be driven by ulterior motives. WHAT A SWITCH! As for the WWII setting, it is just that, a setting. Mentioning brand, and other, names and slipping in historical references, does NOT "evoke" a period. And THE NARRATOR!? What possible reason exists for his belated, meaningless, and pointless role that couldn't be served by simple third person???? Like I say, I must have read a different book from the one being hyped. Ya' think?

Rating:
Summary: Abysmal
Review: The story really went nowhere as other reviewers have noted.

But what annoyed me most was the historical inaccuracies. For these novels to work you need to get the details right and here the authors conspicuously failed. A few instances:
- There is no institution known as the "Royal Army" - constantly referred to
- The Royal Air Force does not have captains, they have their own ranks, just as the navy does
- Ireland was independent at the time of WW2 (well, most of it) and sufficiently so to send a message of condolence to the German Embassy upon Herr Hitler's death

I don't know enough about aircraft to know whether they of the details right but based on the above I have little confidence. Tom Clancy can't write either, but he doesn't take himself as seriously as these two obviously do and he does get the details right.