Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have read and in many cases reread 28 W.E.B. Griffin novels. I've grown accustomed to his usually marvelous blending of historical fact and pure fiction, tight plots, believable characters, powerful narrative: thrillers in every sense of the word. Thus I am saddened to report that "The Saboteurs" possesses none of the qualities listed above. It is, in fact, boring. Griffin has excelled at running several stories at once in his various military series. Such simultaneity helped push breath and life into his characters. In "The Saboteurs," co-authored with his son, William E. Butterworth IV, there are only three primary plot lines and each of them fails. There is the Major Richard Canidy, an unbelievable hotshot OSS operative who is supposed to rescue atomic scientists from various parts of Europe. Gone is the vitality of earlier Griffin military characters. Instead Canidy isn't even a cartoon character. The authors apparently kept running into brick walls, so they used a simple plot device when they lacked a bridge: Canidy goes to the bathroom. Eight times, by my count, within 130 pages. (I stopped counting.) Perhaps there is a hidden message here: Canidy has an overactive bladder; he drinks too many diuretics. Whatever, his visits serve no purpose and are, to put it mildly, puzzling. Trying to add historical color, Canidy becomes involved with the 1940s Mafia with a backstory about J. Edgar Hoover. Here, Griffin makes a major error when he claims that Hoover made his reputation battling "mobsters" in the 1920s and 30s. Not so. Hoover wouldn't even admit to the existence of the organized crime (the "Mafia") until the late 1950s. Rather, Hoover went after bankrobbers like John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde, who had no connection with organized crime. This kind of mistake is unthinkable for the Griffin of yesterday. None of the characters have the memorability of those in earlier works. Another backstory is the infiltration of German saboteurs into the United States. This plot line never quite makes it. The Germans are feckless. Griffin never brings this story to the point of interesting the reader: you know that one way or another the Germans will be captured or killed. No suspense there. Much of this novel is given over to describing the decor of various locales (i.e., the pattern of the wallpaper in Canidy's hotel room); pouring coffee, wine and Griffin's trademark single malt Famous Grouse scotch. These devices in moderation served Griffin well in earlier novels, but here they are excessive, boring and add nothing to the story. In Griffin's earlier novels, there was always a sense of danger: some of his characters put themselves in harm's way and didn't return or suffered substantial injury. In "Saboteurs", there is no apprehension for any of the characters: the story is so slim that you know no harm will come to them, lest the book end abruptly in too few pages. It pains me to be so negative about a W.E.B. Griffin war story. As noted, I've enjoyed 28 of his works. But "The Saboteurs" is worlds removed from Griffin's work. The dedicated fan might want to pass it by to avoid disappointment. Those unfamiliar with Griffin would be well advised to start with his earlier works: they will keep you entertained for years. Jerry