Product Description

From Oliver North, bestselling author, combat-decorated military hero, and devoted patriot, comes a blisteringly authentic novel of duty, treason, corrupted truth, and stolen honor -- a breathtaking adventure ripped from today's headlines.

Major Peter Newman, U.S.M.C., has always answered his country's call -- but now he’s being asked to prove his loyalty as never before. Named as head of the White House Special Projects Office, Newman is given an assignment that is essential to his nation's future: to hunt down and eliminate the world's most dangerous terrorists before they can unleash terrifying weapons of mass destruction on the U.S. Only a handful of the Washington elite know of his covert mission, and undertaking it will place Peter Newman in the center of a raging maelstrom of intrigue, revenge, lies, and ultimate betrayal, pitting one man against devastating forces that could destroy everything he holds dear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #427333 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-01
• Released on: 2003-08-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 656 pages

From Publishers Weekly
It's hard to figure out just what North has in mind here: a little payback, perhaps, for some of the controversial ex-Marine's treatment by the Beltway establishment? A Christian tract disguised as a topical thriller? An attempt to use every single governmental abbreviation-from AmCits (American citizens) to WHDB (White House Data Base)-in one book? This giant novel (the first in a projected series of three) fits every one of those criteria, and also has a plot so convoluted that a snake might get motion sickness and characters so thin they make Tom Clancy look like Jane Austen. After flashbacks to three sets of killings in 1986, the narrative skips to 1994, when a career Marine Corps officer, Maj. Peter Newman, arrives at the Clinton White House to head a special projects office that hasn't been manned since another Marine-Oliver North-was booted out in 1987. "Look, if you think I'm going to accept a job only to go down in flames like he did, you'd better think again. I'll resign my commission first," Newman growls. But the major, who lost a younger brother in the military disaster at Mogadishu recounted in Black Hawk Down, takes the job when he realizes it will let him go after the warlords (including a rich Saudi called Osama bin Laden) responsible for that debacle. In a preface dated December 14, 2001, Fox News reporter North writes from aboard a U.S. warship with troops bound for Afghanistan, thanking coauthor Musser for his "gift for words" that "has made my military phraseology comprehensible to civilians." Perhaps those thanks were premature.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
North's debut thriller, the first of a three-novel series, is set in the mid-1990s and revolves around Maj. Peter J. Newman, a U.S. Marine assigned to a top-secret National Security Council staff position at the White House. (Guess whose old job and office Newman occupies.) Newman is ordered to coordinate a covert operation to eliminate a group of international law breakers including Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. When the mission is compromised, Newman and his personnel are left hanging, and a series of events unfolds exposing God's hand in Newman's life. While there will be strong demand from North's legion of fans and where T. Davis Bunn is popular, this novel is an irritating act of hubris. By having his character conveniently discover evidence that proves North acted with the full authority of the White House in the Iran-Contra scandal, the author uses fiction to clear his muddied name and get his version of the truth out to the public.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"... Tom Clancy-esque tale in which the hero is a fast-rising Marine officer on temporary assignment to the White House." -- From the New York Times 8/27/02 article:

"An exciting, solid, action-packed adventure about a Marine who, like the author, knows the meaning of Semper Fidelis." -- Joe Foss, Brig. Gen. USMC (Ret.), WW II Ace and Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient

"absorbing scenario combining recent events & fiction so seamlessly as to leave readers wondering where the line between them lies." -- CBA Marketplace review -- October 2002

"…a sly thriller about terrorism. The talk shows will be queuing up for this one." -- James Brady, Parade magazine, author of "Warning of War"

Customer Reviews

Minor Speed Bumps Can't Stop This Thriller!
After reading the Publishers Weekly review I was uncertain about diving into a book of over 600 pages. Nevertheless, the sharp-looking cover and intriguing liner notes sucked me into the story...and, boy, am I glad!

Despite a few minor speed bumps, "Mission Compromised" is a fast-paced military thriller. We follow the mission of a Marine, Peter Newman, as he coordinates secretive, UN-appointed teams for quick response in global hotspots. He is particularly motivated to see one team become successful in its assignment to assassinate Aidid, the man responsible for the Mogadishu disaster as documented in "Black Hawk Down." Newman's brother was a victim of the massacre, and Newman wants revenge. He also wants to repair his failing marriage, but has few tools to do so. As the story progresses, other factors--Russian, Iraqi, and American--come into focus and threaten Newman's teams, not to mention his very existence.

"Mission Compromised" is a solid thriller. The scope of the characters and plot never equals the scope of a Tom Clancy novel, but the global ramifications of the story do. To call the plot 'convoluted' is to claim amateur status as a reader of espionage novels. With Joe Musser's co-writing, North communicates clearly and effectively, though never oversimplifying the entanglements of any government operation. North's intimate knowledge of his subject matter adds to the breathlessness of the book, particularly in the last third. Sure, the ponderous military parlance might seem overwhelming, but it also underlines the veracity of the story as a whole.

As for speed bumps? Sections of the story do become evangelistic, but they are tame and far from overwhelming. Characters are believable, but never deeply studied. In fact, the book reads most often with the dispassionate delivery of a nonfiction account; when it does dip into emotionalism, it does so subtly--and managed to catch me off-guard on two separate occasions.

My main question upon completing the last page: Where does fiction end and reality begin? Scary stuff. Maybe I'd be safer not knowing.

Excellent Read.
Who is better qualified to write a novel about covert missions overseas? Colonel North does an awesome job of explaining military procedure in terms that a civi like me can understand.

The premise of the book circles around covert mission involving the elite British & U.S. Special forces. Their mission: to eliminate terrorists and Saddam Hussein. Their obstacles, besides being killed, corrupt U.N. officials and politicians.

This is also an excellent Christian novel. Colonel North does a realistic job of explaining how a few of the central characters come to know Christ.

If your looking for a novel of full of suspense, action, military missions , and a strong Christian message.... this is the book for you.

Great show Ollie! Look forward to your next work of fiction.

Move Over, Tom Clancy
Ollie North has written a tremendous book, packed with excitement, human interest, a detailed knowledge of the way things work at "the top," and a deep Christian faith. He and Joe Musser combine these elements into a thriller that keeps you up at night. Moreover, the characters are believable and they grow and develop throughout the book, which is pretty unusual in thrillers of this genre. Mission Compromised is an eerie blend of fact and fiction, leaving the reader unsure which is which. Well done all around.