Task Force Blue

March 4, 1996
Literature imitates steak tartare in these latest adventures (after Rogue Warrior: Green Team) of ex-Navy SEAL Dick Marcinko and his handpicked band of operatives. Here, the author has his fictional alter-ego and his underlings combat domestic terrorism--on an airline and at an oil rig, among other colorful locations. Marcinko the character also has a half-million-dollar bounty put on his head by an evil billionaire. Although the first-person narrative bristles with seemingly authentic military detail, readers are assured that "operational details have been altered so as not to betray current SpecWar techniques." Marcinko is less demure about his politics, taking to task politicians, the international arms trade and sloppy security precautions as he pumps for a highly trained and patriotic standing military. The author is running into some problems keeping the series fresh. The thin plot isn't sufficiently obscured by spilled blood and hand-to-hand fighting tips, and Marcinko's insider's voice, while still cocky, is beginning to explain details covered in earlier volumes. But those who enjoy tough tales about men whose purpose is "to annihilate, destroy, obliterate, kill, maim and terminate" will enjoy chewing on this.