Final Flight (Jake Grafton Series Book 3)

Felt like I was there, lots of background in ship and airwing life. I flew as a Naval Flight Officer (right seater) off carriers in Navy EA3B Douglas Skywarrior an Elint passive reconnaissance platform in the Med and Vietnam in 60s to 80s. The author does a great job of describing some of the tough decisions a CO and Crew face. Naval Pilots are the best to be able to do the Mental work and skills to land an aircraft at night safely after the Stress of combat and often confining Rules of Engagement. I salute our men and women who serve to protect our Freedom. Best to them and their families who love and support them.

Love this series. Really love this ordinary yet exceptional American hero and can't stop reading these books. Mr. Coonts has given us a Navy pilot with special instincts and talents yet just your everyday low key American service man who continues to do the right thing over and over. Thankfully Jake Grafton has the talent and intelligence to pull off what others only wish they could. I enjoyed the books progression and felt the buildup and man, that ending. My heart was pounding and of course after I read the last paragraph I immediately downloaded the next book.....and so it continues. Can't wait.

Read this decades ago. Brings you aboard a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the bosun's pipe in your ears. Excellent and authentic detail, from the organized bedlam of the flight deck to the air-conditioned spaces of CATCC, Strike, and the Combat Information Center to the shore leaves in chaotic Naples. Written during the era of Lebanon, Libya and the Sixth Fleet's hunting exercises in the Mediterranean.Coonts never really wrote like this again. His take on what it was really like on board a carrier, from the cockpit of an F-14 to the rarified air of flag quarters is the backbone of this thriller. No magic airplanes, no science-fiction weapons. Just the salt air, the steam leaking out of the catapult track, and a thousand other details of a supercarrier and its crew. Palpable storyline and a very satisfying climax. Welcome aboard.

Tom Clancy-like novel about Arabs trying to steal nukes from an aircraft carrier. Like Clancy, Coonts lovingly describes military hardware and operations in excessively close-up detail. The characters are less sharply defined. Novel takes too long to get started—at least half of it is setup—but after that the action is exciting enough.

This book was great, and the plot steadily built along the way. I stayed up late several evenings so that I could read one more chapter! I enjoyed it more than the previous books in the series since it focused more on the story and less on the technical details of how all the aircraft and equipment works.

The 4 star rating is specific to the adventure/thriller genre. Coonts is the iheritor of the Tom Clancy crow for making you feel like you are really there. He knows his aircraft carriers so thoroughly and describes living in one so well that you can practically feel the steel on your skin as his characters walk the hallways. You get a feel for the kind of comeraderie that is natural to people living in tight quarters, trusting their lives to the good work of their shipmates and dealing with intense workloads and billion dollar responsibilities. As usual with this genre, the characters are this and their motivations are thin, which makes both the heroes and the villians less compelling.

I loved this novel. I have read most of Mr. Coonts works, but had missed this one. It is a great culmination of the early portion of the hero's early life with plenty of to keep the pages turning. This particularly novel combines the necessary military elements, well researched and explained, and combines them with the difficulties of an aging warrior and the struggle to remain relevant. Highly Recommended. Be sure to read this and then The Minotaur, which answers many questions raised in Final Flight and also a great novel.

A throwback to his days as a naval aviator, this sequel to his first novel, "Flight of the Intruder" is a must read for the fan of Jake Grafton. Written almost 20 years ago, it was final time to catch up to a copy and read it, which I did and found it very worthwhile and pleasurable experience. Like other early novel of Coonts, forget the romantic involvement, it is truly limited, but the reader learned more about the inner thoughts and the mind of the central character for his subsequent works of fiction. Very good character development and worth the reader's time to find the book and sit down for a truly great "flight".

So far I have found all the Jake Grafton books to be a good read, and this one does not disappoint. What I like about this book is not just the storyline, but the detail that he goes into in respect of the workings of a super carrier.You don't need to read this series of books from the beginning to pick up the characters background stories. The book is well paced, easy enough to follow along and not too many characters to try and keep track of. Plenty of technical stuff to keep a readers interest and explained in layman's terms so you can follow along.If you have read Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October and enjoyed the detail of the inner workings of a submarine, you are likely to enjoy this book. The Kindle price for this is currently 95p so it is a bargain to be had.

I cannot comment or this book, without considering the two books before it, they are awesome. A must read for all Stephen Coonts fans, Jake grafton, his early years. From the non stop action in the skies of Vietnam as well as life on board a carrier in combat (Flight of the Intruder), to a year(almost) in the life of a pilot on a carrier, cruising the seas, (The Intruders) through to the intense techno-thriller thriller (Final Flight). These three book, should be classed as a trillogy, with five star tagged onto it. Trully awesome.

Another excellent story by Stephen Coots. Captain Jake Grafton is the Air Wong Commander on an American aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. Little does he know that Muslim extremists are plotting to steel nuclear weapons from the ship. The plot intermingles with descriptions of aircraft flying from the carrier and life on board. Highly recommended.

Fab bold print, just what my dad needs to be able to carry on reading , quick and fast delivery. Would/will use this company again

A good story until ruined by the last few chapters.Far from reality is the idea of any terrorist getting past American security on any navy spip in port.Secondly any middle east terrorist leaving as many bodies around would have had at least four or five different security outfits on his tail within a few days,the russians would most surely have executed him in the period the book covers,they were desperate tokeep the scene quiet to avoid any more of their "moles"being uncovered..