Trial by Fire

Scott Dixon #3

by Harold Coyle

Thirteen army officers, fed up with decades of corruption and bungling under the ruling Revolutionary Party, have decapitated the Mexican government with one well-placed presidential plane crash. The Council of Thirteen, as they call themselves, speedily and rather brutally set about carving the rot from the Mexican political and governmental structure. The poor and the middle class love the new cleanliness; the druglords and the paid-for police hate it. The US, caught once again without useful intelligence, fails to understand the nature of the revolution and falls victim to manipulation by the druglords, who create chaos with terrorist acts on the border. The only American who seems to have the faintest idea of what's going on is TV reporter Jan Fields, whose good fortune has placed her in Mexico City at the time of the coup. As Fields's reports air, her lover, Lt. Col. Scott Dixon, heads with his troops for southern Texas, unhappily aware that he is about to take part in a war that can bring only pain and embarrassment to his country. Among his troops is Lt. Nancy Kozak, the Army's first female combat officer, who is about to find out what men have long known: war is extremely confusing and thoroughly interesting.

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Thriller, War, Action, Historical Fiction, Mystery

448 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 1992

About the author

Harold Coyle is an American author of historical, speculative fiction and war novels including Team Yankee, a New York Times best-seller.He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1974 and spent seventeen years on active duty with the U.S. Army.He lives in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Reviews

[Mark Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time the fighting is taking place on the Mexico US border. In addition to the fighting, the story also revolves around the US Army getting its first female Infantry officer.

Not a bad book he does at times tend to drag out stuff that does not really have much to do with the story, the depiction of a minor parade that characters are watching can drag on for several paragraphs.

[Bob Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coyle is an excellent author with a good knowledge of military. His story lines are intriguing and, while fictional, are not only credible, but very possible.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cartel leader initiates war between Mexico and the United States following a coup in Mexico. National pride on both sides plays a major factor in the conflict. Coyle has done an excellent story set in South Texas and Northern Mexico.

[Ann Amadori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good ending but a long time getting there.

[Nate Hendrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure I read this a longbtimevago but I wasn't sure. Coyle is reliably entertaining. The right amount to intrigue to action. I've enjoyed almost everything he has written.

[Dennis P Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry's book

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in 1992 great read

[Michael Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Older book, good for its time

[Guillaume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moins bon que mon souvenir, après, j'ai sans doute lu trop de coyle à la suite.

[Mandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Raymond Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is both a product of it's time and, unfortunately, somewhat relevant in today's political landscape. Specifically, every single person (in this book and in real life) who has advocated for U.S. military action in Mexico, uniformly, does not understand the history, context, and culture of Mexico. Any actual attempt by the US to militarily influence its neighbors would be a disaster.

I think this is one of the better Harold Coyle novels since it actually has a valuable message that still resonates today. We'd all be better learning a bit more about our neighbors. I'd give this book 4 stars for that BUT (and this is a large but/content warning: racism) the book has a number of completely unnecessary slurs (usually from a single completely unneeded minor character) that pop up and are off-putting. Is it realistic? Maybe. Is it a product of the time? Probably, but it still limited my enjoyment.

[Mont'ster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard to "pigeon-hole" as far as recommendations are concerned. I could easily recommend this to several different groups. Those that come to mind are (in no particular order):
1)Harold Coyle or Tom Clancy fans
2)Anyone interested in political novels
3)Anyone interested in US/Mexico relations
4)Fans of "Alternate reality" books

You can put me in those last two categories but; mainly, I read this because the story revolves around the question "What would happen if the USA and Mexico went to war today?". I have family in Mexico, and I was curious to see what conclusions the author would draw. Other than the "What If..?" aspect of it, this is not the type of novel that I normally read. Despite that, I found the plot to be engaging and it was, overall, a good read. If I could, I'd give it 3 1/2 stars.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different kind of war. Not the typical A vs B. Interesting take.

I enjoyed reading about Nancy Kozak, the first female infantry officer. That had some interesting explorations.

Despite the above interesting bits, it was like mos war books. And the ending was a little too neat for my tastes.

[Mike Emett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, kinda scary if you grew up near the border and you actually knew a thing or 2 about Mexico and drug lords and such. This had good potential... but the ending... could have been better. a lil more suspense, action, political intrigue and consequences and that jazz.. just felt a bit rushed. Good, but not as good as previous novels like Team Yankee.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold War mania! Riding the wave of military techno-thrillers that underscored the post Reagan world.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about America getting into a war with Mexico. It is written quite well with personalized details about battles, etc. I thought it was really good.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book - a what if on Mexican/US war. Good alternate history.

[Ben Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent. The book over simplifies some of the problems- most notably with the female infantry officer. Overall a fun read, but the ending is both abrupt and not believable.

[Jim Moffett · Rating 5 out of 5]

03-01

[Gwendolyn]

If you are interested in military plans and the execution of them it is a good book. Also a viewpoint of 2 countries and a drug business at war is interesting. More than one way of looking at things

[John Burnham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it was a faced paced, exciting story, I had a problem with the improbability of a war between the U.S.A. and Mexico.

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern day retelling of the Pancho Villa punitive expedition. Sort of. Harold has amazingly accurate military descriptions, but that is a mixed bag as it can make it really dry.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good actions scenes but gets a little too wordy sometimes. The author will spend an entire page explaining some detail of military life that doesn't contribute anything to the story.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the Scott Dixon story line...After a military coup in Mexico, the "narcos" launch attacks in an effort to have the US intervene & get rid of the anti-corruption military junta, ala Poncho Villa just before WWI...the US takes the bait & Dixon and the US military are involved in border skirmishes...Good Read!