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Frederick E. Smith
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A Killing for the Hawks Paperback – August 14, 2018

by Frederick E. Smith (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 66 ratings
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Spring 1917, the Western Front...

When Norman McConnell, a young and eager American joins 55a Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps in Flanders, he is immediately captivated by the charm of his commanding officer, John Seymour — the handsome, aristocratic and brilliant flyer whose ever-increasing bag of enemy aircraft is fast making him the toast of the RFC.

Then McConnell falls in love with Helen, Seymour’s wife, and finds another, darker side to his hero’s character — a man who glories in killing and who wants women to scream out in pain as he makes love to them...

Now, as McConnell manoeuvres his SE5 Scout against the murderous Albatroses of Richthofen’s circus, he finds himself involved in another, more deadly game of cat and mouse...

A Killing for the Hawks won the Mark Twain Literary Award.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    276 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    August 14, 2018
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    172570143X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1725701434
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 14, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 172570143X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1725701434
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 66 ratings

About the author

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Frederick E. Smith

Frederick E. Smith

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Frederick E. Smith (1919-2012) joined the R.A.F. in 1939 as a wireless operator/air gunner and commenced service in early 1940, serving in Britain, Africa and finally the Far East. At the end of the war he married and worked for several years in South Africa before returning to England to fulfill his life-long ambition to write. Two years later, his first play was produced and his first novel published. Since then, he wrote over forty novels, about eighty short stories and two plays. Two novels, "633 Squadron" and "The Devil Doll", were made into films and one, "A Killing for the Hawks", won the Mark Twain Literary Award.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
66 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

HJH
5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Told Tale of the WWI Air War
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
I am a fan of books about the war in the air in WWI. There is a desperation and daring to the men who went up in flimsy, deadly machines to battle in the air. In my opinion, no one can match Derek Robinson's WWI air war novels, such as Goshawk Squadron or War Story, for his mix of humor and pathos.

Still, Frederick Smith's A Killing For The Hawks does an excellent job of creating, and fleshing out characters you come to care about, and he combines that with a well-rounded novel which has plenty of gripping aerial combat, along with some romance, and an encapsulated view of the effects of the war on the home front. It had the right level of authentic detail, and it held my interest and lingered in my mind. It beats anything on the subject, other than Derek Robinson, and I recommend it without reservation.
One person found this helpful
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Marc Racine
5.0 out of 5 stars High octane realistic yarn
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2016
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High octane, historically accurate book, one of the best WW1 books I have read - I have over 200 WW1 books.
One person found this helpful
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Emmanuel ben Gerar
5.0 out of 5 stars A Killing for the Hawks Review
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2015
I first read "A Killing for the Hawks" in the summer of 1969 after it was first published in 1966. Being a World War 1 air warfare buff and a Viet-Nam Veteran, I found that the novel had captured the wartime atmosphere of excitement, suspense, romance and nostalgia. The author, Mr. Smith had done excellent research and accurately described the aircraft, pilots, mechanics and airfields of that era in time. Even though it is a work of war fiction, the thrill of being in the cockpit during the first "War in the Air" was so spellbinding to my imagination that I could not put this book down! If the reader does not relate nor care about World War 1 air operations then they are wasting their time. This work is for the World War 1 scholars and interested fans who will enjoy it as much as I did when I first read it as I was about to enlist in the U.S. Air Force during the Viet-Nam War. It is a fitting tribute for the 100th anniversary of the First World War.
One person found this helpful
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izstew
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best WW1 Flying Novels
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015
As per the previous review there is a romance element but this is also a brilliant flying book. Smith was in the RAF in WW2 and understands war flying and the stresses and strains. He captures the experience of WW1 flying very believably and I rate it as one of the top WW1 flying novels, along with "Blue Max" and "Fate is the Hunter". The fact that it has an interesting story, unlike say "Winged Victory", is an added plus.
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Tom
3.0 out of 5 stars A Killing for the Hawks
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 1999
This center of this story, unlike most war storys, is not about war. " A killing for the Hawks" is almost a romance novel. The story is about Norman McConell, the son of a British couple, who joins the the RFC(Royal Flying Corps) in The First World War. He is assigned to a unit, that has the a British Flying Ace , John Seymour. Along with other characters, like Bush the downtrodden working class man, McConell serves many hours over the front. He also builds up respect for the aristocractic Ace. This respect changes after McConell, accedentally has an affair with Seymour's wife. She confesses that Seymour is a horrible sadist, explaining his extreme pleasure for killing men in areial combat. Seymour finds out about his wife's betrayal and, as he tells her, has a plan to get back at McConell. The books becomes increasingly intense, and it's ending, is totally unpredictable.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

George Todman
5.0 out of 5 stars Ended too abruptly
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2020
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Disappointed in the ending
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Robert Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Very exciting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2019
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Good book
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