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Presidential Agent #6
The Outlaws
The former Presidential Agent’s Office of Organizational Analysis has been disbanded. Charley Castillo and his colleagues have retired, and the sudden death of the President has brought an adversarial Commander-in-Chief into the Oval Office... But just because Castillo is out of the government doesn’t mean he’s out of business. He still has the skills and the manpower to do what others can’t or won’t do. And his first job is a real killer. A barrel filled with some nightmarishly lethal biohazard material has been shipped to an Army medical lab—material that Castillo and his men were supposed to have destroyed on a mission. Clearly, the message is that more of the deadly material remains. But who has it? And what do they want? With lives at stake—including his own—Castillo knows that he’s not going to like the answers one damn bit...
656 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2010
407 people are currently reading
1097 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Griffin
351 books1,298 followersW.E.B. Griffin was one of several pseudonyms for William E. Butterworth III.
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
July 3, 2021
The Outlaws by W.E.B. Griffin is book number six about Charley Castillo and his merry band of misfits. This one deals with some new proplems, due to a deal with the former president now deceased that they should dispand the OOA they don't really know what to do. The new president has some issues with all the different organisations and their leaders which he inherited. Also someone sent samples of Congo X, the deadly substance supposedly destroyed in the bombing of the factory in Congo appears on American soil, but by whom and why? this book is not so much action as it's mainly about the political bickering between organisations and the new president. I find that part rather humorous. I agree with some of the other reviews that it can be boring with the repeating of backstories in Griffins books but if it's a problem skip reading those parts. I have a bigger issue with the fact that he has trouble remember facts. For example is the Madsen sub machine gun Danish or Swedish. He does this in all his series with different facts, but it is still great fun reading. I have through the years tried to mentioned such mistakes to various authors and they have never liked it.
August 30, 2013
There should be no doubt that W.E.B. Griffin creates an interesting storyline, a deep background for his characters (especially Carlos Castillo, the hero of this series) and a whole bunch of political manuevering.
While making for interesting reading, at times the author leaves the reader's head spinning and asking simply "huh?"
This time around, the basic plot was one that I had a hard time buying. The Russians want their defectors back, but the ploy they use to get what they want is ridiculous and absurd. I'd tell you why I think so, but don't really want to offer any real spoilers here.
As the novel opens, everyone is looking for Castillo, who was ordered at the end of book # 5 to disband his organization and drop off the face of the earth. Somehow, Castillo catches wind of the Russian activity and figures out the when and where and then takes action, seeking to embarrass in the intelligence community.
One thing Griffin does well is to bring new readers up to date on what went on the previous five novels. However, just because he does it in an interesting manner doesn't justify the estimated fifty or so pages he spends telling the action of books # 1-5.
The thing that this novel is lacking is action. When Griffin finally gets to the actual action, he wraps it up in a few pages, leaving the reader disappointed that it was so brief. I'll defend him a bit by saying that probably is a lot like real life operations.. a lot of time planning, setting up the logistics, dealing with political fallout, enlisting assistance, etc. followed by a quick 1-2-3 operation, if all goes well. But it doesn't necessarily make for the best reading.
I was glad to see that Griffin only felt the need to employ the dog (Max) marking his territory on the nose gear to the same great extent that we saw in previous novels. He threw it in, but I can only recall it happening twice instead of the dozens of times.
Griffin also manages to overdo the description of various alcohol products, some rare and a special treat to those imbibing, and others simply beloved by one character or another. It is amazing to me that there are no characters who have chosen to abstain.. This wouldn't be so bad except Griffin feels he needs to go into details about how some of this alcohol is made, aged, or served. At one point he spends nearly a full page describing the serving of a particularly expensive Whiskey and how it is served formally by a waiter on a special tray, etc.
Amazingly, Castillo has a super-charisma about him. Even those who hate him are won over to his way of thinking by the end of the novel. At times it is patently absurd.
Still, this series makes for good reading, even if it is rather pulpy. At times, Griffin's writing manages to reveal some of the inner workings of the intelligence community while at others he is obviously making stuff up. Castillo and his team are a modern day version of Doc Savage and his friends, each with their own backstory and specialty, with none of them really ever outshining Castillo. Castillo is not superhuman unless you count his charismatic charm, but he makes a good leader.
The romance between Castillo and "Sweaty" is the place where Griffin crosses the line between reality and fiction. I hope in some future installment we learn that it isn't love between them, but that she, a Russian defector, is only using her charms to stay close to him and glean information, etc. The romance is just too convenient and makes no sense to me. I've never been to spy school, but I bet one of the first things that they teach is something about agents not being James Bond and being smart enough not to be baited by sexual attraction into what is often called a "honey trap"
If I find these things so ridiculous why do I keep reading this series. Despite its flaws it is page-turning, interesting material. I find it fairly easy to suspend my disbelief while I am reading the stuff, but cannot sustain that suspension when I have placed the book down. I still want to know what happens to the characters, etc. even if the plot has more holes that a slice of Swiss Cheese and even if some of the relationships are about as cheesy as that same slice of Swiss Cheese.
to sum up.. Griffin can write a flawed novel, stuff it with long passages of catch-up material, add a cheesy romance, take forever to get to the action, and still make the reader come back for more. I don't know his secret, but I hope when I finish my first novel it has some of that same magic, because I know my writing will contain some of the same flaws.
While making for interesting reading, at times the author leaves the reader's head spinning and asking simply "huh?"
This time around, the basic plot was one that I had a hard time buying. The Russians want their defectors back, but the ploy they use to get what they want is ridiculous and absurd. I'd tell you why I think so, but don't really want to offer any real spoilers here.
As the novel opens, everyone is looking for Castillo, who was ordered at the end of book # 5 to disband his organization and drop off the face of the earth. Somehow, Castillo catches wind of the Russian activity and figures out the when and where and then takes action, seeking to embarrass in the intelligence community.
One thing Griffin does well is to bring new readers up to date on what went on the previous five novels. However, just because he does it in an interesting manner doesn't justify the estimated fifty or so pages he spends telling the action of books # 1-5.
The thing that this novel is lacking is action. When Griffin finally gets to the actual action, he wraps it up in a few pages, leaving the reader disappointed that it was so brief. I'll defend him a bit by saying that probably is a lot like real life operations.. a lot of time planning, setting up the logistics, dealing with political fallout, enlisting assistance, etc. followed by a quick 1-2-3 operation, if all goes well. But it doesn't necessarily make for the best reading.
I was glad to see that Griffin only felt the need to employ the dog (Max) marking his territory on the nose gear to the same great extent that we saw in previous novels. He threw it in, but I can only recall it happening twice instead of the dozens of times.
Griffin also manages to overdo the description of various alcohol products, some rare and a special treat to those imbibing, and others simply beloved by one character or another. It is amazing to me that there are no characters who have chosen to abstain.. This wouldn't be so bad except Griffin feels he needs to go into details about how some of this alcohol is made, aged, or served. At one point he spends nearly a full page describing the serving of a particularly expensive Whiskey and how it is served formally by a waiter on a special tray, etc.
Amazingly, Castillo has a super-charisma about him. Even those who hate him are won over to his way of thinking by the end of the novel. At times it is patently absurd.
Still, this series makes for good reading, even if it is rather pulpy. At times, Griffin's writing manages to reveal some of the inner workings of the intelligence community while at others he is obviously making stuff up. Castillo and his team are a modern day version of Doc Savage and his friends, each with their own backstory and specialty, with none of them really ever outshining Castillo. Castillo is not superhuman unless you count his charismatic charm, but he makes a good leader.
The romance between Castillo and "Sweaty" is the place where Griffin crosses the line between reality and fiction. I hope in some future installment we learn that it isn't love between them, but that she, a Russian defector, is only using her charms to stay close to him and glean information, etc. The romance is just too convenient and makes no sense to me. I've never been to spy school, but I bet one of the first things that they teach is something about agents not being James Bond and being smart enough not to be baited by sexual attraction into what is often called a "honey trap"
If I find these things so ridiculous why do I keep reading this series. Despite its flaws it is page-turning, interesting material. I find it fairly easy to suspend my disbelief while I am reading the stuff, but cannot sustain that suspension when I have placed the book down. I still want to know what happens to the characters, etc. even if the plot has more holes that a slice of Swiss Cheese and even if some of the relationships are about as cheesy as that same slice of Swiss Cheese.
to sum up.. Griffin can write a flawed novel, stuff it with long passages of catch-up material, add a cheesy romance, take forever to get to the action, and still make the reader come back for more. I don't know his secret, but I hope when I finish my first novel it has some of that same magic, because I know my writing will contain some of the same flaws.
January 3, 2018
Not very good.
The Butterworths often get the titles wrong. In about half of this book they refer to someone as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In fact, the title is Director of Central Intelligence. Period. And there is no need to spell out Russian titles we can't understand anyway. Why not call someone a lieutenant colonel instead of the full Russian title? On top of that, there's the incorrect use of German titles (this happened in earlier books, too). Once you have called someone Johann von und zu Brandenburg, you don't have to repeat it all. Brandenburg is enough. But if you are paid by the word?
The ever popular Lt Col (retired) Castillo is back, a petulant, spoiled baby who in real life would have often suffered the indignity of being beaten up by his peers for being a jerk, and with some good coaching might have survived a brief tour in the military. Lt. Col (retired) Castillo is the protagonist, while the newly elected President is his nemesis and is one of the many antagonists. The President is also a petulant child who in behavior is so similar to Lt Col (retired) Castillo that you wonder how either of them made it of Middle School alive?
In general the characters are all like this, of course deferring to Lt Col (retired) Castillo for some unknown reason. Perhaps he has elaborate hissy fits when he is with them and they can't bear to upset him? Perhaps they are afraid of exposure on "Wolf News" yes ladies and gentlemen Wolf News, the fount of wisdom amongst a sea of Liberal news entities. Mr Griffin has our characters commit treason, well because they can, they know best. One tiny bright light in this, he does not use Muslim Terrorists as the villains, the villains are {Spoiler} the dreaded Russians!
Also, does Griffin have some sort of contract with his publisher that he has to provide a summary of the entire book series to date, in each successive book? For crying out loud, the first half of the book is a drive down memory lane, summarizing the entire book series to date!! I suppose the publisher feels that if Griffin does this, each book can sell on its own and won't require a reader to start with the opening book in the series (thus more copies of the latest book sell)? Whatever the reason, it really is quite frustrating. This is not a thick book to begin with, and half of the book is a summary of all the other books. The actual plot and storyline of this book doesn't even kick in until the mid-point. I noticed in the previous two books Griffin included A LOT of storyline and character review, and this book takes it to a new level. Griffin isn't writing anymore, Butterworth is...and half of his writing is nothing more than the cliff notes version of all the other books...yawn, yawn, yawn....
Third, I wanted to comment briefly on character development. What is Butterworth doing? If you want to take me into a suspended state of disbelief...coax me in with convincing characters! Pevsner is supposed to be some sort of quasi-royal, iconic, powerful, ruthless figure! Why does everyone on Castillo's team clown him like he's a walking dart board? Sure, friends poke at each other...I get that. It's part of the machismo camaraderie thing. Fine. But Butterworth spends so much time mocking Pevsner in this book that the reader loses all respect for the powerful ruthless nature that is supposed to be his persona. Instead, he's just another loser with some money who can't stand up for himself...it makes the story much less convincing. Sorry...
The Butterworths often get the titles wrong. In about half of this book they refer to someone as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In fact, the title is Director of Central Intelligence. Period. And there is no need to spell out Russian titles we can't understand anyway. Why not call someone a lieutenant colonel instead of the full Russian title? On top of that, there's the incorrect use of German titles (this happened in earlier books, too). Once you have called someone Johann von und zu Brandenburg, you don't have to repeat it all. Brandenburg is enough. But if you are paid by the word?
The ever popular Lt Col (retired) Castillo is back, a petulant, spoiled baby who in real life would have often suffered the indignity of being beaten up by his peers for being a jerk, and with some good coaching might have survived a brief tour in the military. Lt. Col (retired) Castillo is the protagonist, while the newly elected President is his nemesis and is one of the many antagonists. The President is also a petulant child who in behavior is so similar to Lt Col (retired) Castillo that you wonder how either of them made it of Middle School alive?
In general the characters are all like this, of course deferring to Lt Col (retired) Castillo for some unknown reason. Perhaps he has elaborate hissy fits when he is with them and they can't bear to upset him? Perhaps they are afraid of exposure on "Wolf News" yes ladies and gentlemen Wolf News, the fount of wisdom amongst a sea of Liberal news entities. Mr Griffin has our characters commit treason, well because they can, they know best. One tiny bright light in this, he does not use Muslim Terrorists as the villains, the villains are {Spoiler} the dreaded Russians!
Also, does Griffin have some sort of contract with his publisher that he has to provide a summary of the entire book series to date, in each successive book? For crying out loud, the first half of the book is a drive down memory lane, summarizing the entire book series to date!! I suppose the publisher feels that if Griffin does this, each book can sell on its own and won't require a reader to start with the opening book in the series (thus more copies of the latest book sell)? Whatever the reason, it really is quite frustrating. This is not a thick book to begin with, and half of the book is a summary of all the other books. The actual plot and storyline of this book doesn't even kick in until the mid-point. I noticed in the previous two books Griffin included A LOT of storyline and character review, and this book takes it to a new level. Griffin isn't writing anymore, Butterworth is...and half of his writing is nothing more than the cliff notes version of all the other books...yawn, yawn, yawn....
Third, I wanted to comment briefly on character development. What is Butterworth doing? If you want to take me into a suspended state of disbelief...coax me in with convincing characters! Pevsner is supposed to be some sort of quasi-royal, iconic, powerful, ruthless figure! Why does everyone on Castillo's team clown him like he's a walking dart board? Sure, friends poke at each other...I get that. It's part of the machismo camaraderie thing. Fine. But Butterworth spends so much time mocking Pevsner in this book that the reader loses all respect for the powerful ruthless nature that is supposed to be his persona. Instead, he's just another loser with some money who can't stand up for himself...it makes the story much less convincing. Sorry...
January 9, 2011
Griffin's Presidential Agent series has been hit or miss with no room in between. Unfortunately for The Outlaws, it falls to the bottom of the 'miss' category. I felt obligated to read The Outlaws out of respect for a couple of the earlier Agent books that were excellent. I now consider that obligation fulfilled and don't plan to continue with any future Agent books. The Outlaws should have been a 40 page final chapter to Black Ops instead of a 400 page novel. Spread out, I'd wager that at least a third of the book is spent retelling past events. There is so much spy/political maneuvering going on that Outlaws cannot be considered an action thriller anymore. It's been reduced to a le Carre story, but without the mesmerizing prose and plot. And when Griffin finally gets to the climax, it's over before it starts. The Outlaws should be avoided by all.
June 28, 2017
First time listening to a W.E.B. Griffin book and wasn't sure I would like it but I ended up liking it. The plot was easy to follow and it took a few turns that kept my interest. It was a bit predictable but in the end the good guys win and I like that the majority of the time.
December 3, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, the 6th in the series. The characters, dialogue and plot, are well developed and very entertaining.
December 1, 2015
Where to begin on review of yet another story that would have been advisable to listen to the abridged version on audio CD? Let's begin at the beginning with a change in narrator that was noticable with the first sentence . . . . this was definitely NOT Dick Hill, who narrated the first 5 stories in the Presidential Agent series. Then Mr Jonathan Davis, who picked up narration duties here, apparently did not validate name pronunciation on the previous stories as there were two names pronounced entirely different, and one character who he couldn't come to a decision on how to pronounce the name, so it came out 3 different ways! Enough about the narrator as I looked ahead to story 7 and 8 to see that the author and publisher came to their senses and brought back Mr Dick Hill (YEAH)!! On to the story--which is Presidential Agent #6. This book was on 15 audio CDs and quite honestly the Presidential Agent (aka Charlie Castillo) was noticably absent in about 65% of the story. I would say the last 3 disks were where Castillo was present all of the time. Way too much fluff, with a poor narrator, would normally lead to a 1 out of 5 star rating on the Goodreads scale; however, one of the main antagonists in the first 5 stories has a major change in attitude and comes through in the end. He knocked another character in this story down a few pegs (which was well deserved) and brought a smile to my face at the conclusion of this "adventure", raising my rating to 3 out of 10 (2 out of 5 on Goodreads scale).
**UPDATE** Upon further researching this title, there are apparently 2 versions on Audio CD, so if you are interested in listening, be sure to get the Dick Hill version! If the story weren't so long, I may listen again to Dick's narration to see if I feel it is better!
**UPDATE** Upon further researching this title, there are apparently 2 versions on Audio CD, so if you are interested in listening, be sure to get the Dick Hill version! If the story weren't so long, I may listen again to Dick's narration to see if I feel it is better!
January 31, 2014
This series has been very entertaining. I read this book out of order since I inadvertently read (or rather listened to) the next book in the series and, while listening, realized that there had to have been another book in between it and the last book I'd listened to. That didn't spoil my enjoyment of either book although it would have been better to have read them in sequence. The only thing I found disconcerting is peculiar to audiobooks: there was a different reader. The reader of this book did a good job, but it was a bit strange to hear such different voices for characters I had become familiar with.
I'm not going to go into the plot too much. As I've said in my reviews of other books in this series, the character of Charlie Castillo bears a strong resemblance to Oliver North. He and his "merry band of outlaws" go way out on a limb in this one and drag other more serious-minded folks along with them. The U.S. President, formerly Vice President but now president because of the sudden death of his predecessor, is an argument for choosing vice presidential candidates as carefully as presidential candidates. He makes other recent presidents of both parties look really good, which is saying something. It is quite a funny book. I could do without the loving descriptions of alcoholic drinks and the careful detail of weapons, but I realize this is a series written with men in mind.
I'm not going to go into the plot too much. As I've said in my reviews of other books in this series, the character of Charlie Castillo bears a strong resemblance to Oliver North. He and his "merry band of outlaws" go way out on a limb in this one and drag other more serious-minded folks along with them. The U.S. President, formerly Vice President but now president because of the sudden death of his predecessor, is an argument for choosing vice presidential candidates as carefully as presidential candidates. He makes other recent presidents of both parties look really good, which is saying something. It is quite a funny book. I could do without the loving descriptions of alcoholic drinks and the careful detail of weapons, but I realize this is a series written with men in mind.
December 16, 2018
This is the 6th book in the series. I would read the series back to back to understand the plot and characters.
If you want to read what the story is about, please read the blurb above the reviews.
This is the follow on from the last book in the series. The hero's group, at the end of the last book, found a highly poisonous substance and destroyed the rest. Or so they thought. Now new batches have appeared and our hero and his group have to figure things out.
However, now our hero also has a girlfriend and her family to deal with as well. I was hoping I would get use to the girlfriend, but after the second book with her in it, she just annoys me more. The hero is so blinded he can't see anything but her. *gagging sound inserted here*
Then you have the President who disbands our hero's department. However, it just makes it look good? Oh come on... if they were as concerned as they are, they would have been keeping an eye on them. Especially with the girlfriend, and her family, being on the other team until recently.
The plot is good, if I take out all the lovey dovey crap (which is a huge thing as I usually love the lovey dovey crap) and then change the girlfriend a bit, then it would be a great book. However, the hero is not McGyver and knows everything. However, the author wants us to believe this.
Not. going. to. happen. I'll finish the series because I want to see (and hoping) the plot keep going and the story line going back to where it started at.
If you want to read what the story is about, please read the blurb above the reviews.
This is the follow on from the last book in the series. The hero's group, at the end of the last book, found a highly poisonous substance and destroyed the rest. Or so they thought. Now new batches have appeared and our hero and his group have to figure things out.
However, now our hero also has a girlfriend and her family to deal with as well. I was hoping I would get use to the girlfriend, but after the second book with her in it, she just annoys me more. The hero is so blinded he can't see anything but her. *gagging sound inserted here*
Then you have the President who disbands our hero's department. However, it just makes it look good? Oh come on... if they were as concerned as they are, they would have been keeping an eye on them. Especially with the girlfriend, and her family, being on the other team until recently.
The plot is good, if I take out all the lovey dovey crap (which is a huge thing as I usually love the lovey dovey crap) and then change the girlfriend a bit, then it would be a great book. However, the hero is not McGyver and knows everything. However, the author wants us to believe this.
Not. going. to. happen. I'll finish the series because I want to see (and hoping) the plot keep going and the story line going back to where it started at.
February 25, 2017
I couldn't finish this. Just a bunch of people sitting around having conversations that were nothing but recaps of what happened previously in the series.
August 3, 2011
I listened to this on CD while commiting. 15 CDs! I only gave it 2 stars because it was too much talk and not enough action. The story, except for about 2 chapters, was mostly told characters describing what happened in previous chapters. Very annoying way to stall the plot, and disappointing because there was a good farfetched story there about the Russians using a secret bioweapon to blackmail the U.S. into returning a pair of Russian spies/defectors. Farfetched in that why would the Russians risk WW3 to get back 2 defectors, no matter how highly placed, esp. when the defectors aren't even cooperating with the U.S. Government? The real heart of the plot developed in the last 2 CDs in which members of the military and intel agencies have to decide if they will be loyal to the Prez, who is an a-hole, or loyal to their friends/do what's right for the country. That was the real conflict in the story and it only got 2 out of 15 CDs' treatment. That's why the 2 stars. Hope the next book in the series picks up the tempo and the writer(s) do away with the talk summaries. Message to the Butterworths: We don't have Alzheimers and can remember what happened earlier in the book!
September 9, 2016
Audio book good narration gives the second star
Unlike fellow reader Tim Wolf's review, this book just did not deliver. The book is advertised to be an action military thriller; it's none of that. There is the kernel of a good story, left over from the preceding book but it gets lost by the constant retelling of the past.
For me it is serial reader, which I am one, exploitation. I would recommend this book to someone who wants experience the first five books without reading them; because this book did was to sum up the series.
Reviews, if properly thought about, begin with what we personally bring to the book and our capacity to analyze. I enjoy the reviews of many, Tim's highly included, even though we have different responses. Somethings change, but I will always be that person who got his Chem degree with a slide-rule. That fact that you read this means we have a lot in common, we like to read and are very curious about what's out there. Magandang Buhay!
Unlike fellow reader Tim Wolf's review, this book just did not deliver. The book is advertised to be an action military thriller; it's none of that. There is the kernel of a good story, left over from the preceding book but it gets lost by the constant retelling of the past.
For me it is serial reader, which I am one, exploitation. I would recommend this book to someone who wants experience the first five books without reading them; because this book did was to sum up the series.
Reviews, if properly thought about, begin with what we personally bring to the book and our capacity to analyze. I enjoy the reviews of many, Tim's highly included, even though we have different responses. Somethings change, but I will always be that person who got his Chem degree with a slide-rule. That fact that you read this means we have a lot in common, we like to read and are very curious about what's out there. Magandang Buhay!
June 30, 2016
Hated it! I've been reading this series in order. Each successive book has spent increasingly more time retelling the stories of the previous books in this series. With this book, I've had enough. Mr. Griffin wastes my time by retelling the past adventures of the characters, in much more detail than what's needed to tell his new story. I doubt that anyone who is reading this book as their first book in this series would find the retelling of these past adventures interesting and informative either. And, Castillo has become such a cheesy protagonist, that I can hardly stand to hear another one of his sophomoric thoughts. I'm halfway through this book, and I'm quitting. I simply cannot stand another page of it.
November 2, 2024
First off, I could have done without the way too many pages spent rehashing old events that had taken place in previous books. Otherwise another fine novel of Charley Castillo and his merry band of outlaws.
In between the last book and this one, the former president, the one who had Castillo and company acting as an off book group who did his bidding, died suddenly. Leaving an idiot who thinks he's brilliant and has anger issues now the sitting president.
In between the last book and this one, the former president, the one who had Castillo and company acting as an off book group who did his bidding, died suddenly. Leaving an idiot who thinks he's brilliant and has anger issues now the sitting president.
January 8, 2011
This is a typical W.E.B. Griffin novel, fun to read but like a Law & Order or Perry Mason episode it has a formula to it and the end is never really in doubt but its a quick easy read.
February 9, 2013
Wow! There are some incredible scenes written in this novel. If you like action, you should love this story that is more political than military. 10 of 10 stars
January 14, 2022
I generally avoid political thrillers written by "conservatives." Simplistic stories where the bad guys are always evil Muslims and evil Liberals and evil Ghetto Blacks irritate me. But I've been a fan of W.E.B. Griffin's novels for years--though I prefer his series The Corps. I like adventure, and I have always been fascinated by his portrayal of life in the military and intelligence communities. His more recent books, written with his son, I often find to be entertaining, fun reads, even though from time to time he insists on getting in his digs at taxes, Big Government, Liberals and anyone else who is not a gun-toting "patriot." News flash: as recent events have shown, not everyone who waves a gun and hugs an American flag cares about democracy. And without taxes, his military heroes wouldn't have all those high-tech toys to play with. Freedom isn't free. Quit whining about taxes.
To Griffin's credit, his African-American characters are not stereotypes and have important roles. But he has a curious need to tell you in great detail exactly HOW BLACK the skin of each of his black characters is. In what way is that relevant to the story?
I enjoyed this book, even though it follows Griffin's well-worn formula: A group of military/intelligence insiders feel free to bend and even break the rules whenever it suits them, because they and they alone know what is best for America. Endless conversations about events that happened in the past, frequent drinking and eating sessions while "planning" hair-raising covert operations that often cross the boundaries of legality.
But Charlie Castillo is a fascinating character with an interesting ethnic background. His friends are people most of us would want to hang out with. Still, his romance with "Sweaty" and all the infantile banter that accompanies it is beginning to get on my nerves. Castillo has super-double-Top-Secret clearance, but nobody around him thinks it odd that his lover is a former Russian agent? Would a relationship like that be accepted in the real world of US intelligence?
Overall this book was predictable, but fun enough to keep me interested until the end, and I will read others in the series.
Mr. Griffin passed away in 2019. What I would love to see from his son and writing partner, William E. Butterworth IV, is a novel on the growing presence and threat of white supremacy groups in the US military.
To Griffin's credit, his African-American characters are not stereotypes and have important roles. But he has a curious need to tell you in great detail exactly HOW BLACK the skin of each of his black characters is. In what way is that relevant to the story?
I enjoyed this book, even though it follows Griffin's well-worn formula: A group of military/intelligence insiders feel free to bend and even break the rules whenever it suits them, because they and they alone know what is best for America. Endless conversations about events that happened in the past, frequent drinking and eating sessions while "planning" hair-raising covert operations that often cross the boundaries of legality.
But Charlie Castillo is a fascinating character with an interesting ethnic background. His friends are people most of us would want to hang out with. Still, his romance with "Sweaty" and all the infantile banter that accompanies it is beginning to get on my nerves. Castillo has super-double-Top-Secret clearance, but nobody around him thinks it odd that his lover is a former Russian agent? Would a relationship like that be accepted in the real world of US intelligence?
Overall this book was predictable, but fun enough to keep me interested until the end, and I will read others in the series.
Mr. Griffin passed away in 2019. What I would love to see from his son and writing partner, William E. Butterworth IV, is a novel on the growing presence and threat of white supremacy groups in the US military.
January 19, 2024
Zzzzzzz My word this book is dull and very annoying. On one hand I’m glad Dick Hill is no longer narrating - he always sounds like he’s got a mouth full of cotton. On the other hand, I’m not a fan of the new guy either. He isn’t pronouncing several of the names the same as Hill was, nor is he giving some characters a similar accent. As a listener the inconsistency is annoying.
As for the story, it’s like watching paint dry. It’s just chapter after chapter of banal mundane useless conversations or information. Svetlana is supposed to have been a fairly high ranking Russian agent who, 20 seconds after meeting Castillo, is running around like a total bimbo while incongruently spouting religious stuff. Oh and she’s ok with the nickname “Sweaty”. As if!! Her brother also a high ranking Russian agent, sounded totally American in Dick’s version (why??) and now slightly Russian. The newly introduced President is constantly mispronouncing Castillo’s name and being corrected. After 3 or 4 incidents of this it’s just stupid. Also this guy had been the VP and doesn’t know what the SVR is? That’s a load of bull. Also why do we have Charlie Castillo and Charles Montvale? This has been all the way through the series and is just lazy writing. We also have unrelated people with the surname Lorimer. Wtf is the point of that? Castillo has also become a real a$$ hat in this and the previous book. All in all, it’s a bigger waste of time than the previous book, which was brutal in and of itself, and is the last one I’ll be reading in this series. The sudden introduction of a ton of religiousness from characters who previously displayed none also makes zero sense and is irrelevant to the plot. It feels extremely forced. This series has become just too tedious to bother with.
As for the story, it’s like watching paint dry. It’s just chapter after chapter of banal mundane useless conversations or information. Svetlana is supposed to have been a fairly high ranking Russian agent who, 20 seconds after meeting Castillo, is running around like a total bimbo while incongruently spouting religious stuff. Oh and she’s ok with the nickname “Sweaty”. As if!! Her brother also a high ranking Russian agent, sounded totally American in Dick’s version (why??) and now slightly Russian. The newly introduced President is constantly mispronouncing Castillo’s name and being corrected. After 3 or 4 incidents of this it’s just stupid. Also this guy had been the VP and doesn’t know what the SVR is? That’s a load of bull. Also why do we have Charlie Castillo and Charles Montvale? This has been all the way through the series and is just lazy writing. We also have unrelated people with the surname Lorimer. Wtf is the point of that? Castillo has also become a real a$$ hat in this and the previous book. All in all, it’s a bigger waste of time than the previous book, which was brutal in and of itself, and is the last one I’ll be reading in this series. The sudden introduction of a ton of religiousness from characters who previously displayed none also makes zero sense and is irrelevant to the plot. It feels extremely forced. This series has become just too tedious to bother with.
February 15, 2022
The whole Presidential Agent series took a weird turn in the previous book, "Black Ops". The current book continues the story, chasing a deadly virus that might be released into the water supply. That is the serious part of the story. Charley is his usual smart-ass self, but the President is an even bigger idiot than he was in the previous book. (Apparently he was the Vice-President before the original President in this series suddenly died.)
Any problems with this story? The characters seem poorly developed and General Naylor acted out of character. Ambassador Montvale was also out of character and in the end, even Secretary of State Cohen seemed utterly out of place.
Any modesty issues? Yes, but they are the same as in the previous book. I keep hearing about marriage, but no wedding bells yet.
I enjoyed this book a little bit more than I did the first time I read it. That was probably because I was aware of the problems and ignored them.
Any problems with this story? The characters seem poorly developed and General Naylor acted out of character. Ambassador Montvale was also out of character and in the end, even Secretary of State Cohen seemed utterly out of place.
Any modesty issues? Yes, but they are the same as in the previous book. I keep hearing about marriage, but no wedding bells yet.
I enjoyed this book a little bit more than I did the first time I read it. That was probably because I was aware of the problems and ignored them.
June 27, 2015
Thots while reading:
Hard to believe such a 'short' book can be taking so LONG to read! Having a hard time holding my attention. Who knows - in this case, it probably would have helped starting at book 1, but the person who loaned this to me assured me it was also a 'stand-alone' story.
The President in this one is kind of a jerk. Be interesting to see if his character gets redeemed by the book's ending.
There are continual spots where somebody's thoughts go on for several lines/paragraphs. I cannot decide it if is different enough that I am not used to it or the author is trying to be clever and display that cleverness in how the internal monologue is expressed. It comes across as pretty self-arrogant and not really that clever, in my opinion.
----------------------------
Holy cow, this book took a long time to read! And it's not even as long as other books I have read!
The gist is this: the Russians end up having the remnants of a nasty plague of some sorts called Congo-X [from a previous novel] and use it to try and blackmail the United States into some concessions. The newly-sworn President hates the hero and his band of merry men from the previous novels and decides to turn the leader/hero/rebel/retiree over to the Russians. Hijinks ensue as the less-then-capable government leaders travel all over the world trying to find the hero whilst the hero is once again saving the United States of America and believing he is looking good doing it. The 'good guys' are laughing in the faces of the buffoonish 'bad guys' [incompetent government leaders/officials] as the 'bad guys' continually make foolish mistakes. In the end, some government officials turn sides, so to speak, and assist Castillo and his band of merry men in saving the country. Once these men turn sides, they move from being completely pathetic, inconsequential, moronic, stupid, incompetent imbeciles to incredible smart men capable of doing their jobs in the most efficient manner possible. Amazing how much of a difference changing sides can make!
The book focuses mainly on Central and South America as well as portions of DC. There are sidebars [i.e. - descriptions] of back history for parts of Germany, Africa, and ..... somewhere else; I forget where. It is amazing how many family members this guy, Castillo [the leader of the merry men], has scattered around the globe. He and his Russian lover both, for that matter. The President is an arrogant jerk and any other term you'd like to fill in the ________ when describing him. He gets to eat crow mixed with humble pie in the end.
The book starts off slow. So very slow. Incredibly slow. I have read math textbooks that were more interesting than this book's beginnings. Then, about halfway through the book, I reached the point where I wanted to see how it ended up. I should have saved myself the effort and just read the last chapter. That would have summed it up nicely for me and saved me about a week's worth of reading. A. Book. That. Was. Glacially. Slow.
I will be honest, toward the end there were portions I actually enjoyed. But they were few and far inbetween.
I became so sick and tired of the internal monologues. They were not cute; they were not clever. They were stupid and annoying. Maybe if they had been shorter, like a line or two instead of several paragraphs [even if they were 'short' paragraphs]. It was old after the second or third time it happened. It was ridiculous.
The dialogue throughout the book was irritating. It felt as if the author was saying 'look how clever I am!' in reference to whatever was being written. The bad guys were COMPLETELY incompetent. I do not even know why there were any villains in this novel - they served no useful purpose whatsoever [save to show how 'clever' the 'good guys' were, I guess]. After the second chapter I was tired of it. Unfortunately for me, unless the book is hideously horrible I will slog through most of what I read in hopes that it eventually redeems itself. This one did redeem itself [somewhat] in places by the time I finished it, but that was not until the end.
How would I describe the writing? Hmmmmm. Self-congratulatory? Self-absorbed? Arrogant? Egotistical? Full of oneself? Conceited? How many more words can I come up with? Maybe I will find a thesaurus. I cannot adequately describe it, but I really despised much of the writing in this book. Not quite as bad as 'a confederacy of dunces' but pretty close. Perhaps if I had read the other novels before this one I would have a deeper appreciation for what was written, but after this one I have absolutely no desire to read any more novels written by this pair ever again.
So what did I like? Hmmmmmm. I loved reading about the top-secret Russian plane. That was pretty cool. The description of this vehicle was so well done it even made me look it up to see if the plane actually existed [jury's still out on that one; just because I couldn't find anything doesn't meant it DOESN'T exist - I may not be looking in the right places]. I did find a pic of a Russian plane that matched how my mind's eye pictured it, but the pic was of a different plane.
I thought the method by which the Army scientists determined Congo-X could be destroyed was rather interesting. That part of the story was rather clever, because most of the time the means by which a disease [plague/virus/whatever] is eradicated goes in a different direction.
I think it is funny how the picture on the cover of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the storyline itself. This is most definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover.
In closing, yes, I gave it two stars, despite my harsh opinion of the book. I did not completely hate or despise the book; I did not completely dislike the book.
Read the book at your own risk.
Hard to believe such a 'short' book can be taking so LONG to read! Having a hard time holding my attention. Who knows - in this case, it probably would have helped starting at book 1, but the person who loaned this to me assured me it was also a 'stand-alone' story.
The President in this one is kind of a jerk. Be interesting to see if his character gets redeemed by the book's ending.
There are continual spots where somebody's thoughts go on for several lines/paragraphs. I cannot decide it if is different enough that I am not used to it or the author is trying to be clever and display that cleverness in how the internal monologue is expressed. It comes across as pretty self-arrogant and not really that clever, in my opinion.
----------------------------
Holy cow, this book took a long time to read! And it's not even as long as other books I have read!
The gist is this: the Russians end up having the remnants of a nasty plague of some sorts called Congo-X [from a previous novel] and use it to try and blackmail the United States into some concessions. The newly-sworn President hates the hero and his band of merry men from the previous novels and decides to turn the leader/hero/rebel/retiree over to the Russians. Hijinks ensue as the less-then-capable government leaders travel all over the world trying to find the hero whilst the hero is once again saving the United States of America and believing he is looking good doing it. The 'good guys' are laughing in the faces of the buffoonish 'bad guys' [incompetent government leaders/officials] as the 'bad guys' continually make foolish mistakes. In the end, some government officials turn sides, so to speak, and assist Castillo and his band of merry men in saving the country. Once these men turn sides, they move from being completely pathetic, inconsequential, moronic, stupid, incompetent imbeciles to incredible smart men capable of doing their jobs in the most efficient manner possible. Amazing how much of a difference changing sides can make!
The book focuses mainly on Central and South America as well as portions of DC. There are sidebars [i.e. - descriptions] of back history for parts of Germany, Africa, and ..... somewhere else; I forget where. It is amazing how many family members this guy, Castillo [the leader of the merry men], has scattered around the globe. He and his Russian lover both, for that matter. The President is an arrogant jerk and any other term you'd like to fill in the ________ when describing him. He gets to eat crow mixed with humble pie in the end.
The book starts off slow. So very slow. Incredibly slow. I have read math textbooks that were more interesting than this book's beginnings. Then, about halfway through the book, I reached the point where I wanted to see how it ended up. I should have saved myself the effort and just read the last chapter. That would have summed it up nicely for me and saved me about a week's worth of reading. A. Book. That. Was. Glacially. Slow.
I will be honest, toward the end there were portions I actually enjoyed. But they were few and far inbetween.
I became so sick and tired of the internal monologues. They were not cute; they were not clever. They were stupid and annoying. Maybe if they had been shorter, like a line or two instead of several paragraphs [even if they were 'short' paragraphs]. It was old after the second or third time it happened. It was ridiculous.
The dialogue throughout the book was irritating. It felt as if the author was saying 'look how clever I am!' in reference to whatever was being written. The bad guys were COMPLETELY incompetent. I do not even know why there were any villains in this novel - they served no useful purpose whatsoever [save to show how 'clever' the 'good guys' were, I guess]. After the second chapter I was tired of it. Unfortunately for me, unless the book is hideously horrible I will slog through most of what I read in hopes that it eventually redeems itself. This one did redeem itself [somewhat] in places by the time I finished it, but that was not until the end.
How would I describe the writing? Hmmmmm. Self-congratulatory? Self-absorbed? Arrogant? Egotistical? Full of oneself? Conceited? How many more words can I come up with? Maybe I will find a thesaurus. I cannot adequately describe it, but I really despised much of the writing in this book. Not quite as bad as 'a confederacy of dunces' but pretty close. Perhaps if I had read the other novels before this one I would have a deeper appreciation for what was written, but after this one I have absolutely no desire to read any more novels written by this pair ever again.
So what did I like? Hmmmmmm. I loved reading about the top-secret Russian plane. That was pretty cool. The description of this vehicle was so well done it even made me look it up to see if the plane actually existed [jury's still out on that one; just because I couldn't find anything doesn't meant it DOESN'T exist - I may not be looking in the right places]. I did find a pic of a Russian plane that matched how my mind's eye pictured it, but the pic was of a different plane.
I thought the method by which the Army scientists determined Congo-X could be destroyed was rather interesting. That part of the story was rather clever, because most of the time the means by which a disease [plague/virus/whatever] is eradicated goes in a different direction.
I think it is funny how the picture on the cover of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the storyline itself. This is most definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover.
In closing, yes, I gave it two stars, despite my harsh opinion of the book. I did not completely hate or despise the book; I did not completely dislike the book.
Read the book at your own risk.
January 25, 2023
The sixth entry in this series is a book I found disappointing and frustrating. Most of the book is taken up with a number of summaries and retellings of the earlier books in the series. Coupled with a number of factual errors and inconsistencies, it suggests a wholesale change in the authorship. As IV gets used to being the sole author of this series, maybe it will improve, but for now I don't know if I will even continue reading further into the series. Part of the problem seems to rest in a very weak story deeply mired in inter-Agency/Presidential politics with very little action toward accomplishing a mission, which has long been a hallmark of Griffin's other series. One really only need read the last 50-75 pages if the reader had read the earlier books in the series. A somewhat interesting but ultimately unsatisfying read.
Read
February 14, 2020Politics...the same in government, academia (departments,) church committees, administraive offices, everywhere. And good guys do get screwed over. Mind you, they also can be jerks at times. :-) Ego, ego, ego and very little superego. Sucks. Oh, and some governmental people are incompetent and some evil and some both. Witness 45 and his administration.
Here in 2020 I am pleased that a member of the press is one of the good guys. Since the bad really awful despicable guys happen to be in charge of the senate and the white house.
I swear, if I ever got a dog (which I won't) I want a Max! (Bouvier des Flandres) Or an Labradoodle, but really a baby Max.
I don’t think WEB Griffin liked women very much....
This book does NOT turn Montvale into a "good guy." He most certainly isn't. Nor did it endear Naylor Sr. to me, in spite of his history, given his willingness to sacrifice a good/great guy. His son has potential. Too bad the series crashed and burned before we could see that (or see if that was the case.).
Here in 2020 I am pleased that a member of the press is one of the good guys. Since the bad really awful despicable guys happen to be in charge of the senate and the white house.
I swear, if I ever got a dog (which I won't) I want a Max! (Bouvier des Flandres) Or an Labradoodle, but really a baby Max.
I don’t think WEB Griffin liked women very much....
This book does NOT turn Montvale into a "good guy." He most certainly isn't. Nor did it endear Naylor Sr. to me, in spite of his history, given his willingness to sacrifice a good/great guy. His son has potential. Too bad the series crashed and burned before we could see that (or see if that was the case.).
October 23, 2017
Charlie Castillo's secret unit has been disbanded-but that doesn't mean he's out of business. As experience has painfully shown him, there are many things the intelligence community can't do, won't do, or doesn't do well, and he has the men and assets to help set things straight.
But the first opportunity, when it comes, is shocking: A FedEx package arrives, bearing photos of barrels containing some of the most dangerous biohazard materials on earth, all of which were supposed to have been destroyed during a raid on a secret Russian factory in the Congo. Who has them, and what do they want? Castillo has a feeling he's not going to like the answers
But the first opportunity, when it comes, is shocking: A FedEx package arrives, bearing photos of barrels containing some of the most dangerous biohazard materials on earth, all of which were supposed to have been destroyed during a raid on a secret Russian factory in the Congo. Who has them, and what do they want? Castillo has a feeling he's not going to like the answers
March 21, 2020
In this installment of the "Presidential Agent" series a lot is going on. For starters,the former agent named Charley Castillo is out of a job,and his office only exists in name only. Not only that but the former president has been killed,and the man replacing him is less gracious than he was. Castillo wants a chance to prove himself,and show that his team is also capable. When a mysterious package arrives in the office containing biohazard waste,he steps up to the challenge. Who sent the package? How did they get the waste? These are just some of the questions he has to answer. Can he solve the mystery? Read it and find out!
December 14, 2022
Would make a good series for a streaming service
It seems to be a plausible story, we'll never know what goes on in the intelligence communities of major powers of the political world. The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind. I'd like to see how corporate influence (i suspect that there is) if any works into the geopolitical scheme of things as related in the storyline. I know I sound like a conspiracy theorist but I truly believe that there is scenarios where this would actually happen. I enjoy this series thus far and find it thought provoking and entertaining.
It seems to be a plausible story, we'll never know what goes on in the intelligence communities of major powers of the political world. The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind. I'd like to see how corporate influence (i suspect that there is) if any works into the geopolitical scheme of things as related in the storyline. I know I sound like a conspiracy theorist but I truly believe that there is scenarios where this would actually happen. I enjoy this series thus far and find it thought provoking and entertaining.
September 11, 2017
No action or suspense until the end. Then it's over like nothing happened. It's all about a group of people with different talents coming together to form a new group to hunt down bad guys and save the world. There must be 50 characters and twenty agencies which drove me crazy to remember because usually when you introduce a character they either get killed off or move the story along. probably why all the name dropping . I should have left this one on the clearance pile. Just another reason not to read a two-authored book.
July 18, 2025
SNAFU first, then some resolution
Charley Castillo along with his merry band have scattered around the world, obeying the order of the President to vanish. But of course that doesn’t fix things.
After a major change in the US administration, they find themselves on the run from opposition on multiple fronts.
After quite a bit of action, some of the most prominent issues pressing them are resolved. Of course the author has made certain that some issues remain so that Charley & his team will have problems to resolve…
Charley Castillo along with his merry band have scattered around the world, obeying the order of the President to vanish. But of course that doesn’t fix things.
After a major change in the US administration, they find themselves on the run from opposition on multiple fronts.
After quite a bit of action, some of the most prominent issues pressing them are resolved. Of course the author has made certain that some issues remain so that Charley & his team will have problems to resolve…
November 14, 2017
Overall a decent read but the sarcastic and ironic narration is a part of hid descent to his absolute worst book, the final one of this series. I understand the feelings he had that took him there (see his comments at the end of Hazardous Duty) but as his readers we had a right to expect that he would continue to deliver what the book blurb and series promised. Not his best but worth reading anyway.
December 18, 2019
Awesome
Continuing the Charley Castillo saga in great form. This book was funny, timely, scary, and a must read for anyone who loves the United States and cares about our future. We are not a 2nd class nation as a former President implied, but the greatest nation in the world and a force to be reckoned with. Just because a book is considered fiction doesn't mean there isn't truth embedded. Web Griffin and any who help with his books are Patriots of the highest degree.
Continuing the Charley Castillo saga in great form. This book was funny, timely, scary, and a must read for anyone who loves the United States and cares about our future. We are not a 2nd class nation as a former President implied, but the greatest nation in the world and a force to be reckoned with. Just because a book is considered fiction doesn't mean there isn't truth embedded. Web Griffin and any who help with his books are Patriots of the highest degree.
February 2, 2021
Thrilling and Educational
This story, is non-stop action, which we have come to expect. What makes THIS story worthy is the realistic look into the darker side of political intrigue and international events. There is no limit to the story lines availableshowing how "absolute power corrupts absolutely", but this piece was masterfully woven into a classic.
This story, is non-stop action, which we have come to expect. What makes THIS story worthy is the realistic look into the darker side of political intrigue and international events. There is no limit to the story lines availableshowing how "absolute power corrupts absolutely", but this piece was masterfully woven into a classic.
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