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Falcon Seven
A MOVING TARGET
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 flying over Afghanistan is suddenly diverted and ordered to bomb a building in Pakistan, where a meeting between al Qaeda and the Taliban is taking place. After destroying its target, the fighter is immediately hit by Stinger missiles and the pilots eject over Pakistan. They are captured, assaulted, and dragged through the streets of Peshawar. The world is on edge.
a secret mission
The pilots are quickly forced onto a private Falcon jet headed for the Netherlands, where they’ll stand trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court. The building they hit was actually a medical post constructed by Europeans for Afghan refugees—and sixty-five innocent people were killed.
a trial by fire
It’s up to Washington criminal defense lawyer and former Navy SEAL Jack Caskey to defend the two naval officers. Caskey implores President Obama to intervene, but he is wary of a direct conflict with the ICC. Already fighting a losing battle, an outraged Caskey works with his contacts in the shadowy world of special operations and CIA operatives to free the pilots…or help them battle through an international show trial and face imprisonment—for life.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 flying over Afghanistan is suddenly diverted and ordered to bomb a building in Pakistan, where a meeting between al Qaeda and the Taliban is taking place. After destroying its target, the fighter is immediately hit by Stinger missiles and the pilots eject over Pakistan. They are captured, assaulted, and dragged through the streets of Peshawar. The world is on edge.
a secret mission
The pilots are quickly forced onto a private Falcon jet headed for the Netherlands, where they’ll stand trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court. The building they hit was actually a medical post constructed by Europeans for Afghan refugees—and sixty-five innocent people were killed.
a trial by fire
It’s up to Washington criminal defense lawyer and former Navy SEAL Jack Caskey to defend the two naval officers. Caskey implores President Obama to intervene, but he is wary of a direct conflict with the ICC. Already fighting a losing battle, an outraged Caskey works with his contacts in the shadowy world of special operations and CIA operatives to free the pilots…or help them battle through an international show trial and face imprisonment—for life.
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 11, 2010
15 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
James W. Huston
11 books108 followersIn addition to being the author of Falcon Seven, Marine One, Secret Justice, Shadows of Power, Fallout, Flash Point, The Price of Power and Balance of Power, I am a partner in the international law firm of Morrison & Foerster, and head of the Trial Practice Group, and a former Navy Flight Officer in F-14s.
I grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana, and attended the University of South Carolina on a Navy ROTC scholarship, majoring in history, with a minor in English. During my senior summer, I did an exchange cruise with the French Navy on a destroyer, the EE Kersaint out of Brest (which was a wonderful experience and reinforced my decision to go into the Navy), and then attended the University of Warwick in England, to study English Reformation history and English literature.
After college, I received my Navy wings as a Naval Flight Officer and after F-14 training in San Diego, was assigned to VF-84, the Jolly Rogers, on the USS Nimitz. While in VF-84, I participated in making the movie, The Final Countdown, starring Kirk Douglas, Katherine Ross, and Martin Sheen. The filming for the movie was done in several places, but most of the flying was done out of Naval Air Station Key West, Florida. The entire movie crew was in Key West, and we would review the dailies (yesterday's filming) every night. I was asked to help direct a couple of scenes—the blowing up of the yacht by the Zeros, and the F-14 low-level flyby over Katherine Ross—as well as filming several other scenes with a Panavision camera in the back seat of the F-14. The DVD version of The Final Countdown was recently released. The producers pulled together the Jolly Rogers guys who did the flying, to create and "behind-the-scenes" bonus cut.
I did two Mediterranean cruises while in the Jolly Rogers, and other shorter cruises to the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. I was selected to attend TOPGUN and graduated before my second cruise.
After six years in the Navy, I left active duty in 1981 to attend the University of Virginia School of Law. After graduation, I joined the San Diego-based law firm, Gray Cary Ames & Frye, and began flying in the Navy Reserves. After a few years in the Reserves, I transferred from flying to Naval Intelligence. Naval intelligence was quite interesting and allowed me access to top secret information about world affairs and military developments. I was on active duty at JICPAC, the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Fleet, in Pearl Harbor, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, leading to Desert Storm. I got to see a lot about what happened behind the scenes in an event like that, and how much of importance never makes it to the press.
My writing career started in the form of op-eds for the Escondido Times Advocate and the San Diego Union-Tribune, covering current affairs topics. After numerous editorials, I decided to try fiction. Neither my first novel nor my second were accepted for publication. I went through several hundred rejection letters, and labored almost every night for five years before I had any hope of getting published. I've gone back and looked at those books since, and I could make them publishable now, but they weren't very good back then.
My third novel was different. It combined many areas of my personal experience into one story—military action, political intrigue, and Constitutional Law. I found a clause in the U.S. Constitution that hadn't been used since 1812, and asked the simple question: "What if it was used today? What would happen?"
The first published novel, Balance of Power (William Morrow, 1998), was optioned by Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney. The novel was adapted into a screenplay by Mark Baumbach, but was never made into a film.
Five more novels followed in the next five years—The Price of Power (William Morrow, 1999), Flash Point (William Morrow, 2000), Fallout (William Morrow, 2001), The Shadows of Power (William Morrow, 2002), and Secret Justice (William Morrow, 2003).
I grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana, and attended the University of South Carolina on a Navy ROTC scholarship, majoring in history, with a minor in English. During my senior summer, I did an exchange cruise with the French Navy on a destroyer, the EE Kersaint out of Brest (which was a wonderful experience and reinforced my decision to go into the Navy), and then attended the University of Warwick in England, to study English Reformation history and English literature.
After college, I received my Navy wings as a Naval Flight Officer and after F-14 training in San Diego, was assigned to VF-84, the Jolly Rogers, on the USS Nimitz. While in VF-84, I participated in making the movie, The Final Countdown, starring Kirk Douglas, Katherine Ross, and Martin Sheen. The filming for the movie was done in several places, but most of the flying was done out of Naval Air Station Key West, Florida. The entire movie crew was in Key West, and we would review the dailies (yesterday's filming) every night. I was asked to help direct a couple of scenes—the blowing up of the yacht by the Zeros, and the F-14 low-level flyby over Katherine Ross—as well as filming several other scenes with a Panavision camera in the back seat of the F-14. The DVD version of The Final Countdown was recently released. The producers pulled together the Jolly Rogers guys who did the flying, to create and "behind-the-scenes" bonus cut.
I did two Mediterranean cruises while in the Jolly Rogers, and other shorter cruises to the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. I was selected to attend TOPGUN and graduated before my second cruise.
After six years in the Navy, I left active duty in 1981 to attend the University of Virginia School of Law. After graduation, I joined the San Diego-based law firm, Gray Cary Ames & Frye, and began flying in the Navy Reserves. After a few years in the Reserves, I transferred from flying to Naval Intelligence. Naval intelligence was quite interesting and allowed me access to top secret information about world affairs and military developments. I was on active duty at JICPAC, the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Fleet, in Pearl Harbor, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, leading to Desert Storm. I got to see a lot about what happened behind the scenes in an event like that, and how much of importance never makes it to the press.
My writing career started in the form of op-eds for the Escondido Times Advocate and the San Diego Union-Tribune, covering current affairs topics. After numerous editorials, I decided to try fiction. Neither my first novel nor my second were accepted for publication. I went through several hundred rejection letters, and labored almost every night for five years before I had any hope of getting published. I've gone back and looked at those books since, and I could make them publishable now, but they weren't very good back then.
My third novel was different. It combined many areas of my personal experience into one story—military action, political intrigue, and Constitutional Law. I found a clause in the U.S. Constitution that hadn't been used since 1812, and asked the simple question: "What if it was used today? What would happen?"
The first published novel, Balance of Power (William Morrow, 1998), was optioned by Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney. The novel was adapted into a screenplay by Mark Baumbach, but was never made into a film.
Five more novels followed in the next five years—The Price of Power (William Morrow, 1999), Flash Point (William Morrow, 2000), Fallout (William Morrow, 2001), The Shadows of Power (William Morrow, 2002), and Secret Justice (William Morrow, 2003).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 23, 2014
Rhythm is an integral part of a good book. The journey from character introduction and back story through plot development, conflict, climax and resolution requires careful orchestration, and a deft touch. Only a skilled maestro of the pen can meld such elements harmoniously into a well-crafted novel.
Done artfully and expertly, a good story allows the reader to experience tension and release joyously, and to navigate through the almost seamless spectrum of story arc, imperceptive to all the integral parts making up the fantastic whole. The experience is almost sensory, like listening to a fine piece of music, or indulging in sensational cuisine. When it comes to a good book, like a fine cake or your favorite album, you simply cannot get enough.
Sometimes, however, that arc goes wrong and certain parts stand out in contrasting, glaring hues. Sometimes there's a portion of the book out of step with the flow, resulting in notable dissonance, or a bad taste. That's what happens in James W. Huston's "Falcon Seven."
Originality of concept and an intrigue as to whether two U.S. navy fighters imprisoned for war crimes can be freed succumb to overplayed and poorly executed elements in this 544-page crawler. Particularly, Huston gives us too much of main character John Caskey, an on-the-ropes American defense attorney and former SEAL himself, who's tasked with defending the two fighters brought up on war crime charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Caskey has never tried an international case and has not fully embraced his role in the world of law, despite his recent past successes in United States courtrooms. But he finds himself amid an international firestorm by agreeing to take this case, essentially placing himself in the middle of American and European hostilities. Yes, I said European.
This book deals with real-world situations, real-world anti-American sentiment, particularly in Europe, that built up as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The political aspects of this novel, entwined in the court's charges against the Navy fighters, certainly merit exploration. But before diving into those themes, Huston instead force feeds us Caskey through a substantial early portion of the book. The author seems to use a weird technique, going first-person at points and sort of fading into an omniscient, disconnected voice at other times, making it jarring when he reverts back to Caskey's voice. And he gives us a whole lot of Caskey. The character seems to have free reign of making longwinded, repetitive speeches early on. I've never quite seen a dialogue style like this where a character is allowed to ramble for paragraphs at a time.
Huston eventually reels in Caskey's loquaciousness later on, as more characters come into play and the story gains depth. And there are points where things do kind of settle in and gain a rhythm - but that happens way too late. The first real trial testimony does not happen until Page 415. That's a rough haul for a reader bent on picking up a legal thriller. Moreover, while Caskey does become likable by the end, the author loses invaluable opportunity early on to get the reader acquainted with the defendants. By the end, I felt like neither myself nor the author had much at stake involving the defendants' outcome. For better or worse, this was all about Caskey.
If you prefer the Grisham-style legal thriller with a subtle yet profound outcome, this book is not for you. The ending would be too grandiose for your taste. Clancy fans may latch on, but this book didn't really capture the spy or intrigue world as well as the author or publisher seem to think.
And one thing Huston definitely must work on are his female characters. Women in this book - whether it be Caskey's reluctant co-counsel Kristen or the defendants' wives -- are presented as subservient and mostly clueless. This book definitely skews toward a male audience.
Done artfully and expertly, a good story allows the reader to experience tension and release joyously, and to navigate through the almost seamless spectrum of story arc, imperceptive to all the integral parts making up the fantastic whole. The experience is almost sensory, like listening to a fine piece of music, or indulging in sensational cuisine. When it comes to a good book, like a fine cake or your favorite album, you simply cannot get enough.
Sometimes, however, that arc goes wrong and certain parts stand out in contrasting, glaring hues. Sometimes there's a portion of the book out of step with the flow, resulting in notable dissonance, or a bad taste. That's what happens in James W. Huston's "Falcon Seven."
Originality of concept and an intrigue as to whether two U.S. navy fighters imprisoned for war crimes can be freed succumb to overplayed and poorly executed elements in this 544-page crawler. Particularly, Huston gives us too much of main character John Caskey, an on-the-ropes American defense attorney and former SEAL himself, who's tasked with defending the two fighters brought up on war crime charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Caskey has never tried an international case and has not fully embraced his role in the world of law, despite his recent past successes in United States courtrooms. But he finds himself amid an international firestorm by agreeing to take this case, essentially placing himself in the middle of American and European hostilities. Yes, I said European.
This book deals with real-world situations, real-world anti-American sentiment, particularly in Europe, that built up as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The political aspects of this novel, entwined in the court's charges against the Navy fighters, certainly merit exploration. But before diving into those themes, Huston instead force feeds us Caskey through a substantial early portion of the book. The author seems to use a weird technique, going first-person at points and sort of fading into an omniscient, disconnected voice at other times, making it jarring when he reverts back to Caskey's voice. And he gives us a whole lot of Caskey. The character seems to have free reign of making longwinded, repetitive speeches early on. I've never quite seen a dialogue style like this where a character is allowed to ramble for paragraphs at a time.
Huston eventually reels in Caskey's loquaciousness later on, as more characters come into play and the story gains depth. And there are points where things do kind of settle in and gain a rhythm - but that happens way too late. The first real trial testimony does not happen until Page 415. That's a rough haul for a reader bent on picking up a legal thriller. Moreover, while Caskey does become likable by the end, the author loses invaluable opportunity early on to get the reader acquainted with the defendants. By the end, I felt like neither myself nor the author had much at stake involving the defendants' outcome. For better or worse, this was all about Caskey.
If you prefer the Grisham-style legal thriller with a subtle yet profound outcome, this book is not for you. The ending would be too grandiose for your taste. Clancy fans may latch on, but this book didn't really capture the spy or intrigue world as well as the author or publisher seem to think.
And one thing Huston definitely must work on are his female characters. Women in this book - whether it be Caskey's reluctant co-counsel Kristen or the defendants' wives -- are presented as subservient and mostly clueless. This book definitely skews toward a male audience.
June 5, 2010
Wow!!!though fiction, this certainly can be ripped from the headlines as the current administraion "bows" to international pressures on many fronts...Its a story of criminal defense lawyer and former Navy SEAL Jack Caskey defending two navy officers kidnapped from Pakistan to be tried before the International Criminal Court for Mid-East war crimes...a pretty good analysis of the diametrically opposed internationalists and those who seek policy that serves our national interests...solid delivery for Huston!!!
February 23, 2015
Although written several years, the story is contemporary given the state of our real life foreign affairs. If you don't mind a story that casts the current administration as one who refuses to step up and save it's service men then you will find the story very entertaining - if this is not your political persuasion, you may not enjoy the story so much.
The author is a navy pilot turned lawyer in an international firm. His familiarity with the issues of the story come out lound an clear and make the story sound like it could happen. It is the story of 2 navy pilots shot down over Aghanistan who are immediately captured and tried the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The story takes place in the present and President Obama is portrayed as willing to let the trial proceed even though the US never signed the treaty establishing the ICC and does not recgonize the ICC authority. The story then revolves around the real American Service Protection Act which specifically grants the President authority to use any force to rescue American service members held the ICC.
The key character is Jack Caskey who is a younger version of Admirial Chegwidden from the JAG tv show. Navy Seal, lawyer, patriot and willing to break a few rules to save Americans.
The author is a navy pilot turned lawyer in an international firm. His familiarity with the issues of the story come out lound an clear and make the story sound like it could happen. It is the story of 2 navy pilots shot down over Aghanistan who are immediately captured and tried the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The story takes place in the present and President Obama is portrayed as willing to let the trial proceed even though the US never signed the treaty establishing the ICC and does not recgonize the ICC authority. The story then revolves around the real American Service Protection Act which specifically grants the President authority to use any force to rescue American service members held the ICC.
The key character is Jack Caskey who is a younger version of Admirial Chegwidden from the JAG tv show. Navy Seal, lawyer, patriot and willing to break a few rules to save Americans.
February 25, 2013
The premise of this book was good and it could have made for a good story. Unfortunately, the book did not deliver, at least for me.
A US bomber takes out a building in Pakistan where a clandestine meeting between al quaida and the taliban is supposed to be taking place, or at least that's what a Pakistani intelligence agent told a US military targeteer. The bomber is shot down and the pilots seized. After being paraded down the street and stoned in a Pakistani town, they are whisked away to the Hague by a private jet, charged with war crimes by the International Crimes Court, and put in prison. Jack, an ex-seal and now relatively new lawyer (7 years) gets the job of defending the pilots. Jack harrasses a former classmate to have her Am Law 100 firm assist him pro bono. Kevin, a private CIA contractor (also former Navy Seal), volunteers to assist Jack in gathering evidence in Pakistan. To stop the US government from intervening, the ICC indicts former President Bush, V.P. Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfield, and others.
From there the story becomes quite unbelievable. As my husband said -- "way too much testosterone." And, he was right!
A US bomber takes out a building in Pakistan where a clandestine meeting between al quaida and the taliban is supposed to be taking place, or at least that's what a Pakistani intelligence agent told a US military targeteer. The bomber is shot down and the pilots seized. After being paraded down the street and stoned in a Pakistani town, they are whisked away to the Hague by a private jet, charged with war crimes by the International Crimes Court, and put in prison. Jack, an ex-seal and now relatively new lawyer (7 years) gets the job of defending the pilots. Jack harrasses a former classmate to have her Am Law 100 firm assist him pro bono. Kevin, a private CIA contractor (also former Navy Seal), volunteers to assist Jack in gathering evidence in Pakistan. To stop the US government from intervening, the ICC indicts former President Bush, V.P. Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfield, and others.
From there the story becomes quite unbelievable. As my husband said -- "way too much testosterone." And, he was right!
October 15, 2012
Pretty good, not really captivating but very interesting. I hate the ICC and think they are full of themselves. Sounds like a bunch of Nazis irritated that the allies had a trial at the end of WWII. I wanted the book to end different with the court getting slammed and told how insignificant they are. Grateful to be an American and I don't really care what other countries think about us. We have never attacked first: we have only gone to war due to being attacked first or been asked to help other nations. The book gave me a good patriotic high. "Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead."
September 30, 2011
Interesting premise about a pair of F/A-18 aviators entrapped into a war crimes tribunal after bombing an Al Qaeda/Taliban meeting in Pakistan, in a building that just happened to house a refugee center run by European doctors. Unfortunately, the writing does not do justice to premise. Too much on the nose exposition, including unrealistic dialogue seemingly crafted just to tell the story. Improbable plot twists and one-dimensional uninteresting characters made it a tough read. Nevertheless, I hung in there till the end to see how it turned out. Disappointing.
February 5, 2013
Not one of his better novels by a long ways. Authors should always remember that courtroom dialogue is extremely boring. So are weak spineless Presidents, in this case Obama when dealing with international crisis. At best, 5 of 10 stars
April 13, 2015
This book was terrible, I didn't connect with anyone of the characters.
December 15, 2021
I enjoyed this book. I was often confused, though. If this trial was so important, why did some unknown bureaucrat select this rather undistinguished attorney to defend the pilots? Why wasn't the full force of the US government thrown behind this? Why can't this attorney get answers from the soldiers involved? And how can the soldiers (at least initially) decline to testify? Some of that was explained on the last page, but it left me unconvinced.
It's inevitable that a book like this would be compared to a Grisham novel. The author did a great job with the courtroom scenes, but he left out huge chunks of the legal legwork that we're accustomed to reading from Grisham. The author didn't even explain when the attorney was accepted to practice before the ICC, and it didn't seem like he did a lot of legal work leading up to the trial. They were just somehow ready.
The adventure aspect was, of course, something not found in a Grisham novel. The black ops, the ambush in Pakistan, and the climactic escape all made it hard to know whether this should be called a legal thriller or a military adventure. Probably both.
It's inevitable that a book like this would be compared to a Grisham novel. The author did a great job with the courtroom scenes, but he left out huge chunks of the legal legwork that we're accustomed to reading from Grisham. The author didn't even explain when the attorney was accepted to practice before the ICC, and it didn't seem like he did a lot of legal work leading up to the trial. They were just somehow ready.
The adventure aspect was, of course, something not found in a Grisham novel. The black ops, the ambush in Pakistan, and the climactic escape all made it hard to know whether this should be called a legal thriller or a military adventure. Probably both.
July 29, 2019
3.5 stars
With a few distractions, this was an interesting and action-packed military/courtroom page-turner. The plot and characters earned four stars, but at times it went far beyond believable and provided much too much detail. The concept of Europe antagonistic against the U.S., while perhaps exaggerated when written ten years ago, appears prescient today..
With a few distractions, this was an interesting and action-packed military/courtroom page-turner. The plot and characters earned four stars, but at times it went far beyond believable and provided much too much detail. The concept of Europe antagonistic against the U.S., while perhaps exaggerated when written ten years ago, appears prescient today..
November 2, 2020
This legal thriller isn't quite so thrilling, but I still made it to the finish line and enjoyed the journey. Using legal language from an international treaty, Huston builds a "what-if" scenario of two US pilots being charged with war crimes in Holland. Since the US never signed the treaty, a Navy-SEAL attorney is the perfect man for the job.
October 14, 2025
I enjoyed this one--exciting and the action never stops. Primary character is crafted after the author, who seems to have more experience than normal. Author is clearly passionate about the subject and it shows.
August 18, 2017
I thought this story was quite good.
February 2, 2018
Well written page turner!
Kidnapping American pilots in Pakistan and international trial in Belgium and many twists and turns ending in a trial and escape. Made a great read!
Kidnapping American pilots in Pakistan and international trial in Belgium and many twists and turns ending in a trial and escape. Made a great read!
July 30, 2018
Susan, Village patron, July 2018, 4 stars:
Good.
Good.
Read
August 16, 2022NOOK
October 28, 2024
Too much testosterone and lacking in credibility in places, but an entertaining read which was quite enjoyable overall, it just couldn't be taken too seriously.
October 21, 2012
Probably the best book I ever read, hands down!!
The book starts with two US Navy fighter pilots on a routine bombing mission over the mountains of Pakistan. When they were about to return to their carrier, they were instructed to attack one more target across the border in Pakistan. Upon hitting the target with a 2,000 pound bomb, they were shot down by American made stinger missiles. As soon as they hit the ground they were picked up by tribal leaders, and they were whisked of to Peshawar,Pakistan to an awaiting Falcon 7 jet, which for airplane buffs like me, is a very rare occurrence at that time and place. Hours later, they were landed in Den Hagg (The Hague) in the Netherlands. They were informed that they were under the custody of the ICC known to many as the International criminal court.
Meanwhile on a sunny weekday afternoon, DC trial attorney and EX Navy SEAL John caskey was about to go to a big court appearance,when he received a phone call from a shady person who called himself Chris. He asked if they could meet at the white house. Upon reaching the white house he was informed that the government wanted him to represent the two American aviators in the war crimes tribunal. Of course the government would tell the court that caskey was hired by the wives of the pilots.
Caskey called on his old law school classmate Kristen and her New york law firm to help him in the case. When he reached The Hague,he was met with hostility and he was allowed to see his clients after he threatened the court administrator he would call the press.
During the duration of the proceedings he took a trip to Pakistan, and with he help of a former Navy SEAL team mate, he found the witnesses that testified in the proceedings. He even tried to find the Pakistani Intelligence officer who gave the bad intelligence to the American army.
When the trials became evident that the outcome would be disastrous for the Americans, Caskey and his EX Navy SEAL friend decided to do the unthinkable: 1. find the person who sent the falcon jet, 2. break out the Americans and bring them home safely.
Kevin's team found out that the person who put everything in place was a Belgian businessman who was very critical of the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
During the trial Kevin's team came in with an Impersonator that posed as queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.The rest of the team posed as dutch soldiers who were with the queen's security detail. The team began to cause confusion with the court security and leaked to the press that the queen was in danger and a helicopter was going to pick her up.
The helicopter picked up the team and they were whisked away to Belgium to two awaiting falcon jets. Waiting at the airport were more of Kevin's men who had Pique, the Belgian businessman in custody. Kristen and the two aviators went on the first plane while pique along with Kevin and caskey who took a long flight to Pakistan while being tailed by every air force in Europe. Caskey threatened the fighter pilots who were tailing with the fact that they could be charged with war crimes if they shot the plane down.
After arriving in Pakistan, Pique was taken into custody along with the Pakistani Intelligence officer who gave the bad intelligence.
Caskey rejoined his SEAL buddies and never returned to the US again.
:::::The End:::::
The book starts with two US Navy fighter pilots on a routine bombing mission over the mountains of Pakistan. When they were about to return to their carrier, they were instructed to attack one more target across the border in Pakistan. Upon hitting the target with a 2,000 pound bomb, they were shot down by American made stinger missiles. As soon as they hit the ground they were picked up by tribal leaders, and they were whisked of to Peshawar,Pakistan to an awaiting Falcon 7 jet, which for airplane buffs like me, is a very rare occurrence at that time and place. Hours later, they were landed in Den Hagg (The Hague) in the Netherlands. They were informed that they were under the custody of the ICC known to many as the International criminal court.
Meanwhile on a sunny weekday afternoon, DC trial attorney and EX Navy SEAL John caskey was about to go to a big court appearance,when he received a phone call from a shady person who called himself Chris. He asked if they could meet at the white house. Upon reaching the white house he was informed that the government wanted him to represent the two American aviators in the war crimes tribunal. Of course the government would tell the court that caskey was hired by the wives of the pilots.
Caskey called on his old law school classmate Kristen and her New york law firm to help him in the case. When he reached The Hague,he was met with hostility and he was allowed to see his clients after he threatened the court administrator he would call the press.
During the duration of the proceedings he took a trip to Pakistan, and with he help of a former Navy SEAL team mate, he found the witnesses that testified in the proceedings. He even tried to find the Pakistani Intelligence officer who gave the bad intelligence to the American army.
When the trials became evident that the outcome would be disastrous for the Americans, Caskey and his EX Navy SEAL friend decided to do the unthinkable: 1. find the person who sent the falcon jet, 2. break out the Americans and bring them home safely.
Kevin's team found out that the person who put everything in place was a Belgian businessman who was very critical of the American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
During the trial Kevin's team came in with an Impersonator that posed as queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.The rest of the team posed as dutch soldiers who were with the queen's security detail. The team began to cause confusion with the court security and leaked to the press that the queen was in danger and a helicopter was going to pick her up.
The helicopter picked up the team and they were whisked away to Belgium to two awaiting falcon jets. Waiting at the airport were more of Kevin's men who had Pique, the Belgian businessman in custody. Kristen and the two aviators went on the first plane while pique along with Kevin and caskey who took a long flight to Pakistan while being tailed by every air force in Europe. Caskey threatened the fighter pilots who were tailing with the fact that they could be charged with war crimes if they shot the plane down.
After arriving in Pakistan, Pique was taken into custody along with the Pakistani Intelligence officer who gave the bad intelligence.
Caskey rejoined his SEAL buddies and never returned to the US again.
:::::The End:::::
February 22, 2017
Another interesting novel bu Huston. War Crimes.
March 26, 2015
Very weak. Bad research.
Let's assume the acts by the two pilots indeed would be bad enough for the ICC to prosecute them as warcriminals. But why would the judges of that court convict them. The whole tone of the story is that the trial is a formality and a conviction will be the outcome. But there is never an explanation why that would be.
What I did like was the way the two airmen were freed. But just don't understand why they had to be freed before the trial was over. Since it was impossible to prove that the pilots bombed the building on purpose with the intent to kill the refugees it was very likely that they would be aquitted.
Bad research:
Mr. Huston let's his character fly from the US to Rotterdam/The Hague airport. There are no flights form the US to that airfield. Nor from that airfield tot the US.
The Nortsea has the busiest sea-lanes in the world and is not that big. A carriergroup needs a lot of sea to deploy. Nevertheless Mr. Huston posts an entire carriergroup in the Northsea.
Let's assume the acts by the two pilots indeed would be bad enough for the ICC to prosecute them as warcriminals. But why would the judges of that court convict them. The whole tone of the story is that the trial is a formality and a conviction will be the outcome. But there is never an explanation why that would be.
What I did like was the way the two airmen were freed. But just don't understand why they had to be freed before the trial was over. Since it was impossible to prove that the pilots bombed the building on purpose with the intent to kill the refugees it was very likely that they would be aquitted.
Bad research:
Mr. Huston let's his character fly from the US to Rotterdam/The Hague airport. There are no flights form the US to that airfield. Nor from that airfield tot the US.
The Nortsea has the busiest sea-lanes in the world and is not that big. A carriergroup needs a lot of sea to deploy. Nevertheless Mr. Huston posts an entire carriergroup in the Northsea.
January 16, 2014
body language dangerous, access to clients icc, reason to pick Kristin partner, Hague what does that mean, leave us space for differences, ROE rules of engagement to do mission, weak admin leader do anything to help, America never gets benefit of doubt, attorney, Lawfare using human rights laws to attach 2 Chinese, defending stories exonerate if true-what attorneys do, were/are, political manipulation-payback, direct questions, ask a flyer-what know or not, killing people to gain political ends, clear conscience or right, intel perfectly adequate whether you accept or not doesn’t matter, the joy of a vaguely drafted treaty, retroactive excessive, rich lib kills 65, plausible deniability.
February 14, 2016
The book deals with enough topical data that could be happening today, that I was pulled into the possibilities. Caskey might have been a guy that you could root for, or a person who could be featured again. His backstory was well built, then he heads to the hills. I am looking forward to checking out more works by this author as he lends credibility with his real life experience. His point of view comes from a place few authors' could. A good read, written differently from similar stories.
April 12, 2020
James W. Huston is one of my favorite authors. I read this book twice, the only book I've ever reread. It's packed with information on the International Criminal Court and the relationships between the U.S. and Europe. While immersed in high-stakes adventures, I love to learn new things.
Jack Caskey reminds me of Dan Brown's main character, who is a specialist in his field and able to think on his feet.
The book would make a great action movie.
June 16, 2010
Great book especially knowing that it could happen. Huston seems to find out about laws that are still on the books that no one else has knowledge of. Stayed up late to finish because I could not put it down.
June 17, 2010
I do not think that Mr. Huston voted for Oboma... Very modern & current view of what a "techno thriller" can be. Using events out of todays newspaper the author puts you right in the middle of a situiation that should scare the hell out of every red blooded American.
August 10, 2010
After enjoying " Marine One " I have to follow up with my colleague's other recommendation " Falcon Seven". Ok, now that I got that out of my system I must move on to something else that is deeper with more developed charcters or just some meat to the plot....
October 8, 2011
Fast paced, fun and interesting about the International Criminal Court in the Hague, apparently set up to try war criminals. Two American fighter pilots are set up and brought to trial for war crimes in Pakistan. Lots of complications and implications. Liked the book a lot.
February 18, 2016
Excellent legal thriller / action adventure. Oneof those books you read and want more... My one quibble was that the main character ans his associate have the exact same conversation several times, and after the first time it didn't add anything to the book.
November 25, 2016
Interesting and scary premise of an international event, the ICC trying American flyers ... and layers of government intervention. Good story, some plot holes, and misogyny that doesn't even see itself.
June 30, 2010
Great book! I loved the ending. Very clever.
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