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Circle William: A Novel
"Two brothers -- one a presidential press secretary, the other a maverick captain on a Navy destroyer -- scramble to prevent a Libyan plot to use chemical weapons against Israel and the United States." Jim Schmidt is a master of spin. As White House press secretary, his job is to cajole, sweet-talk, and otherwise persuade the nation's most powerful journalists to play a story the way the White House wants it played. Jim's younger brother, Bill, is equally skillful, but in a different realm. He's the charismatic captain of the USS "Winston Churchill," and he leads an able but rambunctious crew with a penchant for causing well-publicized "liberty incidents" around the Mediterranean.
Both men instinctively understand their jobs, but more important, they understand power and how it works: He who controls the facts controls the response. So when the United States learns of a Libyan plot to drop a planeload of chemical weapons on the Israeli Knesset, the brothers -- thousands of miles apart -- unexpectedly find themselves working together to defuse the plan. Their first step is to set "Circle William," a Navy phrase meaning to prepare for chemical, germ, or nuclear attack.
As Jim huddles with the country's top defense and intelligence officials to plot a viable strategy to prevent the strike, Bill, on the front lines of the crisis, prepares to implement the plan. Complicating their mission is the inconvenient presence of Sue O'Dell, a smart "Washington Post" Style reporter who wants to write a feature on the commander and his notorious ship.
How the brothers counter the Libyan threat and how they spin the story make "Circle William" as much a story of internationalterrorism as a contemporary political thriller.
Drawing from more than two decades of service in the U.S. Navy, his work inside the Pentagon, and from his tenure as an assistant White House press secretary, Bill Harlow combines the insider's detail of "Primary Colors" with the technical expertise of "The Hunt for Red October. Circle William," as authentic and chilling as any news event, is an impressive debut by a writer with an intimate knowledge of the workings of Washington, the military, and international terrorism.
Both men instinctively understand their jobs, but more important, they understand power and how it works: He who controls the facts controls the response. So when the United States learns of a Libyan plot to drop a planeload of chemical weapons on the Israeli Knesset, the brothers -- thousands of miles apart -- unexpectedly find themselves working together to defuse the plan. Their first step is to set "Circle William," a Navy phrase meaning to prepare for chemical, germ, or nuclear attack.
As Jim huddles with the country's top defense and intelligence officials to plot a viable strategy to prevent the strike, Bill, on the front lines of the crisis, prepares to implement the plan. Complicating their mission is the inconvenient presence of Sue O'Dell, a smart "Washington Post" Style reporter who wants to write a feature on the commander and his notorious ship.
How the brothers counter the Libyan threat and how they spin the story make "Circle William" as much a story of internationalterrorism as a contemporary political thriller.
Drawing from more than two decades of service in the U.S. Navy, his work inside the Pentagon, and from his tenure as an assistant White House press secretary, Bill Harlow combines the insider's detail of "Primary Colors" with the technical expertise of "The Hunt for Red October. Circle William," as authentic and chilling as any news event, is an impressive debut by a writer with an intimate knowledge of the workings of Washington, the military, and international terrorism.
- GenresFictionMilitary Fiction
315 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 18, 2022
I read this book in one day. I haven’t done that in forever. Fast paced, suspenseful, and even humorous.
May 12, 2019
Great read! Go Navy!
I was pleased to find that my ex-commanding officer had written a book. It was forthright and well founded in USN technology - planes, ships, ordnance and support systems. Over all, in was an extremely entertaining read, especially since Mr. Harlow was my commanding officer in similar conflicts with Libya in the '80s. Great job, Skipper
I was pleased to find that my ex-commanding officer had written a book. It was forthright and well founded in USN technology - planes, ships, ordnance and support systems. Over all, in was an extremely entertaining read, especially since Mr. Harlow was my commanding officer in similar conflicts with Libya in the '80s. Great job, Skipper
May 16, 2020
Excellent read
The story is well written and keeps you on the edge of suspense. Well done, the final scene of the plan was very appropriate.
The story is well written and keeps you on the edge of suspense. Well done, the final scene of the plan was very appropriate.
June 1, 2024
I want to start by saying i support the men and women who serve in the navy.
But this book just did not cut it
But this book just did not cut it
January 11, 2018
In a debut novel by a former Naval officer and CIA Public Affairs chief, Harlow takes a relatively small closed loop story and tells it in an engaging fashion. Two brothers, one a destroyer captain, the other the White House press secretary (seemingly covering both sides of Harlow's career) feature as the prominent subjects and story tellers of both a week or so in the theater of global politics and a terror attack on two fronts and the small group of people engaged to stop it. While there's some globe hoping and a beginning love interest with the pretty rote beautiful blonde reporter, it isn't a "spread 20 tentatcles around the world" type Clancy concept - the plot stays on point and delivers what's needed, with the requisite amazing coincidences popping up a few times.
Definitely some holes, and the wrap-up was a bit fast, but a decent read. It was written in 1999 so if one gets annoyed over outdated tech or pre- 9/11 terror plots (as with some of Clancy's stories, it can be eerie to read something that may have some similarities to those awful attacks), you'll want to avoid. Appears this was his only novel - would have been curious to see how he would have progressed as a fiction writer.
Definitely some holes, and the wrap-up was a bit fast, but a decent read. It was written in 1999 so if one gets annoyed over outdated tech or pre- 9/11 terror plots (as with some of Clancy's stories, it can be eerie to read something that may have some similarities to those awful attacks), you'll want to avoid. Appears this was his only novel - would have been curious to see how he would have progressed as a fiction writer.
September 3, 2009
A fun-filled action/adventure set on the high seas and the White House. Good characters, fun plot, slightly weak ending, but overall an enjoyable read.
August 11, 2013
Contemporary Clancy
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews