By Order of the President

Presidential Agent, Book 1

By: W. E. B. Griffin

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 20 hrs

Publisher's summary

Two armed men board a 727 that has been all but forgotten at an airfield in Angola. Hijacking the jet, they then slit the throat of the lone crew and fly to parts unknown. The consternation is immediate, as the CIA, FBI, and other agencies race to find out what happened, in the process elbowing one another in the sides a little too vigorously.

Fed up, the president of the United States turns to an outside investigator to determine the truth, an Army intelligence officer serving as special assistant to the secretary of homeland security.

Delta Force major Carlos Guillermo Castillo, known as Charley, is the son of a German mother and a Tex-Mex father who was killed in the Vietnam War and awarded a Medal of Honor. A West Point graduate, a pilot, and a veteran of Desert Storm, Castillo has a sharp eye for the facts - and the reality behind them.

Traveling undercover, he flies to Africa, and there, helped and hindered by unexpected allies and determined enemies, he begins to untangle a story of frightening dimensions - a story that, unless he can do something about it, will end very, very badly indeed, not only for Castillo...but for all of America.

©2004 W. E. B. Griffin (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"Proving himself solidly in control of cutting-edge military material, Griffin bases his new series not on wars past but on today's murky exigencies of terrorism and international political intrigue." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Dick Hill does a top-notch job presenting a huge cast of charters from far-flung corners of the globe." ( AudioFile)

Griffin does it again

loved this book looking forward to the rest of the series finished it in four days

I wanted to love it but...

It seems to be a bit too much of a good old boy novel where the women seem to be included only as required props for the men. I could go on with regard to how I perceived the writer's poor handling of black characters. White people get too be people. Black people get too be big and black, very black, ... And the plot was a bit unbelievable at times.

I order the president review

Very good book, enjoyed it greatly.
I highly recommend this. Will definitely look for more books of this kind

Be careful

Be careful, this series is addicting. Dick Hill is a wonderful reader and the storyline is well written with a good plot and some humor. You grow to like these characters

Typically great

Nothing to dislike forget it this is my last review. You are asking for too much.

By Order of the President

W.E.B. Griffin has been one of my all time favorite sence I was young. I love it

Technical flaws...

I enjoyed the story over all, to me it is on par with Jack Reacher stories. There were some obvious errors that kinda made me WTF the author. The story was published in 2004, takes place in 2005 yet the author, writing about people who should know better has characters mention "Czechoslovakia" which actually split in to two countries Czechia and Slovakia in 1993. They were supposedly in Vienna when this mistake takes place which is only about 50 miles from a boarder with either country. Also "Fiver" WTF is that... "Fiver" is not in the military phonetic alphabet. It's stupid and wrong and damages the credibility of the author who (according to his GoodReads bio) was actually in the military, and should know better. Other than those things which kinda jolted me out of my suspension of disbelief, I enjoyed it enough not to stop listening. It was slower paced than some, I will probably give book 2 a shot but if there isn't a increase in quality, I'll save the series for filler when none of the other series I'm following with greater interest have new books out.

My First W.E.B. Griffin Book

Any additional comments?

This was my first Griffen book and I plan to give him another try. I think the main character (Charley) needs a little more work, sometimes he seem seasoned and other times I thought he was 22 years old.

Dick Hill's always give a 4 star performance.

Terrorism and Spec Ops

Good but not great fictional Special Operations book. The good: the characters were interesting and likable. The story was unpredictable and kept my interest, although long. I thought the Dick Hills narration style complimented the writing. The not so good: Certain aspects of the plot were a bit far fetched, including the authority vested in the hero. Not as well researched or edited as say a Tom Clancy novel, and that showed in a number of military inaccuracies that distract from the book. Overall I found it an enjoyable listen but I am not jumping to read get the next in the series. I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars.

On the edge of your seat

Would you listen to By Order of the President again? Why?

I have never read or listened to any of Grillin's work before. This story is excellent a must for everyone.

What was one of the most memorable moments of By Order of the President?

When a special warfare group went into Africa looking for the missing plane.

What does Dick Hill bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hill brings to life all the different character’s in the story

Any additional comments?

Great story, good listen well worth getting