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)

Could have been better ...

First time reading W.E.B. Griffin. Interesting plot, well-developed characters but way too much "f..ing" in language and Castillo's desire to take every woman to bed gets tiresome. Too bad as without that it's a good book.

Enjoyed the book, concerned with ending statements

The book was okay, typical of this genre, if you like Clancy etc., you will like this book. However, I am very concerned with the legal language at the end of the book. It states, "it may not be streamed, downloaded, broadcast, or copied without written permission". I have never heard any legalese this strong, and I believe this actually prevents you from downloading this book from Audible unless you have written permission. I know, I know, over reacting, but I am tired of all the legal mumbo jumbo. If you are going to steal the book, you are going to steal it. Having this language will not prevent it. So, Brilliance Audio, at least get the language right.

Great book, incredibly performance. Top 5 for me!

Any additional comments?

A Great book and a performance by Dick Hill that was incredible! I have bought this audible book for a few friends because I just had to share it. It doesn't start quickly (at least IMO), but once the protagonist gets introduced, you are off! The characters are rich, the dialogue is fantastic, and Dick Hill renders all of the different characters in such a way that they come to life.
Easily in my top 5 Audible books of all time!

Great start to an ongoing story

The author truly did his homework and depicts the operations of DoD operators that keep our country safe. The story has a good flow and is worth of the read/listen. Great to know there are authors that can keep multiple story lines, of true to life situations, flowing and still keep your interest of what happens next to the characters within the life of the story. The plot was good and the multiple personalities kept the story going. Great Job.

Paid by the word

The story is ok, the main character is ok, if very cliched. However the book is way too long in my opinion by 1/3. The military jargon is excessively detailed, ok the first time, but by the third and fourth I kept thinking "ok I get it, you don't really have to repeat this again".

Predictable

What did you like best about By Order of the President? What did you like least?

It's a want-to-be Tom Clancy novel. The story is okay, but the author seems a little homophobic. This surprised me since I've read over a hundred books of this genre and this is the first time it was so blatant. I give it an overall C+ / B-

Great Author - Great Narrator!

What did you love best about By Order of the President?

All of Griffin's books are awesome, but I'm really enjoying the Narrator, Dick Hill. He is amazing the way that he can change his voice and do some many different characters. He is probably the best that I have heard.

Not his best but good

More like a military soap opera with the bad guys clearly identified and the army guys all good. Leaves open several plot issues but worth a listen.

The series seems promising

I thought there was a little too much detail, but that might be a good thing. I will listen to the next in the series.

Good series; read almost all of the books.

Performance was severely lacking. The reading was very flat and without much emotion. I used the timer to fall asleep one night just because of the monotone reading. If it wasn't a great story to read, and I didn't need to listen while driving, I would have turned it off! I spent most of the time replaying what I was hearing in my mind with the time, reflection, and emotion from when I read the book. Hopefully the next in the series is read by a different person. My apologies for sounding so harsh.