• By Order of the President

  • Presidential Agent, Book 1
  • By: W. E. B. Griffin
  • Narrated by: Dick Hill
  • Length: 20 hrs
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (2,544 ratings)

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By Order of the President  By  cover art

By Order of the President

By: W. E. B. Griffin
Narrated by: Dick Hill
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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)

What listeners say about By Order of the President

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,508
  • 4 Stars
    663
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    69
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    27
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,243
  • 4 Stars
    504
  • 3 Stars
    169
  • 2 Stars
    45
  • 1 Stars
    40

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

By Order of the Pres

Many, many superfluous characters, so hard to follow sometimes. Got the whole series, this being the first it will likely get better, I hope. Kudos to the reader, long listen, which I like, interesting insight on radical Islamic beliefs, but the book/story itself is somehow ... meh ...

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting characters, good plot, slow paced.

The story starts out with a bang as a jet is stolen. Then the main characters are introduced and every detail on the main characters prior life is told through back story memories.

It can be a bit distracting at times but does have some intereting parts relating to the main character.

It takes a long time for things to happen and each aspect is drawn out. For example, when the characters are flying in a plane, the detailed call in to the tower goes through every aspect of the call in and landing....that gets boring. Much of the story is delivered the same way. I found my mind wandering off a lot as I listened.

If you are really into the whole military behavior and all the aspects of decoram that go along with it you will like it. I did enjoy the characters but would prefer an abridged version.

The ending, when it finally got to it, was rather anti-climatic.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Insipid story

This time the narration is just fine. The problem is the only bad men are the "towel heads", except for one Sargent - who is just kind of dumb - out of say 15 men. The women on the other-hand (all 5 so far), either want to sleep with the main man, are power-hunger vapids (all high ranking officers), or mommy who is drunk all the time and didn't get married cause was pining for baby daddy. Then there is grandma, who is OK and a secretary who also seems OK (but not muscling in on the men's turf). 3 out of 5 of woman are just clich??s...
I am only 1/3 through but not sure I can stomach any more misogyny...

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I couldn't put it down.

I really don't understand the negative experiences of some reviewers. I found this book riveting. I loved the characters, the narrative, the narration.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dick Hill is the right reader; interesting story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Listen to Presidential Series in order and follow the changes in life caused by each story. The story length might make you thin it will be a slow pace and in places it is but it makes the story more real and interesting. Once I started this series I had to read them all.

What other book might you compare By Order of the President to and why?

I listened to the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child read by Dick Hill. I loved the series and the Jack Reacher Series and had a hard time converting from Jack to Charley Castillo in this story.

Which character – as performed by Dick Hill – was your favorite?

Jack Reacher was my favorite but Charley Castillo; Cam Richter in this series is a close second but don't forget another great character read by Dick Hill; Cam Richter by P.T. Deutermann

Any additional comments?

Read the whole series in order, you certainly get your money's worth of entertainment.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Long time favorite

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

Being a new book Griffin does his normal great job in building a new set of characters. Generally his military description is right on target. I really loved the scene at the Fort Bragg Rod and Gun Club. As a transit air crew I've eaten there before and the burgers are legendary!!

What other book might you compare By Order of the President to and why?

Most of WEB Griffin's military stuff.

Have you listened to any of Dick Hill’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Excellent as always.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

By Order Of The President

This is, I think a great book. First, its the intro to a a compelling chracter, Major Charley Castillo. And a story line that develops all the way to the end.Not to mention the ever entertaining narration of Dick Hill. I will listen to the rest of this series. Also I think its great when a author develops a chracter and expands that into a series.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good start

Most fun listening since the old Jack Ryan books .. looking forward to more. Loved the characters and am happy they will continue with more adventures

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice reading, a bit long to listen to.

The story takes a while to develop, but the plot is fine. I would have like more radical action toward CIA/FBI and their intelligence gathering method or lack of by the President. The major is quite good in his jack-of-all trade and master of ALL role. I would have like to know more about the Delta team and there members and a bit more technical detail about the exploit but then again they were not the principals characters. 20 hours is a long time considering my commuter time is about 1/2 hours. I had to do some overtime outside the house to finish the book (lawnmowing and outdoor chores). But overall I would have prefer a faster developping story and a bit more technical. Any suggestion of authors apart Tom Clancy?

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5 people found this helpful