The Hostage

By: W. E. B. Griffin

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

By Order of the President, the first novel in Griffin's crackling Presidential Agent series, won immediate acclaim from critics and fans alike.

Charley Castillo works with the Department of Homeland Security, but more and more is the man to whom the president turns when he needs an investigation done discreetly. And no situation demands discretion more than the one before them now.

An American diplomat's wife is kidnapped in Argentina, and her husband is murdered before her eyes. Her children will be next, she is told, if she doesn't tell them where her brother is - a brother, as it turns out, who may know quite a bit about the burgeoning UN/Iraq oil-for-food scandal.

There is an awful lot of money flying around, and an awful lot of hands are reaching up to grab it - and some of those hands don't mind shedding as much blood as it takes.

Before the investigation is over..it might even be Castillo's blood.

Prolong the suspense: listen to another Presidential Agent thriller.

©2006 W. E. B. Griffin (P)2006 Brilliance Audio

Critic Reviews

"True virtuosity." ( Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
"Cutting-edge. The end leaves readers standing on the tarmac waiting for Castillo and his newly minted band of can-do compatriots to touch down and carry them away again on a new adventure." ( Publishers Weekly)

Pay attention, this is a great spy novel!

I pay a great deal of attention to my fellow readers' reviews and I am often swayed by their opinions. This series is an exception. This is a great spy novel.

The author captures the inner workings of the US security and military bureaucracies with clever character building and a great deal of respect for the degree of difficulty officers are forced to operate within. The theme is fascinating. The President, a Tarheel like me, Is well aware of the problem with agencies not used to cooperating with one another, rivalries, power grabs, egos, ectetera. He has discovered a talented young major he can use to cut through rival bureaucracies to expose security breaches while solving the problem at hand.

Did you happen to see the excellent movie Spy Games with Redford and Brad Pitt. This series reminds me of that movie.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Another Tasty Griffin Confection

Griffin's books have repetitive dialog, predictable plots, stereotypical characters...and yet they remain utterly irresistible. The Presidential Agent series follows the pattern of his other four great series. W.E.B. Griffin books have everything you would want from a guilty pleasure. Dick Hill has narrated several books from the various series and he gives a terrific performance here. If you like cliched covert/military action, well described international settings, and self-deprecating yet capable heroes who have their own wealth to rely on, then this latest series will not disappoint.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Can't wait to listen to the next

Would you listen to The Hostage again? Why?

This is the sort of 'adventure' series I like... not a lot of technical background info that takes up page after page, assuming the listener is a weapons or electronics expert! Fun to listen to, good plot, and almost [I stress the word 'almost'!] makes driving in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, traffic seem enjoyable!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

excellent

Would you listen to The Hostage again? Why?

great story

What did you like best about this story?

it followed the theme of the other books in the story masterfully

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

awesome as usual

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

The Hostage

Excellent story line, excellent narration. The sidebars not only give one some historical background but also an insight into the characters. Would highly recommend this series

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very Tedious

I enjoyed the first half of the book and the characters are interesting enough. However, the last half of the book was so boring and drawn out I found it literally impossible to get thru. It is the first time I failed to finish a tape of any length.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Definitely a Page Turner

If you could sum up The Hostage in three words, what would they be?

More Research Please!

If you’ve listened to books by W. E. B. Griffin before, how does this one compare?

This is my second book by W.E.B. Griffin and I was a little disappointed in terms of US Embassy infrastructure. I am a Former Special Agent of the US State Department and the author referred to the Ambassador and Chief Of Mission (COM). Last I checked this was one in the same and it made reading a bit confusing. The number two at an Embassy is the DCM or Deputy Chief Of Mission. There was also a reference to the Embassy Security Officer. This position is staffed by members of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the training is rather impressive. A reference was made that the only investigative experience that the Security Officer would have was minimal. Having been there and done that I could not disagree more. The last part was the use of Marine Security Guards. I have nothing but respect for Marines however when they are posted to Embassy Duty they are not allowed to do the things depicted in the book which would be contrary to their mission. Overall I did like the book and plan to continue listening to the rest of the series.

What about Dick Hill’s performance did you like?

Dick's performance was outstanding!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As outlined above and I may be getting too technical and a bit of professional pride when the Security Officer was portrayed in the wrong way as if to say that he was not qualified.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Too much detail leading to an abrupt end

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It was a slow and detailed beginning that lead to a slow middle section then an abrupt unbelievable ending leaving the reader with thinking that the writer had drawn a blank as to how to end it.

Has The Hostage turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable Adventure

Dick Hill is a wonderful narrator. My wife enjoyed the romance parts. I enjoyed the historical sidebars. The language is rough, but not unrealistic for the situation. It does prevent one from listening with children around -- not all bad! We look forward to book 3 and 4 in the series.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Soooooo damn frustrating!

This is a very long book! It builds and builds and just when you’re expecting this massive throwdown climactic ending.... it falls totally completely flat. Good guy loses, bad guys get away, it appears to be a pathetic and shameful attempt to lead into a sequel book! Dick Hill the narrator, was, as always, the highlight of the book! His performance is second to none!