The Hostage

A Presidential Agent Novel (Presidential Agent, Book 2)

By: W. E. B. Griffin

Narrated by: Dick Hill

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)

Good series and excellent reader

Increasingly I find the narrator has a HUGE impact on how I relate to a book or a series. Dick Hill and George Guidall are excellent and I've become hooked on Alex Berenson's John Welles series and Griffin's Presidential Agent novels. The stories themselves are good, characters (lead) likable and human with good detail. Because the W.E.B. Griffin ones need to be read in order, there is always a part where the book has perhaps a chapter filling in the reader with things they might not know (if they haven't read it in series). I'm not sure how much this will bother me or not as the Presidential Agent ones continue - but Charlie Castillo is a very likable "guy" and enough details are provided in the retelling to add flesh to the "bones" of his history. I do think that Dick Hill is an important reason I've liked the series so much so far. But really good and I'd recommend others who've liked Berenson and Vince Flynn (with reader Guidall),

Old school political thriller

Excellent intelligence procedural story. Castillo is a great character and the intrigue/mystery kept it interesting. I was expecting a big action finale, but it was a minor action finale, but still satisfying. Definitely continuing to read the series.

Knocks it out of the park!!

A true tour de force in the spy/espionage drama. Written with such exquisite detail I truly got lost in the story. Great characters expertly read by the phenomenal Mr. Dick Hill. His description of the preparation of a simple chateaubriand was hypnotic and almost erotic. He could read the tax code and I'd listen! This story starts out as a hostage drama, as the name implies, but becomes so much more. You can't help rooting for the lead character, who has appeared in other of Mr. Griffin's work, but who I feel I truly got to know in this book. This was a truly enjoyable book and I highly recommend it. Happy reading!

Continuing great.

Just googled today and realized Mr Butterworth Sr died two years ago. Such a loss. Wish he was still writing. Great read in a great series. Have finished two of Griffin's military series. Several hundred hours of listening. This book continues the story. Will read next and next and next and...

Very interesting story

Usual excellent Story line solid characters hard to put down, ready for next volume thanks.