Covert Warriors (Presidential Agent Series #7)

by W. E. B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth

Overview

Charley Castillo and the former members of Presidential Agent’s Office of Organizational Analysis are officially “retired.” But that doesn’t mean they’re out of action…

At a Mexican roadblock, a US Embassy SUV is stopped at gunpoint, three of its passengers murdered, and a fourth kidnapped. Everything points to the drug cartels, especially when the kidnappers say they will return the hostage if a cartel kingpin is released from US federal prison. But when word gets to Castillo and his group of retired spies and special operators, they have their doubts.

They believe that it's a diversion—that the murders and kidnapping were ordered by someone to lure Castillo & Company to their deaths. But even knowing that may not save them. Powerful forces in the US government are arrayed against them as well, and if one side doesn't get them...the other side will.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780515151268
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/24/2012
Series:	Presidential Agent Series , #7
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	29,552
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

W.E.B. Griffin is the author of the bestselling Brotherhood of War, Corps, Badge of Honor, Men at War, Honor Bound, and Presidential Agent series. He has been invested into the orders of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association and St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association; is a life member of the U.S. Special Operations Association; and is a member of Gaston-Lee Post 5660 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, China Post #1 in Exile of the American Legion, the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, South New Jersey, and Delaware, and the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society. He has been named an honorary life member of the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association, the U.S. Army Special Forces Association, the U.S. Marine Corps Raider Association, and the USMC Combat Correspondents Association.

William E. Butterworth IV has been an editor and a writer for more than twenty-five years, and has worked closely with his father for a decade on the editing of the Griffin books. He is the coauthor of nine Griffin novels in the bestselling Presidential Agent, Honor Bound, Badge of Honor, and Men at War series. He is a member of the Sons of the American Legion China Post #1 in Exile, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society, and life member of the National Rifle Association and the Texas Rifle Association.

Hometown:

Coppell, Texas

Date of Birth:

November 10, 1929

Place of Birth:

Newark, New Jersey

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A storyteller in the grand tradition.”—Tom Clancy

“A writer of true virtuosity and talent.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Griffin…understands the psychology and motivations of military and clandestine service officers.”—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

A storyteller in the grand tradition.”—Tom Clancy

“A writer of true virtuosity and talent.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram 

“Griffin…understands the psychology and motivations of military and clandestine service officers.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

The leisurely seventh presidential agent thriller starring Lt. Col. Charley Castillo from Griffin and Butterworth (after 2010’s The Outlaws) opens with a bang. Mexican federales stop two U.S. Special Forces officers and two DEA agents at a roadblock near Acapulco, order them out of their SUV despite their diplomatic license plates, and shoot three of them dead, taking Lt. Col. James Ferris prisoner. It appears the drug cartels have Ferris, but Charley figures out that his arch enemy, Vladimir Putin—yes, that Vladimir Putin—is behind the attack. Charley’s other enemy, U.S. president Zeke Clendennen, decides to rescue Ferris in an operation that’s sure to get the man killed. Charley must snatch Ferris before the president can screw everything up. As usual, the authors exhaustively outline what’s happened in earlier books, then lay out a plan that’s swiftly implemented at the very end. Even loyal series fans may be weary of this formula by now. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

The latest military thriller from Griffin. At a Mexican roadblock, an American Embassy SUV is stopped and its occupants murdered except for Colonel Ferris, who is kidnapped. A drug cartel wants one of its own released from the Florence, Colo., supermax prison, and President Clennenden secretly wants to exchange the convict for Ferris. Meanwhile, Clennenden fears a coup by the vice president. Is this paranoia or genuine treason? POTUS misses no opportunity to earn the same contempt he lavishes on his subordinates, and he is accurately seen by some as a nut job. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you, so maybe there is something to his worries. The big issue, though, is whether it's OK to trade a vicious murderer, who would surely kill again, for a hostage. It's a good plot point, although the unrelenting nastiness of POTUS makes him look one-dimensional. And it's irritating when half the characters are introduced by their height and weight, or when a character jokes, "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you," time and time again. Worse is the action-stopping background information provided every time a new character appears. Moreover, listing the precise model number of every weapon and aircraft feels unnecessary. More explosions and tighter writing would have helped.

Kirkus Reviews