By Order of the President (Presidential Agent, 1)

Couldn’t put it down! Lots of twists and turns but easy to read and follow.

This is a new politica thriller series and is certainly by Griffin. He knows how to use his very great knowledge of the military and the U.S. government to create a new lead character in the battle agaist terrorist attacks. The use of the (bad but not to bad) Russian to feed important information to the lead character makes one think of just what is right and wrong in this world.

WEB Griffin books have a habit of causing me problems. I like them too much. When I start one, I tend to get very little else done until it is finished. Unfortunately, this latest offering has the same property and they always seem to come at inconvenient times like during exams, or when a major project is coming due. It's worth the price. This is the first book of a new series. Instead of reaching back into history, it tackles real issues now. It does so with all of the traits that have come to be expected of Griffin's books. These trait have rightfully been condemned as formulaic but, in this case, the formula works. The focus of the book is the war or terrorism. This is a much more difficult war to portray than the second world war, Korea or Vietnam. Its nature is such that the role of intelligence and the lack of intelligence are even more problematic than normal. This gives an even greater opportunity for Griffin to write about the special operations types he obviously loves. It also provides an opportunity for his to take a critical and sometimes scathing look at the cultures of the communities who gather, process and disemminate that intelligence. As is to be expected in a Griffin Book, the protagonist is the wealthy playboy type. This device is used so often by him that it would be laughable were it not for the fact that it works and works well. Another characteristic of his work is here in full force as well. It is certainly not politically correct. Griffin pull no punches in defference to race, national origin or religion. He calls them as he sees them and is likely to offend some people. The same people who are offended, however, miss the fact that he is also very respectful of those from other races, nations and cultures. The key to his treatment of people is how they behave and not the color of their skin of nation of origin. Are they honorable? (by Griffin's standards) I hope that this is just a taste of things to come. I look forward to seeing more of Castillo and seeing the bad guys lose.

W.E.B. Griffin is, in my opinion, the finest military adventure writer on the planet. In "By Order of the President," Griffin catapaults himself into the near future with a believeable story of a splinter terrorist group. Like today's Al Queada, this shadowy group has no identifiable state sponsor and aims that reflect the grotesqtuely nightmarish beliefs that we see plastered all too frequently in the mainstream media. ("Vote for democracy and we will kill you.") Charley Castillo is a new Griffin character. Through family connections (a regular plot device for Griffin) and his own abilities, he has attracted attention as he climbed the military ladder. A Delta Force major, he is chosen by the President to find out why the intelligence agencies seem unable to locate a stolen 727 aircraft. Thus the "By Order of the President." Like Fleming Pickering, the hero of another Griffin series, Castillo has the authority to go anywhere and do anything in the course of his duty. It's a convenient plot device and one suspects Griffin might be lost without it. And we are all the better for Griffin's use of it. In other hands, it could easily lead (as it so often does) to utterly implausible plots and transparent characters. But Griffin has a sure hand and Castillo moves from one locale to another as he unravels the mystery, which if unstopped could have deadly consequences to the resdidents of Philadelphia. Griffin is unsparing in his ridicule of the CIA and FBI. Whether this is justified or not, I don't know. But Griffin has definitely taken aim at both agencies and draws sharp portraits of their leaders as buffoons. Griffin's plots are always tight and his characters have substantial depth, many of them becoming friends over the course of reading his many series novels. For Griffin fans, "By Order of the President" will be a delight, though many (like me) wonder why he is branching out into a new set of characters instead of continuing on with the old. Maybe he's just grown bored with them. For those new Griffin, armed with a taste for adventure, Griffin mayt very well keep you awake for a night or two as you find the novel impossible to put down. Jerry

W.E.B. has done it again! This new, very timely series has folks from all the agencies, FBI, CSI, Homeland Security,etc., and his characters become instant friends, just like the cops in the Honor Bound series and all the wonderful Marines and Army guys from his others. You laugh out loud at some of their antics and comments and hold your breath while they are in danger. My only problem with W.E.B. is he doesn't write FAST ENOUGH. I finished this in 2 nights and am ready for the next one. Please, if you haven't read his other series, do yourself a favor - each and every one of his books are fabulous. Even if you don't love war stories, you'll enjoy them all. Usually these books would be for the guys in your life, but I'm female and have loved every one of them. And this newest one is the best yet!! Thank you WEB.

WEB Griffin does it again with this great new series set in modern times. If you have not read other WEB Griffin books, it is important to understand that his military readers treat his books like military history, instead of military fiction. Until now, most of his military books have dealt with WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. This new series displays his knowledge of the modern military. BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT continues the Griffin mode of only writing 5 star books. It deals with all new heroes from Special Forces, other military, and Homeland Security. This new series has all new good guys, some of whom we recognize, and all new bad guys. Carlos Castillo and his friends are modern heroes, fighting international enemies. Be sure you read the dates on the chapter headings, or you will think that Griffin is changing military history, instead of just providing "flashback" background information. The military community waits restlessly for each new Griffin book, wishing that he would write more than one a year. But don't despair, he already has 9 books each in his Army and Marine Corps series, and 7 in his two series about the OSS. There is also an excellent Police series. They are all worth re-reading each time a new book comes out in the series. This is the only author whose books I re-read on a regular basis. WEB Griffin is truly the dean of American Military story tellers, because he makes you live the experience, and has wonderful inside stories, that are only shared by military people with their friends. If you really want to know about how good our military guys are, you need to read all his books, but each one is a pleasure to read on its own.