Marine One

James Huston starts his novel with a bang and ends with a compelling trial that clarifies why Huston will be at the top of the politico thriller for a very long time. As someone who does not normally like legal dramas, this novel turns the genre upside down. Calm cool and collected is how the lead character handles himself at all times and what truly makes this shine is facing a sleazeball New York trial attorney the likes of which the full page ads in the yellow pages have never seen. You will be hooked from page one and held through page 324.

My first book by Mr Huston and it won't be my last. I was pulled in by the title Marine One as my son flew Marine One for 2 presidents and thankfully never crashed. I have to say Mike Nolan certainly has a patient and understanding wife. We never heard any whining or grumbling about his late hours. Tinny sure save Nolans bacon. Without his detecting Nolan would have been left holding the bag. This was a great read from start to finish and I feel like going back and starting again.

It has been a while since we were favored with a James W. Huston novel and the wait was more than worth it. As a pilot and retired trial lawyer, a book such as this goes down very easily for me. I have represented defendants in product liability cases and the litigation that Huston recounts in this book while a few decibels higher in sound and value than most, is very realistically set out. This is a story that has you, right from the prologue. As events transpire and Mike Nolan gets drawn further and further into the mystery of the crash of Marine One with the president on board, it becomes more and more difficult to put down. I read it in two days and for the last 100 pages, I turned OFF the Red Sox game I had been watching so as not to be distracted from the flow of events. I am a die hard Sox fan and if that isn't a measure of what a gripping story this is, I don't know what is.

Americans are fascinated by aircraft crashes, NTSB investigations and the high stakes litigation that follows the crash. But Jim Huston, an internationally prominent lawyer in this field, has really ramped up the excitement in Marine One. The aircraft that crashes is no ordinary plane. It's Marine One, the President's helicopter, and the President is killed when it crashes. But Huston doesn't stop there. There is international intrique, a Congressional inquiry, State Department meddling, a deadly conspiracy to thwart the efforts of anyone getting close to discovering the true cause of the crash of Marine One and, just for the heck of it, a few lawyers who may or may not be dishonest. The end product is a sensational novel!