The president rushes across the South Lawn through a pounding thunderstorm to Marine One to fly to Camp David late at night. His advisers plead... read full description
reviews
Aug 05, 2011
Patrick
rated it: 
James W. Huston really is Harmon Rabb.
A lawyer who also flew F-14 Tomcats from the USS Nimitz, Huston is a master of military suspense fiction.
And he deftly melds his military/legal experience into a suspenseful novel about the crash of Marine One, the president's official helicopter.
The president and everyone aboard dies when the chopper crashes en route to Camp David in a raging thunderstorm. It's up to trial lawyer Mike Nolan, a reserve Marine officer and helicopter pilot, to prove whether th More...
A lawyer who also flew F-14 Tomcats from the USS Nimitz, Huston is a master of military suspense fiction.
And he deftly melds his military/legal experience into a suspenseful novel about the crash of Marine One, the president's official helicopter.
The president and everyone aboard dies when the chopper crashes en route to Camp David in a raging thunderstorm. It's up to trial lawyer Mike Nolan, a reserve Marine officer and helicopter pilot, to prove whether th More...
Jul 19, 2009
hllf
rated it: 
Driven heavily by plot, not by characters. An enjoyable read. Here is a breakdown of my rating:
Enjoyability: 4
Re-Readability: 4
Character Development: 2
Complexity: 2.5
Writing Style: 3
Believability: 3
Overall: 3.08
This was my first novel by James W. Huston, and while I am giving this book only 3 stars, I recommend it for anyone who enjoys legal suspense as well as books very much driven by plot.
The story is a step-by-step acc More...
Enjoyability: 4
Re-Readability: 4
Character Development: 2
Complexity: 2.5
Writing Style: 3
Believability: 3
Overall: 3.08
This was my first novel by James W. Huston, and while I am giving this book only 3 stars, I recommend it for anyone who enjoys legal suspense as well as books very much driven by plot.
The story is a step-by-step acc More...
Mar 02, 2010
Barbw
rated it: 
President Adams' helicopter, Marine One, goes down during a horrific thunderstorm on the way to Camp David, and everyone on board is killed. A trial ensues and Mike Nolan, former Marine helicopter pilot and lawyer, is hired by Worldcopter, the French company that makes the President of the United States' helicopters. There's a lot of intrigue and a great surprise ending, but the rest of Huston's book is pretty slow. Not a title that I would recommend.
Jul 24, 2011
Dorine
rated it:
This was really well written. It was the story of an attorney defending the helicopter manufacturer of a helicopter that crashed killing the president of the United States. It was very suspenseful and had a lot of details that kept you from guessing exactly what would happen and who was at fault. It was pretty long, but it kept us on the edge of our seats. We listened to it on audiobook while we were traveling and really enjoyed it.
Nov 11, 2011
"Best-seller Huston (Secret Justice) grabs the reader by the lapels with the opening sentence of the first chapter of this outstanding thriller....This is nonstop legal suspense at its best." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Listen to Marine One on your smartphone.
Listen to Marine One on your smartphone.
May 26, 2010
Chuck
rated it:
The plot potential in this one was good enough to keep me reading but it was a struggle at times. The protagonist is a lawyer defending the manufacturer of Marine One which crashed killing everyone on board including POTUS. The author gets caught up in technical and legal jargon and repeats himself.
May 20, 2010
Susan
rated it:
The President's helicopter crashes on his way to Camp David. The French company that built it has to prove it was not a defect but sabotage. The book is decent up to a point and I learned a lot about helicopters but the plot has enough holes to drive a truck through and the denouement was incomplete.
Apr 08, 2010
Angie
rated it:
I picked up this book to read while I was in Washington D.C. but instead read Sammy's House. Good choice as this book had very little to do with Washington DC, other than the fact that the President of the United States lives in the White House (which hopefully you already knew). When Marine One crashes and kills the president the helicoptor company that manufacture Marine One is sued. But who REALLy caused the crash. I probably would give it 2 1/2 stars, but went with 2 because I thought th
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Jul 26, 2011
Nicolas
rated it:
This was a very entertaining book. The story was fast-paced and interesting. The writing definitely had it's flaws, but not so many that it effected my enjoyment of the story as a whole. It was good enough to make me want to read more of his books someday.
Feb 06, 2010
Lorna
rated it:
I enjoyed this book...adventure, government, military, terrorism. Quite an exciting book. No holds barred and realistic. But no offensive language, profanity, etc. Fits right into what we deal with right now as a country. I liked his other books also.
Sep 04, 2011
Fredrick
rated it: 
The president is flying to Camp David in a storm for a secert meeting when the presidental helicopter crashes killing everyone aboard. The widows sue the French manufacturer for one billion dollars. Mike Nolan gets the case for the defense and thus begins this legal thriller. This was a really great read.
Aug 02, 2009
Mark
rated it:
Another better than average military/political/legal thriller from Huston...the hero Mike Nolan defends a French Helicoptor company in a civil suit from a crash that results in the death of the President...some surprising twists that result in a thrilling read!!!
Nov 18, 2009
Corky
rated it:
I have not read this author in years and this title appealed to me. It is an excellant thriller with fast pacing, beleivable characters, and plenty of action and subterfuge! Recommended for any thriller junkie!
Aug 02, 2011
predictable - not as much a cliffhanger as previous books. Hopefully his next one is better. This one seemed kind of shallow on the plot - very transparent.
Nov 28, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
A good who-done-it with an unanticipated ending. It was a quick easy read that I really enjoyed. I will definitely be looking for more things written by Huston.
Nov 22, 2010
Christine US
rated it:
Could've cut about 50 pages out of it, and it would've been just fine. I probably would've enjoyed it more, as I wouldn't have been irritated at some of the repetitiveness. I wasn't thrilled with the ending -- but I understand entirely why it needed to end that way.
Feb 08, 2012
Jennifer
rated it:
This was the first time I have read this author. If you like legal suspense, I would recommend this. It was a little slow for me. I wasn't really engrossed until about 2/3 of the way through.
Apr 01, 2010
Ray
rated it:
I had the book in my possession for two months, and delayed reading it, thinking it'd be "ok", but probably just another military action adventure like so many others. Now, I regret the delay. It ended up being a very good legal thriller, filled with courtroom drama, a likeable ex-marine lawyer defending a French helicopter company in a wrongful death / fraud lawsuit, an easy to dislike opponent who was an unethical class-action lawyer, no superhuman hero character, some suspense and
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Jan 15, 2010
Gregg
rated it:
Entertaining and quick read, in the mold of a grisham-esque conspiracy to be unwound by the underestimated legal genius.....
Jun 13, 2011
Marc
rated it:
If you like John Grisham novels you will love this book it keeps you guessing until the end. Very well written.
Aug 10, 2010
Lou
rated it:
Fun summer reading. Recommended by a colleague. Other reviews accurrate when they say "plot driven". Not a bad thing for light enjoyable reading if you enjoy a Grisham or Turow thriller.
Jul 27, 2011
Not bad, good characters and it kept me going to the end as to what happened. Will try another of his.
May 27, 2010
Bob
rated it:
This is a fair mystery/legal thriller. The only problem is that it makes a mockery of legal ethics.
Apr 04, 2011
Robert
rated it:
It was a dark and stormy night. Remember who started his stories like that? Well this one is sort of like that. The president decides to fly , aboard Marine One, to Camp David for a late night secret meeting. Why does he fly in the middle of a storm instead of driving? And what causes the helicopter to crash killing all aboard including the president? These are questions for Mike Nolan who will be representing the manufacturer of Marine One in a major civil suit. High tension and a whole lot of
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Oct 29, 2009
Douglas
rated it:
First sentence "If my radio alarm had gone off, I would have known the president was dead."
Sep 16, 2011
Allen
rated it:
A real thriller that educates and entertains with no cuss/French words. What a relief.
Jul 31, 2011
Charlie
rated it:
Fast read, excellent thriller by a former Top Gun pilot who is now a lawyer and author.
Jun 14, 2009
Kitty
rated it:
Entertaining. Too many characters to keep up with. Ending was a bit anticlimatic.
