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Presidential Agent #8
Hazardous Duty
Mexican drug cartels are shooting up the streets of Laredo and El Paso. Somali pirates are holding three U.S. tankers for ransom. The President is fed up and has what he thinks is a pretty bright idea—to get hold of Colonel Charley Castillo and his merry band and put them on the case. Unfortunately, that will be difficult. Everybody knows that the President hates Castillo’s guts, has just had him forcibly retired from the military, and now Castillo’s men are scattered far and wide, many of them in hiding. There are also whispers that the President himself is unstable -- the word "nutcake" has been mentioned.
How will it all play out? No one knows for sure, but for Castillo and company, one thing is definite: It will be hazardous duty.
How will it all play out? No one knows for sure, but for Castillo and company, one thing is definite: It will be hazardous duty.
406 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2013
430 people are currently reading
901 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Griffin
351 books1,307 followersW.E.B. Griffin was one of several pseudonyms for William E. Butterworth III.
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
January 19, 2014
Mr. Griffin, father and son, have disrespected themselves and the faithful fans of the Presidential Agent series with this sham of a book. I feel misled and cheated by this error filled mess. This installment of a once very popular series was such a letdown, it insults the readers who have been waiting forever for the next book. It is a poorly written caricature of what I expected when I wasted my money on it. The so-called authors should be ashamed of this book and be handing out refunds to all of the readers who bought this in good faith.
January 11, 2014
I have read every single book of every series by this author, and have thoroughly enjoyed them all, with one exception. The exception being this book
It has the weakest, most disjointed plot of any book I have ever read. I finished the book, but only in the faint hope that it would somehow resurrect itself, but unfortunately No.
I understand that the author for some inane reason, wanted to write a somewhat satirical book, but instead of doing a great job of ruining what up til now has been another good series, couldn't he at least have written a one off book that has no relation to this or any other series.
At least by doing that, purchasers, would know what they were buying instead of being duped into buying this, a hopeless new entry into the series.
If this is the level of writing to be expected from now on, maybe its time to find another author
It has the weakest, most disjointed plot of any book I have ever read. I finished the book, but only in the faint hope that it would somehow resurrect itself, but unfortunately No.
I understand that the author for some inane reason, wanted to write a somewhat satirical book, but instead of doing a great job of ruining what up til now has been another good series, couldn't he at least have written a one off book that has no relation to this or any other series.
At least by doing that, purchasers, would know what they were buying instead of being duped into buying this, a hopeless new entry into the series.
If this is the level of writing to be expected from now on, maybe its time to find another author
July 8, 2021
Hazardous Duty is another masterpiece from W.E.B. Griffin although it's somewhat different from the others. He explains in the afterword that he wrote it in a M.A.S.H. style. The interesting thing is that this book that was published in 2013 has a president that reminds me of a real person. Now that I have read this series all over for I don't know which time it's a waiting game for the new book by Andrews & Wilson. I actually got a DM from them the other day saying they will ship me a copy!!! Great. In this book the president wants the hero to deal with Somalian pirates and Mexican drug smugglers, but Castillo has his hands full planning a wedding.
January 3, 2014
SUBJECTIVE REVIEW BEGINGS HERE:
I've read nearly all of WEB Griffin's novels and they typically are hard charging war or police action thrillers. This time WEB and his son take a break and try to turn the Presidential Agent series into MASH, and the humor is actually pretty good. It's just not what I thought I was getting when I bought the book. I guess I'm a hard core Griffin reader, and this one reads like Mitch Rapp encounters the keystone cops. I was actually amazed at the average rating of 4.36 stars for this book, as it is nothing like the other 50 novels in Griffin's catalogue. It just didn't meet my expectations.
SPOILER REVIEW SUMMARY BEGINS HERE:
MASH Overtakes the Presidential Agent Series. This is Griffin's one and only attempt at humor, as the President or chief buffoon of the US decides Charley Castillo is the only solution to solve the Somali pirate problem and drug cartels in Mexico. A parallel keystone cops story unfolds as Putin decides once again to snatch Sweaty, Charley and Dimitri, sending GEN Sergei Murnov to capture them with Cuban help. Charley embarks upon a mission to disprove the President's presumption that killing every male Somali under 20 would solve the problem by examining the insurance industry's practices on insuring ocean shipping and showing that they are the culprits since the pirates settle for $2M and the premiums are for $25M. He further stymies the Russian snatch job by having the Cubans cleaning out the befouled cruise ship until Murnov takes up with the Red Ravisher stripper who reminds him of Svetlana who spurned his romantic overtures. Charley and Svetlana get married in Cozumel in the end.
I've read nearly all of WEB Griffin's novels and they typically are hard charging war or police action thrillers. This time WEB and his son take a break and try to turn the Presidential Agent series into MASH, and the humor is actually pretty good. It's just not what I thought I was getting when I bought the book. I guess I'm a hard core Griffin reader, and this one reads like Mitch Rapp encounters the keystone cops. I was actually amazed at the average rating of 4.36 stars for this book, as it is nothing like the other 50 novels in Griffin's catalogue. It just didn't meet my expectations.
SPOILER REVIEW SUMMARY BEGINS HERE:
MASH Overtakes the Presidential Agent Series. This is Griffin's one and only attempt at humor, as the President or chief buffoon of the US decides Charley Castillo is the only solution to solve the Somali pirate problem and drug cartels in Mexico. A parallel keystone cops story unfolds as Putin decides once again to snatch Sweaty, Charley and Dimitri, sending GEN Sergei Murnov to capture them with Cuban help. Charley embarks upon a mission to disprove the President's presumption that killing every male Somali under 20 would solve the problem by examining the insurance industry's practices on insuring ocean shipping and showing that they are the culprits since the pirates settle for $2M and the premiums are for $25M. He further stymies the Russian snatch job by having the Cubans cleaning out the befouled cruise ship until Murnov takes up with the Red Ravisher stripper who reminds him of Svetlana who spurned his romantic overtures. Charley and Svetlana get married in Cozumel in the end.
February 10, 2014
As many other reviewers have stated, this book was a complete letdown. I feel like I want the time that it took to read this so-called novel back, because nothing really happens in it. There's never really any danger to anyone, there is no "hazardous duty" involved for Charley and the rest of the "Merry Outlaws," and the whole thing feels like it was written just to fulfill a contract for "x" number of books in the series.
Seriously, even if you're a die-hard fan of the Presidential Agent series up to now (even despite the fact that the previous book in the series was pretty bad), DO NOT bother reading this.
I feel like the series really started to go downhill when W.E.B. Griffin's son, William E. Butterworth (hence W.E.B.) IV joined his father in writing the books. For one thing, one of the key characters, General Allan Naylor, Sr., changed fundamentally. In the early novels, he was like a father to Charley and, though gruff, stood behind Charley 100% and had faith in him. Since Butterworth joined the writing team, General Naylor has become a grumpy, obstructionist, "by the book" General who is constantly questioning Charley and his motives and was even willing, in a previous story, to follow the President's orders to arrest Charley and put him on a plane to his doom in Russia. Since the authors are fond of acronyms, I have one for them: WTF?
The Presidential Agent Series is dead. Long live the Presidential Agent Series.
Seriously, even if you're a die-hard fan of the Presidential Agent series up to now (even despite the fact that the previous book in the series was pretty bad), DO NOT bother reading this.
I feel like the series really started to go downhill when W.E.B. Griffin's son, William E. Butterworth (hence W.E.B.) IV joined his father in writing the books. For one thing, one of the key characters, General Allan Naylor, Sr., changed fundamentally. In the early novels, he was like a father to Charley and, though gruff, stood behind Charley 100% and had faith in him. Since Butterworth joined the writing team, General Naylor has become a grumpy, obstructionist, "by the book" General who is constantly questioning Charley and his motives and was even willing, in a previous story, to follow the President's orders to arrest Charley and put him on a plane to his doom in Russia. Since the authors are fond of acronyms, I have one for them: WTF?
The Presidential Agent Series is dead. Long live the Presidential Agent Series.
January 10, 2014
I'm still trying to figure out what happened in this book. The first half of the book is nothing but catchup from the previous 7 book. The catchup is repetitive and tedious. In the second half of the book, nothing happens. There is next to no action. The cover has more action than the rest of the book. I'm not sure there was singe shot fired in the book. If there was, I missed it because I was falling asleep.
November 14, 2017
One star because I can't show worse.
Reading this and I wondered "What is this. Has a paper book been hacked?" When he gave the reason for this travesty on the last page I realized he had delivered crap in order to meet a contract. I also realized that the reason the garbage seemed familiar was Griffin had written the "Mash Goes To ...." books years ago.
Don't crap on my boots and tell me you are selling perfume. Nowhere was I told this was a complete change from the rest of the series.
Before you spend money on this read his explanation on the last pages. Then put it back on the shelf. I felt like he had given me the award he gave the movie star in the book.
This is and was the last of his books I have and will ever have bought.
Reading this and I wondered "What is this. Has a paper book been hacked?" When he gave the reason for this travesty on the last page I realized he had delivered crap in order to meet a contract. I also realized that the reason the garbage seemed familiar was Griffin had written the "Mash Goes To ...." books years ago.
Don't crap on my boots and tell me you are selling perfume. Nowhere was I told this was a complete change from the rest of the series.
Before you spend money on this read his explanation on the last pages. Then put it back on the shelf. I felt like he had given me the award he gave the movie star in the book.
This is and was the last of his books I have and will ever have bought.
September 3, 2016
The picture on the cover is not related to the story! I wish that I had read the afterword first, and I recommend that to you. This is a story using the characters of the series, but it isn't really a story in the series.
Like most Griffin stories it uses the same characters as the rest of the series, they are all independently wealthy, or incredibly well connected, or both. They drink only the finest available liquor, most of the time. They are also incredibly witty, and smarter than anyone in the government.
As many as half the pages in this book are retelling the previous stories in the series.
It is a fun story, but maybe not what you expected. Read the afterword first!
Like most Griffin stories it uses the same characters as the rest of the series, they are all independently wealthy, or incredibly well connected, or both. They drink only the finest available liquor, most of the time. They are also incredibly witty, and smarter than anyone in the government.
As many as half the pages in this book are retelling the previous stories in the series.
It is a fun story, but maybe not what you expected. Read the afterword first!
March 18, 2014
Still angry after finishing this book yesterday. What a load of CRAP!
Probably the most blatant disregard for a group of fans of a book series that I've ever seen.
Authors "having a hard time writing" the next book in the series, so they ripped off their fans by writing a farce starring the same characters, and didn't have the INTEGRITY to advertise it up front - they wrote a smarmy afterword explaining their lack of enthusiasm.
I'm going to have to calm down about this rip-off before I buy another book from these authors. I think they should GIVE the next SERIOUS book away free to all those who wasted good money on this junk.
Probably the most blatant disregard for a group of fans of a book series that I've ever seen.
Authors "having a hard time writing" the next book in the series, so they ripped off their fans by writing a farce starring the same characters, and didn't have the INTEGRITY to advertise it up front - they wrote a smarmy afterword explaining their lack of enthusiasm.
I'm going to have to calm down about this rip-off before I buy another book from these authors. I think they should GIVE the next SERIOUS book away free to all those who wasted good money on this junk.
February 1, 2014
Very weak storyline. It's laborious and very easy book to put down and never come back too. Okay... I got a few chuckles, and when I read the afterward, I "got it". Not worth the book price, a used price, or even a trip to the library to waste your time reading it for free :(
Read
February 2, 2014Worst of this series
Griffin writes this book as satire, and it is not very funny. It certainly does not measure up to the standards of his earlier works. You could skip this one entirely and not miss anything.
Griffin writes this book as satire, and it is not very funny. It certainly does not measure up to the standards of his earlier works. You could skip this one entirely and not miss anything.
January 9, 2014
By far, this is the weakest WEB Griffin book I've read. I'm extremely glad I got it from the library and didn't spend my own hard-earned cash on it.
The book reads like a first draft from a less experienced author. The first half of the book is poorly written and consists mainly of historical background information on how the characters got to this point. It's more of a data dump than a carefully calibrated amount of background, with just enough history brought in at the right time. A finely polished manuscript from an established author, and one that had been subject to careful review would not have suffered from such a significant structural problem.
As a result, by the time I was 1/3 of the way through the book, I was convinced that the manuscript was late, and editors had greased this one through the normal production process because they had a slot on the sales calendar they needed to fill. Not only should the authors be embarrassed, but the publisher's staff should hang their heads in shame for allowing such a low-quality manuscript through their system. Publishers are supposed to not only boost marketing and distribution, but they're also supposed to ensure quality.
The second half of the book has far too little actual plot and the central plot of the book is extremely weak. At the end, the authors point out that they were trying to "have a little fun" with the series and come up with something a little lighter. They compared it to the tone of the "M.A.S.H." sequel books, which Griffin wrote long ago.
The effort to use a light tone and a farcical plot doesn't excuse poor writing. There are examples of thrillers that ended up being silly. In particular, Robert Ludlum's "The Road to Gandolfo" and "The Road to Omaha" worked reasonably well because there was an actual plot and believable situations, even if the characters' behavior when inserted into those situations was completely over-the-top. In SF, Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat" series are also classics of thrillers with plenty of humor and silliness.
Even if you can get this at the library, I'd give it a miss.
The book reads like a first draft from a less experienced author. The first half of the book is poorly written and consists mainly of historical background information on how the characters got to this point. It's more of a data dump than a carefully calibrated amount of background, with just enough history brought in at the right time. A finely polished manuscript from an established author, and one that had been subject to careful review would not have suffered from such a significant structural problem.
As a result, by the time I was 1/3 of the way through the book, I was convinced that the manuscript was late, and editors had greased this one through the normal production process because they had a slot on the sales calendar they needed to fill. Not only should the authors be embarrassed, but the publisher's staff should hang their heads in shame for allowing such a low-quality manuscript through their system. Publishers are supposed to not only boost marketing and distribution, but they're also supposed to ensure quality.
The second half of the book has far too little actual plot and the central plot of the book is extremely weak. At the end, the authors point out that they were trying to "have a little fun" with the series and come up with something a little lighter. They compared it to the tone of the "M.A.S.H." sequel books, which Griffin wrote long ago.
The effort to use a light tone and a farcical plot doesn't excuse poor writing. There are examples of thrillers that ended up being silly. In particular, Robert Ludlum's "The Road to Gandolfo" and "The Road to Omaha" worked reasonably well because there was an actual plot and believable situations, even if the characters' behavior when inserted into those situations was completely over-the-top. In SF, Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat" series are also classics of thrillers with plenty of humor and silliness.
Even if you can get this at the library, I'd give it a miss.
February 5, 2016
Disappointing, is the first thing that pops into my mind about this book. I have read most of W.E.B Griffin's books and enjoyed them. They are not great literature, but they have always been enjoyable reads. One of the great pleasures I found in them was they were predictable.
I read a Griffin novel when I am swamped in my day to day world. I like them because they are simple, direct, and predictable. The good guy will win, the bad guy will lose, and in between will be a fun, exciting story.
This is why I picked up "Hazardous Duty", I have been unusually busy these last few weeks, and Griffin was the perfect answer to that. I was truly looking forward to the novel.
Now we come to it, this was NOT the standard Griffin novel. This novel was more of a political satire, taking the characters to absurdity.
I realize that Griffin can write about what ever he wants, he is the author, it is his story in his universe. What I resented was that he took a series that I have read every book in, and turned it on its ear. Personally, I don't enjoy satire, I wanted a simple adventure novel, that's why I choose this book. In my opinion, (and this is my review, so my opinion counts here) this was not the place for Griffin to indulge in satire. Here is my reasoning, I pick up his books because I enjoy them, now I will be a little gun shy. I know Griffin has some satirical books out there, but I never read them, I only choose his action books. I enjoyed his predictability, now I can't trust that it will be there, and like so many, my budget for light reading is not infinite, so I am careful how I spend it. I am not sure that Griffin is worth the gamble any more.
I read a Griffin novel when I am swamped in my day to day world. I like them because they are simple, direct, and predictable. The good guy will win, the bad guy will lose, and in between will be a fun, exciting story.
This is why I picked up "Hazardous Duty", I have been unusually busy these last few weeks, and Griffin was the perfect answer to that. I was truly looking forward to the novel.
Now we come to it, this was NOT the standard Griffin novel. This novel was more of a political satire, taking the characters to absurdity.
I realize that Griffin can write about what ever he wants, he is the author, it is his story in his universe. What I resented was that he took a series that I have read every book in, and turned it on its ear. Personally, I don't enjoy satire, I wanted a simple adventure novel, that's why I choose this book. In my opinion, (and this is my review, so my opinion counts here) this was not the place for Griffin to indulge in satire. Here is my reasoning, I pick up his books because I enjoy them, now I will be a little gun shy. I know Griffin has some satirical books out there, but I never read them, I only choose his action books. I enjoyed his predictability, now I can't trust that it will be there, and like so many, my budget for light reading is not infinite, so I am careful how I spend it. I am not sure that Griffin is worth the gamble any more.
January 26, 2014
If you like W.E.B. Griffin books, especially the Presidential Agent books, do not buy this book. Don't let anyone loan it to you. Don't get it from the library. Pretend it does not exist.
First, and this is true with all of Griffin's books, the first 3 or 4 books of a series are good but after that he spends almost all the book bringing you the background and current status of all the characters in the series and their background even if it has no relevance to the current book. This is the 8th book in the series so there is a lot of background and a lot of characters to catch up on.
Second, until this book I thought the worst book Griffin wrote was the Generals and the worst decision he made was to transport the Badge of Honor series forward in time 30 years. At the end of one book we are in the early 70s and at the beginning of the next we seem to be in the early 2000s with characters still the same age as they were 30 years ago.
Well this book tops both as worst book and dumbest decision. When you finish there is a note by the author to the effect that he found it hard to get into this book so he decided to dump this trash on us. I listened to this book on Audible and I am giving very serious thought to getting my credit back.
First, and this is true with all of Griffin's books, the first 3 or 4 books of a series are good but after that he spends almost all the book bringing you the background and current status of all the characters in the series and their background even if it has no relevance to the current book. This is the 8th book in the series so there is a lot of background and a lot of characters to catch up on.
Second, until this book I thought the worst book Griffin wrote was the Generals and the worst decision he made was to transport the Badge of Honor series forward in time 30 years. At the end of one book we are in the early 70s and at the beginning of the next we seem to be in the early 2000s with characters still the same age as they were 30 years ago.
Well this book tops both as worst book and dumbest decision. When you finish there is a note by the author to the effect that he found it hard to get into this book so he decided to dump this trash on us. I listened to this book on Audible and I am giving very serious thought to getting my credit back.
January 18, 2014
In the afterward W.E.B. Griffin states he was having trouble writing the current volume of the Presidential agent series. Therefore he decided to write in a humorous way. It is a funny story, the President of the U.S. Joshua Ezekiel Clendennen is erratic to the point of being deranged and everyone knows it. He decides to recall Charles Castillo back to duty to deal with the Somali Pirates and the Mexican Drug Cartels but Castillo and Svetlana are in the process of getting married. The result is a funny story but as a long time Griffin fan and not a fan of comedy, I resented the waste of money purchasing the book. Dick Hill did his usual great job narrating the book. I understand that this is the last book in the series what an unfortunate way to end an excellent series. I read somewhere that the author is coming out with a new series entitled “Top Secret” about the cold war. I look forward to reading the new series if Griffin returns to his former writing style.
February 16, 2016
Quite simply, this story was terrible and hard to follow! The first 5 stories in the series were good, but they have been falling off. This story reminds me of the second Newhart series, where Bob Newhart wakes up at the end of the final episode in bed with his wife (Suzanne Pleshette) from the original Bob Newhart series, and the whole second series was implied to be a dream. Hazardous Duty was all over the place, with a crazy President and an obviously absent Vice President (Charles W Montvale) who was mentioned in passing once or twice, but not an active character. The only things that saved this story for me were the President's off-the-wall Mother-in-Law, and Swetty being mistaken for the porn star, Red Ravisher. I was trying to read the series in order, but realized that I missed Covert Warriors (#7). After this horrible story, I can't go back and listen to another bad story. 1 out of 10 for me.
February 2, 2014
I have read pretty much every book Griffin has written. I waited patiently for the next book in each series to come out.
This was by far the worst book he has written. There is no story, there is no "Hazardous Duty". Nothing!! Just rich people flying all over the place for no apparent reason.
This book was for the most part (three quarters at least), a summary of all the other books in the series. The rest was just gibberish.
I have serious doubts about Griffins ability to write a story anymore. His lead characters are all interchangeable from series to series. Charlie Castillo is Cletus Frade and vice versa. Just a different time. The story lines are growing very thin.
Truly a waste of my time.
This was by far the worst book he has written. There is no story, there is no "Hazardous Duty". Nothing!! Just rich people flying all over the place for no apparent reason.
This book was for the most part (three quarters at least), a summary of all the other books in the series. The rest was just gibberish.
I have serious doubts about Griffins ability to write a story anymore. His lead characters are all interchangeable from series to series. Charlie Castillo is Cletus Frade and vice versa. Just a different time. The story lines are growing very thin.
Truly a waste of my time.
January 24, 2014
Until this book I have enjoyed all of his books that I have read but this one plain out right stunk inaccurate histories and as the one person said quoting author their mash novel. They have a responsibility to their readership to write good novels not this piece of crap. I do not recommend this book to any other loyal readers do not waste your money
March 7, 2014
This book is not written in the usual W.E.B. Griffin style
and if you make it to the final 2 pages he explains why.
I hope that he got this out of his system and goes back to his
normal stories. They are much better.
and if you make it to the final 2 pages he explains why.
I hope that he got this out of his system and goes back to his
normal stories. They are much better.
August 8, 2017
After reading many of his earlier books and thoroughly enjoying them this was a total dud. Instead of action and intrigue i wasted my time with a stupid story. Very disappointed, would not recommend at all.
January 15, 2014
After reading half of the book and gave up on it, I felt like I had bought a $20 ticket to the "Royal Nonesuch."
January 18, 2015
There is some good humorous writing and unfortunately coupled with too much religousness that adds no value. Therefore, 25% of this novel could have and should have been excised. 5 of 10 stars
September 2, 2018
Terrible book, probably my last W.E.B. Griffin.... that's what happens when the son takes over writing.
April 1, 2019
When the story of Mash, from the Korean War goes too Washington it’s an unusual WEB Griffin novel. Thoroughly entertaining, I laughed out loud. Well done
October 23, 2017
This is the book that finally broke me of spending my money on W.E.B. Griffin books. The final failure of the Presidential Agent series just has too much wrong with it to overcome. The story is very strange, with a lot of "background" information that adds nothing to the plot and for the most part, is a rehash of similar information in earlier books in the series.
Also a last straw for me, and I've seen it before in his other series and was annoyed by it, but chose to ignore it then, is the constant lack of continuity of story from one book to the next. I won't mention specific character names, in case someone still want's to read it, but suddenly a character "died" in an earlier novel in the series who was in integral part of two later novels. This is because another character died in that book in that place. Other plot points are attributed to different characters than they were in books 1-7 of the series, and in the original version of events, there were multiple pages of dialog supporting the facts which are now suddenly "wrong".
The final straw was the decision at about two thirds of the way through the book, it switched from being, charitably, a military/political "thriller", to a "humorous satire" along the lines of the "M*A*S*H Goes To XXXXX" series, which Butterworth wrote as a ghost writer when Richard Hooker stopped writing them.
I'm really saddened by the way Griffin has gone in his books, and honestly, if you read any/all of his series, things went downhill from the time his son became his coauthor. I have read every series he has put out, except for the newest one that began in 2014 and this particular book is the one that did me in as a fan.
Also a last straw for me, and I've seen it before in his other series and was annoyed by it, but chose to ignore it then, is the constant lack of continuity of story from one book to the next. I won't mention specific character names, in case someone still want's to read it, but suddenly a character "died" in an earlier novel in the series who was in integral part of two later novels. This is because another character died in that book in that place. Other plot points are attributed to different characters than they were in books 1-7 of the series, and in the original version of events, there were multiple pages of dialog supporting the facts which are now suddenly "wrong".
The final straw was the decision at about two thirds of the way through the book, it switched from being, charitably, a military/political "thriller", to a "humorous satire" along the lines of the "M*A*S*H Goes To XXXXX" series, which Butterworth wrote as a ghost writer when Richard Hooker stopped writing them.
I'm really saddened by the way Griffin has gone in his books, and honestly, if you read any/all of his series, things went downhill from the time his son became his coauthor. I have read every series he has put out, except for the newest one that began in 2014 and this particular book is the one that did me in as a fan.
May 24, 2019
Boondoggle is the one word I can think of to sum up this work. The activity of Castillo and his Merry Band of Outlaws is a giant boondoggle to make the President happy while the cabinet members try to decide what to do about his insanity. But it also sums up this book in general, because while there's a lot of jet-setting around the world, nothing really happens in the course of the book. Unlike the first seven books in the series, we have no battle at the end where the good guys prevail. The issue with the President's insanity is never resolved. We hear that Castillo and Svet are getting married, but of course the book ends before that happens. We're told how really dangerous it is for Castillo to be in Mexico because of the drug dealers, but there's never any evidence. Details from previous books are changed in the "what came before" segments. In the previous book, the Russian general talks about his family before going off to what ever fate was in store for him. But he's back this time around with no hint of a family and a ready willingness to chuck everything for a porn star. Huh? For about the last 100 pages or so, the story morphs from what we've come to expect from the Presidential Agent series into a previous series of the author from back in the late 1970s-early 1980s - the MASH Goes To... series. Now, back in my high school and college days, I enjoyed those books. Read every one of them. And they were a hoot. But I just couldn't get that style to gel in my head with the other books in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2018
If you can, just imagine a script for an episode of M.A.S.H., relocated to Mexico and written by an intern while on a bad acid trip after binge watching Scooby-Doo, and that our newly-scripted episode focused almost entirely on explaining what had happened to every character in each and every prior episode, in exacting and incredibly boring detail.
Authors have highs and lows, of course. Some of their books might make you a bit dissatisfied. Others might even upset or disappoint you to the point that you put them down and never return to them, or, worse, donate them straight to the library or the used book store to spread the misery to other unsuspecting victims who don't read reviews and place their trust in the author's name on the front cover.
This disgraceful travesty of a book is more along the lines of "throw it into a (roaring fireplace, nuclear reactor, swimming pool, trash can, garbage disposal..) while questioning your sanity/lack thereof and wishing fervently that you'd never spent a dime on it while vowing never to buy anything written by him/her again."
This was probably the 30th W.E.B. Griffin novel I've read and I have already conclusively, decisively determined that it will be the last. Irredeemably terrible.
Authors have highs and lows, of course. Some of their books might make you a bit dissatisfied. Others might even upset or disappoint you to the point that you put them down and never return to them, or, worse, donate them straight to the library or the used book store to spread the misery to other unsuspecting victims who don't read reviews and place their trust in the author's name on the front cover.
This disgraceful travesty of a book is more along the lines of "throw it into a (roaring fireplace, nuclear reactor, swimming pool, trash can, garbage disposal..) while questioning your sanity/lack thereof and wishing fervently that you'd never spent a dime on it while vowing never to buy anything written by him/her again."
This was probably the 30th W.E.B. Griffin novel I've read and I have already conclusively, decisively determined that it will be the last. Irredeemably terrible.
July 19, 2025
I was suspicious 🤨 all along!
I was rather confused by the introduction of a paranoid, dictatorial loon as the United States 🇺🇸 President in the last book. Then I found portions of this book wandering between standard WEB Griffin techno-thriller and utter satire. The further into this book I read, the stranger things became.
Thankfully I finished the book before reading the afterword that explains what was going on! I don’t want to leave any spoilers so I can’t explain further. But my only criticism of this book is the way Griffin will often write in great detail moving through the story, only to abruptly end the book in less than a dozen pages. Other than that I continue to read every book I can find with the Griffin name. While WEB sadly passed away in 2019, his son is doing a fine job continuing to write about the various characters we’ve grown to enjoy reading about…
I was rather confused by the introduction of a paranoid, dictatorial loon as the United States 🇺🇸 President in the last book. Then I found portions of this book wandering between standard WEB Griffin techno-thriller and utter satire. The further into this book I read, the stranger things became.
Thankfully I finished the book before reading the afterword that explains what was going on! I don’t want to leave any spoilers so I can’t explain further. But my only criticism of this book is the way Griffin will often write in great detail moving through the story, only to abruptly end the book in less than a dozen pages. Other than that I continue to read every book I can find with the Griffin name. While WEB sadly passed away in 2019, his son is doing a fine job continuing to write about the various characters we’ve grown to enjoy reading about…
March 13, 2018
I have read all of WEB Griffin's books. In fact when this one came out I started reading the series from the beginning as it has been a few years since I read it. Enjoyed books 1 to 7 and then I read this. Kept reading as I had expected it to turn around and it never did. At least 30% of the book was retelling what had taken place in books 1 to 7 and a lot of that was incorrect. Maybe Griffin should have gone back and read the previous books so that he could keep characters and events in mind when writing this one. Why Castillo had to explain events to Miller who was there with him orginally is not forgivable.
December 21, 2019
I don’t typically rate or write book reviews but I had to in this case.
I generally enjoyed the Presidential Agent series except for the repeating of previous stories in each book. I would have rated the previous books in the 3.75 to 4 range.
This last book was the worst for the repetition and the attempt at M*A*S*H type comedy turned what was a pretty good series into a bad joke. Very disappointing way to end the series.
I generally enjoyed the Presidential Agent series except for the repeating of previous stories in each book. I would have rated the previous books in the 3.75 to 4 range.
This last book was the worst for the repetition and the attempt at M*A*S*H type comedy turned what was a pretty good series into a bad joke. Very disappointing way to end the series.
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