Rogue Asset

Presidential Agent #9

by Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson, W.E.B. Griffin (Series Creator)

The secretary of state has been kidnapped by Islamic extremists and his only hope for survival is a reconstituted Presidential Agent team in this revival of W. E. B. Griffin's New York Times bestselling series.

Secretary of State Frank Malone has been kidnapped from his Cairo hotel—his security detail wiped out. President Natalie Cohen is left with several unacceptable options. It's time to think outside the box, and that can only mean one the revival of the Presidential Agent program.

Cohen calls for Charley Castillo to come out of retirement to direct a new Presidential Agent, one Captain P. K. "Pick" McCoy, USMC. Charley may be too old to kick down doors and take names, but Killer McCoy is just the man to get the job done.

Together, they will track the kidnapped secretary from Cairo to sub-Saharan Africa. The only problem is that one man can't hope to win against an army of terrorists...good thing there are two of them.

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Action, Political Thriller

432 pages, Hardcover

First published December 7, 2021

About the author

Brian is a US Navy veteran, nuclear engineer, and former submarine officer. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in psychology, holds a Master's in business from Cornell University, and is a Park Leadership Fellow. He is a principal contributor at Career Authors, a site dedicated to advancing the careers of aspiring and published writers: www.careerauthors.com.

He is half of Andrews & Wilson, the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, & #1 Amazon best-selling co-author team behind the TIER ONE series. New in 2026:

- SLEDGEHAMMER (short): (JAN)
- SCARS (audiobook): (FEB)
- THE EQUESTRIAN (short): (MAR)
- INSURGENT: Tier One #10 (JULY
- And much more!

In addition to their novels, Andrews & Wilson have multiple projects under development for film and television with major motion picture studios including Tier One, Dark Intercept, 4 Minutes, Portal, Glitch, and The In Between.

Find Brian online at:

Web: www.andrews-wilson.com
Instagram: @andrewsandwilson
Twitter: @BAndrewsJWilson

Sign-up for his newsletter at www.andrews-wilson.com to stay informed about all his new releases or "Follow" his Amazon Author page!

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson were asked to carry on W.E.B. Griffin’s Presidential Agent series. With Rogue Agent , the ninth in the series, they bring the suspense and stimulation to action adventure that a reader would expect in a political and military thriller. However, there’s more happening than immediately meets the eyes.

President Natalie Cohen doesn’t have any good options when Secretary of State Frank Malone is kidnapped in Cairo and his security detail killed. Working with her Director of National Intelligence, Marty Fleiss, they decide to resurrect the Presidential Agent program and want Charley Castillo to come out of retirement to recruit, mentor, and manage the next presidential agent. This resource would report to Fleiss and Cohen only. Charley didn’t know they had already selected the candidate, Captain P. K. “Pick” McCoy. With this shaky start, the search for Malone gets underway.

This is a book that grabs your attention and fully hooks a reader before the first chapter ends. The thriller is mainly set in Africa and features Charley and Pick and their team as they learn to work together as they go up against terrorists. It’s exactly what you would expect from a well-written military action thriller with political nuances.

There was more character development than I expected in this novel for both Charley and Pick. They each have depth and some faults that play into the story line. However, each showed a tremendous amount of growth. What a reader doesn’t get is what they are truly like in the down time between missions and what their hopes and dreams are for the future. Likely readers will gain more insight as the series continues.

The authors brought a strong sense of place to the events in the book allowing me to easily visualize the settings. The action somehow managed to seem plausible even though it was definitely extreme. The writing style kept me engaged throughout the novel. The sub-plots tie together well. The story does include some of the weapons and gear discussions that are typical of this type of book, but it is not overdone. For those that need to know, there is a great deal of violence in the book. There is also some discussion of politics in Africa and between intelligence agencies. Other themes focus on teamwork, honor, courage, commitment, integrity, respect, and much more that doesn’t detract from the story, but adds depth.

Overall, this book was an action-filled, heart-pounding thriller that is entertaining, fast-paced, and thought-provoking. The high stakes made it a page turner. It’s the second novel that I have read in the series. If you enjoy military thrillers, action adventure thrillers, this series, or other novels by these authors, then you may enjoy this one as much as I did.

PENGUIN GROUP Putnam – G. P. Putnam’s Sons and the authors provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for December 7, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the few Presidential Agents unenjoyable. Just blah. 0 of 10 stars

[Abibliofob · Rating 5 out of 5]

W.E.B. Griffin is one of my favorite authors. Sadly he can't write anymore. Rogue Asset by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson takes The Presidential Agent to a new level. I am glad to say that they do justice to the original writer and I can continue following the adventures of Charley Castillo and the new Presidential agent Captain P. K. Pick McCoy. I wonder if he got his handle after his grandfathers best friend? It was fun getting to read about some old friends like Natalie Cohen and Bruce McNab but I would have loved to hear the discussion between Charley and Sweaty when he accepted to once again work for the president. The authors made a really good decision when they jumped forward in time and made Castillo older and having him troubled over his age and letting the younger generation take over. I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book. I wish we get some backstory about the McCoy family. It felt like visiting with old friends and I have to include master editor Tom Colgan in my thanks. As with all other books by these authors it's well written and hard to put down. They made a great work with the characters. I am in debt to @penguinrandomhouse and #GPPutnamsSons and @this_is_edelweiss for granting me the opportunity to read this advance copy and @andrewsandwilson for writing it. Great work.

[Andreas Tornberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secretary of State has been kidnapped and the President is left with no other option than to revive the Presidential Agent program. Charley Castillo is called out of retirement to direct Captain McCoy as the new Presidential Agent. Together they will track the kidnapped secretary and try to take the kidnappers down. Will they succeed?

This was my first W.E.B. Griffin novel so I can't say if this book is in line with the previous books in the series, but I can for sure say that Andrews & Wilson have written another kick-ass thriller. ;-) The book is very technical and detailed and it reminded me a lot of Tom Clancy. The characters are so well developed and the pacing is perfect. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I highly recommend this book and everything else Andrews & Wilson have written, they never disappoint.

Thanks to G. P. Putnam’s Sons, the authors and Edelweiss for this advanced copy.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first question one would ask is if this was a great as the previous Presidential Agent (PA) books...the simple answer was that it was missing "je ne sais quoi". The excitement and adventure and intrigue was all there so the new Book was and is worth reading just don't expect the same writing and "agent" as in the first books. I still remember the PA living in a hotel that was way above the standards of many people. He had an air about him that, so far, is missing from this new book. Mind you, it is just book one of the new continuation of the series. If I had a vote, I would say, read it, you won't be disappointed.

[Dennis Uhlich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rogue Asset was a huge disappointment to me. The story line was not too bad, but what was really disappointing was the complete disregard of the previously established characters in the series. What happened to Sweaty and her brother, 2 Gun, Alexander Pevsner, Lester & all of the other great & very important characters? Except for Secretary of State Natalie Cohen now President & Lieutenant General Bruce McNab now retired, zilch, zip, nada. It's as if the previous 8 books in the series never existed. W.E.B. Griffin must be rolling over in his grave.

[Ross Sidor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never been a fan of WEB Griffin, but being a fan of Andrews and Wilson's Tier One series, I went into this book with an open mind and without caring how well it integrated or continued the previous books in this series, and I was pleasantly surprised. As a well-written, realistic, paramilitary espionage thriller set in North Africa, it stands on its own merits. It's also a more realistic take on the whole "special operator who answers directly to POTUS" trope that American authors are so fond of. The main plot of the kidnapped secretary state basically serves as a vehicle to revive the Presidential Agent program and introduce the new protagonist, a MARSOC Raider who is begrudgingly pulled out of Iraq and taken under the tutelage of the series' original, now somewhat crusty, stubborn, and aging protagonist. The authors have a mastery of espionage and tactical details, and they have also obviously done their research when it comes to describing Khartoum and the current state of affairs in Sudan. Judging from the reviews, fans of the genre will perhaps find more to enjoy here than will hardcore, long-time Griffin fans hoping for a clone of their favorite author's books.

[Lizabeth Tucker]

I was a fan of this series, even the wildly different eighth installment. I had hoped that Andrews and Wilson were working on an uncompleted manuscript or very detailed outline from W. E. B. Griffin's estate (he died in 2019). Sadly this doesn't appear to be the case.

Griffin's Presidential Agent series was stronger on character over action, something I truly enjoyed. Here we're given more action, a lack of certain important characters, and some clueless authors who should've taken detailed notes when reading the original books. If they read them at all. Frankly, I have my doubts about that.

I finally gave up, unable to recognize much of anything I previously enjoyed in the series. My first DNF of the year, something I had hoped wouldn't have been so early. Horribly disappointed! DNF

[Mike Guth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very little reference to characters from the early novels -- aside from Natalie Cohen (now president) and Gen. McNabb. No reference to Charlie's "red haired" wife (Svetlana), son, cousin, and the members of his "outlaws" from the first 8 books. A new younger "Presidential Agent" is brought on board, and Charlie is to train him. The book contains references to the places where Charlie and the new guy travel, but this book is missing the lingo of presidential agent talk including memos/texts to the Director of National Intelligence, periodic meetings with the president and the wording of findings, Charlie reporting on progress.

[Charles Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read, but not Griffin.

Book is a interesting and good read. Lacks the swashbuckling narrative of WEB Griffin but still very much injoyed it. Do miss some of the rest of the old PA team, some of whom would still be active, his cousin, Russian friends and in laws, and his millionaire com buddy. Also Charlie's wife and child(ren) were not mentioned and I don't see 'Sweaty', sitting on the sidelines.

[Antoine Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very positively surprised by that one.
Two new authors have been tasked with reviving the Presidential Agent Franchise after WEB Griffin passed away.
In some ways, it is better than what Griffin delivered in his latter years. Sure, the style isn't the same, but it is a solid thriller with lots of very solid, satisfying action and endearing characters (Adding McCoy to the mix was a brilliant idea as Griffin readers will know where he comes from and feel a connexion to him from the get-go...).

Looking forward to the next one!

[Jack Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

It reads like a Prologue… a really long, well thought out and action packed prologue that leaves you wanting more! As A&W’s introduction to the W.E.B. Griffin universe, Rogue Asset was a departure from the style of previous Presidential Agent novels, but not the spirit. Charley Castillo makes his comeback as a man not quite ready to give up his self-image of a hard-charging, door-kicking operator, while watching newcomer Pick McCoy do what he used to be able to do. It’s Pick’s coming out party, but it’s clear A&W aren’t done with ol’ Charley yet. And I’m glad for it… the interpersonal dynamics between the two (and the others in their team) make for a very entertaining read. It was a fantastic book and another home run by A&W!

[Steven Potratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read every W.E.B. Griffin book at least twice, and some entire series 4-5 times. This book lived up to my expectations. I love seeing the Presidential Agent series continue and the tie back to previous characters made me smile. Another 'Killer' McCoy is just what I needed. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book!

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long time fan of WEB Griffin's work and also Andrews and Wilson, l was happy to see this undertaking.

Apparently Charlie Castillo, the former Presidential Agent has been retired for 20 years. Timeline doesn't quite add up but that's how the story is stated to be lined up.

When SecState is snatched from Cairo none of the traditional covert groups, CIA etc are able to get any traction on who took him or where he might be held. Former SecState Cohen, now the sitting president decides to reinstate the Presidential Agent program to retrieve him.

Charlie, now in his late 50's is recruited to train a new man to eventually take the role and roll out on their mission.

A thrilling eventful story taking place mostly in Africa holds a candle to the best of Andrews and Wilson's Tier One series.

Nitpicking a bit. Other than Charlie, Cohen and a brief cameo by Abuela and General McNab, none of the supporting cast from Griffin's version of the series even appears. Also Charlie's relationship with Cohen was never as contentious as this book makes it. And l miss the touches of humor Griffin always had.

That being said, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charley Castillo is retired but when President Natalie Cohen asks for help in finding the Secretary of State who has been kidnapped by terrorists- well, he's right there. Charley is once again a Presidential Agent, answerable only to Cohen and DNI Marty Fliess. Thing is, though, they want him to take USMC Captain Pick McCoy, with him. While there's lot of action (lots of action) some of the best parts of this fast paced read are the interactions between these two. So often the characters in this genre feel like cardboard but Andrews has made his come alive. As Charley and Pick chase the bad guys throughout Africa, you'll learn something about military technology and weapons as well as African politics. I'd not read any of the books in this series so I likely missed some things fans will appreciate but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy this (more than I expected to to be honest). Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. Fast paced, suspenseful, and fun, this will satisfy and entertain both fans and new readers alike.

[timothy norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

and the story continues-brave, brash, and brutal

Absolutely a fantastic continuation of the series. Charlie’s back and has a Marine Raider to tutor as his Presidential Agent replacement. This story underscores the fact that special operators are not blunt instruments but highly intelligent men and women who understand tactics and global strategic implications. Well done Bryan and Jeffry!

[Hilendar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as Griffin...BUT

Though they tried with adding familiar characters in similar places, they completely cut off Charley's family, including former SVR LTC Svetlana Alekseeva, who Charley married at the end of Griffin's last book in the series. Andrew barely a mentions official Dona Alicia, Fernando, Maria and Charlie's nieces and nephews.

Having said that, the action was even better than what kicked off this series. Pick McCoy, Jr is a worthy replacement and combination of the CIA 'dinosaurs' and the rest of the Merry Outlaws and is a bad ass all his own, worthy of being the grandson of Ken McCoy with none of his godfather Pick's childishness.

[Robert M. Henderson MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better read

This book was a lot better than last presidential agent book. I can understand WEB Griffins unhappiness with the president back then but now things are worse. At least this is an entertaining read on a gloomy time. I look forward to the next book. Let it happen soon.

[Kym Gamble · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting story of the need for black ops, reporting right to the Director of National Intelligence and the President. A group of four must go and retrieve the Secretary of State who is being held, hostage. And find an even bigger threat as they go. This would be for people who like Clancy, Brad Thor, and the like.

[Rick Ruble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply. Outstanding.
Really enjoyed this "Extension" of the Presidential Agent series. I thought the authors did a great job of picking up where W.E.B Griffin left off. The feel of the narrative and the character of Charley Castillo stayed very consistent to the author's style. Great action, great story!

[paulprosise · Rating 5 out of 5]

fast moving

This was an explosive book from the get go. It had been awhile since I had read a read a Charlie Castillo led novel. It is always a fast moving and exciting read. Enjoyed this book immensely

[Skip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to see the Merry outlaw band back again

After HUGE disappointments in the last installment, I hadn't plan on buying another installment of this series. However, I caved and bought it. Was it OK? Yes, even if I felt inserting the McCoy family from the other series was cheesy.

While it was great, it's NOT $14 great.

[Peter D · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb addition to the Presidential Agent series

When I started this book I was distinctly unsure how two other authors could continue the tone, the action and the efforts to bring in a replacement being trained to eventually replace Charlie Castillo. But they did it and left the future of the series open and in potentially great hands. Well done, you guys.

[John Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tale

I'm really happy to see the return of this series and the authors are to be congratulated on picking the series up without a hiccup. The storyline is solid and I'm looking forward to many more to follow. Great stuff.

[Floyd E. Gilreath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a disappointment when reading Griffin series

He mixes fiction with details that make reading about special ops very real, always leaves you wanting more, next story to look forward to.

[Frances Warden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpectedly excellent

I’ve been reading WEB Griffith for over 20 years. I didn’t expect that anyone could follow in his footsteps and keep me excited about reading more. Hope to see at least one of these every year thanks guys.

[William Bogert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Griffin would be proud!

I've read all the presidential agent books multiple times. This one continues the great writing and stories of the series. Bravo!

[John Zenkovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

An absolute honor to the memory of W.E.B. Griffin. The novel’s pace and story kept this readers rapt attention throughout. Can’t wait for the next adventure.

[David J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Excellent and well written, merging the characters keeps both series going. I’m looking forward to the next book. Thanks for keeping them alive.

[Dammions Darden · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are back; different author same excitement. Really enjoyed it