Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Until now, I suppose I was the only person left in America who had not read anything by the prolific W.E.B. Griffin. Glad that's changed AND what a great book The Hostage was. At nearly 500 pages it is sort of long for a thriller, but I can't say there was very much if any real "fat" in the book.
This is the second book in Griffin's new Presidential Agent series. For what it's worth, if you have not read the first book in this series, I don't think you really need too. Griffin does a very thorough job of bringing you up to speed on how his "presidential agent" actually got the job he now holds. The editorial review from Booklist is a good plot review so I won't repeat that, but I can add that getting Major "Charlie" Castillo into his current position involves on-going turf battles with a lot of governmental intelligence agencies, and while you may not think that would make for good storytelling, it actually does. Put another way, each encounter is a satisfying adventure in and of itself. The book is as timely as reading today's newspaper or watching the evening news, only more exciting and more authoritatively reported!
This is an easy read, primarily because of its extremely accurate conversational quality. I have read countless books about soldiers or former soldiers who are doing the things that soldiers do, and I would think to myself that soldiers don't talk or act that way. Griffin however, has the lingo and the mannerisms cold. Hostage will appeal to a wide variety of people and especially people who are familiar with the areas portrayed in the book. I am amazed at the sort detail and "insider" knowledge Griffin shares with the reader. If you ever served in the 11th ACR (Germany) or the 3AD you will be very familiar with the description of the towns and terrain in and around what used to be the border between East and West Germany. Charlie Castillo's description of the purpose behind that barrier between freedom and communism is a hoot!
Personality wise, I would put Major Charlie Castillo and how he acts, somewhere between the tightly wound Mitch Rapp (CIA agent) by Vince Flynn, and the more cerebral and introspective Gabriel Allon (Israeli Intelligence) by Daniel Silva. The stories are all of the international espionage type and all very similar in plot.
Highest recommendation, but my guess is, mostly for guys.
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