Black Ops (Presidential Agent Series #5)

by W. E. B. Griffin

Overview

W.E.B. Griffin always hits the target-right at the top of the bestseller lists...

W.E.B. Griffin's explosive Presidential Agent novels have gained worldwide acclaim for "leaving satisfied thriller readers hankering for more."

Now, in Griffin's latest #1 New York Times bestseller, the Russian bear is stirring after many years of hibernation-and it is hungry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780515147391
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/29/2009
Series:	Presidential Agent Series , #5
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	816
Sales rank:	486,917
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

W. E. B. Griffin was the author of seven bestselling series: The Corps, Brotherhood of War, Badge of Honor, Men at War, Honor Bound, Presidential Agent, and Clandestine Operations. He passed away in February 2019.

Hometown:

Coppell, Texas

Date of Birth:

November 10, 1929

Place of Birth:

Newark, New Jersey

Editorial Reviews

In bestseller Griffin's gung-ho fifth presidential agent novel (after The Shooters), the U.S. president assigns Lt. Col. Charley Castillo, a member of the Office of Organizational Analysis, a special task-to track down the terrorists who murdered an American diplomat in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When Castillo's inquiries lead him to a pair of defecting Russian spies, they offer information about an Iranian-run bioweapons factory hidden in the Congo. Readers who want exciting accounts of desperate battles have come to the wrong place. Griffin excels in describing the planning and the bureaucratic tussles that have to occur before the first bomb goes off. He understands the psychology and motivations of military and clandestine service officers. While he paints an enticing, if overly idealized, portrait of loyal, capable people drawn to others of their kind, realism isn't his strong suit. Still, Griffin's many fans will be rewarded. (Jan.)

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Publishers Weekly

Griffin's latest in the best-selling but generally disappointing series involving terrorism in the modern world picks up immediately after its predecessor, The Shooters, and features the same confusing ensemble of characters led by superagent Charley Castillo. People in the intelligence world are being murdered, and Charley might be next. But neither Charley nor his companions are fazed; they are sometimes more concerned with finding homes for a bunch of puppies than solving the killings, handling Russian defectors, and finding a biological warfare center in Africa. Far too much time is spent on irrelevant digressions and explaining past relationships instead of developing the story. Ultimately, of course, Charley and the good guys prevail. Griffin's fans will be happy that the club has resurfaced, but new readers will likely be turned off by the complicated tale and the too-flippant dialog. Based on this novel's conclusion, the series is either changing drastically or ending-either is overdue. For larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ9/1/08.]
—Robert Conroy

Library Journal

Two brutal murders in Europe followed by failed assassination attempts in Philadelphia and Buenos Aires send a clear message to Lt. Charley Castillo: you’re next. If that isn’t enough, two senior Russian agents defect and land in Castillo's care. They share vital secrets, which lead to a black-ops mission to destroy a fish farm in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Castillo's ever-expanding band of spooks and warriors, along with his many European contacts, present challenges for narrator Dick Hill, who sometime works too hard to create distinctive voices for each. In the long run, however, his overall crisp, clear delivery engages listeners as the “ops” move into high gear. BLACK OPS is vintage Griffin, filled with twists and turns, along with a boatload of surprises for Charley Castillo. T.J.M. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2009 - AudioFile