By Order of the President

Over the years, W.E.B. Griffin's stories of the military and police, told with crackling realism and rich characters, have won him millions of fans and acclaim as "the dean of the American war adventure" (Publishers Weekly). Now he vaults into the present day with a series as exciting as anything he has ever written.

At an airfield in Angola, two men board a leased Boeing 727; then, once it is in the air, slit the pilot's throat and fly to parts unknown. The consternation is immediate, as the CIA, FBI, FAA, and other agencies race to find out what has happened, in the process elbowing each other in the sides a little too vigorously. Fed up, the President of the United States turns to an outside investigator to determine the truth, an Army intelligence officer serving as special assistant to the Director of Homeland Security.

Major Carlos Guillermo Castillo, known as Charley, is the son of a German mother and a Tex-Mex father, a Medal of Honor winner who died in Vietnam. A pilot, West Point graduate, and veteran of Desert Storm and the Special Forces, Castillo has a sharp eye for the facts — and the reality behind the facts. Traveling undercover, he flies to Africa, and there, helped and hindered by unexpected allies and determined enemies, begins to untangle a story of frightening dimensions — a story that, unless he can do something about it, will end very, very badly.

"Proving himself solidly in control of cutting-edge military material, Griffin bases his new series not on wars past but on today's murky exigencies of terrorism and international political intrigue. Army Maj. Carlos Guillermo Castillo, whose Spanish name belies his fair-haired, blue-eyed appearance (he had a German mother), is working as a special assistant to the secretary of homeland security. Because of post-9/11 concerns, when a Boeing 727 is hijacked from a remote airport in Angola, it becomes a top priority for the U.S. government. Vicious infighting between several agencies results in a snafu that leads the U.S. president to assign Charley Castillo to use the search for the plane as an excuse to launch an investigation into the internal workings of all the government agencies and personnel who need to cooperate in terrorist situations. Griffin is more interested in military procedure than in blood, sweat and derring-do, and he resists no urge to meander through scores of pages of backstory to round out the many characters who will be series regulars. In the end, there are a few bodies to account for, but it's the meticulous investigation that leaves readers standing on the tarmac waiting for Charley Castillo and his newly minted band of can-do compatriots to touch down and carry them away again on a new adventure. Forecast: Those who love Griffin's stories of past wars will take to this new series based on present and future conflicts." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"A bedtime book for Arnold's Terminator to enjoy." Kirkus Reviews

"Part of Griffin's appeal is his dogged attention to detail....[E]ven the most jargon-laden exchanges between officers — the kind of gritty talk best delivered with a well-chewed stub of cigar between the teeth — are filled with camaraderie and go down easily." Andrew Santella, The New York Times Book Review

"[T]ypical Griffin, which means plenty of action, high-level intrigue, interesting characters, flip dialog, romance, and a whole lot of drinking and other carrying on. His fans will enjoy it immensely." Library Journal

W.E.B. Griffin is also the author of the bestselling Corps, Brotherhood of War, Men at War, Badge of Honor, and Honor Bound series.