Our rich hero major gets more unlikely, promoted to leapfrog over all other ranks and even Secretaries of Sate and Defence. Well woven though as he tries to find out why a U.S. diplomatic Head of Mission in Argentina is assassinated and his wife taken hostage, and the links to a corrupt Oil for Food Program organised by Sadam Hussein after the first Gulf war. ( )

Synopsis: 'An American diplomat's wife is kidnapped in Argentina, and her husband murdered before her eyes. She is told her children will be next if she doesn't tell the kidnappers where her brother is - a man who may know quite a bit abut the burgeoning United Nations/Iraq oil-for-food scandal. There is an awful lot of money flying around, and an awful lot of hands are reaching up to gran it, and some of those hands don't mind shedding as much blood as it takes - even if that blood comes from Charley Castillo...'
Review: The diplomat's wife isn't what she claims to be. The President is angry. Charley finally falls in love. The normal characters make an appearance. This book ends with a cliff-hanger. I'm ready for the next one. ( )

I had never read a W.E.B. Griffin novel and I wanted to see what it was all about. Halfway through The Hostage (A Presidential Agent Novel Book 2) I gave up. It was a good story but awful writing. I just couldn't read that garbage. Obviously lots of people like this writer. ( )

Book 2 of 8....exciting chase around three continents...almost believable. Makes you wonder if this book was fashioned after an actual US Army special operator. However, there are some errors; the author believes that backwater South America is in CENTCOM's AOR when in actuality it's in SOUTHCOM's. They're both headquartered in Florida. I also wondered if interagency cooperation at that level (Army, Secret Service, FBI and State) wouldn't require so much paperwork and DC meetings so that the operation might be stifled before it started. The [unnamed] POTUS effectively stifles Secretarial kefuffles. Nevertheless, the action is exciting and I'm already in Book 3. ( )

The hostage by W.E.B Griffin was a terrific book. The book deserves 5 stars for its stupendous writing. I loved this book throughout the whole thing.

Griffin tells the story of a man named Charley castillo(the Presidents agent) that go's to argentina to investigate a kidnapping. While he is there 2 of his friends are killed and another is injured.It is now his job to find whoever did it and render them harmles.

This was an allaround great book. I would reccomend this book to people in highschool and older. I look forward to reading Giffins next book, "The Hunters". ( )