Covert Warriors (Presidential Agent, Book 7)
In Mexico, unknown assailants posing as Mexican authorities attack a U.S. embassy vehicle, killing all of the passengers except one, whom they take with them, holding him hostage until the American government arranges for a drug lord to be sprung from federal prison in the States. Charley Castillo, the retired U.S. army colonel and Secret Service agent attached to the president—although his relationship with the new Oval Office occupant is decidedly more contentious than with the previous president—learns about the kidnapping and immediately suspects that it could have been deliberately staged to get his attention. Could the abduction be part of a plot by Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin to capture and erase Charley once and for all? And, if it is, can Charley count on any of his former government colleagues to help him out? The father-and-son writing team of Griffin and Butterworth keeps the Castillo series interesting by throwing their hero into new situations, e.g., taking him from being a highly respected government agent to something approaching a full-on outlaw, operating in an environment in which key players in the government would like nothing more than to see him eliminated permanently. Another solid entry in an always-popular series. --David Pitt