CHARLEY CASTILLO

Full Name:	Charley Castillo
Series Name:	Presidential Agent
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Presidential Agent
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	W.E.B. Griffin
Time Span:	2004 - 2021

ABOUT THE SERIES

Charley Castillo is an agent for the American President.

When the Man in the Oval Office grew weary of listening to the various intelligence agencies bicker among themselves, unable to speak with a single voice that had any air of confidence, he decided to choose one man to cut through the malarkey and, if need be, go to where the trouble was to get a clearer picture.

The man chosen for the job was Major Carlos Guillermo Castillo, former Green Beret and now attached to the Director of Homeland Security. Known to his friends as Charley, this decorated soldier with the Hispanic name was blond haired and blue eyed, a product of genetics from his mother's side.

Born Karl von und zu Gossinger, he was the child born of a brief relationship between a young German heiress and an equally young, dashing American helicopter pilot training in Germany. Very much in love, they were soon separated when he was sent to Vietnam. Dying while saving lives soon after, earning posthumously the Medal of Honor, he never learned of her pregnancy and she was never told what happened to him. When their son was around 12, she died of cancer. An American family, friends to the woman, took the boy in and raised him as their own. Inheriting a considerable fortune from his mother's estate, his new family has even more money and influence.

With all that wealth, Castillo could have picked any career or none at all. This did not fit his temperament, though, and he decided to follow his father's example to join the military. Due to the medal his father won, Castillo was admitted to West Point. The rest was totally his own doing, rising in rank in the Special Forces, earning his own cache of medals and promotions.

Now, twenty years later, Charley is very much his own man, self-confident and quite capable and just the right man for the job the President has for him.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	9
First Appearance:	2004
Last Appearance:	2021


1			By Order Of The President Written by W.E.B. Griffin Copyright: 2004 The hijacking of a 727 in Angola was newsworthy. Its total disappearance was equally so but the reason for it created argument in the intelligence world. Charley Castillo is chosen by the President to head to that region and find the truth.

2			The Hostage Written by W.E.B. Griffin Copyright: 2005 An American diplomat is murdered in front of his wife and she is told her children will be next unless she reveals the location of her brother. This man is somewhere in the loop in the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal. The President asks Charley Castillo to get involved.

3			The Hunters Written by W.E.B. Griffin Copyright: 2007 Ordered to track down millions of dollars which had gone missing during the Oil-for-Food Iraq trade, Charley Castillo travels to Uruguay where murder has been an effective cover-up.

4			The Shooters Written by W.E.B. Griffin Copyright: 2008 Even though he knows he is out of his element going after the drug trade, Charley Castillo accepts the order from the President to rescue a DEA agent captured in Paraguay.

5			Black Ops Written by W.E.B. Griffin Copyright: 2008 Agents from numerous agencies are suddenly being killed or tried for, showing Charley Castillo that someone is out to get revenge and more are at risk.

6			The Outlaws Written by W.E.B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV Copyright: 2010 Castillo was ordered by the President to close his operations down but that leader's death from a heart attack slows down the closure. The new President has no love for Castillo and wants to give him to the Russians but Castillo has other ideas.

7			Covert Warriors Written by W.E.B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV Copyright: 2011 In the Caribbean, what had once been an irritant is growing into a major problem that Washington would rather ignore. Castillo and his group are dispatched to see why the Chinese are helping train forces, only to discover that between them, Russians, Cubans, and Venezuelans, there are a lot of people who would like Castillo dead.

8			Hazardous Duty Written by W.E.B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV Copyright: 2013 As Mexican drug lords move into American territory and Somali pirates hold three American tankers, the President is determined to act. He decides that one man he hates, Charley Castillo, and his group is what is needed but they have been forced out of the military and gone their separate ways.

9			Rogue Agent Written by Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson Copyright: 2021 "Secretary of State Frank Malone has been kidnapped from his Cairo hotel—his security detail wiped out. President Natalie Cohen is left with several unacceptable options. It's time to think outside the box, and that can only mean one thing: the revival of the Presidential Agent program. Cohen calls for Charley Castillo to come out of retirement to direct a new Presidential Agent, one Captain P. K. "Pick" McCoy, USMC. Charley may be too old to kick down doors and take names, but Killer McCoy is just the man to get the job done."

MY COMMENTS

I have felt for some time that Mr. Griffin was to military adventure novels what Harold Robbins was to novels of the rich and powerfull; a man who felt the details behind a decision or action was every bit as important as the act. His books read phenominally fast with a gravity that holds your interest and keeps you turning the page. But the size of his books are daunting as he doesn't just say two men were old friends, he spends a few pages explaining how they met and why they were friends.

Like Robbins in his heyday, this minutae is fascinating and enjoyable and really helps the reader feel he understands that character's actions.

I've been a fan of Mr. Griffin since the early 70's when he cowrote a series of hilarious adventures of the team from MASH under his real name of William E. Butterworth III. When he started writing serious novels about the military under the pseudonym of W.E.B. Griffin, I tried a couple and was equally impressed. I was pleased when he decided to write a series that fit into this compendium.

GRADE

My Grade: A-

Your Average Grade: B+

YOUR OPINIONS

	A+	8/1/2012 12:02:55 PM	I would also think that the Honor Bound series would classify as a spy series, and I have enjoyed it very much. . . . as much as the Carlely Castillo series.

Skip	A+	1/23/2015 9:20:21 PM	presidential series the best series ever

chclint	C-	2017-08-22	All talk, little action, glacial pace.

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