Customer Reviews

Marine One

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Americans are fascinated by aircraft crashes, NTSB investigations and the high stakes litigation that follows the crash. But Jim Huston, an internationally prominent lawyer in this field, has really ramped up the excitement in Marine One. The aircraft that crashes is no ordinary plane. It's Marine One, the President's helicopter, and the President is killed when it crashes. But Huston doesn't stop there. There is international intrique, a Congressional inquiry, State Department meddling, a deadly conspiracy to thwart the efforts of anyone getting close to discovering the true cause of the crash of Marine One and, just for the heck of it, a few lawyers who may or may not be dishonest. The end product is a sensational novel!

Length:: 3:43 Mins

Is Huston's Marine One for you or would it make a good gift for someone you know? In this short video, I'll tell you how well the author did in creating a great book for great guys and who would like the book. Please join me! -- Frank Derfler author of "A Glint in Time"

It has been a while since we were favored with a James W. Huston novel and the wait was more than worth it. As a pilot and retired trial lawyer, a book such as this goes down very easily for me. I have represented defendants in product liability cases and the litigation that Huston recounts in this book while a few decibels higher in sound and value than most, is very realistically set out.

This is a story that has you, right from the prologue. As events transpire and Mike Nolan gets drawn further and further into the mystery of the crash of Marine One with the president on board, it becomes more and more difficult to put down.

I read it in two days and for the last 100 pages, I turned OFF the Red Sox game I had been watching so as not to be distracted from the flow of events. I am a die hard Sox fan and if that isn't a measure of what a gripping story this is, I don't know what is.

From the opening page to the last page you won't want to stop reading Marine One by James W. Hustion, the author of such exciting military legal thrillers as Balance Of Power and The Price Of Power. The pages will fly through your fingers. Marine One, is a super-charged, highly plot driven novel that starts off with the President taking off in a thunderstorm on Marine One to Camp David late at night to take part in a secret meeting that only three people in his administration know about. He never makes it, however, as Marine One loses its battle with the thunderstorm and crashes into a ravine, killing all aboard. From that point on the plot continues to build to a high pitch as trial lawyer, Mike Nolan, a Marine Corps reserve helicopter pilot, is hired to defend the French manufacturer of the helicopter after it is accused by the government of killing the President, as well as from a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the First Lady. The plot is well-developed, very believable and expertly blends political intrigue with courtroom drama that results in an exciting, fun reading experience. The main factor that keeps me from giving this book a five-star rating is that while Huston has created characters that mostly fulfill their intended role (i.e. with many not being much more than cogs in a well-oiled machine), they are not developed fully enough to get a strong sense in your mind of what they look like and what their back stories are, which would have better enabled me to identify with them. Nonetheless, Marine One is a fast-paced, entertaining legal thriller that is perfect for a summer beach read or to take on vacation (but not one that involves a helicopter flight). Enjoy!

If James Huston's new legal thriller MARINE ONE isn't made into a blockbuster movie, I will be the most surprised thriller reader on the planet!

Against the advice of his staff and the pleadings of his wife, President Adams boards his helicopter MARINE ONE in the teeth of a brutal thunderstorm and heads to a top secret night time meeting at Camp David in Maryland. When the helicoper crashes killing the president, the helicopter's crew and all of the secret service on board, the search is on for the causes and a target for the political blame. Top on the list is World Helicopter, the French manufacturer of the aircraft, whose insurance company retains Mike Nolan, an Annapolis attorney, to defend them against a multi-billion dollar lawsuit filed by the former and now widowed First Lady and the other grieving widows of the crash.

MARINE ONE is one HOT thriller - plenty of twists and turns, extensive believable dialogue, superb characterization, fabulous courtroom drama , sleazy political wrangling and grandstanding and a surprise ending that is so realistic, so chilling and, sadly, so believable that the hair on the back of your neck will positively stand on end.

Highly recommended. Be sure you've got plenty of available time because (and I don't say this too often) you won't want to put it down.

Paul Weiss

Wow! What a great book.

This book was a page turner from the very beginning. The action is non-stop and the intrigue is first class.
There was no boring, mindless chitter chatter either. The pacing was quick, the characters believable, and the story was riveting.

I rarely give 5 stars, and this book was 5+.

Its like reading a military/political Grisham.

What i liked about this is it was a page-turner.
Fast and easy to read. I loved the drama and suspense.
I also just finished The Jefferson Key and it sucked way bad!
I would suggest this one any day.

I gave the book to my son the wannabe novelist as an example of how to keep readers glued to the page. For the last third of the book I was no use to anybody--couldn't wait to get to the next chapter. Mr. Huston not only keeps the action going but clearly knows his subjects, from law to helicopter construction and mechanics.

I actually borrowed this book from Kindle lending, and really enjoyed it. The story flowed very well, and it kept me interested. I didn't get much sleep once I started this book, couldn't put it down

I read quite a variety of books, and lately, I've been reading more law/law enforcement/military/federal/etc themed books.

Marine One is about the President's helicopter going down, and the lawsuit that follows.

There are parts in which the writer is a bit condescending toward his audience, unintentionally, I'm sure. I like for an author to assume that if I'm reading this book, I've read others or I find the subject matter interesting. I want to avoid excesses of exposition. The book is written in the first person, from the POV of the defendant's attorney, so it's possible that it's the character who's a little too talky rather than the author. Either way, there are more than a few places where he "tells" rather than "shows."

The Main main characters are fairly well fleshed-out, and some of the secondary characters are one-dimensional or two-dimensional. The attorney's wife, for example, is mentioned in passing half a dozen times, and then gets two spots toward the end of the book where she gets a whole paragraph. I didn't feel I knew her well enough for her to advance to a major minor role at the end.

The denouement in the courtroom virtually ended the book. It was a rather abrupt ending.

Let me be clear, I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I expected to do.