The President's Assassin [Mass Market Paperback]

Brian Haig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

With just three days to prevent the assassination of the President, Army lawyer Sean Drummond races the clock in the high-stakes countdown of his career.

Army lawyer Sean Drummond*s new posting is to the Office of Special Projects, a CIA cell that handles the most dangerous threats. When the White House Chief of Staff is found brutally murdered, there*s a note beside him promising more victims--including the President. Sean leaps into action, teaming up with a beautiful colleague to try to stop the assassin. As the killer stalks the campaign trail, apparently driven by a $500 million bounty on the President*s head, all arrows point to a member of the White House security detail who*s gone missing. Only after a dramatic hostage rescue that culminates in an intense shootout does Sean realize law enforcement*s horrible miscalculation--and what must be done to set things right.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Plenty of believable action plus heavy doses of insider atmosphere add zest to Haig's fifth suspense thriller to feature army lawyer Sean Drummond (after 2003's Private Sector). It might be nothing like the real White House or even TV's The West Wing, but the center of American power as envisioned by Haig is a potent myth, a modern-day Arthurian Round Table serving as a source of lessons and high drama. Now part of the CIA's Office of Special Projects, Drummond is assigned to protect the president against the enemies who threaten his life. The novel opens on a powerful note with the discovery in a posh suburban Virginia house of six bullet-ridden bodies, including that of the White House chief of staff. Could there be a connection between this massacre and the $100 million bounty someone has put on the head of the U.S. president? Helped by attractive, no-nonsense FBI agent Jennifer Margold, the wise-cracking Drummond first goes after a rogue member of the White House security detail, but things are not what they seem. After some serious shooting and explosions, Drummond and Margold are still only a day away from the likely murder of the president. Haig makes us care what happens by avoiding genre clichés whenever possible and by creating much sympathy for the relatives left behind in the carnage.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Sean Drummond, the JAG attorney whose crime-solving skills are almost matched by his ability to tick people off, has a new assignment: working for the Office of Special Projects, a CIA offshoot. Not long after his reassignment, Drummond is called to a murder scene where one of the six victims is the White House Chief of Staff and where a note was found in which the assassin threatens the life of the president. In this kind of thriller, the outcome isn't much of a mystery; it's how we get to the outcome that counts, and Haig leads us there through a series of plot twists, shortcuts, and dead ends that never fail to keep us on our toes. Haig is still developing as a novelist, and readers familiar with his previous books will note that Haig's appeal is no longer purely plot driven. Action is still his calling card, but his supporting characters are becoming more fleshed out, his dialogue smoother. The best Sean Drummond thriller has yet to be written, but this one is very good indeed. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446560014
• ISBN-13: 978-0446560016
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,100,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Haig is the son of former US Secretary of State Alexander Haig and has been born and bred in the American military and worked all over the globe. Since retiring from duty he has been a special advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now runs a large helicopter company. He lives with his wife and four children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling!!, March 11, 2005

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The President's Assassin (Hardcover)

This was my first exposure to the writing of Brian Haig and his character, Army JAG Major Sean Drummond. It will not be my last.

In partnership with Jennifer Margold, a special FBI Agent attached to the DC field office and Drummond on assignment to the CIA Office of Special Projects, are part of the team that is called to investigate the murder of the President's Chief of Staff, his wife and four of his protectors. It is clearly done by professionals and it is equally clear that they had inside information to accomplish the hit. A note is left behind which warns: "You can't stop us. There will be others and the President will be history in two days."

True to their words, the killers execute other high profile Washington figures as the team struggles to find an answer as to who is behind all of this.

Margold and Drummond seem to be on the track and a breakthrough interview with the mother of one of the Secret Service protectors who has gone missing focuses the investigation. There are numerous wheels within wheels on the team as the various agencys and people in them move to protect their turf, sometimes to the detriment of the search. However, as the net closes on the individual being sought and more killings occur, a ransom demand is received from the perpetrators. They want 50 million dollars in untracable money to call off the killing spree. The government agrees and then the story really starts to get interesting. Drummond is the courier who is selected to deliver the money and Margold is in the FBI Agent in charge of seeing that he survives the experience. Their relationship as the story develops has bordered on the romantic, although circumstances keep it from bearing any fruit, so to speak. To tell you more concerning the problems that are thrown in the way of the delivery of the money and it's aftermath would spoil the story and this is a story that delivers all the suspense and surprises that a reader can take.

This is first class stuff written by an author that has a great ability to deliver dialogue so that you swear you can hear the voices involved. You will not want to put this one down, trust me.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I disagree with last reviewer, very engrossing read!, February 28, 2005

By 

Angela Lucia (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The President's Assassin (Hardcover)

I thought this book was a great addition to the series! The author keeps writing about what he knows, and he knows the U.S. military. Haig is a West Point Graduate with 22 years of Army service.

The Main character is Army JAG lawyer, Sean Drummond is his old wisecracking self, zinging oneliners and putting the idiots in place. His intincts again prove he is the best. The Drummond character definitly carries this book.

I wont rehash the plot that has already been done enough here. The plot while nothing too complicated was compelling and kept me turning the pages. The characters are well Drawn and I loved the Bad guys (they were fun to hate!).

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the year's better novels, August 10, 2005

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The President's Assassin (Hardcover)

A woman has waited 30 years to get her revenge. Now there are spin-offs. Prominant political figures are assassinated, along with assorted spear carriers and bystanders who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody except the killers knows who might be next. It is almost impossible to protect people from a dedicated assassin.

Army Major Sean Drummond, a JAG recently enlisted into the CIA's Office of Special Projects, is assigned to the case. He has some relevant experience in his past. He finds himself teamed with a behavioral scientist from the FBI. They become intangled in the petty infighting among individuals who seem more interested in what they will personally get from the case, then in solving the murders.

The action takes place over a couple days as they try to unravel the mystery of who is doing the hits. Things become highly dangerous when they discover that the black hats have sophisticated military weapons. Primary suspicion falls on an individual they can't find. The motives are initially obscure, but it seems to be about extortion for a very large sum of money. Things don't seem to ring right with Sean, but he can't seem to put his finger on what is out of place.

The author has done some very good writing, and the novel will keep you up late. There is a surprise ending, so no peeking.