Book Overview
An admiral is on trial for having defied the President while carrying out the orders of a rebellious Congress; a President is on trial for having failed to act when a crisis threatened his country. Congressional aide Jim Dillon discovered a little- known provision in the U.S. Constitution, and it plunged the federal government into chaos. Now he struggles to gain control over the extraordinary events his actions precipitated, volunteering for the defence team at the court martial of Admiral Ray Billings, who disregarded a presidential order by leading an assault on foreign terrorists. Meanwhile, in the South Pacific, a fanatic plans to exploit the weaknesses of an American government in upheaval by brutally shedding American blood and taking innocent citizens hostage. But nothing will prevent a great nation from doing what is right, no matter what the price, not when the honour and the future of America is at stake.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0380731606
ISBN13:9780380731602
Release Date:March 2000
Publisher:Avon Books
Length:528 Pages
Weight:0.58 lbs.
Dimensions:1.3" x 4.2" x 6.8"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Another terrific page turner
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I ordered both of Mr. Huston's books at the same time and started them just before Thanksgiving. After three days I had read them both, enjoyed them thoroughly and lost much sleep. It may be trite to say that he writes like Tom Clancy without the tedious technical explanations. It may also be a bit innacurrate as I enjoyed him more than TC. Huston is especially good with dialogue and these characters came alive for me. Clinton is lucky that Jim Dillon is a fictional character and not one of the Managers of Impeachment. I agree with the reader who would have liked to know more about the bad guy "George Washington". The characters in the book wanted to also as they realized the nature and extent of the armaments and techical equipment they possessed and asked the Butch Cassidy question: "Who are these guys"? I tend to agree that there will not be a three-peat...but you may recall that they could not i.d. GW, if that was in fact him who had his face blown off. In any event, if political/military/action novels are of interest to you, you could not do better than to read Mr. Huston. I am now a BIG fan!
Begs to be a mini-series on TV, preferably with JAG actors.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Plot, action and love stories intermingled at a fast pace. Writing skills accelerated, so that Mr. Huston grew as an author before our eyes, developing into Wouk-Michener proportions.Characters came alive and the dialog sang, so that the absence of explicit sex and four letter words only became noticeable as an afterthought at the conclusion and redigesting of the two books...James W. Huston will be a writing irresistable force. Can't wait for his next efforts.
US Navy 2 Bad Guys 0
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
What a great follow-up to Huston's first novel. Pardon the cliche, but, I couldn't put it down. Fast-moving, plausible, and a true political thriller that weaves great action seamlessly into the storyline. The only negative comment I have is that I don't see a third book in this "series". Not really sure if the same characters can be utilized again. I was a Huston fan after "Balance of Power". Now I am a "groupie".
Huston could have stopped at page 303 - and still won big!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I'm still catching my breath. Two memoranda and a research project lay unfinished on my desk: I simply had to finish this book. Every character is sharply defined: the bile rises against the bad guys - and you want to cheer the good men and women on to victory. The plot is beautifully honed. Literally every word advances the story. The anti-climax at page 303 is powerful. I was immediately frightened that Huston couldn't keep the story going with the same force. Happily I was wrong: there are another pulse-pounding 128 pages ahead. As with any truly great thriller, the ultimate disappointment emerges when you finish the last page. You want more. These characters have become your friends (at least the good guys have) and you want them to immediately commence their next adventure. Thank you, Mr. Huston. It was nice to get entirely away from my petty problems because you wrote a book that I simply could not put down.Jerry
Finally, a sequel that out paces the opening book.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
In his sequel to the "Balance of Power" James Huston provides a riveting extension of the driven political and military personalities in a complex south seas terrorist/Washington D.C. drama "Price of Power". Although the novel was chock full of military and legal details, Huston avoids the overload that often loses many readers. Instead, he provides a page turning, intriguing read that turns into an edge of seat experience. The sequel can be read separately but is most effective following the initial book. The only disappointment comes when you have to close the cover to depart the plane or hit the sack. I highly recommend it to those that like the legal maneuvering of a Grishom novel or the suspense Clancy provides. Huston puts it all together.
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