Marine One
The president rushes across the South Lawn through a pounding thunderstorm to Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to fly to Camp David late at night. His advisors plead with him not to fly, but he insists. He has arranged a meeting that only three people in his administration know about.
Half way to Camp David, Marine One crashes into a ravine, killing all aboard. The government blames the European manufacturer of the helicopter and accuses them of killing the president. Senate Investigations and Justice Department accusations multiply as Mike Nolan, a Marine Corps reserve helicopter pilot and civilian trial attorney, is hired to defend the company from the criminal investigations, then from a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the most notorious lawyer in America, on behalf of the First Lady.
Nolan knows that to prevail in the firestorm against his client, he has to find out what really caused Marine One to crash, and why the president threw caution aside to go to a meeting no one seems to know about. To clear his client, Nolan must win the highest-profile trial of the last hundred years—with very little working for him, and many working against him, intent on stopping him at any cost.
Behind the Book
In the 1990s, I represented Sikorsky in a case involving the crash of a CH-3 in Arizona. It was a very interesting case, and went to trial. While working on that case, I visited the Sikorsky manufacturing facility, and saw the room where they keep the golden blade. I also saw the secure section of the hangar, where they work on the president's helicopter, Marine One—which was the same model helicopter as the one that crashed in my case. It made me wonder: if something mechanical could bring down a CH-3, maybe the same thing could bring down Marine One. That question became the foundation for my novel Marine One.
As the president's helicopters continued to grow older, the government requested bidding on a new Marine One. That contract was won by a consortium of American and European companies. That became the other part of the book—a foreign helicopter killing the president. But the real question in the book is: what really happened? Was it a mechanical problem, or did someone just kill the president?
Media Coverage
". . . intelligent political thriller that's full of surprises and insider knowledge."
—National Review | Full review.
"Riveting"
—Dallas Morning News | Full review.
". . . gripping thriller."
—Booklist
"Huston grabs the reader by the lapels from the very first sentence and never lets go... Nonstop legal suspense at its best."
—Publisher's Weekly Starred Review
"Marine One has good lawyers, evil lawyers, a fascinating premise and an inside look at the down and dirty world of litigation where billions are at stake. Add in a dead president and shadowy assassins and you have a very good read."
—Phillip Margolin, author of Fugitive
"A mystery with political intrigue, courtroom drama, and international controversy. Huston is a solid storyteller and brings it all to bear."
—School Library Journal | Full review.
"This novel will have you reading on the edge of your chair, and maybe beyond. Almost impossible to read it fast enough."
—Bookreporter.com
"A wild, entertaining ride."
—Genre Go Round Reviews | Full review.
"Well-researched and fascinating."
—Madison Public Library | Full review.
"The action and page-turning...become almost frenetic."
—The Mystery Reader | Full review.
