John Deal is no hero--he just happens to be in the right place at the right time, cruising in the Gulf of Mexico when a group of Cuban refugees are tossed overboard in a smuggling operation gone awry. Then, presidential politics, particularly the importance of the Florida vote to President Frank Shelton's reelection campaign, put Deal on stage in Miami for a Medal of Valor ceremony. In another case of bad timing, Deal is caught in the middle of a scheme by anti-Castro partisans who plan to kidnap the president and blame it on Cuba. But when at the last minute the First Lady stands in for her husband at the Medal of Valor ceremony, Deal finds himself an inadvertent hero again, abducted with Linda Shelton and taken away with her to a deserted island in the Bahamas. The problem is, nobody knows Deal's been snatched with the First Lady--nobody except for retired cop Vern Driscoll, Deal's closest friend. Flying into the eye of a hurricane to rescue Deal and the First Lady, he tries to accomplish what the FBI, CIA, and every other law enforcement agency under the president's command hasn't been able to. Meanwhile, it's up to Deal to uncover a plot against the president hatched from somewhere within the president's own administration.

John Deal is an antihero in the best tradition of existential mystery fiction, and in Standiford's capable hands, he's grown into a more complex character with every new adventure. And, while Frank and Linda Shelton bear a striking resemblance to Bill and Hillary Clinton, it may be more than a coincidence--Standiford clearly knows what goes on in Washington, especially where relations with Cuba and Miami are concerned. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Standiford again proves he has the right stuff with this fifth?perhaps breakout?episode in the ongoing misadventures of unassuming, dilemma-prone Miami builder John Deal (Deal on Ice, etc.). Overnight, Deal achieves national hero status when he and ex-cop sidekick Vernon Driscoll save a boatload of Cuban refugees from drowning in Biscayne Bay. Modestly protesting the ordinariness of his act, Deal is awarded the Presidential Medal of Valor. As a campaign gimmick, the president moves the presentation ceremony to Miami, and the accidental hero is unwittingly caught in a sinister web of high-level chicanery. In what is staged to look like a Latino terrorist attack, hosts of innocent dignitaries and bystanders are gunned down, and the First Lady and Deal are taken as hostages to a tiny isolated tropical island. Despite flak from the tightly wound spook in charge, Driscoll uses his underworld connections to locate the small-time hood who supplied the contraband weapons to the terrorists and embarks on a hairy rescue mission, which leads to Nassau and back to the Keys. The indomitable Deal manages to survive a hurricane, turn the tables on the world-class terrorist leader and save the First Lady before he ultimately exposes the malevolent mastermind in the White House. For all the baroqueness of the plot, Standiford builds a tight narrative with credibly flawed characters and a powerful sense of place. Author tour. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Affable Florida contractor John Deal makes his fifth appearance, following Deal on Ice (LJ 2/1/97). In this adventure, Deal has rescued 19 Cuban refugeesAwomen and children callously forced overboard in Biscayne BayAand is scheduled to accept a presidential award along with other heroes at the White House, something he'd prefer to miss. A group of terrorists disguised as the police storm the festivities, and Deal winds up kidnapped with the attractive First Lady. Vernon Driscoll, an ex-Miami homicide detective and Deal's best friend, follows every leadAeven to the Bahamas. Meanwhile, Deal and the First Lady struggle for survival as a hurricane ravages the tiny island on which they are imprisoned. There are few mega-surprises here, but the author handles deftly the scenes in which Deal and the First Lady are alone together, offered with a tenderness uncharacteristic of the genre. Recommended.ASusan A. Zappia, Maricopa Cty. Lib. Dist., PhoenixCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
It's a simple, well-worn formula, but work it wellas Standiford does hereand it's almost foolproof. The formula: create a sympathetic character or two, put same in harm's way, maintain pressure for 300-plus pages, and what you get is a page-turner. As just such a character, John Deal, in his sixth outing (Deal on Ice, 1997, etc.), has never been more engaging, braver, more resourceful, or more becomingly modest about it all. For helping to rescue a group of hard-pressed Cuban refugees, Deal now finds himself singled out for a national valor award. It's to be given at a special ceremony presided over by Linda Sheldon, First Lady of the land. She, too, it turns out, is brave and resourceful. And immensely likable. Before Deal can actually receive his award, however, terrorists interrupt the proceedings. Exactly why is left a bit sketchy: Chaos is normal, says one, which is the closest any of them comes to a political statement. At any rate, in surge the terrorists, automatic weapons blazing. Noise, smoke, bodies falling. In the confusion, Linda and Deal are taken hostage together, suffer a variety of cruelties and deprivations, and, through pluckand some luckalso survive together. Through it all, they inevitably grow to care for each other, and it is this ripening of a special relationship that forms the strength of Standifords story. Though not everything happening makes perfect sense, the scenes shared by Deal and Linda are so neatly crafted that suspending disbelief is a breeze. A very good Deal indeed. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the fifth installment of the series, Deal is being awarded the Presidential Medal of Valor, and as a campaign gimmick, the presentation ceremony is held in Miami. During the ceremony, terrorists interrupt with machine gun fire, and Deal and the First Lady are taken captive.

SYNOPSIS

In the fifth installment of the series, Deal is being awarded the Presidential Medal of Valor, and as a campaign gimmick, the presentation ceremony is held in Miami. During the ceremony, terrorists interrupt with machine gun fire, and Deal and the First Lady are taken captive.

FROM THE CRITICS

Miami Herald

Daring, exciting and oh-so-wise in the ways of Miami, Presidential Deal offers a lot more than your average political thriller.

Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

Les Standiford grabs your attention and keeps it for a roller-coaster thriller that never falters.

Library Journal

AIn this adventure, Deal has rescued 19 Cuban refugees -- women and children callously forced overboard in Biscayne Bay -- and is scheduled to accept a Presidential award along with other heroes at the White House, something he'd prefer to miss. A group of terrorists disguised as the police storm the festivities, and Deal winds up kidnapped with the attractive First Lady. Vernon Driscoll, an ex-Miami homicide detective and Deal's best friend, follows every lead -- even to the Bahamas. Meanwhile, Deal and the First Lady struggle for survival as a hurricane ravages the tiny island on which they are imprisoned. There are few mega-surprises here, but the author handles deftly the scenes in which Deal and the First Lady are alone together, offered with a tenderness uncharacteristic of the genre. -- Susan A. Zappia, Maricopa County Library, Phoenix

Library Journal

AIn this adventure, Deal has rescued 19 Cuban refugees -- women and children callously forced overboard in Biscayne Bay -- and is scheduled to accept a Presidential award along with other heroes at the White House, something he'd prefer to miss. A group of terrorists disguised as the police storm the festivities, and Deal winds up kidnapped with the attractive First Lady. Vernon Driscoll, an ex-Miami homicide detective and Deal's best friend, follows every lead -- even to the Bahamas. Meanwhile, Deal and the First Lady struggle for survival as a hurricane ravages the tiny island on which they are imprisoned. There are few mega-surprises here, but the author handles deftly the scenes in which Deal and the First Lady are alone together, offered with a tenderness uncharacteristic of the genre. -- Susan A. Zappia, Maricopa County Library, Phoenix

Kirkus Reviews

It's a simple, well-worn formula, but work it well—as Standiford does here—and it's almost foolproof. The formula: create a sympathetic character or two, put same in harm's way, maintain pressure for 300-plus pages, and what you get is a page-turner. As just such a character, John Deal, in his sixth outing (Deal on Ice, 1997), has never been more engaging, braver, more resourceful, or more becomingly modest about it all. For helping to rescue a group of hard-pressed Cuban refugees, Deal now finds himself singled out for a national valor award. It's to be given at a special ceremony presided over by Linda Sheldon, First Lady of the land. She, too, it turns out, is brave and resourceful. And immensely likable. Before Deal can actually receive his award, however, terrorists interrupt the proceedings. Exactly why is left a bit sketchy: 'Chaos is normal,' says one, which is the closest any of them comes to a political statement.

At any rate, in surge the terrorists, automatic weapons blazing. Noise, smoke, bodies falling. In the confusion, Linda and Deal are taken hostage together, suffer a variety of cruelties and deprivations, and, through pluck—and some luck—also survive together.

Through it all, they grow to care for each other, and it is this ripening of a special relationship that forms the strength of Standiford's story. Though not everything happening makes perfect sense, the scenes shared by Deal and Linda are so neatly crafted that suspending disbelief is a breeze. A very good Deal indeed.