June 13, 2018
The President is Missing
"It's hard to be humble when they play a song for you every time you enter the room, when the world financial markets hang on your every word, and when you command the world's greatest military arsenal, but if you need to knock yourself down a few pegs, try checking your stool for blood." ~ pg. 44
This is like a joke: What do you get when you join a bestselling mystery novelist and a POTUS? A political thriller. 🥁ba dum tss🥁
The President is Missing is the most anticipated book of 2018. Largely because I am a long-term fan of James Patterson and will read almost anything he publishes. I have high respect for his craft and dedication to the written word. But when I saw the co-author's name revealed in a newsletter, I had to rub my eyes, close the email and re-open when my reading glasses were securely on. President BILL MUTHAF'IN CLINTON?! Writing fiction with thee James Patterson? What an unlikely pair yet it just may work. You can't name two better men to join pens and write a cyberterrorism thriller.
I immediately added The President is Missing to my TBR and faithfully checked my resources for an advance copy. I looked up tour dates but the duo was not coming to these parts of Michigan. I entered a giveaway but I never win those. There wasn't even a free preview available like so many of Patterson's other books. This project was kept tight until publication date of last Monday, June 4.
"Think about how different it would be if we reached beyond our base to represent a broader spectrum of opinions and interests. We'd learn to listen to one another more and defame one another less." ~ pg. 506
I set the DVR to record all interviews with Patterson and President Clinton. Imagine my disappointment when the media turned all but one interview into a blame game conversation about Monica Lewinsky and the "Me Too" movement. Excuse me—can we talk about the book and not something that happened two whole decades ago?!
Anyhoot—I finally got the thick hardcover in my hands. (I did not spring for the $225 signed edition.) The beginning of the book does not follow the customary short chapters that we are used to in Patterson novels. I wonder if those were written by Clinton because the difference in writing style was so obvious. The problem with highly anticipated books is the level of expectation. Readers expect a good ass story, a page-turner, a dramatic thriller. A book worthy of staying up late reading (twice) to finish 500+ pages. To add to my reading experience, I buddy read with my Chickadee and kept in touch with others on social media currently reading too. This is a book you must discuss while reading instead of a quick chat afterward.
"The Wild, Wild West, this cyberterrorism. This new, scary frontier. Anyone sitting on a couch in his underwear could undermine the security of a nation." ~ pg. 231
So you are wondering how was the book, right? Wait no further for my review. It was everything I could expect from a great storyteller and someone with political inside scoop. Like my Chickadee always points out, Patterson drops gems under the guise of fiction. He wants us WOKE. Pure genius idea teaming up with President Clinton to reach even more readers. Cybersecurity is real and demands action—in between the pages of fiction and within the real life Administration. I won't give any details away but bookhearts can expect to read about causes of impeachment, mock hearings, water crisis, national security measures, all the moving parts/positions of White House officials and foreign policies. I do not steer my bookhearts wrong—read the thriller of the year, The President is Missing. If nothing else, read Chapters 59, 60 and 128. (🗣Preach, Patterson)
Title: The President is Missing
Authors: Bill Clinton & James Patterson
Published: June 2018
Pages: 528
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤
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