The President is Missing
As the novel opens, a threat looms. Enemies are planning an attack of unprecedented scale on America. Uncertainty and fear grip Washington. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the cabinet. The President himself becomes a suspect, and then goes missing...
Set in real time, over the course of three days, The President Is Missing is one of the most dramatic thrillers in decades. And it could all really happen. The President Is Missing is Bill Clinton and James Patterson's totally authentic and spellbinding thriller.
Author: Bill Clinton and James Patterson
Rating: 3.5/5
This book was just plain fun. I think that's what you get with books in this mass-market thriller category in general: Not quite "literature" per se, but very exciting and entertaining quick reads. They are like sitcom television.
The President is Missing is (mostly) told from the first person of John Duncan, the President of the United States. He's dealing with a super-classified terrorist situation that he cannot explain to anyone outside his small circle of advisors. The media and his political opponents are ignoring his repeated attempts to tell them that he's doing something that might be, ya know, important and that he's not answering their questions for reasons that might also be important, and they're after his impeachment.
But he can't care about that right now, because the US is facing a cyberterrorism threat that could render the US a third-world country overnight. He has something like two days to stop it. Oh, and there are also assassins and espionage and people who may or may not be trustworthy. It's a very well-written story that will keep you on the edge of your seat — especially the second half.
I did make a guess about the ending that turned out to be true, which kind of disappointed me for reasons that I can't talk about without spoilers. But it was still exciting to see it unfold and figure out how all the pieces fit together.
The President, in his thoughts and actions, is also unabashedly left-wing. I expected it and agree with the stances and policies, but it's definitely noticeable and noteworthy. I assume Bill Clinton just figured that nobody from the other side of the aisle was going to read the book anyway, so he might as well just go whole-hog with it.
All in all, if you're looking for a quick read that will keep you on the edge of your seat and won't take too much brain power, this is the book for you. It really was a fun read.