The President Is Missing
Author: Bill Clinton, James Patterson
Little, Brown and Company; Alfred A. Knopf
2018
ISBN # 978-0316412698
I have looked forward to reading this book ever since I heard about it – and it did not disappoint! Very slow in the beginning, and dragged a bit, but it did pick up the pace wonderfully!
What we have here are two individuals (Bill Clinton, former president and co-founder of the Clinton Foundation, and James Patterson, renowned author and founder of the JIMMY book imprint for children) who shared their expertise to create a timely story about government (national and global), terrorism, cyberspace, and the need for cyber-security.
The story is based on fictional U.S. President Duncan, and how he deals with a crisis situation of critical proportions in a very humane manner, with all of the knowledge and wisdom gained through his life in the military, as a POW, and as a civilian. Between Clinton and Patterson, they create a believable (and functioning!) White House, a believable environment around the president (including the Secret Service), great descriptions of the White House, a unique location where a great deal of the action takes place, and strong global interaction.
We start out with the president dealing with a health crisis that underlies the entire story. But he has to be President – no time for doing the right thing medically! The national crisis is one of epic proportions – one that could take the entire U.S. down through a virus that was planted in it Internet three years before. And yes – there is a date when the virus will activate. A date that comes too soon, and a cyber security team that, while they are the best of the best, cannot locate the virus, and, when they finally do, cannot stop it. Every system in the U.S. that is connected to the Internet (and all systems are!) will go down. No clean water, no ability to purchase anything, no ability to keep hospitals operational – the list goes on!
So – we have a president with a health crisis, who needs to protect his country, who had been about to face an impeachment hearing, and who has now “gone missing”. He has the secret service with him, but he is still targeted. The person behind the virus (who did meet with the president) is killed. Her partner did not write the code, he simply hacked it into the U.S. systems. He is captured alive – and actually wants to help!
The President reaches out for help from the Israeli Prime Minister, the German Chancellor, and the Russian President. He gets two out of three in person – the Israeli Prime Minister and the German Chancellor. Russia comes up short, sending their second in command, Prime Minister Ivan Volkov.
Then there is the individual that might have been the cause for his impeachment – a global terrorist by the name of Suliman Cindoruk. Oh, and yes, one of the President’s six closest advisors, the only people that know about the virus, is a traitor.
I definitely recommend this book as representative of our times. Even though it starts slowly, and to me has an overwhelming amount of female primary characters (FBI Director, Vice President, the President’s personal physician, the President’s Chief of Staff, and Deputy Chief of Staff, and a female assassin who is pregnant), the characters are well written, the plot is fantastic, and the storyline moves quickly (after a slow start). I also recommend watching the accompanying video on Amazon featuring both authors. Definitely a history lesson within the covers of this book!
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Popular Highlights in this book
He has probably been crying, though it’s impossible to see on his rain-slicked face. His eyes widen with fury. “You killed her!” he spits. “You killed her!”Highlighted by 43,004 Kindle readers- “So it’s nothing specific to Russia. It just so happens that many of our NATO allies happen to be in your backyard. Right,” I say, drawing it out, “in your backyard.”Highlighted by 42,164 Kindle readers
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Never mind who co-authored the book, it is a FANTASTIC read
The book captured my attention from page one and I could not put it down. It is brilliantly and beautifully written with drama, suspense, and insight that only a few people in this world can have. I almost wish that Bill Clinton's name was not on the cover of the book because it seems that people are polarizing and politicizing the whole thing. Regardless of who wrote the book, if you love a great novel of suspense with historical context, if you are a political junkie who enjoys novels, if you like to binge on exciting drama and suspense, then you would probably enjoy reading this book. It is a thick book, over 500 pages and 100+ chapters that will keep you reading page after page, chapter after chapter. It feels solid in your hand and your lap. It will keep you entertained for hours, if not days.
Top reviews from other countries
Dinesh M Rao
Very interesting reading and keeps the reader completely occupied
Reviewed in India on September 11, 2020
