The President is Missing

The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The headlines are all over the map, as usual: The President is Missing; The President's chronic health condition has become acute; The President is hiding from the rumored impeachment hearings; The President has run away...

There is some truth to all of the rumors, and a lot of ungrounded speculation, typical for the cable news/24 hour news cycle.

The truth is: The President IS hiding, and trying to stave off the most deadly terrorist attack every devised -- he knows he has only a few hours, and he doesn't know whom he can trust.


President Clinton has done a great job in taking us behind the scenes and giving plausible characters a realistic plot line. Lots of suspense, and lots of interesting ideas as well. This is a winner for both thriller fans and fans of politics. The political geeks will have fun dissecting the nuances, but this is not a roman a clef, perhaps because of Patterson's work on the book. Recommended.




SPOILER SPACE







Clinton does take advantage of the bully pulpit here, especially in the literary President's final speech to a joint session of Congress. I thought the number of women in important positions in the novel was really interesting -- most of the major players, in fact, are women. While no person in the novel is identifiable as a real person, the Speaker of the House comes close -- not a flattering characterization, either. I did guess the mystery part, but the realistic scenario and action kept me turning pages. I'm not a thriller fan, but I heard President Clinton interviewed about the book, and found the concept intriguing. I enjoyed it, and I do recommend it. My Dad would have loved this book.



View all my reviews