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laura_leest's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. A mess, but better then the First Lady (although it would have been hilarious to see Bill Clinton write a book about the First Lady being cheated on by the president). The secret service in this book is still ridiculously incompetent, so their is an argument for consistency.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good story, though I'll admit that the kiddo waiting for me to finish was not the only reason I skimmed the president's speech. The title is odd to me, as that's not really the crisis, and the majority of the book is written from the president's point of view. I really liked the characters, and I really appreciated the understanding of the background stories of some of the villains. There is a view of the cruelty of the political world, though our main character is, probably unrealistically above that. Most of the book was fast-paced action, and the international intrigue was included clearly and without obstructing the pace.
mrsbear's review against another edition
I can't rate a book that I didn't finish. No tried. I wanted to like it but I have up about 150 pages in. Maybe I'll try the audio book.
sjw84's review against another edition
3.0
Some disclosure before my review: I am not American, I like Bill Clinton, and I have not previously read any James Patterson.
This book was, without doubt, a page turner. As it was a holiday read for me while tucked away in a windswept, cliff top cottage on the North East coast of England, I didn’t mind that it was likely to be far fetched.
Far fetched it was, so much so that it had me say out loud ‘are you joking?’ at one particular point. It started out as a reasonably far fetched yarn, and only got more far fetched as the story went on.
It was also incredibly clichéd, as one might expect from a novel with the US President as the all American hero.
I do not wish to be overly critical - it was an entertaining and face paced read, but I probably won’t rush out to buy more Patterson books right away.
This book was, without doubt, a page turner. As it was a holiday read for me while tucked away in a windswept, cliff top cottage on the North East coast of England, I didn’t mind that it was likely to be far fetched.
Far fetched it was, so much so that it had me say out loud ‘are you joking?’ at one particular point. It started out as a reasonably far fetched yarn, and only got more far fetched as the story went on.
It was also incredibly clichéd, as one might expect from a novel with the US President as the all American hero.
I do not wish to be overly critical - it was an entertaining and face paced read, but I probably won’t rush out to buy more Patterson books right away.
nyom7's review against another edition
4.0
It is exactly what you expect it to be. A James Patterson thriller. It’s a great holiday read/page turner but don’t expect anything new. The traitor is exactly who you expect it to be if you’ve read more than one thriller in your life. The main character is one of the many cardboard cutouts of the ‘leading man in a political thriller’ - relatively young, dead wife, early 20s daughter, military and law background. You have read this book before and will read it again. I am quite certain you could play trope bingo with this book.
That being said however, it is generally well written, the pace is decent, and there is a satisfactory if slightly sanctimonious (and I say this as someone who’s general political views as a non-US citizen would +/- align with the arguments made) conclusion to the story and not just the terror plot. This is not a prize winning piece of fiction but it is a decent 500 page sit in the sun in your garden during the summer/curled up on the sofa in the winter read. It also doesn’t pretend to be anything different to that and I appreciate that, which is why it gets 4 and not 3 or fewer stars.
That being said however, it is generally well written, the pace is decent, and there is a satisfactory if slightly sanctimonious (and I say this as someone who’s general political views as a non-US citizen would +/- align with the arguments made) conclusion to the story and not just the terror plot. This is not a prize winning piece of fiction but it is a decent 500 page sit in the sun in your garden during the summer/curled up on the sofa in the winter read. It also doesn’t pretend to be anything different to that and I appreciate that, which is why it gets 4 and not 3 or fewer stars.
bus_driver20's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.75
melfierro's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing Story
A familiar yet interesting theme of international terrorism and espionage and the delicate balance that world leaders have to keep. Engaging storyline and satisfying ending.
A familiar yet interesting theme of international terrorism and espionage and the delicate balance that world leaders have to keep. Engaging storyline and satisfying ending.
renatalynn's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the book fast paced something happening from beginning to end.
bookwormbecks's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
knitdyeread's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cancer, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: War