Reviews

The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton, James Patterson

hesterbenham's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

4.5

shadowmoons57's review against another edition

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too political for me

sarahthereadingaddict's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a really interest book. It's a gripping story. I can't imagine the stress of running a country and this book gives a little insight into what it can entail. I appreciate some of truth may be slightly stretched but I can appreciate a lot of the day to day work that's involved in being President of the US is stressful, interesting and a lot of weight on one person's shoulders (along with a team of people of course but it's that one person that has the majority decision because they were voted in).

I liked the drama and fast pace of this book. I've never read a book by James Patterson but I'm glad I've read this one. I will be reading more by him and look forward to it.

I read this book as part of a reading challenge in a group I am part of. I'm not normally a fan of anything political but this was very interesting. I'm also like the fact that Bill Clinton co-writes this book.

thebacklister's review against another edition

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Too few thrills, too much “I can’t tell you what’s happening”

lise_wejlby's review against another edition

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1.0

Well, man Kan dårligt anmelde en bog, man ikke har læst færdig. Men denne bog orkede jeg ikke at læse til ende.

p3tt1tt's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lynguy1's review against another edition

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4.0

The President Is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton is a political thriller that felt all too real. A massive cyber-terror attack is imminent and even President Jonathan Duncan is suspected of colluding with terrorists. He believes there is a traitor in his inner circle. Then, the president disappears. Is he on the run? Was he kidnapped? Is something else happening? Can the cyber-attack be stopped?

The story is action packed, but it is also filled with the tough decisions a president may have to make in the event of an imminent attack President Duncan had significant character depth and the supporting characters played a diverse mix of supportive, antagonistic, and contrarian roles.
The novel is well-written and thought-provoking. While it may be over-the-top in a few places, it still has plenty of thriller action, comradery, tough decisions, and political ploys to keep a reader engaged and turning the pages. The speech in the epilogue will not appeal to all and was somewhat sententious, but I understand why it was included.

Themes in the book include quest for power, cyberterrorism, murder, grief, sensational versus factual news, keeping egos in place (or not), trust, love for one’s country, trust, friendship, envy, resentment, bitterness, and much more.

Overall, the story kept me engaged with its convincing and compelling characters and plenty of action. This was an entertaining and intriguing thriller for me.

I received a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Discussion Group Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

geenag90's review against another edition

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4.0

Not my usual choice of book, but I really enjoyed it, despite being quite lengthy the story never flagged and remained interesting and twisty till the end.

book_concierge's review against another edition

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3.0

Book on CD read by Dennis Quade with January LaVoy, Peter Ganim, Jeremy Davidson and Mozhan Marno
3.5***

President Jonathan Duncan is facing a possible impeachment for actions he took – he says – to protect the safety of America. Against the advice of his senior staff he’s agreed to go before a Congressional Committee, but three days before the hearing he’s visited by a person who can clearly prove that the US systems have been compromised. And the President leaves the White House without his Secret Service detail in an effort to get answers he feels only HE can obtain and act on.

This is a fast-paced thriller, with a believable (if somewhat over-the-top) scenario. There were several times when I thought I knew where it was headed but was surprised by a twist in the plot. The basic plot line is something we should all be concerned about and I found myself wondering about our reliance on technology. The last 50 pages were particularly nail-biting. I’ve recommended the book to several people, including my husband.

I do have a bone to pick re
Spoiler the title. The President is the narrator throughout most of the book and is hardly “missing” in that sense of the word. But based on the title and the very limited information on the plot from the publisher, I kept waiting for him to actually go missing.
Guess that was my fault.

Dennis Quade is a talented actor and I could see him (a few years younger) portraying President Duncan in a film version of this book. But his deep, gravelly voice just grated on my nerves. I am glad that the producers chose a number of different voice artists to portray various characters, because Quade was definitely NOT up to the task of providing different voices. (The couple of times he tried were laughably bad.)

lilly_rebecca06's review against another edition

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1.0

Not my kind of book got it from the library hoping it would be good but didn’t live up to my expectations