Book Review – The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson – Competent Thriller
Table of Contents
My Rating – 3.5 out of 5
Plot Summary – The President’s Daughter
The first book co-authored by the duo of Bill Clinton and James Patterson – ‘The President is Missing’ came more as a surprise than any literary wonder. That ex-President Clinton had it in him to write a thriller, was the surprise. But since he teamed up with the book-machine James Patterson, it was only to be expected that it will be pacy, page-turner and exciting – however thin on a story it may be. The President’s Daughter is no exception, it’s a story full of clichés and expected twists but it still makes you finish it at one go. That is why the 3.5 rating!
Matt Keating is the sitting US President, with a conscience and a heart of gold. An ex-Seal, he’s quick to own up to his mistakes and fights the good fight. First Lady Samantha Keating is an archaeologist who wears the crown uneasily and their teenage daughter Melanie or Mel is like any other rebellious teenager of nineteen. Then comes along Pamela Barnes, Keating’s VP, and challenges then defeats him (not in a fair fight) in the primaries and ultimately becomes the US President. The intrigue, political maneuvers and backstabbing make for interesting read, particularly coming from one true insider!
The men and women out there now, in the field, doing their very best to find Mel – I trust and believe in them.
But their superiors, the directors and bureaucrats with clean fingernails and stained consciences? Not So much…
President Matthew Keating in The President’s Daughter
Months after Keating’s exit from office, one of Matt’s old enemies – Asim Al-Asheed (a Libyan terrorist who has killed many an adversary brutally) decides to take revenge on Matt for the murder of his family. So he does the unspeakable deed of kidnapping the President’s daughter and holding her hostage for ransom – most of which are untenable. Amidst the raging political battles within Washington’s power circle, the situation is that Mel’s life is in danger, and all the Agencies involved in looking for her, meet with no success.
Frustrated at the turn of events and the lack of progress, Matt Keating takes matters into his own hands and launches his private rescue mission. He draws on all his ex-Seal experience and assembles a motley crew of military operators and then goes rogue. From the wooded mountains of New Hampshire, the United States to the desert cum arid badlands of Nafusa in Libya, the action rages on. The ex-President will now not stop till he gets to his daughter, one way or another.
Conclusion – Summary of The President’s Daughter
As I said at the beginning, there is no shortage of page-turning excitement, and provided you do not ask too many questions, it is full of action and chest-thumping machismo. The best part though is not the action or the abundant clichés, it is the intricate political machinations that go on in the corridors of power, which are fairly well detailed in this – and you can easily guess the source of such insider knowledge. The rest though is fairly predictable, and there are no surprise twists and turns in this.
Just for the pure adrenaline-fueled journey described in this book, it is worth picking up and reading. But for any literary enhancement of your intellect, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
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