A political thriller with espionage, cyberterrorism, and a rogue president, all in a page-turning masterpiece aimed squarely at every political nerd’s inner masculinity. James Patterson & Bill Clinton’s 2018 thriller, The President Is Missing, is something I’ve found myself enjoying almost every page of on-and-off again over the past couple of months. I did suggest it as a page-turner, and it is, but as I’ve mentioned countless times: Reading as a dyslexic is a different experience. Sometimes it is better to step away for a few weeks. So sometimes I did.

Nonetheless, the tale of President John Duncan is an endlessly captivating read filled with twists and turns built on the mystery of cyberterrorism; How to stop it, and who’s behind it. I won’t say it goes without fault, however. As you may expect, there are parts that are more or less standing at the door of jingoism for the US. That is not entirely a bad thing for such a story, a president all but single-handedly on a mission to save his country by doing everything but Jack Bauer heroics. More so, President Thomas J Whitmore. Only it has in a more arguable sense, a touch of America’s biggest problem in recent years, everything terrorism-related being tied to brown people.

Despite its release coming amid the 45th President’s term and featuring a handful of jabs, there is a clear attempt to avoid prescribing the tribal denominations of Democrat or Republican to Duncan or his opponents. Good or bad as it might be, I’d argue it leaves needless ambiguity in spite of some other rather on-the-nose touches given to characters. Duncan is surrounded by a diverse cast mostly made up of women in roles of power that are relied on, while the Secret Service is dominated by male counterparts. One could prescribe this as Democrat, while lead political opponent and Speaker of the House Lester Rhodes is played as a headstrong Republican that is kept out of the loop.

Though I must say, not all is black and white. There are a few shades of grey touched upon that would otherwise be missing by two less competent writers trying to do a quick job of it. Patterson’s keen eye for teasing out detail makes every chapter a delightful bite, the “ok, I’ll have one more serving before I go,” as it were. I can only assume Clinton’s touches appear as the knowledgable one on the comings and goes of government, the Oval Office, and details such as Secret Service protocols. Though not direct, Duncan similarly coming from a southern state may be an innocuous nod to Clinton’s southern roots.

It may be noticeable as I attempt to avoid speaking directly of spoilers, however, the largest story revolves around a virus implemented into computers nationwide and worldwide. From simple home PCs to the FBI, all wind up compromised via the internet. I won’t say every detail hits the mark, as is made clear Duncan himself is no computer expert and though both writers may have sought advice, nothing becomes too impenetrable as a reader. The target audience for Patterson, at least in my experience, is middle-aged dads who still seek adventure between the 9-5 job. Men who could imagine themselves as Duncan, a stoic and trustworthy veteran thrust into making decisions for the country, not expert hackers.

The biggest criticisms I could levy against The President Is Missing are the simple ones such as the almost jingoistic and bordering xenophobic thought that brown people, Russians, and eastern Europeans are villains or to be outwardly distrusted. There are points against that, of course, with the diverse cast and the final chapters being a little more than optimistic and wholly speaking to a utopian view of the US. The “our party” lines, instead of disseminating which of the two leading parties characters are assigned, further provided less than satisfying reading. Don’t dance around it, say it. Lastly, the twist isn’t as clever as it wants to be. My very first and only guess turned out to be true despite several red herrings attempting to pull attention.

Ultimately, the intrigue, adventure, and attempts to humanize and create a fascinating thriller you can’t stop reading are achieved with great success. Of course, with such a topic and an attempt to paint a president of a nondescript tribal pattern, there will be some who disagree with any solutions suggested on specific topics. Which is to say younger more liberal readers in their 20s will heartedly disagree with views on policing, and older more conservative readers may wholly disagree with some more liberal utopian views on equality. In truth, it isn’t to spread a gay agenda, it is simply a solid thriller about a fictional political figure who’ll touch on those issues paralleled with our own.

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The President Is Missing

$9.99+

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• President Duncan is at least personable.
• Page-turning every step of the way.

Cons

• An attempt to avoid prescribing party lines between characters.
• A water-thin twist that was noticeable from miles away.
• Female characters are written with somewhat fists of ham.