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The President is Missing

The political thriller of the decade

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The President is Missing

By: President Bill Clinton, James Patterson
Narrated by: Dennis Quaid, January LaVoy, Peter Ganim, Jeremy Davidson, Mozhan Marno, President Bill Clinton
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE GLOBAL NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

The President is missing.

The world is in shock.

Terrorists are planning a devastating attack. And they have help from traitors inside the White House.

The only thing standing in their way is a President determined to save his people.

Even if it means putting himself in mortal danger . . .

'The dream team delivers big time ... Clinton's insider secrets and Patterson's storytelling genius make this the political thriller of the decade.' LEE CHILD

'A bullet train of a thriller. The Day of the Jackal for the twenty-first century.' A.J. FINN, author of The Woman in the Window

'This book moves like Air Force One. Big and fast.' MICHAEL CONNELLY, author of the Harry Bosch series

'The President is Missing is a big, splashy juggernaut of a novel, combining thrills with a truly authentic look at the inner happenings in Washington. I read it in one gulp. You will too.' HARLAN COBEN, No. 1 bestselling author of Don't Let Go

'Relentless in its plotting and honest in its examination of issues that strike close to our hearts.' JEFFERY DEAVER

'A first-rate collaboration from a couple of real pros! Engrossing from page one.' DAVID BALDACCI

'The book's biggest selling point is the guarantee of political authenticity . . . the outcome of a conversation between one writer with an unusual skill at thriller plotting and another with an exceptional grasp of global politics. The literary running mates have earned a second term.' Mark Lawson, Guardian

'A brilliant, tricksy first chapter . . . unmistakably shows that their partnership works.' John Dugdale, Sunday Times

'A high-octane collaboration . . . the addictive qualities are undeniable.' Daily Telegraph

'Fast-paced and well-engineered.' Financial Times

'Nobody will walk away from The President is Missing feeling disappointed if they are looking for a vigorous, fast-moving thriller that takes the reader into the corridors of power.' Barry Forshaw, i newspaper

'A high-tension thriller . . . Bill Clinton's insider perspective and James Patterson's pacy plotting combine to irresistibly page-turning effect.' Daily Mail

© Lee Child and President Bill Clinton 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

 Crime Thrillers Political Spies & Politics Suspense Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense Espionage Thriller Fiction Crime

Critic Reviews

The dream team delivers big time … Clinton’s insider secrets and Patterson’s storytelling genius make this the political thriller of the decade. (Lee Child)
The President Is Missing is a big, splashy juggernaut of a novel, combining thrills with a truly authentic look at the inner happenings in Washington. I read it in one gulp. You will too. (Harlan Coben, #1 bestselling author of DON'T LET GO)
The book’s biggest selling point is the guarantee of political authenticity… the kite-mark of unmatchable psychological veracity… The eventual revelation of the villain, which is satisfying and surprising, really does feel like the outcome of a conversation between one writer with an unusual skill at thriller plotting and another with an exceptional grasp of global politics. The literary running mates have earned a second term.
An entertaining romp… thoroughly enjoyable… it works. It is a quick, slick, gripping read
Page-turning… In a plot crammed with twists, readers are granted thriller writing that delivers… Nobody will walk away from The President Is Missing feeling disappointed if they are looking for a vigorous, fast-moving thriller that takes the reader into the corridors of power (Barry Forshaw)
A brilliant, tricksy first chapter… unmistakably shows that their partnership works… The President Is Missing enthrallingly interweaves a cyber-thriller, a Homeland-style battle against jihadi terrorism and a find-the-mole hunt à la Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – and it has aspects of a Cold War geopolitical thriller, too… To paraphrase Katherine Hepburn on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Bill gives James class and James gives Bill sexed-up plotting
The plotting is immaculate… the writing is taut (Josh Glancy)
Marry the political savvy of Bill Clinton with the craftsmanship of James Patterson and you get a fabulously entertaining thriller that is meticulous in its portrayal of Washington politics, gripping in its pacing, and harrowing in its depiction of the perils of cyberwarfare. This dark tale is, at bottom, a warning and a prophecy about the mortal threats to our democracy posed by terrorists abroad, homegrown extremism, and the technological miracles that have rendered us both powerful and defenceless at once. (Ron Chernow, #1 bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ALEXANDER HAMILTON and GRANT)
A high-octane collaboration... the addictive qualities are undeniable
A bullet train of a thriller. The Day of the Jackal for the twenty-first century. (A.J. Finn, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW)
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed the fast pace of this book. The narration was excellent. I particularly enjoyed hearing President Clintons narrative to conclude this audible book. I highly recommend you listen.

I loved this book

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I’m not normally into political books but thought I would give this a go. I loved all the characters and the subplots and the twist and turns worth a read/listen!

Worth a read

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a really well written book. I hope there is more collaboration between these two great people.

excellent

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I like Bill Clinton’s first novel but I didn’t like the writing style. This one is so much better. I truly loved this novel.

So good

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I found the narrator read well but his voice is not super clear so difficult to listen to if there is other noise around, needed much louder volume than usual. the female narrator was good but perhaps an actor with an actual eastern European accent would be a better choice.
Story itself rolled along well and had enough intrigue to be interesting but very "Americans are the best and will save the world" and paternalistic towards other cultures. I could almost picture the movie with a American flag flying at the end.

easy listen

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Couldn’t finish the book as the main narrator’s voices for all characters other than the President were beyond farcical and unbelievable. It sounded like the characters all spoke with the same thick, forced staccato-delivered tones, and wacky, cartoon accents. It was. Like they had. Towels wrapped around. Their. Heads. The brilliant Patterson and real President Clinton deserve much better. Female narrator was great, but overall done a disservice by main actor. Won’t buy Dennis Quaid-narrated books again.

Great story: awful narration.

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I read some good reviews so decided to give this one a go. As an Aussie, I don't buy into the belief that America is the best country in the world but I do love stories of American politics. I thought the story was a good one but little slow to get started. Once the story got going, it was hard not to keep listening. I had an inkling of how it might end but that did not spoil my enjoyment of the story. I loved the President's speech at the end .... a world to aspire to. Nothing wrong with a bit of idealism. Having Bill Clinton read the whole speech again was maybe a bit of overkill but I not so much that it bothered me. I liked listening to him.

I liked it!

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this book starts strong but trsils off before getting lost in its own mess. the assassin may be the sillest character written in a long time.

good performances can't save a mediocre story

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The traitor was a bit obvious too early in the story but continued to try and point to an innocent one ... Politics in the states is definitely close to a blood sport and with current rubbish that has been going on under Trump this story brings home that this book is too close to the truth of it to be called a work of fiction but hopefully, it still is ... the final speech reminded me of a George M Cohan Broadway show waving a flag ...

Interesting

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What a load of dribble there is in this story. It is a sickly sweet vision of how Bill Clinton would like the US to be.
The story had moments, but lapsed into self serving dribble. Characters were not finalized satisfactorily for me. Bach - what happened there. And why were we subject to the same 15 mins the speech again at the end of the book - it was hard enough to listen to the first time.

Load of dribble

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