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Cover of The President is Missing

The President is Missing

A novel

Bill Clinton and James Patterson

688 pages

A ticking-clock political thriller that plunges the reader into the paranoid, high-stakes world of presidential secrets and cyber warfare.

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What it feels like

Set over a breathless three-day span, this propulsive thriller plunges readers into a paranoid and high-stakes atmosphere where the fate of the nation hangs by a thread. The narrative feels urgent and authoritative, blending the relentless pacing of espionage fiction with insider glimpses into the vulnerabilities of the United States presidency. As a devastating cyber threat looms and whispers of a Cabinet traitor spread, the mood is steeped in uncertainty and dread. The prose is action-oriented, driving a tense emotional arc that moves from gripping national panic to a desperate, heroic race against time. It is a perfect read for fans of political thrillers who crave stories of leadership under fire, technological vulnerability, and the heavy burden of state secrets.

Mood
  • tense
  • paranoid
  • high-stakes
  • fearful
Tone
  • urgent
  • suspenseful
  • authoritative
  • patriotic
Pace
propulsive
Themes
duty and sacrifice · national security · political betrayal · technological vulnerability · leadership under fire
The writing
Action-oriented and fast-paced, delivering insider political details with the urgency of a ticking-clock thriller.
The arc
Moves from gripping national panic and paranoia to a desperate, high-stakes race against time to save the country.
Who it's for
Fans of high-stakes political thrillers and espionage fiction who crave insider details about the presidency and cyber threats.
Content notes
  • torture (past)
  • cyberterrorism
  • political paranoia
  • grief

About the book

The President Is Missing confronts a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America. Uncertainty and fear grip the nation. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet. Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view.

The plot centers around a computer virus termed the "Dark Ages" created by a Turkish group called the Sons of Jihad who, contrary to their name, are not Muslim jihadists but are “secular extreme nationalists.” The main character, Jonathon Lincoln Duncan, is the president of the United States and widower to character Rachel Carson, named as a homage to the famous 20th century biologist and author of Silent Spring. President Duncan's background is that of an Army Ranger who was tortured in an Iraqi prison yet heroically refused to break protocol. President Duncan's presidency is later threatened with impeachment due to events caused by the "Dark Ages" computer virus.

The action of the novel features other characters such Nina, an Eastern European woman who both created and leaked information about the computer virus, and her hacker cohort, Augie, the only other person aware of the "Dark Ages" plot, Davis, the Secret Service agent who smuggles the President in disguise out of the White House, and white-hat hackers whose mission it is to prevent the "Dark Ages" computer virus from destroying the country.

Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation. Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years.

Description from Open Library.

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