The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Add this to your trivia list: Who’s the only author that makes James Patterson appear second on a co-authored novel?  Answer: former President of the United States Bill Clinton.  Released to much fanfare, Bill Clinton and James Patterson have, in fact, co-authored a novel together, claiming to add Patterson’s sense of timing and suspense together with “information that only a former Commander-In-Chief could know.”  Be aware that, for the most part, this follows the Patterson format with shorter chapters.  But it does seem noticeably stronger on the little details than many Patterson works, which use more generic adjectives and let the reader fill in the blanks about what’s happening.  I am still in the process of reading this book, but it has me convinced that this is more than simply a Patterson ghostwrite.  It appears as though Bill Clinton did in fact write some of the chapters and advise on others—the pacing is different, although it is still taught suspense.  Some people like Patterson, some don’t.  But give it a try—you might like Clinton more.  Verdict: Read it if you like Patterson, and read if you don’t, just to say you did.