Book#4: The First Lady by James Patterson

The First Lady by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

James Patterson is a machine, he's one of the most prolific authors in modern day storytelling. Seriously, his writing skills are insane and the pace that he maintains in churning out book after book makes me seriously wonder how he hasn't burned out in such a long and storied career.

Coming back to the novel The First Lady is another suspense thriller from the stable of James Patterson. While the suspense is good enough what kept me engaged was the depth of characterization for the lead character and the attention to detail at the same time as well. Patterson makes his protagonist experience the marathon of emotions in just 1 book.

The characters in the book are relatable, they are flawed human beings who have expectations, ambitions, and dreams which meets the hard reality that is LIFE every day. The villains are not over the top but their motives still come across as gross and slimy in the larger scheme of things.

The title of the novel also has a fantastic recall memory for Patterson fans who have read his previous collab with President Bill Clinton titled: The President Is Missing. There are a lot of similarities in the way the plot starts in both these books. In both of them, the important figure from The First Family goes missing. The President in the latter and The First Lady in the eponymously titled book being reviewed.

The plot opens with a bang with The President literally caught with his pants down in flagrante delicto while leaving with his girlfriend, or mistress, or paramour or whatever you choose to call her.

The writing and the plot ebbs and flows, the lead protagonist tasked with finding The First Lady - PPD Agent-In-Charge Sally Grissom is as human and vulnerable as you and me. On her personal life she's fighting a bad divorce while trying to rebuild a good relationship with her daughter and trying to pick the pieces of her broken life while dealing with an extremely high-pressure job at the same time.

A new reader out there looking for recommendations or wanting to get in the suspense thriller genre can pick up any James Patterson novel and start their journey. The First Lady is no different. The plot holds through various shenanigans that Patterson can come up with and still flows to a logical and satisfying conclusion.

Based off how this book was done, I have been inspired to pick up another James Patterson book called The 13-Minute Murder to read.

My Verdict: Recommend to Read


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