It's tempting to compare fictional President Duncan with real President Clinton (who co-authored the book), and many reviewers have had fun pointing out that Duncan is an improved version of Clinton.
Be that as it may, for my review I'll consider President Duncan a purely fictional character, made up by the authors.
*****
As the book opens, President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan is preparing for a hearing initiated by House Speaker Lester Rhodes, whose aim in life is to impeach the President.....a goal he'll do almost anything to achieve.
The grounds for the hearing revolve around the fact that President Duncan stopped pro-Ukraine separatists from killing terrorist leader Suliman Cindoruk, whose 'Sons of Jihad' followers have carried out deadly attacks on three continents.
Moreover, President Duncan later spoke to Cindoruk on the phone. These actions seem incomprehensible, and the President won't explain his behavior, citing national security.
The reader soon learns that the President's actions were an attempt to forestall a massive cyberattack on the United States. The disastrous computer virus, scheduled to be unleashed in the immediate future, would disable EVERY electronic device in the entire nation. Such a catastrophe would leave the United States in complete chaos and cripple the military - leaving the nation vulnerable to attack from enemies like Russia, North Korea, Iran, etc.
It turns out the President obtained information that Suliman Cindoruk organized the electronic assault, and may be the only person who can stop it. Thus Duncan needed to keep the terrorist alive, so he could try to negotiate a ransom (even though we don't negotiate with terrorists). Unfortunately the effort proved fruitless and Duncan fears the digital shut-down will happen at any moment.
If anyone can deal with a possible catastrophe like this, it's President Duncan. He's super smart; a war hero; and has surrounded himself with capable women - including his chief of staff; senior political advisor; CIA director; FBI director; and personal physician. Even the Vice President is a woman. (One wonders why Clinton and Patterson didn't go whole hog and make the President a woman. 🙂)
President Duncan does have some vulnerabilities, including his continuing grief over the death of his wife from cancer, and a blood disorder called immune thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count) -which requires medications and protein infusions that leave him weak and woozy. Lamentably, the President can't be properly treated during this emergency situation, which adds to the crisis atmosphere.
After the President's failed attempt to bargain with Cindoruk, he's contacted by a couple of foreign computer geniuses who claim they helped the Sons of Jihad create the computer virus. The hackers assert that they've broken away from Cindoruk's group and - if their demands are met - will help America stop the cyberattack. Moreover, the cyber-criminals have proof that one of the President's INNER CIRCLE (the 'Gang of Eight') is a traitor who gave away secret information.
Can you find the traitor? Just joking! 😁
To have a confab with the two brainy hackers, the President must sneak out of the White House COMPLETELY ALONE - unaccompanied by security.
This leads to a series of occurrences - including car chases, gunfire, and several deaths - that leave President Duncan holed up out of public view. The shootings are carried out by a highly skilled female assassin called Bach and a group of deadly mercenaries.....who have more information than they should!
When the press learns that the President has 'disappeared', the 24-hour news cycle declares him 'missing.'
This causes all kinds of wild speculation, with people saying that President Duncan is terribly ill; has stolen a lot of money and fled the country; is avoiding the impeachment hearings; and so on.
In the meantime, the President is conferring with representatives from Israel, Germany, and Russia, and there are some major twists in the story.
I was on the edge of my seat (or actually treadmill) as the clock controlling the computer virus ticked down to zero - 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - while the President and his team raced to stop the cyberattack. Do they succeed? Is the 'Benedict Arnold' unmasked? You'll have to read the book to find out.
I enjoyed the novel, which - though not very realistic - has compelling characters, an engaging plot, and heart-stopping action. I'd recommend the book to fans of thrillers.
The book is being adapted into a Showtime mini-series, which I'll watch for sure (when it gets to DVD 😎).
Rating: 3.5 stars
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