Americans could be forgiven for thinking they already have a pretty good idea of what that would be like. James Patterson is hit or miss with me. This one was a hit in my book. Imagine this: the president of the United States is brilliant but has also lost his mind. Farfetched? Clearly not! President Keegan Barrett, the former director of the CIA, has a dangerous skill set. I’d sort of abandoned reading Patterson a few years ago. As his books became more prolific, it seemed the writing got lighter and lighter. But, I couldn’t resist the description of this one.

Blowback by Brendan DuBois and James Patterson Blowback by Brendan DuBois and James Patterson

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. This book had all the adventure I was looking for and some of the language simply had my dying-like the phrase "thrashing threes". This book begins in Johannesburg, South Africa, a place I would love to visit with an enigmatic character like Benjamin Lucas, originally from San Francisco. He poses as a free-lance writer by day, mystery man by night.US President Keegan Barrett has swept into office on his success as Director of the CIA. Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences. From the New York Times bestselling author of The President Is Missing , America has elected its most brilliant president ever, but he’s also a psychopath—and about to start a world war with our most dangerous enemy. I’ve got to know… is there actually a button to begin a cyber war that the leader of the free world can push? I hope that’s just fiction. The even bigger problem is that President Barrett has an even bigger master plan that he is working on and Liam and Noa are only two of the players that he is manipulating to put that plan into action. It involves putting the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House on the sidelines, taking out several terrorist organizations, preparing military exercises, and purposely antagonizing several Chinese leaders that could cause irreparable harm to international relations. That attitude of restraint paid off when Trump awarded Patterson a National Humanities Medal, the only one conferred on a novelist during Trump’s time in office. At a White House ceremony in 2019, the president told Patterson, “You’ve sold a lot more books than me, and I guess you’ve sold a lot more books than anyone but maybe one: the Bible.” It was a weird moment that inadvertently called attention to the fact that Trump, Patterson and God rely on other people to help write their books. . . .

Blowback: A president in turmoil. A deadly motive. by James Blowback: A president in turmoil. A deadly motive. by James

No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades' Lee Child Tradecraft: “Maybe he’s being too cautious, but that’s like saying there’s too much bacon. No one in the Agency ever says those words.” US president Keegan Barrett swept into office on his success as director of the CIA. Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with a deadly motive: Revenge.Just imagine…a psychopath is elected President of the United States. Yeah, just imagine………Been there, done that, and this is not the book about it.

Blowback by James Patterson - Penguin Books Australia Blowback by James Patterson - Penguin Books Australia

That figures. After all, Patterson has long maintained an indulgent détente with his friend and fellow Floridian. Unlike Stephen King, who regularly unleashes the hounds of hell upon Trump, Patterson has largely restricted himself to sighs of disappointment. Even in his two immensely popular presidential thrillers written with Bill Clinton, Patterson has avoided any harsh criticism of the Very Stable Genius. Barrett calls Agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel into his office to explain the plan, citing that it will be completely off the books and they answer solely to him. While the Agency serves at the president’s discretion, there is a pesky thing called the US Constitution standing the the way, something both Himel and Grey point out. However, President Barrett is clear that nothing will stand in his way of keeping the Chinese and Russians in his crosshairs, wanting them to act whenever and wherever he desires, sure that it will ensure there is no second guessing his plans fo the coming months and years. For the most part, believe it or not, for the most part this book was pretty good and flowed smoothly most of the time. The authors created an interesting urgency around the political dilemma, well-timed plot-twists, and connecting the multiple storylines in enjoyable ways. My strongest complaint was that the ending was a bit over-dramatic and weaker than the buildup leading to the climax.

A fictional Senate Majority Leader says, “The United States Senate: the most exclusive club in the world, with more than 250 years of history unimpeded by progress.” Patterson know what happens when you continuously elect half insane MEN to head the USA, he knows so well, he decided o release this book.... US President Keegan Barrett has swept into office on his success as Director of the CIA. He immediately devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences, to more than those involved.