Well, readers what can I say. This is the first novel I have read by either of these authors. It won’t be the last. There is so much of the writing style that I want to emulate. The short, fast paced chapters and the exquisite use of language. The cliffhangers that make it so difficult to stop reading. Hopefully, these are the kind of things I can integrate into my own story telling.

This is an exciting quasi political mystery thriller, which has many twists and turns about a fictional First Lady of the United States that goes missing. The cause of her disappearance is muddied by the fact that her husband, has been caught out having an affair in the full glare of the media. You are left wondering has she just sneaked off somewhere to be by her own or has something more sinister happened? Is she kidnapped or even murdered?

In line, with more modern novels and despite being written by two men, it is filled with strong, memorable female characters. The kind of women who get things done. The male characters are more of a mixed bag. For instance, The First lady comes across as strong. A woman who stands by her moral code and ethics. She works tirelessly for disadvantaged kids and had an intrinsic sense of what was right and wrong. The President, on the other hand, comes across as quite weak and pathetic. Not at all like how The President is usually portrayed.

Agent Sally Grissom becomes the main person tasked with finding her. She is my favorite character; strong willed and never prepared to give up no matter the obstacles are put in her way. And there are many. The irascible Chief of Staff concludes that it would be better for The President’s upcoming elections if the First Lady was to have an unfortunate “accident”. The sympathy bounce could propel him to be re-elected and that was what really mattered. He places his faith in a female assassin who enjoys her work.

Some other reviewers have stated that it was far fetched but no for me. In this crazy world we live in, it seems more than plausible. A must read.

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that I give it a score of five stars out of five.