Day: July 30, 2019

The First Lady


Authors: James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
Published: December 13, 2018
Audiobook

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 3-13, 2019
Jessica’s Rating:

Novel: 4 stars
Audiobook: 2.5 stars
Average: 3 stars

Book Description:

“Sir, the First Lady … has gone rogue.”

President Tucker is caught up in a media firestorm. The scandal of his affair has sent shockwaves through his re-election campaign, and threatens to derail everything he has worked for. To win the vote, he needs the First Lady to stand by his side.

But Grace Tucker has a mind of her own.

After years of compromise, unfulfilled promises, deception and betrayal, Grace refuses to give in to her husband’s demands. Escaping the city and her Secret Service agents, she is officially off the radar.

But did the First Lady run away? Or is she in far greater danger than anyone could have imagined?

Jessica’s Review:

The First Lady is collaboration between James Patterson and Brendan DuBois and it was well done!  Patterson’s collaborations can be hit or miss and other than multiple narrator pronunciation errors in the audiobook, this one was a hit for me.

Just weeks before the election, the president is caught in an affair, which could ruin his re-election.  And to make things worse: the first lady goes missing and keeping that quiet is easier said than done. 

We also meet Special Agent Sally Grissom who heads up the Presidential Protective Detail.  She is determined to find the first lady.  We also see into Grissom’s life with is far from perfect. 

I never lost interest in the story and I had no idea what was going to happen. There is a twist ending that I enjoyed. If you like political thrillers, then you should read this one, but stay away from the audiobook version. 

The audiobook is where the biggest negative is: Yes, I did like the narrator’s voice and narration but she continuously mispronounced multiple words every time the word was said. I wish I had kept track of all the errors. I remember at least four words being mispronounced.  The Potomac River was butchered, and the name of Button Gwinnett was ruined.  I am originally from Gwinnett County so that mispronunciation bothered me. I don’t know how these errors were not caught in the editing of the audiobook.  Maybe no one cared? Due to the extremity of errors I had to give the audiobook 2.5 stars.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel, but stay away from the audiobook! 

Purchase Links:
Amazon US  
Amazon UK