I do not like politics. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t love me some political thrillers. I blame The West Wing, which was my gateway drug. With the midterm elections coming up in the next week or so, I know our real-life politicians are providing lots of thrillers. But if you need a break, these are great escapes that will captivate you (and thankfully distract if you are tired of all the drama).

This is the second book by the dynamic duo of Bill Clinton and James Patterson. I really enjoyed their first collab, The President is Missing, so I was excited to see they had released a second book. President and former SEAL Matthew Keating has angered an Afghan terrorist. Instead of attacking the president directly, his daughter is kidnapped. I thought this book was absolutely captivating and engrossing. One word of caution: like most James Patterson books, this one gets pretty violent. The body count is fairly high, but what bothered me most was the violence specifically towards women. Not unexpected, but it did set me back on my heels a few times, and I had to put the book down and walk away to reset for a minute a few times. Good read, but be aware of the misogynistic violence that awaits.

Not to be outdone by her husband, former Secretary of State Clinton teamed up with Louise Penny for their thriller. My old boss loved Louise Penny, but I could never get into her books, which makes how much I enjoyed this one even more shocking. The first 200 pages are good, but once you hit that point, get comfy, because you aren’t going to want to put the book down. I have to wonder how much of the story really happened to Mrs. Clinton when she was Secretary of State. Also, it is a little terrifying with how high the plausibility factor is here. The book begins with three bus bombs in three European cities. Turns out that those acts were the pregame show for an even bigger terrorist attack that new Secretary of State Ellen Adams must attempt to thwart. I’m glad that my job is not her job, but I love to read about smart people attempting to save the day.

During the last election, Ms. Abrams made headlines for getting the vote out and working tirelessly against voter discrimination in her home state of Georgia. For those of you who don’t know, Ms. Abrams has been a novelist for quite a while, under the pen name of Selena Montgomery. (If you want to read her back catalog, check them out here.) I learned so much about the Supreme Court by reading this book. Avery Keene, law clerk for Justice Howard Wynn is charged with being his guardian when he unexpectedly enters in a coma. There are so many twists and turns that I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This one wasn’t quite as exciting as the first two, but there was so much more depth and knowledge in it that it was good in its own way. 

So get out and vote next week and make your voice heard. In the meantime, check one of these out to keep you entertained today.

Happy thrilling…
:) Amanda