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Bill Clinton & James Patterson return with ‘The First Gentleman’, a political thriller where the President’s husband is on trial

Unlike Clinton and Patterson’s previous thrillers, The President Is Missing and The President’s Daughter, The First Gentleman shifts the spotlight to investigative journalists.

Bill Clinton promoting his book at The Late Night Show on CBS. (X@BillClinton)

Co-authors Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s are back for the third time with their latest political thriller, The First Gentleman. The collaboration that banks on Patterson’s writing prowess and Clinton’s insider knowledge opens with a premise that remains a pipedream, especially for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris – United States has its first female president, Madeline Wright.

Wright is fighting for re-election, but predicably her campaign hits the doldrums after her husband, former NFL star Cole Wright, is accused of a decades-old murder. The victim, is a young Patriots cheerleader, Suzanne Bonanno, who vanished 17 years ago after an alleged affair with Cole. The scandal predictably ignites a media firestorm, a brutal courtroom battle, and a political crisis that could derail President Wright’s economic reforms.

The First Gentleman shifts the spotlight to investigative journalists. (Express File)

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Journalism in focus

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Unlike Clinton and Patterson’s previous thrillers, which centered on presidents in physical danger (The President Is Missing) or protecting their families (The President’s Daughter), The First Gentleman shifts the spotlight to investigative journalists Brea Cooke and Garrett Wilson. Their relentless pursuit of the ‘truth’ drives the narrative, a nod to the power (and peril) of a free press.

Clinton’s fingerprints

The novel’s most compelling moments come from Clinton’s intimate understanding of political survival. The West Wing scrambles to contain the fallout, allies turn on each other, and the president must weigh loyalty against the demands of office—all while prosecutors circle her husband. The parallels to real-life political scandals are impossible to ignore, though Clinton and Patterson stop short of direct commentary. Instead, they let readers wonder how it would play out in reality.

Previous works

Before The First Gentleman, Bill Clinton and James Patterson had already proven their knack for blending political insider knowledge with razor-sharp thriller mechanics. Their collaborations—both bestsellers—laid the groundwork for this latest high-stakes drama.

**1. The President Is Missing (2018)**

Bill Clinton’s debut novel in collaboration with James Patterson.

President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan faces an unprecedented cyberattack that could cripple the United States. When intelligence suggests the threat comes from within his own administration, the president disappears from the White House to personally stop the conspiracy. As terrorist attacks erupt across the country, Duncan races against time to uncover the traitors in Washington while evading both foreign operatives and his own Secret Service detail. The story unfolds over three chaotic days, blending high-tech threats with old-fashioned political betrayal.

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**2. The President’s Daughter (2021)**

Bill Clinton’s second novel in collaboration with James Patterson.

Former President Matthew Keating, a decorated Navy SEAL before entering politics, faces his worst nightmare when his teenage daughter Melanie is kidnapped. Though out of office, Keating uses his military training and political connections to track her captors across Europe and the Middle East. The chase reveals a personal vendetta against the ex-president, forcing him to confront enemies from both his military past and presidential tenure. With the current administration unwilling to help, Keating operates outside the law to rescue his child.