The President's Daughter by Bill Clinton & James Patterson

 

I know James Patterson is an accomplished writer but had no idea what Bill Clinton would have added – other than his name.

 

I roared through this book.  It was very entertaining.  Fast paced (except for the beginning).  If you don't like stereotypes, give this one a miss.

 

There is a cunning nasty Chinese spy, a scary Islamic terrorist, a conniving new President, a spunky bright teenager and, of course, an ex-President who is also an ex Navy Seal – who you definitely wouldn't want to cross.

 

For silly entertainment give this a go.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

 
 

The Last Flight is a gripping read.  Just remember everything isn't quite as it seems.

 

So we have Claire a politician's wife who is subjected to much physical and emotional abuse.  She makes a meticulous plan to escape.  But arrangements get turned on their head at the last moment.

 

And then there is drug dealer Eva.  Their lives cross and while Claire escapes, Eva looks like she's died when the flight to Puerto Rico crashes.

 

You'll want to know what happens.  Don't waste any sympathy on Claire's husband – he is cartoonishly evil.

 

At the end of the book you won't be sure what caused the crash… but does it matter?

 

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

  

Wow!  The Good Sister is quite a book.  Described as a psychological thriller or domestic drama – I think this undersells it.

 

The main protagonists are fraternal twin sisters.  One of them, Fern has neurological issues.  It is not clear what caused them but she can't tolerate lots of noise or being touched unexpectedly.  She works in a library.  She meets a man she finds out is living in a van.

 

Her sister keeps close tabs on Fern.  We hear her voice through her journal.  According to her their mother was a monster.

 

This book is fascinating and gripping.  The way that families can construct their own myths about roles and responsibilities.  How sisters can depend on each other but not really like each other at times.

 

Sorry I'm not giving much away here.  A warning if you go looking for other reviews they all seem to have spoilers.

 

Sally Hepworth lives in Australia and the book is set there – but it isn't too Australian – no boomerangs, crocodiles or snakes!

The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni

Anyone would think I was a fan of thrillers given how many I have read recently.  But it isn't my favourite genre.  But The Eighth Sister was a very good read indeed.

It is contemporary – had spies, the CIA, Russia, a court case and government hijinks.  The original premise perhaps was a little out there but once you buy into that this book hurtles along.

The first half is a spy thriller and the second half a courtroom drama – quite a nice balance.

Although I didn't know this author I see that he has written quite a lot of crime books.  The experience shows.

I liked that the main character was a 64 year old man – not a James Bond type at all.

The Switch by Joseph Finder

The Switch is a thriller – a genre I've started to read a bit more often.  I had never even heard of this author before and was amazed to find out that this is about the 10^th novel he has written.  Thanks to an intriguing review by Dolce Bellezza, I decided to give it a go.

This is a taut well constructed story about a man who mistakenly picks up the wrong laptop at an airport security station.  It is a Senator's and what happens next is quite fascinating.

A lot of the issues dealt with in the book are very contemporary – the dark web etc.  I liked the male protagonist a lot and didn't like the Senator or her staff member – as was intended by the author.