Blowback: James Patterson's Best Thriller in Years
James Patterson
From the New York Times bestselling author of The President Is Missing, America has elected its most brilliant president ever, but he’s also a psychopath—and about to start a world war with our most dangerous enemy. US President Keegan Barrett has swept into office on his success as Director of the CIA. Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences. more
513 pages, Kindle Edition
First published Little, Brown and Company
4.28
Rating
16003
Ratings
782
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James Patterson
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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Effing Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson, and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Community reviews
James Patterson’s new thriller, “Blowback,” asks us to imagine what would happen if a narcissistic psychopath were elected to the White House. Americans could be forgiven for thinking they already have a pretty good idea of what that would be like. But if “Blowback” is feedback on Donald Trump’s raging years in office, it’s only a glancing shot. That figures. After all, Patterson has long maintained an indulgent détente with his friend and fellow Floridian. more
A president who's mentally bonkers. Wow, what a concept. Kudos to the authors for a timely topic that showcases what can happen when the leader of the free world's power is totally unchecked. U. S. more
Well done Trump on steroids and unfortunately, not out of the realm of possibility. 8 of 10 stars. more
The latest from the James Patterson novel factory. I stopped reading Patterson's books many years ago when he stopped writing them (he was a very good mystery writer in the beginning) and had others manufacture them for his company (hopefully still in the U. S. ), but this one had such an intriguing premise in its subtitle, "An American President Goes Insane", and being a political thriller junkie, I had to give it a try. It has a great premise gone awry and fails on so many levels: a plot that is not credible, dumb characters and just bad writing. more
I gave this book 50 pages, but just couldn't get into it. The story didn't seem to be going anywhere interesting, and I have more interesting things to read that I know will grab me right away. Sorry James Patterson, this one wasn't for me. more
Having been on a slight James Patterson kick, I was eager to get my hands on this collaborative effort between the star-author and Brendan DuBois. Together, their spy thriller has some great twists and proves that there’s s no end to the abilities when Patterson enlists the help of great authors. A president who has let power go to his head, a CIA Director who tries to wrest control before the US enters a war it cannot win, and a number of operatives who are but pawns on the game board, all players in this piece. All this and a great deal more in this thriller that chills readers to the core, reminiscent of some of the great authors in the genre. It is said that power corrupts, but it can also intoxicate. more
Just imagine…a psychopath is elected President of the United States. Yeah, just imagine………Been there, done that, and this is not the book about it. I’d sort of abandoned reading Patterson a few years ago. As his books became more prolific, it seemed the writing got lighter and lighter. But, I couldn’t resist the description of this one. more
Oh how I hate to do this because I am a huge James Patterson fan. Irritated at the loose Trump sanity references, WAY too long and jumped around WAY too much. If it was going to bring Trump’s sanity into question, why not our present leader of the free world (a walking meme). Moving on to one of his better series such as the Women’s Murder Club. more
The descriptive tagline on the book – “Blowback” – screams out “An American president goes insane. ” What am interesting way to promote the latest James Patterson thriller and grab your attention. He and his writing partner for this one, Brendan DuBois have written quite the summer potboiler that includes a mix of Tom Clancy espionage, the television show Scandal political intrigue, and David Baldacci layered suspense. “Blowback” begins with the U. S. more
Every new James Patterson book claims to be the author's "best thriller in years," although depending on the coauthor, his works seldom rise above average. In case you didn't know, James Patterson doesn't write his co-authored books. According to his memoir, James Patterson by James Patterson, he constructs the plot and characters, creates a detailed outline of 70–80 pages, and then hands it on to his coauthor to write. Blowback, his latest thriller, is co-written with frequent collaborator Brendan DuBois (The Summer House, The First Lady, and so on), and the cover slogan is "An American President Goes Insane. " That one sentence alone suggests that the novel's fictional president is probably inspired by the 45th President of the United States. more
I've always loved James Patterson books but this one was a little far-fetched even for me. President Keegan Barrett enlists the help of two of his trusted associates but it becomes increasingly clear he himself is a sociopath. It's such an interesting premise that I blew through it quickly though it's quite long, but it just didn't hold the appeal as some of his earlier works did. In typical Patterson fashion, there is plenty of action and quirky characters so tension is high throughout. Apparently I just wasn't in the right mood to totally appreciate it. more
3 stars, and that’s being generous. Too many characters introduced too quickly at the slow moving beginning. This book had its suspenseful moments, but a lot of slow areas also. And it was way too long. I always enjoy when JP puts out a free standing read, but this definitely was not a favorite. more
An idiot is in the Oval Office. He has plans to have all safeguards removed by the time he starts his war with China. Don’t waste your time. . more
I really liked the pace of this novel. You do have to put on an imagination hat for this one. A lot of stuff is out there as far as the reality scale goes. Yet what the heck, it's just a novel. So the authors just made a what if we have fun with this crazy novel idea. more
An American President Goes InsaneSound familiar. Well, it should because now we know it can happen. He’s America’s most brilliant president ever. He’s also a psychopath. Keegan Barrett, former director of the CIA, has easily transitioned to the Oval Office. more
A story about a narcissist President who has lost his mind. Seems like we just dealt with this in real life a few years ago. Anyway, this was a long book that had no reason to be that lengthy. I recognized Patterson’s jealousy of Stephen King in his book about himself and I wonder if he thinks he can write “epic” books as King does just by making them super long. If so, it doesn’t work. more
I found this slow at some points then cruises along to action, mystery and violence. It's an interesting and plausible plot which I would have said as not until 7 years ago. FrighteningThank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc. more
I really should have DNFed this. I hoped it would get better as I got into it but it never did. The characters were forgettable and the plot mostly pointless. The only decent part was the climax and by that point I was just glad it was over. Almost rated it 1 star and maybe should have. more
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. After reading some of the other reviews I have come to a conclusion. This conclusion is I must be an odd duck due to the fact that I find this novel very suspenseful and well written. Good characters, much intrigue and no dry dialog. In fact, I read most of this book in one day which I know is not unusual for most but for me it is quite a statement. more
Blowback was a good book. When I picked it up. I was thinking it would be a good thriller by James Patterson. I was surprised how it didn’t come together that quickly. more
Rating 3. 5I'm torn on how to rate this one. I loved the start, and was on board 100% finding it hard to stop listening. I was worried and anxious to get to the end. And, as feared, it took a very wimpy turn about an hour before the end. more
I got this as a arc e book from Net Galley for my I pad. I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. more
Patterson know what happens when you continuously elect half insane MEN to head the USA, he knows so well, he decided o release this book. Although the book claims; A brilliant American president is also a psychopath, he forgets to add narcissist that wants to be a monarch; but that is what is displayed on these pages. US President Keegan Barrett has swept into office on his success as Director of the CIA. He immediately devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences, to more than those involved. Barrett personally orders CIA agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute his plan, but their loyalties are divided. more
It’s all about CIA operatives outside and inside the USA. Top down secret. Plenty of deadly action. Who can you trust. “If you’re playing poker and you can’t tell who the sucker is, then it’s you. more
I would rate this book 3. 5 stars, but I've rounded it up to 4 due to its excellent pacing. The short chapters and contemporary relevance were particularly appealing. The story felt plausible, as if the events described could genuinely occur. However, the tagline 'an American President goes insane' seemed somewhat misleading. more
This is a stand alone story about a President who from the moment he is elected pushes the boundaries of what is possible in that role. For years he has moulded the situation around him so that at the most important part, when he becomes Commander In Chief, the people around him that would normally put the brakes on his madness are all weak and ineffective. In the case of the Vice President they are ill and simply taken out of the game. I find Patterson books to be good ones to rattle through at a decent pace. I largely ignore the fact that he writes such short chapters because they tend to flow into each other anyway. more
Was reluctant to give this two stars as I really used to enjoy James Pattersons works, however this one was just not for me. Initially promising, had a good premise and started off really well. I liked the shirt punchy chapters and was intrigued by where events were going. Around two thirds of the way through it became a real struggle to finish. It was too long, too much jumping around between story lines - with short chapters I don’t think it was effective. more
Picked up this book randomly from the library one day and thought it sounded like an interesting book. I've never read anything from James Patterson and knew he was very popular so I figured I'll give it a try. The summary cover makes you think this book is about a Trump-style president and how he goes about putting himself ahead of the country. I didn't find this book that exciting or good. I might try an earlier book by Patterson, but you can easily skip reading this book. more
This fast paced novel about a President overstepping his bounds will grab your attention from the get-go and you will not want to let go of this book and stop reading until the very end. There's no redundancy in order to add a few more pages and no over done character angst. It's just a great read. more