Eight stars
Having enjoyed my political thriller binge by Joseph Flynn to date, I was eager to read the latest in the Jim McGill series. Much has happened during the seven years President Grant has been in office and Jim has been able to take much of it with stride. However, when he discovers that the Secret Service has hired body doubles of his children, he begins to worry. After the kidnapping of the double set to portray his youngest, the entire situation becomes a large mess, with Caitie McGill at the centre. While this drama plays out, other issues that have been looming over the White House in the waning months before the next presidential election come to the surface, forcing POTUS to react. A strong addition to the series that is sure to impress Flynn fans.
While Jim McGill has been through a great deal since his wife first one the US presidency, he draws the line at those who put his family in harm’s way. When his eldest daughter calls about some disturbing event she’s noticed on campus at Georgetown, McGill takes notice and lets his temper get the best of him. It’s only when he is read into the latest plan the Secret Service have to protect his family that he allows his threats to simmer and agrees to stand down.
Working with Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Elspeth Kendra, the Secret Service have found three agents who loosely remember the McGill children and have helped them become body doubles. This will hopefully deflect anyone from trying anything, through the doppelgänger plan is kept from the general public, for obvious reasons. When Catie McGill’s double, Special Agent Carrie Ramsey, is kidnapped, panic rises all the way to the White House. It seems the gang who nabbed Ramsey think they hold Caitie McGill in their possession and the plan to exactly something impactful could really play into creating a dramatic event for all involved.
While Jim McGill defers to his wife, he knows that there is a degree of guilt inside him. He cannot help the family of Special Agent Ramsey, much as he sees its merit. Instead, he negotiates a unique deputising to ensure he gets first-hand knowledge. Jim McGill is invested and yet powerless to make concrete decisions as the precarious hunt for Special Agent Ramsey continues.
All the while, other troubling events come to fruition, as the campaign for the next president ramps into high gear. There are players on both sides of the aisle seeking to take up the Oval Office, including the sitting vice-president, and only months until the crucial vote. Add to that, two fugitives who have been eluding authorities for a few years fall onto the radar and their capture becomes an important part of the Grant Administration’s final months in office. How will this explain some of the larger issues and could some of the past attempts on the president’s life be tied to this recent Caitie McGill/Special Agent Ramsey debacle? All will be revealed, or at least advanced as Joseph Flynn pushes his series along, keeping the reader hooked until the very end.
Joseph Flynn has been able to build a stunning series based on the core political values many take for granted. His detailed analysis, peppered with strong narrative subplots, provides a great read for those who have taken the time to fully digest what us going on throughout the series. Spanning two complete election cycles, the stories are rich with political facts and plausible happenings, without aligning too tightly with what is actually taking place at the time. The narrative grows and soon catches its ultimate speed, eventually humming along as characters develop on their own and things ferment into a potent brew of narrative storytelling. While Flynn has touched on a number of issues before their time (reading these books in 20024, I have to look at their publication, as some truly do parallels Trump-era events), while providing truly entertaining outcomes.
Flynn continues his technique of using chapters as parts and vignettes within them, which takes one getting used to, but provides to be an effective way to convey the larger narrative. Flynn is able to stuff a great deal into a single book and keep the reader hooked on what is happening and how larger story arcs will return as the story advances. Flynn also does not develop story arcs that resolve within the novel’s telling. Some take one book, some two, and others are still lingering nine novels into the series. This keeps the reader attentive and forces them to recall moments from past stories to pieces things together. While challenging for some, I love the intricacies each piece requires and the backstory that emerges as the reader remembers.
These numerous plot points provide much entertainment for all involved, while keeping the story from becoming too predictable. There are themes and storylines that will solve themselves in a single story, but they are rare, as things resonate for all to enjoy. I look forward to the remaining pieces in the series, all of which are sure to pack a punch and keep me hungering for more. I am eager to see how, with the next presidential election looming, the Grant-McGill storyline will progress. There have already been hints at a post-Oval Office life for the two protagonists, though nothing concrete is clear.
Kudos, Mr. Flynn, for keeping things on edge throughout this piece and providing strong themes as the series progresses.
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