The President's Daughter is the second collaboration by former President Bill Clinton and the master of thrillers, James Patterson. Their first book is The President is Missing, and the third is The First Gentleman. I reviewed The First Gentleman last month, and I'm just starting The President Is Missing.
The Plot: The President's Daughter
Matthew Keating was a one-term president and a former Navy Seal. As you can imagine, being the president of the United States, Matthew surely made some enemies along the way.
Matthew and his daughter, Melanie, are living a quiet life in New Hampshire, while his wife, Samantha, is off teaching in Boston.
His world is shattered when his daughter Melanie is kidnapped by a terrorist with a long-standing grudge against him.
Matthew was a one-term president and did not get along with his successor. Now he finds himself unsupported by the very government he served. Now, he is forced to return to his elite Navy Seal skills, taking matters into his own hands to bring Melanie home.
Patterson did an excellent job of navigating between political friction and the personal aspect of a father's worst nightmare.
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If you are a Tate's cookie fan than you can spot the infamous green bag
of Tate's from a distance at your favorite market (or white bag if gluten
free). My local market first started carrying Tate's, the original Chocolate
Chip flavor, known for its' crispy buttery flavor; the market now carries the
entire line of cookies including gluten free.
If you like your chocolate chip cookies on the crispy side then you will enjoy
Tates! I came across a copycat recipe for Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies which
I have tried quite a few times and found very enjoyable. Not exactly the same
of course as the original Tate's but still yummy on its' own.
CopyCat Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup salted butter
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Serving size is a medium to large cookie. Line
cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream softened butter and the two sugars in another bowl.
Then add vanilla and water to the sugar creamed mixture.
Add eggs, mix together.
Stir flour mixture into bowl.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes depending on your oven and how large
you make the cookies.
Medium-Large cookie size is 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Adjust up or
down to your preference and don't forget to adjust baking time.
History of Tate's
The idea and recipe behind Tate's is from Kathleen King from the
Hamptons. She has been creating desserts since 1980 and has two
cookbooks: Baking For Friends and the Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook still
available on Amazon or used online book sites. As Tate's grew through the
years with the inevitable ups and lulls business' encounter, Tate's rise and
success of it's products was ultimately purchased in 2018 by Mondelez for a
reported 500 million dollars.
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I have always found love songs difficult to write.
Not because I don't believe in love — I absolutely do — but because it's so easy for a love song to slide into something overly sweet or just plain corny. A few too many dreamy lines, and suddenly it starts sounding like something that belongs inside a greeting card.
That's never really been my style.
Even when I was young, writing about couples' love wasn't what I naturally reached for. Most people enjoy writing poems or lyrics about romance, but I usually find myself writing about other parts of life, emotions, observations, and the things people quietly go through.
Lately, though, I've been pushing myself a little.
I decided to build a small collection of songs centered around relationships, weddings, and love stories. And when I sat down to write one, I realized the only way it would feel natural for me was to approach it as a story, not just a description of love.
That's how Marry Me – Fool began - It's become my husband's favorite so far of all that I've written:
A Moment on a Train Platform
I wrote these lyrics on March 3rd, 2026, as part of that little challenge I gave myself.
Since I've been married for over forty years, trying to step back into those early romantic feelings can feel a bit strange. Love deepens over time. It becomes steadier and quieter. It's beautiful, but it's different from those younger emotions when everything feels sudden and electric.
So instead of trying to recreate the feeling directly, I imagined a moment.
A crowded train station.
People are moving in every direction, all focused on their own lives. And amid all that movement, a man notices a woman standing on the platform.
Something about her catches his attention immediately. Maybe it's the way she carries herself. Maybe it's something he can't explain. But he knows he doesn't want to lose sight of her.
So he pushes through the crowd and boards the same train car she's getting on.
They don't speak during the ride. In fact, most of the story unfolds in silence — two strangers sharing the same space while he quietly hopes for a moment to connect.
That moment finally comes when the train reaches its stop.
He steps off, turns back toward her, and reaches out his hand, asking if she'd like help stepping down.
Those few words are the first time they have ever spoken to each other.
By the end of the song, five years have passed, and they're still together.
And it all started with a glance across a crowded platform and a quiet train ride where almost nothing was said.
I think stories like that stay with us because they tap into something many of us have wondered about at some point — those moments when someone walks into view and, for reasons we can't fully explain, they capture our attention completely.
Writing Marry Me – Fool reminded me that sometimes love stories don't begin with big declarations.
Sometimes they begin with something much simpler.
A crowded station.
A quiet train ride.
And a hand reaching out at exactly the right time.
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Since 1990, Harlan Coben has written 18 standalone novels in the mystery and thriller categories, and two series. This is an overall review of his 12-book (to date) Myron Bolitar mystery series.
The leading character of this Myron Bolitar series of thrillers has a leading character by the same name. As the series begins, Myron is a 31-year-old formerly renowned basketball player who won two NCAA titles in four years at Duke University after breaking all records in high school. Just after being recruited by the Boston Celtics, he had a career-ending injury to his knee in a pre-season game. His basketball prowess is often referred to in the character’s back-story throughout the series.
Afterwards, Myron returned to college, obtained a law degree at Harvard, and eventually became a sports agent with his agency, MB SportsReps, representing sports stars.
The two main supporting characters include his best friend, Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood III), an eccentric, philandering billionaire who often gets involved in Myron’s cases. Win can probably best be described as an anti-hero, having some psychopathic tendencies. In many of the books, Myron and Win debate the ethical nature of various actions, but they usually accomplish what they set out to do.
Then there is his assistant at MB SportReps, Esperanza Diaz, who eventually becomes his partner (in the 7th Bolitar novel Darkest Fear) after Esperanza gets her law degree. She’s very close to both Myron and Win and very protective of both.
Bolitar is a good agent for his clients, taking care of their needs and wants while being careful to not exploit them like bigger agencies. He has office space in the Locke-Horne Investments & Securities building, which is owned by Win. Myron offers his client the choice of hiring Win for financial management.
Myron is from a Jewish background, grew up in New Jersey, and is very close to his parents. His mother is a former lawyer herself, and his dad is a factory owner. His favorite drink is chocolate Yoo-Hoo.
Summary
The series has quite a few ‘adventures’, since Myron keeps getting involved in solving problems for his clients. This most likely comes from the fact that both Myron and Win once did some undercover work for the FBI. Thus, they keep finding themselves playing ‘accidental detectives’ when needed for Myron’s clients.
The Myron Bolitar series began with Deal Breaker in 1995. It currently has 12 novels, through Think Twice published in 2024. There is a spin-off of a three book young adult series featuring Myron’s nephew, Mickey Bolitar (the Mickey Bolitar Trilogy), which debuted in 2011.
Windsor Horne Lockwood III received his own standalone novel “Win” in 2021.
Win and Myron are both fans of Batman, often calling their transport the "Batmobile." There is quite a bit of humor throughout the series, which keeps these ‘thrillers’ more on the light-hearted side of suspense stories.
I have enjoyed all of Harlan Coben’s books, but most especially his Myron Bolitar Series and have read the entire series more than once. I highly recommend them to fans of thrillers/suspense/mystery novels and of Harlan Coben.
For more Book Reviews of books by Harlan Coben, click here
*The “Myron Bolitar Series” review was written by Wednesday Elf
+Intro image compliments of Pixabay
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Hazelhurst is book 4 of the Families of Dorset Regency Romance
series. I am sad to say that I finished reading the series last
night. As with all good books, I wish there were more.
Each of the books in this series introduces us to a young woman of the
Regency era in British history. It was a time when society and family
pressure to 'marry correctly' dominated lives. As much as I am
intrigued by the books written about the time period, I am most often
reminded of how grateful I am that I was not born during that time
period. Still, I remain intrigued by it.
Like many readers, I was originally drawn into Regency romance fiction by
Jane Austen and the Bennet family in Pride and Prejudice, as well as
the Dashwood daughters of Sense and Sensibility. At a very
young age, these books introduced me to a real part of history, their homes,
the British peerage (the hierarchy of nobility), even their fashion, but
mostly to the dominance of lineage. Like so many things, the facade is
beautiful.
I have read and reviewed several books by
Martha Keyes. She does a wonderful job of creating unique situations for us to
read about and consider. Hazelhurst is an excellent example of
how Keyes involves her readers in the life of her fictional character and
makes us feel a range of emotions for our new friend.
Synopsis of "Hazelhurst" by Martha Keyes
Hazelhurst: A Sweet Regency Romance (Families of Dorset Book 4)Check PriceLady Anne Vincent Haywood is devastated by the loss of her husband.
In this case, loss means exactly that. Her husband has
disappeared! She has no idea if he is dead or alive. All she
knows is that he has been missing for 3 weeks. Her brother has hired a
Bow Street Runner to help them find the missing husband, Anthony. What
he finds is unbelievable. The name Anthony Haywood is an alias.
His real name is Nicholas Hackett and he married his wife, Louisa, two years
ago. Therefore, Anne is not really married.
She returns to her parents home and is once again, living under her
father's rule. Lord Purbeck is determined to see the stain removed
from his daughter, his name, and his family. She will marry
Tobias Cosgrove. The Cosgrove family is wealthy, but has no
title. Lady Anne can bring a title to the marriage, but no
money. As far as her father is concerned, it is the perfect solution
for all.
Tobias Cosgrove's father and mother have informed him of his father's
agreement with Lord Purbeck. Tobias is not ready to marry and give up his
carefree lifestyle, but he has known Lady Anne all of his life through his
sisters. She seems a reasonable sort. He decides that perhaps
the two of them can come to an agreement of their own. It is with that
in mind, that he calls on Lady Anne.
Lady Anne is relieved by Tobias suggestion. She has already been
duped by the romantic idea of a marriage for love. Theirs will be a
marriage of convenience. Both families will get what they want and
Anne and Tobias can live separate lives under the same roof without romantic
entanglements.
Sounds perfect, right? Marriage is never quite that simple,
especially when the Ton is watching!
_________
Books by Martha Keyes Previously Reviewed on ReviewThisReviews.com
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