When President Bill Clinton left the world of politics for the politics of thrillers, teaming up with mega-bestselling author James Patterson, they reimagined the White House as the stage for near super heroic drama. In their first collaboration, which rocketed to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, the sitting president went undercover to stop a cyberterrorist attack. In their second, a former president faced off with a madman who had kidnapped his daughter.
Now, in The First Gentleman, the central figure is not the president but her husband – who is on trial for murder. As the nation’s first female president runs for reelection, a group of determined investigative journalists begins to unravel a web of intrigue that may expose the First Gentleman’s true motives.
Upon the release of their newest novel, President Clinton and James Patterson return to The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center to talk about their partnership, the blurred lines between truth and fiction and how writing thrillers compares to leading a nation.
Patterson photo credit: Emilio Guede Jr.