New Thriller Novel by Bill Clinton and James Patterson Explores Life in the White House
A new novel, "The First Gentleman", has been published by Little, Brown & Co., written by former US President Bill Clinton and best-selling author James Patterson. The book, which hits shelves on June 2, is the third collaboration between the two authors and offers a thrilling tale of life in the White House.
According to an interview with CBS News, the novel tells the story of a female President of the United States, whose husband is accused of murder. The plot explores the intricacies of life in the White House, where truth can often be stranger than fiction. As James Patterson noted, "I couldn’t have done any of it without him [Clinton]. I would have been lost. But the other thing, you know, look, I mean, he’s the expert on the first gentleman. You know, he was almost a first gentleman!"
Clinton, who would have become the first "first gentleman" had his wife Hillary won the 2016 presidential election, said he had given considerable thought to his potential role as a presidential spouse. "How could I do this job in a way that I would be on-call to help if she needed me, but I wouldn’t get in the way?" he said. This experience informed his writing on the novel, with Clinton adding, "I really thought Hillary should be president."
The collaboration between Clinton and Patterson has resulted in two previous bestsellers, with their first book, about a president gone missing, published in 2018, and their second, about the president’s daughter getting kidnapped, released in 2021. The two authors have developed a strong working relationship, with Patterson joking, "He’s been president more times, but I have more holes-in-one
