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To Kill the President

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To Kill the President

By: Sam Bourne
Narrated by: Jennifer Woodward
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About this listen

Maggie Costello uncovers an assassination plot to kill the tyrannical new president.

A blockbuster thriller from No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sam Bourne.

The unthinkable has happened…

The United States has elected a volatile demagogue as president, backed by his ruthless chief strategist, Crawford ‘Mac’ McNamara.

When a war of words with the North Korean regime spirals out of control and the President comes perilously close to launching a nuclear attack, it's clear someone has to act, or the world will be reduced to ashes.

Soon Maggie Costello, a seasoned Washington operator and stubbornly principled, discovers an inside plot to kill the President – and faces the ultimate moral dilemma. Should she save the President and leave the free world at the mercy of an increasingly crazed would-be tyrant – or commit treason against her Commander in Chief and risk plunging the country into a civil war?

©2017 Sam Bourne (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Crime Fiction Espionage Political Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery War United States

Critic Reviews

‘A cracking read’ Piers Morgan

‘Couldn’t be more relevant if it tried. Bloody terrifying’ The Pool

‘Ingenious … page-turning … drawing on The Day of the Jackal, Julius Caesar and perhaps Dr Strangelove … few novels have been as urgently topical’ Sunday Times

'A pacy, engaging and morally serious thriller that offers no easy answers on the limits of loyalty and dissent within a democracy’ Guardian

‘A Day of the Jackal for these dizzying times’ Ian Rankin

‘This blockbuster thriller from number one bestselling author Sam Bourne is a real page-turner’ Express & Star

‘Fast-paced and exciting, it is perfect holiday reading … all-too plausible’ New Statesman

‘Read this book’ Jeffrey Archer

‘Blisteringly brilliant’ Rachel Johnson

‘A barnstorming read’ Raymond Khoury

‘A right rollicking holiday read’ David Baddiel

‘Tired of alternative facts? Try Sam Bourne’s alternative fiction. To Kill the President is a dazzling thriller’ Charles Cumming

'Brilliantly convincing' David Hare

‘It's a gripping thriller, a brilliant satire and – I fear – a prescient warning’ Tim Shipman, Political Editor of the Sunday Times

‘A thrilling, breathless page-turner: House of Cards meets Dr. Strangelove’ Matt Frei

‘If you like the sinister intrigue of House of Cards mixed with the epic calamity of Homeland, you're going to love Sam Bourne's thrilling new book’ Eli Attie, Writer/Producer, The West Wing

What listeners say about To Kill the President

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A good story

I struggled a little at first but after the first couple of chapters managed to get into it.
I found the narrator excellent.
Of course, tjis story is relevant given the current president of the United States and one can only hope that he suffers the same fate as the president in this story. however, I would have loved it had the book carried on a little longer and given us some indication of what happened, was the impeachment process successful and what punishment was meted out if and when found guilty.
I enjoyed the character of Maggie although her story became a little bogged down from time to time.
the existence of Rosemary was very interesting and I particularly enjoyed the twist at the end of the story when Maggie visited Stewart again and we discovered she had been talking to him and he was talking to her from his grave.
having given this somewhat cursory critique I have to add that I have always subscribed to the saying that those you can, do and those who cannot become critics.
I have always despised those who refuse to go and see a new play or read a new book simply because some horses rear end of a critic decides whether or not it is good or bad.
Watching a play or reading a book are completely subjective and each person should feel free to decide for themselves.
at least they will have made up their own sinds and not simply accepted the opinion of one of the aforesaid horses Rear ends.

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  • Overall
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Exciting

A little flight of fancy which was entirely captivating. The public characters involved matched the real world portrayal of them in the media. You certainly knew who was being discussed. The intrigue was well developed. Loved it

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Demented fantasy

Jonathan Freedland, establishment shill that he is, has projected the nightmare fantasy of mainstream liberals that Trump is evil incarnate, and therefore his assassination is justified. Although the hero makes a token effort to stop the assassination, nevertheless the reader/listener is effectively incited to want the killing to succeed, in the way we wish Hitler had been assassinated. Freedland doesn't even try to disguise his presidential character is Trump. The author's political commentary, including his vicious attacks on the anti-war UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is virtually the opposite of Trump but nevertheless also a political outsider, show he is not a normal author, but has an agenda, which is to defend the establishment. Therefore I regard the intention behind this book as dangerous.
That said, it gets humorous in parts. For instance, the assassin reassures himself that only conspiracy nuts will think the assassination is a conspiracy, when in fact that is exactly what it is! Freedland is on record ridiculing JFK conspiracy theorists, yet he can only make his assination story credible by making it a conspiracy.
Otherwise, the narration is excellent.

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