The President's Henchman [Hardcover]

Joseph Flynn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2009

As we've just seen, it's only a matter of time--and not that long a time--before the United States elects its first female president. Which will make her husband--what?

Well, if he's the ex-cop who solved the murder of the president's first husband and brought the killers to justice...and if he's not the kind of guy to stand on formality...and if he doesn't want to be the head of the FBI...and if he takes out a license and becomes the first private eye to live in the White House...

That would make him The President's Henchman.

Jim McGill's first case is to find out who is stalking a member of the White House press corps, before that stalker turns the tables on McGill and maybe even threatens the president herself. He also has to be a shadow adviser to a young Air Force investigator who is looking into a he-said-she-said charge of adultery leveled against a female colonel working at the Pentagon, a case with the potential to derail the new president's administration before it has a chance to begin.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Flynn [is] a master of high-octane plotting." --Chicago Tribune

Product Details

• Hardcover: 411 pages
• Publisher: Variance Publishing LLC; 1 edition (January 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193514202X
• ISBN-13: 978-1935142027
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too perfect characters dilute a good story, June 5, 2009

By 

Toy Lover "Toy Lover" (Fort Scott KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The President's Henchman (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book as a 'before bedtime' read. It moved along and had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Defintely a low-calorie thriller that doesn't take itself too seriously.

What bothered me were the characters. Everyone was a relentless cardboard cut-out 'Mary Sue,' especially the president. Not content to make her brilliant, insightful, kind, and thoughtful, without a single controversial opinion, she had to also be an athletic supermodel and movie star who does aerobics every morning. Of course, she also had overcome a supreme tragedy in her life that not only left an air of sadness about her, but also propelled her into the realm of greatness. Freaking YAWN . . . what a bore.

The rest of the characters are little better. They are all noble and fine with unassailable virtues. The women are stunning, soft yet tough. The men are handsome and manly, tough yet soft. . . . Puh-leeeze . . .

However, mary-sue-itis aside, Flynn is a good storyteller and keeps the tale moving. The many subplots dovetail nicely and I did enjoy it to the end, despite my craving to see one of the perfect characters, especially the president, to fall and fail.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, February 5, 2009

By 

Kaylee Gholson (Springfield, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The President's Henchman (Hardcover)

The President's Henchman offers a timely fictional look inside the Oval Office. It is a story with a focus on the first woman president and the First Family. Specifically, her retired cop husband, an average guy trying to find a comfortable balance in the political spotlight. Finding humor in it all, he identifies himself to the media as the President's Henchman.
The reader takes a journey into the everyday political drama, but it extends to religious and social intolerance and a conspiracy that threatens the safety of many. It is a suspenseful thriller that also offers some great humor as the First Man goes against the grain of what is expected from him by his wife's Chief of Staff and his Secret Service detail. The President's Henchman will stop at nothing to solve a mystery and protect his family.
Flynn brings elements of suspense and political intrigue. He seamlessly connects the plot lines and leaves the reader with a sense of closure, but also with a strong desire to know what further adventures await the First Family. This book was hard to put down. It could easily be read in a day.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Read, January 28, 2010

By 

Anne "My Viewpoint" (Chattanooga, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The President's Henchman (Hardcover)

The Presidents Henchman is the story of Jim McGill, America's First Man of the White House, who is strong-willed, has a mind of his own, and with a completely different persona than one would expect. McGill is a former Chicago cop who met Patricia Darden Grant before she became president when he solved her first husband's murder. He turns down the job of heading up the FBI, and instead gets his license and becomes the first private investigator to live in the White House. As McGill's first case gets underway, the reader joins him on an action-packed journey of unpredictable twists and turns as he tries to uncover who is stalking a member of the White House press corps before that stalker turns the tables on him or, worse still on his wife, the president. While working this case he assists an investigator on an alleged adultery charge against a female colonel at the Pentagon, which has the potential of derailing the new president's administration before it even has a chance to begin.