President's Plane Is Missing [Paperback]

Robert J. Serling (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Dell Pub Co (April 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440171024
• ISBN-13: 978-0440171027
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,957,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD COLD WAR YARN..., June 12, 2004

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: President's Plane Is Missing (Paperback)

I read this book when it first came out over twenty years ago and very much enjoyed it. A best seller in its time, I recently came across it on my bookshelf and, remembering how much I had enjoyed it, decided to give it another go-around. Time has not diminished the author's ability to grip the reader with this political thriller, though some of it now seems a little anachronistic. Women are regarded differently now and the cold war has long been an issue of the past. Of course, the world has changed much since this book was first released.

The book basically opens on a world that teeters on the edge of global disaster, as an uneasy cold war peace is threatened by the specter of a nuclear war. A harried president, worn and weary by the fray, suddenly announces that he wishes to take some time off and schedules a trip on Air Force One to an undisclosed location. The plane takes off as scheduled but never reaches its destination. When the plane is discovered, the mystery only deepens, leaving a weak vice-president to struggle with the pieces of an ever deepening mystery, as well as with a world seemingly on the brink of war.

This is a tightly woven tale that those who like a good political thriller will enjoy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outdated, sure...but still a great political adventure, September 4, 2006

By 

coachtim (Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: President's Plane Is Missing (Paperback)

Written in the politically claustrophobic 1960's, Robert J. Serling's, "The President's Plane is Missing", was a huge hit. In the novel, the country is faced with the possibility of a nuclear confrontation with Communist China. Russia refuses to play their hand, but the reader knows who they side with. Popular President Jeremy Haines, (a combination of Kennedy and LBJ according to Serling) is concerned that any wrong diplomatic move by the US could result in disaster. Badly in need of a vacation, Haines and his staff leave for a Palm Springs retreat. On route, Air Force One encounters atmospheric turbulance and disappears off the radar screen.

Is the President dead? What will happen to the country under the direction of an incompetent Acting President? Will the Chinese see this as an opportunity to attack? All those questions, and more, will be answered in this novel.

If you are looking for a fast-reading political thriller, (and can deal with a little outdatedness) then "The President's Plane is Missing" is a book you will want to pick up.

RECOMMENDED

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, spellbinding ,, October 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: President's Plane Is Missing (Paperback)

This was the first real suspense, adventure genre book that I read. It kept me spellbound.. so much so that I read it on the subway platforms, while waiting for the next train. I haven't seen a copy for twenty years, so whether it would hold up over time is the question.