Blowback is an explosive story that is written by James Patterson and Brandan DuBois. I have been a James Patterson fan since I was 15 years old and my grandmother passed down the first book to me. This one is definitely in my top 5.

US President Keegan Barrett is a popular president. However he has ordered two CIA agents to execute his power grab plan - and the agents are unsure about the plan. They are supposed to protect the US Constitution - from threats, foreign and domestic. However what do you do when the threat is from the President.

In true Patterson fashion, this book is full of twists, turns and lots of heart pounding action.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own,.

James Patterson has written many presidential thrillers, like The President's Daughter and the The President is missing, both of which I enjoyed. I thought this was interesting because it was startlingly similar to what is happening in the United States currently with the Trump Administration. What happens when a pyschotic sociopath becomes President?

This could have been better than it was because of the sidebar characters and not much of a plot. Plus some predictable twists. Did the President Pyschopath pay for his dirty deeds? Read to find out.

I am on the fence with my overall feelings about this book. Not my favorite by the author. But also not his worse. I think I will just stick to Alex Cross and Women's Murder series. His standalone books are very much hit or miss.

Thanks to NetGalley, James Patterson, and Little Brown & Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available.

“Blowback” is another great thriller by James Patterson! A delusional President, Chinese spies and the CIA combined together results in a page turner! Could not put the book down, and needed to read on, to find out what was going to happen next! Many will recognize similarities to today’s current state of the affairs in this story, maybe? James Patterson is very astute which shows up In his writing. Cannot wait for the next story!

James Patterson has written a lot of crap in his career. Blowback is not one of those books. The Trump presidency and the January 6th insurrection has left the country a lot to consider when it comes to having narcissistic and violent leaders. One of those questions is “What if the President was competent?” In Blowback, James Patterson and Brendan DuBois imagine a narcissistic US President who still acts like he’s the Director of the CIA. Keegan Barrett is no diplomat. Neither is he a general. He’s a mercenary spy who holds the highest office in the land and will use his power to make sure all of his enemies, both foreign and domestic, are taken down.

Barrett orders CIA operatives Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute the plan and, at first and with only some reservations, they obey their commander-in-chief. But as things continue to escalate and they discover Barrett’s master plans, they find themselves faced between being following orders and being complicit in a moral atrocity. Grey and Himel fight back, taking on a President with no moral compunction and a belief that he can do whatever he wants without repercussion. The result is an intensely fast-paced thriller that sounds both over-the-top and terrifyingly real.

Fiction exists to tell stories that haven’t happened in reality. Fiction can play with extremes in safe ways, helping us explore what might happen if…and that’s exactly what DuBois and Patterson give us in Blowback. While dramas like House of Cards deliver us this message with nuance and as a slow-burn (that awful final season aside), Blowback is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end. Patterson’s written hundreds of novels and this is one of his best.

This is a really good Patterson story. President Keegan Barrett, a former CIA director, tells CIA officers Liam Grey and Noa Himel that he’s tired of America being take advantage of. He’s setting up two CIA teams, one domestic and one foreign, with authorization to bring America back to what he sees it should be, strong and dominate.
Even it is illegal for the CIA to operate on American soil, Liam and Noa carry out several successful missions on Keegan’s behalf. Eventually, the two begin to have doubts about what they’re doing, and it becomes clear that Keegan is becoming more and more delusional. The president is acting totally paranoid, good people are dying, and war with China looms. Patterson uses the insane president angle in a very effective way.

I have always loved James Patterson books, I always find them easy reading and a fast read too. But Blowback was super slow at some points struggling to read a few pages to bam, you have just had over 50 pages. The book is about a president of the US that goes completely insane. I found the main character Keegan Barrett interesting, he is a former director of the CIA. He has had to transition from CIA to working in his new position in the Oval Office. With him being an ex CIA, he has connections and wants to use them in order to do away with the enemies that he has gotten over the years working with the CIA. At the end of the book I really liked the book and will defiantly be recommending this book.

Thank you Netgally for allowing me to read and review this book!

Blowback, by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois is a story of an American President losing his mind. In Patterson and DuBois fashion it has many twist and turns and many of the twist will leave you thinking that is a little too far out until you watch the evening news and realize they are probably not that far out. I love the short chapters but it gets me every time I think I’ll just read one more and next thing you know I have been up for hours.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this ARC

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase your copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/Blowback-James-Patterson/dp/0316499633/ref=asc_df_0316499633/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564808046354&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3547120149744381161&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004860&hvtargid=pla-1598046287203&psc=1

Ok, let's get to the real deal here, I have been reading James Patterson books for 25 years, right before the pandemic, I came so close to meeting him at BookCon, but because of work, I missed meeting him, but managed to get a physical copy of his latest book because I fangirl vomited all over the girl at the booth and she did me a solid. Here I am, almost 4 years later and I RECEIVED A JAMES PATTERSON BOOK!!!! This is my 271st book of his that I have read- YUP, I keep track because I am in fact a SUPER FAN of James Patterson. He is from NY and writes often of NY and most of it is relatable from his talk about West Point (I have worked there) to various parts of the Hudson Valley to his depiction of driving the various roadways in NY (been there). It is almost like I have walked the same steps as his characters without all the exciting things that happen to them. I am so EXCITED to have gotten this book, that I am absorbed it in hours, only to be left with a bookover not wanting to read another book or even write about this one, because that meant that this one was over and that just simply made me sad.
This book had all the adventure I was looking for and some of the language simply had my dying-like the phrase "thrashing threes". This book begins in Johannesburg, South Africa, a place I would love to visit with an enigmatic character like Benjamin Lucas, originally from San Francisco. He poses as a free-lance writer by day, mystery man by night.
A member of the CIA complete with spy equipment, what an exciting way to start the book!x
By Chapter 3, we are in high attentive mode, full with hearts racing on what is about to happen. Literally, on the edge of my seat, the ENTIRE time that I read this book. If you do not like suspense or rollercoaster rides, maybe skip this book. I fully enjoyed the adventure, betrayal, the character development, the conflict, excitement of the undercover CIA agent and above anything else, the story. I was on the edge of my seat just not knowing what was going to be next in this story. The book was amazing from the start to the finish, and I am so grateful that I received this James Patterson book! I am eternally grateful to Little Brown and Company for allowing me to read and review this book! I have waited a long time to receive a James Patterson ARC and my dream came true! Now, to meet him in person and fangirl Good news, I just was approved for yet another James Patterson book, so I cannot wait to dig my heals in and start reading!!!

I hadn't picked up a James Patterson novel in over a decade. I presumed this one would be great given his reputation, but had to push myself to get to the ending. Thankfully, the story gets more interesting about halfway through. The main character, Liam Grey, captured my interest as a tenacious, kind, and selfless individual. The "narcissistic psychopath" President Barrett lacked the characteristic traits of a narcissist. If Patterson consulted with a psychologist/psychiatrist while developing this character, he should ask for his money back. The female lead, Noa Himel, did not get enough time in the book to shine.
In summary, this book is best read in one sitting. The details of the story and the plot line will ultimately prove interesting, but you'll need to invest the time to get there.

What a book!!!!!!!!! James Patterson delivers another blockbuster of a book with "Blowback". I love his books.

Blowback was a first-rate read with a somewhat unusual premise. An American president goes insane. But with the premise comes a somewhat predictable scenario of ensuing events and the final conclusion. The political intrigue comes with who is the protagonist and how they bring it to a conclusion. The author seemed to use the ticking time bomb theory to keep the story suspenseful.
The way all Patterson books are structured with very short chapters kept me agonizing because I couldn’t put the book down. I kept saying just one more chapter. Maybe the editors do this on purpose but it sure hooks me every time.

James Patterson is hit or miss with me. This one was a hit in my book. Imagine this: the president of the United States is brilliant but has also lost his mind. Farfetched? Clearly not! President Keegan Barrett, the former director of the CIA, has a dangerous skill set.

Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab to get revenge. He orders Special Agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute his plan, even though the Central Intelligence Agency is forbidden to operate on American soil. As CIA agents, they’ve sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all threats, foreign and domestic. When Barrett threatens to start a cyber war with China, they need to do something.

The chapters are short and punchy, giving this unnerving novel a sense of immediacy. Add some fascinating historical tidbits to this action-packed political thriller and it’s a recipe for a fun read. Some of the sentence structure and dialogue bugged me, but hey, they did not write it to win a Pulitzer.

I’ve got to know… is there actually a button to begin a cyber war that the leader of the free world can push? I hope that’s just fiction.

Favorite quote: “You know what they say: a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting its pants on.”

I was so excited to receive an advance copy of Blowback by James Patterson from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I've yet to read a James Patterson book that I haven't liked as he's one in a million! :) This book was fantastic (just like I expected it to be). I absolutely love his writing style and the short chapters. I read this in one day and was sad to finish it. Thank you to everyone for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.

Uh Oh! President operating in secret using special funds. He picks two agents to head his teams to "clean up" America's enemies. A plum assignment but is it legal? Is the President sane?

An American president who is also a psychopath? Oh yeah, count me in! But there were so many characters, titles, foreign diplomats and subplots that I could not keep up. Maybe next time James Patterson. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a galley of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Blowback is another Patterson winner. The story about a President who abuses the power he has is well paced and engaging. Overall it is a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Blowback by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois!

I didn’t realize this was coauthored by James Patterson, I just requested it based on the description. It was a crazy ride and I enjoyed it the entire time.

Another great book by James Patterson and Brandan DuBois! Blowback is a quick, energizing read as the heroes and heroines wrestle with politics, insanity and global terror.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this fun mystery ARC.

I've always loved James Patterson books but this one was a little far-fetched even for me! President Keegan Barrett enlists the help of two of his trusted associates but it becomes increasingly clear he himself is a sociopath. It's such an interesting premise that I blew through it quickly though it's quite long, but it just didn't hold the appeal as some of his earlier works did. In typical Patterson fashion, there is plenty of action and quirky characters so tension is high throughout. Apparently I just wasn't in the right mood to totally appreciate it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Not my fave Patterson book. I did like the story line but it was a little slow for my liking and took to long to get to the point. I was not a huge fan of the character as very little was done to allow us to “know” and empathize with the characters.
The plot was creative and the writing was decent. I prefer the creep factor over political/war crimes.
If you like conspiracy theory, was, spy thrillers this one is for you.
Overall it was a well done book it just was not my personal cup
Of tea