Okay, let's get the pesky stuff out of the way first: No, it's not that book. This one is the third in the Matt Blake series, published in early May of last year. At just 139 pages, it's a quick and enjoyable read; I learned about it when the author asked if I'd consider giving it a go. My standard response to such requests is no - I really do have too many other books in my must-read-and-review stack to take on something else. On the other hand, I can imagine how tough it is to go head-to-head with the big guns title-wise - a feeling I recently encountered when I read The Other Woman by Sandie Jones. Her luck of the title draw came right about the same time as Daniel Silva's best-seller of the same name. For those who may be wondering how that can happen, book titles are not protected under copyright law (although they can be trademarked).
In any event, I had little trouble making my way through this one; brevity helps, of course, but it's also well-written and the action happens lickety-split. I didn't read the previous books, but the dashingly handsome and all-around super-competent Matt is now the U.S. President, replacing an eerily familiar dictator wannabe who darned near ruined the country in his first and only four-year term (Lordie, they must have found tapes). Matt's wife, the beautiful and equally intelligent Diana (Dee), has assumed her role as First Lady. One fateful day, Shep Smith of Fox News fame announces that a communication link with the "USS Louisiana," a fully armed nuclear submarine on which President Matt is a passenger, has gone blank. Shortly thereafter, an explosion is detected and flotsam and jetsam appear on the surface of the sea - signaling what is believed to be the destruction of the sub and all its occupants.
Ever perceptive and conveniently well versed in the world of submarines, Dee simply can't fathom that all is lost. After being named Chief of Staff by the new Acting President - Matt's good buddy and Vice President Roland Benton - she lays out her argument that it's all a smokescreen. Most likely, the ruse is being orchestrated by the evil Boris Chernekov, who recently pulled off a coup that toppled Russia's powerful Vladimir Putin.
Shifting between points-of-view of Dee and Matt, the rest of the novella focuses on what's really going on and efforts to retrieve both Matt and the submarine from the not-so-fine mess they're in (in large part because of the brevity, I can't reveal much else without spoiling it for others, so I won't). My only "complaint?" I've got a wonky sense of humor, but not in my wildest imagination can I believe that real U.S. espionage officials - especially at top levels like these - would ever refer to themselves and their cohorts as "spooks."
One final point regarding the title: If you want to find this book (or the very good Sandie Jones book mentioned earlier), searching by the author's name rather than the title should get you exactly where you want to go. As for me, I say thank you, Mr. Moran - I'm up for the next one when you are!
The President is Missing by Russell Moran (Coddington Press, May 2017); 139 pp.
