Following a successful but exhausting book tour, Joe Biden is looking forward to returning home. However, before he does, he's got one last stop to make: Chicago, where the Obama Foundation is holding its first annual global economics forum. Barack Obama has invited Joe to meet a wealthy left-leaning philanthropist, whose deep pockets Joe will need if he decides to run for president. Joe isn't even sure if wants to run...but he's not going to pass up a rare chance to reconnect with his one-time governing mate.
Joe and Obama barely have time to catch up before another mystery lands in their laps: Obama's prized Blackberry is stolen. When the suspect turns up comatose from a gunshot wound, local police are content with writing it off as just another gangland shooting. But Joe and Obama smell a rat.
In a race to find the shooter, Joe and Obama butt heads with their former compadre, Mayor Rahm Emanuel; follow a trail of clues through Chicago's South Side; go undercover inside a Prohibition-era speakeasy; and scale the Tribune Tower in a Die Hard-worthy final set-piece.
Robert Frost said "the woods are dreary, dark, and deep." So are the waters of Lake Michigan...and if Joe and Obama aren't careful, that's where they could wind up spending their retirement.
I don't know if the author got my memo from the last book, but this time around there's a lot more camp. Maybe it's because Obama's in more of the story this time? Can't go wrong with more bromance.
Overall, this book felt more appropriate to the cover(s) and I felt it was a vast improvement overall. The pace was quicker, the city more alive, and our favorite duo met early on and remained together for the majority of the story. The back and forth between the two, accompanied by Biden's narration, made their running around like gumshoes just plain fun, even with Chicago's gang crime and corruption weighing on the mood.
This being published so close to the next election, in which Biden is currently a front-runner, I had to check if there was any chance these were petitioned by the candidate. Not really.
All names, places, and characters - including those based on real people, living or dead - as well as characterizations and opinions are products of the author's imagination.Whether or not Obama and Biden gave their blessings and/or approve of their likenesses in these books, I don't know. I also don't know if these will have any impact in the upcoming election... I kinda doubt it.
Still, if you're looking for a mystery/thriller with twists and turns 'til the end, starring a couple of older bros doing their best, I'd definitely recommend this one. And, ya know, skip the first book and come back to it. As much as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, this one matches the inner tone much better than the first. So, yeah, this was fun.
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