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Jack McClure #1
First Daughter
Jack McClure has had a troubled life.
His dyslexia always made him feel like an outsider. He escaped from an abusive home as a teenager and lived by his wits on the streets of Washington, D.C. It wasn't until he realised that the dyslexia gave him the ability to see the world in unique ways that he found success, using this newfound strength to become a top ATF agent.
When a terrible accident takes the life of his only daughter, Emma, and his marriage falls apart. Jack blames himself, numbing the pain by submerging himself in work. Then he receives a call from his old friend Edward Carson. Carson is just weeks from taking the reins as president of the United States when his daughter, Alli, is kidnapped. Because Emma McClure was once Alli's best friend, Carson turns to Jack, the one man he can trust to go to any lengths to find his daughter and bring her home safely.
The search for Alli leads Jack on a road toward reconciliation...and into the path of a dangerous and calculating man - someone whose actions are as cold as they are brilliant, and whose power and reach are seemingly infinite.
Faith, redemption, and political intrigue play off another as McClure uses his unique abilities to journey into the twisted mind of a stone-cold genius who is constantly one step ahead of him. Jack will soon discover that this man has affected his life and his country in more ways than he could ever imagine.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 19, 2008
168 people are currently reading
1284 people want to read
About the author
Eric Van Lustbader
166 books1,224 followersEric Van Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fiction's most beloved and enduring heroes. The Ninja was sold to 20th CenturyFox, to be made into a major motion picture. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages.
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
August 27, 2017
Once upon a time I came upon a book called "the Ninja" and found the book incredible good and indeed the Nicolas Linear series and the Jake Maroc series were very well written and still are in my memory. He writer returned in my interest when het became the continuation novelist for the Ludlum Jason Bourne character. I then found these books tedious and nothing to do with the original trilogy which leaves this continuation behind in its dust.
The first of the Jack McClure books is about the kidnapping of the daughter of the President elect, hence the title. However this book is more about the ATF agents past, the death of his daughter which he still not has worked through, the divorce of his wife, an American President who is basically an religious nut and on his way out of the oval office he wants to keep his legacy intact in declaring atheists as state enemy number one. And in between all of this Jack McClure will have to solve the kidnapping and finds a way to do his thing to find a killer from his young days.
Frankly the whole book is a bit of a mess, you can see the accomplished thriller in this book, but Lustbader wanted to do too much at the same time in one thriller. He does write a very decent thriller but really this one is a bit too much story lines and not enough solutions that will leave you with a satisfactory feeling. perhaps not the best book to return to the reading of original Lustbader material.
This book is followed by four more installments, which I will probably read as O bought the whole series at once. But not immediately.
The first of the Jack McClure books is about the kidnapping of the daughter of the President elect, hence the title. However this book is more about the ATF agents past, the death of his daughter which he still not has worked through, the divorce of his wife, an American President who is basically an religious nut and on his way out of the oval office he wants to keep his legacy intact in declaring atheists as state enemy number one. And in between all of this Jack McClure will have to solve the kidnapping and finds a way to do his thing to find a killer from his young days.
Frankly the whole book is a bit of a mess, you can see the accomplished thriller in this book, but Lustbader wanted to do too much at the same time in one thriller. He does write a very decent thriller but really this one is a bit too much story lines and not enough solutions that will leave you with a satisfactory feeling. perhaps not the best book to return to the reading of original Lustbader material.
This book is followed by four more installments, which I will probably read as O bought the whole series at once. But not immediately.
September 12, 2008
I liked it ... I didn't like it.
I went back and forth this way, my feeling and mood for the book shifting from chapter to chapter.
One one hand, his description of the main character's battle with dyslexia was first rate and eyeopening. Likewise, the discussions about separation of church and state, and of how church and state keep the masses in line with fear was awesome.
But then he ruins this when his characters react in a weird way to something, with no explanation; or a few parts that made me read a couple times to see what I missed due to incongruities.
Overall, I kept turning the pages ... and I guess I liked it enough ... but, well (shrug).
I went back and forth this way, my feeling and mood for the book shifting from chapter to chapter.
One one hand, his description of the main character's battle with dyslexia was first rate and eyeopening. Likewise, the discussions about separation of church and state, and of how church and state keep the masses in line with fear was awesome.
But then he ruins this when his characters react in a weird way to something, with no explanation; or a few parts that made me read a couple times to see what I missed due to incongruities.
Overall, I kept turning the pages ... and I guess I liked it enough ... but, well (shrug).
June 12, 2011
First Daughter is the first book in an ongoing political thriller series featuring Special Agent Jack McClure.
The teenage daughter of the next president-elect, Alli Carson, has gone missing right before her father is scheduled to take office. Her father, Edward Carson, seeks an old friend to aid in her missing-persons case -- Special Agent Jack McClure. Carson believes McClure is fit for the job because Alli was once best friends with McClure's late daughter Emma, who died in a car accident. As McClure investigates Alli's disappearance, the current president rallies against an atheistic group he thinks is related to terrorism, also blaming them for Alli's apparent abduction. McClure, who also suffers from dyslexia, welcomes the case as a distraction from mourning his daughter Emma and stops at nothing to find and rescue Alli.
First Daughter reminds me strongly of the experience I have while flipping through channels on a lazy Sunday afternoon and hearing a brief part of the ranting religious programs on public broadcasting. The religious sub-plot is annoying and really hinders any other potentially exciting plot-points. The novel is extremely ridiculous and over-the-top, with melodrama highly superseding anything important you might catch in the story-line. McClure's dyslexia is glorified and gives him the power to see his dead daughter's ghost in addition to making him awesome at being a special agent. There's nothing exciting about Alli's predictable case of Stockholm Syndrome either and finally, the focus on religious opinions is a total snore; just overall insignificant and dull...basically old news in this society of ours.
First Daughter is easily a thriller you can afford to pass up, although Lustbader has written works of far better quality; most specifically his series featuring Nicholas Linnear. The Linnear series begins with The Ninja (1980) and follows with The Miko (1984). If you just love reading political thrillers, I highly recommend checking out novels written by Phillip Margolin, who is a wildly talented storyteller.
Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
The teenage daughter of the next president-elect, Alli Carson, has gone missing right before her father is scheduled to take office. Her father, Edward Carson, seeks an old friend to aid in her missing-persons case -- Special Agent Jack McClure. Carson believes McClure is fit for the job because Alli was once best friends with McClure's late daughter Emma, who died in a car accident. As McClure investigates Alli's disappearance, the current president rallies against an atheistic group he thinks is related to terrorism, also blaming them for Alli's apparent abduction. McClure, who also suffers from dyslexia, welcomes the case as a distraction from mourning his daughter Emma and stops at nothing to find and rescue Alli.
First Daughter reminds me strongly of the experience I have while flipping through channels on a lazy Sunday afternoon and hearing a brief part of the ranting religious programs on public broadcasting. The religious sub-plot is annoying and really hinders any other potentially exciting plot-points. The novel is extremely ridiculous and over-the-top, with melodrama highly superseding anything important you might catch in the story-line. McClure's dyslexia is glorified and gives him the power to see his dead daughter's ghost in addition to making him awesome at being a special agent. There's nothing exciting about Alli's predictable case of Stockholm Syndrome either and finally, the focus on religious opinions is a total snore; just overall insignificant and dull...basically old news in this society of ours.
First Daughter is easily a thriller you can afford to pass up, although Lustbader has written works of far better quality; most specifically his series featuring Nicholas Linnear. The Linnear series begins with The Ninja (1980) and follows with The Miko (1984). If you just love reading political thrillers, I highly recommend checking out novels written by Phillip Margolin, who is a wildly talented storyteller.
Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.
February 29, 2012
Page 15. That's when I knew I was in trouble. The opener to Lustbader's book, FIRST DAUGHTER, has the title character being whisked to her father's inauguration. As she stands on the dais with her family, she reaches into her pocket and lifts out a "vial of specially prepared anthrax."
"And like the contents of Pandora's box, out would come death in amber waves of grain."
I find myself struggling to explain why this line so perfectly encapsulates what's wrong with this book's prose. It wavers between insightful and just plain senseless, and in both cases it is a caustic color of purple. Our author is obviously an intelligent and well-spoken man, but even his best passages are over-flourished and his metaphors are schmaltzy and bizarre ("The early morning was waxy as a spit-polished shoe" is one of my favorites).
This ties in perfectly with the book's largest theme, which is one of Religion vs. Reason. Most of the other reviews I've read oversimplify Lustbader's central point. He's not necessarily complaining about religion, just about its zealots. The outgoing president of the novel is one of those hypocritical idealogues that are ga-ga about God, someone who will break nine of the commandments just to make sure that you don't break the tenth one. And on the other side is a specious organization named E-Two, an off-shoot of the First American Secular Revivalists (lets call them Motivated Atheists). In between the two we find Alli Carson, the kidnapped daughter of president-elect Edward Carson.
So the book takes every opportunity it can (every single one) to wax philosophical on faith, hope, the spirit, the soul, and belief. It's obvious that Lustbader believes in a world beyond our ken (the book is filled with obtrusive "miracles" that are left vague enough to be debatable), but his quasi-pantheism is mostly a distraction from the needlessly complex "intrigue" of the novel. We have double-double agents, a corrupt NSA official, a rogue hitman with his own agenda, and an ATF agent with dyslexia.
Yes. That's Jack McClure, whiz-kid at hunting down criminals, but not so great when it comes to reading road signs or getting along with his estranged wife, Sharon. The novel tries to tie Jack's abusive childhood with the current goings-on, but the connections aren't exactly believable or even rewarding. Likewise, his dyslexia is referenced many, many times as a source of both shame and power. Apparantly having dyslexia gives you the ability to make three dimensional decisions in a matter of seconds (Air Force pilots take note!). It's basically a plot contrivance, and one that -- like the religious posturing -- becomes something of a nuisance.
When the story focuses on what it really should be -- a police procedural -- it's not half bad. But the book wants to make several deep and potent points about life and love. That, combined with some of the worst dialogue I've ever read in my life, denudes the espionage of any tension it might have supplied. What you're left with is a messy diatribe against fundamentalism and a bunch of gibberish comparing the church to a brain-washing assassin.
Okay. And some unintentionally funny metaphors.
"And like the contents of Pandora's box, out would come death in amber waves of grain."
I find myself struggling to explain why this line so perfectly encapsulates what's wrong with this book's prose. It wavers between insightful and just plain senseless, and in both cases it is a caustic color of purple. Our author is obviously an intelligent and well-spoken man, but even his best passages are over-flourished and his metaphors are schmaltzy and bizarre ("The early morning was waxy as a spit-polished shoe" is one of my favorites).
This ties in perfectly with the book's largest theme, which is one of Religion vs. Reason. Most of the other reviews I've read oversimplify Lustbader's central point. He's not necessarily complaining about religion, just about its zealots. The outgoing president of the novel is one of those hypocritical idealogues that are ga-ga about God, someone who will break nine of the commandments just to make sure that you don't break the tenth one. And on the other side is a specious organization named E-Two, an off-shoot of the First American Secular Revivalists (lets call them Motivated Atheists). In between the two we find Alli Carson, the kidnapped daughter of president-elect Edward Carson.
So the book takes every opportunity it can (every single one) to wax philosophical on faith, hope, the spirit, the soul, and belief. It's obvious that Lustbader believes in a world beyond our ken (the book is filled with obtrusive "miracles" that are left vague enough to be debatable), but his quasi-pantheism is mostly a distraction from the needlessly complex "intrigue" of the novel. We have double-double agents, a corrupt NSA official, a rogue hitman with his own agenda, and an ATF agent with dyslexia.
Yes. That's Jack McClure, whiz-kid at hunting down criminals, but not so great when it comes to reading road signs or getting along with his estranged wife, Sharon. The novel tries to tie Jack's abusive childhood with the current goings-on, but the connections aren't exactly believable or even rewarding. Likewise, his dyslexia is referenced many, many times as a source of both shame and power. Apparantly having dyslexia gives you the ability to make three dimensional decisions in a matter of seconds (Air Force pilots take note!). It's basically a plot contrivance, and one that -- like the religious posturing -- becomes something of a nuisance.
When the story focuses on what it really should be -- a police procedural -- it's not half bad. But the book wants to make several deep and potent points about life and love. That, combined with some of the worst dialogue I've ever read in my life, denudes the espionage of any tension it might have supplied. What you're left with is a messy diatribe against fundamentalism and a bunch of gibberish comparing the church to a brain-washing assassin.
Okay. And some unintentionally funny metaphors.
November 24, 2008
was this part of a series? very unfinished feel, as if missing lots of backstory. doesn't make sense.
the dyslexic hero is supposedly able to process his surroundings and deduce things beyond normal comprehension, not quite based in logic as Sherlock Holmes. the soon-to-be first daughter is kidnapped and must be found before inauguration. the lame-duck president is fanatically religious and determined to somehow maintain control/set things in place to prevent the new more liberal president from 'destroying' the nation...this whole theme seems to trail off into nothing.
the kidnapper is some super-secret loose cannon spy who is protected by the government as a resource but is a crazy murderer. never explanined how he knew all the personal secrets from the hero's past back to his childhood.
crappy thriller written just to sell. no real art to the writing, half-hearted attempts to be interesting. boo!
the dyslexic hero is supposedly able to process his surroundings and deduce things beyond normal comprehension, not quite based in logic as Sherlock Holmes. the soon-to-be first daughter is kidnapped and must be found before inauguration. the lame-duck president is fanatically religious and determined to somehow maintain control/set things in place to prevent the new more liberal president from 'destroying' the nation...this whole theme seems to trail off into nothing.
the kidnapper is some super-secret loose cannon spy who is protected by the government as a resource but is a crazy murderer. never explanined how he knew all the personal secrets from the hero's past back to his childhood.
crappy thriller written just to sell. no real art to the writing, half-hearted attempts to be interesting. boo!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2011
First Daughter had me struggling from the beginning with confusing plot lines, characters with several names and various government agencies to try and keep straight. It had a great teaser to start off with, but then it launched into so many characters even different time frames that I had to re-read several chapters to try and understand the relevance. There was also a strong underlying anti-religion/super religious battle going on that really wasn’t of interest to me. While those charged political issues can add to a story, in this case it felt overbearing. I have the newest book in this character’s series and it doesn’t seem to have the same political message to it so hopefully I will enjoy it more. The one thing that I did find interesting about this book was the psychological aspect of the kidnapper/kidnaped relationship and how one could get to that point of Stockholm syndrome. Other than that brief spark of interest I found the rest to be typical and overly preachy, which automatically puts a bad taste in my mouth.
Reviewed by Gabi for Book Sake. http://booksake.blogspot.com
Reviewed by Gabi for Book Sake. http://booksake.blogspot.com
September 1, 2012
This title may end up in my list of the 10 worst books I've read in my lifetime. Usually I can find something good to say about a book. The highest praise I can muster for this one is to say the binding is tight.
May 2, 2010
I think there may have been a good story in here somewhere, but it was buried under bad writing and heavy-handed politics.
Full review to come...
Now!
Alright. Lately I've had a string of badish books and reviews, and I really don't like being mean (most of the time. Maybe.) The truth is, I want to share good books with you guys. I want you to be able to find something your going to curl up in a big chair with a mug of cocoa and fall in love with. But I'm not going to lie or sugar-coat how I feel about books on the off chance you may like them when I did not.
So this review is going to be interesting.
I think there ARE people who will love these; the Da Vinci Code sold millions, right? (I hate to do an extended comparison between books, but there is certainly going to be that element in this one.) When I agreed to review these, I was sort of on the fence, so maybe this is my own fault. I don't generally like thrillers and FBI-ish books, but at the same time, EVL took over the Bourne series and has sold millions, so I thought if I have to read one, maybe he does it right and would be the one to read. And I do think he crafts a story fairly well. I really liked Jack McClure as a protagonist, and I liked some of the elements of the story and the other characters, and the political intrigue aspect. Because of these things, I think there are going to be people who will absolutely love these books.
BUT.
But, just as with Dan Brown, I just could not make myself like EVL's writing. It was so heavy-handed and self-righteous and obvious, and it didn't give the reader enough credit. EVL uses a lot of metaphor (a lot of metaphor), and though some of them hit the mark and are excellent, a hell of a lot of them were reminded me of high school/college kid metaphors: strange and grandiose, sounding cool but meaning nothing. I maybe could have gotten past this flaw if that were the end of the metaphor debacle, but the fact is, EVL didn't trust the reader to be able to get his meaning -- or didn't trust himself to convey it, perhaps -- so he piled on more and more of them for each descriptive bit, until it got to the point that I wondered just how long the stories would have been without them. There is a great bit of under-used writing advice from Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch: "Murder your darlings." No matter how great you think it sounds, or how cool it seems, or whether it fit before you changed things and was just so stunning an image to you, you've got to be willing to leave things on the cutting floor when you are editing writing.*
(from here on out, I am speaking directly about First Daughter only, as I was still making note of things at that point, so they are handy to use to point things out)
In First Daughter, there is a lot about religion. Now, normally, religion (in general) and zealotry and hypocrisy (in particular) are very interesting subjects to me. I am not a religious person myself, but I find religions fascinating, and I like to read about them, good or bad, on occasion. First Daughter was first published right at the cusp of the 2008 campaigning, and it shows. There is a lot of self-righteous, hypocritical, bumbling far right (them) versus normal, moderate lefties (us) in the book, but it is so beaten and beaten, and such a thinly-veiled parody/attack on the Bush regime that it's almost insulting. To me. The liberal as shit, anti-Bush, rat-owning, pierced loudmouth. It's another example of not trusting the reader, so you make things obvious and lead them to the conclusions you want them to draw. It meant that the characters turned into caricatures, and when that happens, I tune out.
The other big thing that really bothered me was the constant shifting between the present and flashbacks. (Last Dan Brown reference, I swear: This reminded me of Brown's stupid tiny little chapters that switch and switch and switch so that it "keeps you on your toes" and keeps the mystery mysterious; translation, pisses Misty off. Have the balls to tell a straight-forward story that doesn't pander or rely on gimmicks. <-- tirade directed at Dan Brown, not EVL). Setting aside that all of the many unlikely connections in McClure's current case to his somewhat cliched and bizarre past, the shifts were just sort of strange and, though they sometimes kept the story interesting, they also sometimes made it hard to follow, or disrupted the flow and made me lose interest. I found myself liking the past sections more than the present, but it was the shift between them that really irritated me, and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why. Genius that I am, it came to me: the sections in the present are told in past tense (Jack did this), and the sections in the past are told in the present tense (Jack does this). How loopy is that? It just made the whole tone read kinda funny, and once I noticed it, I couldn't get past it.
Now.*** There were a few things I liked. Jack has a lot of interesting things going on in his life, and a really interesting past, so he makes a good lead. Also, he has dyslexia, which he has worked hard to manage, but which also gives him an advantage in his work.** I thought it was an interesting character-builder, and gave McClure a relatability and memorability that I did like. I also like the sort of Stockholm Syndrome aspect to the story. Well, let me clarify; I liked that the element was there, but I thought it could have been handled better, and that some of the elements in the build-up of SS seemed forced and even farfetched. But I did think it was a nice layer, once it was obvious that was where it was going (though before that, it had me rolling my eyes).
Alright. After all of that, I may have scared a lot of you off of these books, but really, I think there are going to be people who are into this genre who will really like these. They're not great literature (and for me, they're not even good fluff), but if you go into it knowing this is what you're in for and wanting something over the top and a bit mindless in an adult, political kind of way, then this will probably fit the bill.
*I would have went in with a machete in this case
**I don't know how accurate the portrayal of dyslexia was, and I certainly could have done without being told a million times that he had it, that it made him think a certain way, etc. Once or twice is enough, please, Mr. Van Lustbader; give your readers some credit for not being total morons incapable of remembering a piece of information.
***Okay, but really, I have one more negative side-note. There were a lot of pop-culture references that felt to me like they were tossed in but not really understood. LOTS of references to current indie music, but they felt forced, like EVL googled and inserted thusly. Though I like seeing bands I listen to name-dropped, and I like pulling up lyrics and considering how a song may fit into a story, I don't like feeling like they are used as a disingenuous ploy. Maybe I am being silly here, but that was how I felt.
Full review to come...
Now!
Alright. Lately I've had a string of badish books and reviews, and I really don't like being mean (most of the time. Maybe.) The truth is, I want to share good books with you guys. I want you to be able to find something your going to curl up in a big chair with a mug of cocoa and fall in love with. But I'm not going to lie or sugar-coat how I feel about books on the off chance you may like them when I did not.
So this review is going to be interesting.
I think there ARE people who will love these; the Da Vinci Code sold millions, right? (I hate to do an extended comparison between books, but there is certainly going to be that element in this one.) When I agreed to review these, I was sort of on the fence, so maybe this is my own fault. I don't generally like thrillers and FBI-ish books, but at the same time, EVL took over the Bourne series and has sold millions, so I thought if I have to read one, maybe he does it right and would be the one to read. And I do think he crafts a story fairly well. I really liked Jack McClure as a protagonist, and I liked some of the elements of the story and the other characters, and the political intrigue aspect. Because of these things, I think there are going to be people who will absolutely love these books.
BUT.
But, just as with Dan Brown, I just could not make myself like EVL's writing. It was so heavy-handed and self-righteous and obvious, and it didn't give the reader enough credit. EVL uses a lot of metaphor (a lot of metaphor), and though some of them hit the mark and are excellent, a hell of a lot of them were reminded me of high school/college kid metaphors: strange and grandiose, sounding cool but meaning nothing. I maybe could have gotten past this flaw if that were the end of the metaphor debacle, but the fact is, EVL didn't trust the reader to be able to get his meaning -- or didn't trust himself to convey it, perhaps -- so he piled on more and more of them for each descriptive bit, until it got to the point that I wondered just how long the stories would have been without them. There is a great bit of under-used writing advice from Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch: "Murder your darlings." No matter how great you think it sounds, or how cool it seems, or whether it fit before you changed things and was just so stunning an image to you, you've got to be willing to leave things on the cutting floor when you are editing writing.*
(from here on out, I am speaking directly about First Daughter only, as I was still making note of things at that point, so they are handy to use to point things out)
In First Daughter, there is a lot about religion. Now, normally, religion (in general) and zealotry and hypocrisy (in particular) are very interesting subjects to me. I am not a religious person myself, but I find religions fascinating, and I like to read about them, good or bad, on occasion. First Daughter was first published right at the cusp of the 2008 campaigning, and it shows. There is a lot of self-righteous, hypocritical, bumbling far right (them) versus normal, moderate lefties (us) in the book, but it is so beaten and beaten, and such a thinly-veiled parody/attack on the Bush regime that it's almost insulting. To me. The liberal as shit, anti-Bush, rat-owning, pierced loudmouth. It's another example of not trusting the reader, so you make things obvious and lead them to the conclusions you want them to draw. It meant that the characters turned into caricatures, and when that happens, I tune out.
The other big thing that really bothered me was the constant shifting between the present and flashbacks. (Last Dan Brown reference, I swear: This reminded me of Brown's stupid tiny little chapters that switch and switch and switch so that it "keeps you on your toes" and keeps the mystery mysterious; translation, pisses Misty off. Have the balls to tell a straight-forward story that doesn't pander or rely on gimmicks. <-- tirade directed at Dan Brown, not EVL). Setting aside that all of the many unlikely connections in McClure's current case to his somewhat cliched and bizarre past, the shifts were just sort of strange and, though they sometimes kept the story interesting, they also sometimes made it hard to follow, or disrupted the flow and made me lose interest. I found myself liking the past sections more than the present, but it was the shift between them that really irritated me, and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why. Genius that I am, it came to me: the sections in the present are told in past tense (Jack did this), and the sections in the past are told in the present tense (Jack does this). How loopy is that? It just made the whole tone read kinda funny, and once I noticed it, I couldn't get past it.
Now.*** There were a few things I liked. Jack has a lot of interesting things going on in his life, and a really interesting past, so he makes a good lead. Also, he has dyslexia, which he has worked hard to manage, but which also gives him an advantage in his work.** I thought it was an interesting character-builder, and gave McClure a relatability and memorability that I did like. I also like the sort of Stockholm Syndrome aspect to the story. Well, let me clarify; I liked that the element was there, but I thought it could have been handled better, and that some of the elements in the build-up of SS seemed forced and even farfetched. But I did think it was a nice layer, once it was obvious that was where it was going (though before that, it had me rolling my eyes).
Alright. After all of that, I may have scared a lot of you off of these books, but really, I think there are going to be people who are into this genre who will really like these. They're not great literature (and for me, they're not even good fluff), but if you go into it knowing this is what you're in for and wanting something over the top and a bit mindless in an adult, political kind of way, then this will probably fit the bill.
*I would have went in with a machete in this case
**I don't know how accurate the portrayal of dyslexia was, and I certainly could have done without being told a million times that he had it, that it made him think a certain way, etc. Once or twice is enough, please, Mr. Van Lustbader; give your readers some credit for not being total morons incapable of remembering a piece of information.
***Okay, but really, I have one more negative side-note. There were a lot of pop-culture references that felt to me like they were tossed in but not really understood. LOTS of references to current indie music, but they felt forced, like EVL googled and inserted thusly. Though I like seeing bands I listen to name-dropped, and I like pulling up lyrics and considering how a song may fit into a story, I don't like feeling like they are used as a disingenuous ploy. Maybe I am being silly here, but that was how I felt.
September 4, 2008
The transition of the US President is always a volatile time. No one knows this better than President-Elect Edward Carson. It is one month before his swearing in ceremony and his nineteen year old daughter, Alli, has disappeared. She may have been kidnapped by a homegrown terrorist organization. Finding her is his top priority, and it must be done without anyone in the media getting wind of it.
Carson hand-picks ATF agent Jack McClure to investigate his daughter's disappearance. He has several good reasons for doing so. Jack's daughter, Emma, who died seven months before in a car accident, was Allie's college roommate and close friend. He knows that Jack will do anything necessary to bring Allie home.
Jack has another unique quality. He is dyslexic and while that poses great problems for him when it comes to reading, the way his brain is wired makes him an outstanding agent. He is able to see things in a more complete way than the average person. He can pick up nuances that others might miss, including smells and small details. It has made him very successful in his career and he is a top ATF agent.
It hasn't helped him in his personal life, though. He has not been able to accept the death of his daughter and his marriage has since broken up as well. He is a lost and lonely man. As he begins to investigate Alli's disappearance, striking events from Jack's past begin to crop up. Somehow the case in inextricably linked with Jack's life and as he tries to fit together all the pieces he is pressured from all sides. It's up to him to find Allie and discover the motive behind her kidnapping and he is running out of time.
This thriller has a twisting, intriguing plot and is a fast paced and exciting read. Pick up First Daughter, you won't be able to put it down!
Carson hand-picks ATF agent Jack McClure to investigate his daughter's disappearance. He has several good reasons for doing so. Jack's daughter, Emma, who died seven months before in a car accident, was Allie's college roommate and close friend. He knows that Jack will do anything necessary to bring Allie home.
Jack has another unique quality. He is dyslexic and while that poses great problems for him when it comes to reading, the way his brain is wired makes him an outstanding agent. He is able to see things in a more complete way than the average person. He can pick up nuances that others might miss, including smells and small details. It has made him very successful in his career and he is a top ATF agent.
It hasn't helped him in his personal life, though. He has not been able to accept the death of his daughter and his marriage has since broken up as well. He is a lost and lonely man. As he begins to investigate Alli's disappearance, striking events from Jack's past begin to crop up. Somehow the case in inextricably linked with Jack's life and as he tries to fit together all the pieces he is pressured from all sides. It's up to him to find Allie and discover the motive behind her kidnapping and he is running out of time.
This thriller has a twisting, intriguing plot and is a fast paced and exciting read. Pick up First Daughter, you won't be able to put it down!
March 31, 2010
I had never heard of this author until I recieved this book as well as the sequel, review coming soon, in the mail from the publisher. I've only read a couple of thrillers so far and this is one that I really enjoyed a lot. The synopsis of the book says a LOT about the story so I'm going to tell you what I liked about the book and hopefully not giveaway too much.
Number 1 I liked the characters....All the characters in my opinion were pretty great. Even the "bad guy." My personal favorite was Jack himself....He's a "broken" man who is trying to reconcile all the wrongs and hurts of his past.
Number 2, I loved how much of a fast paced read it was. Being that I have such ecclectic tastes in books, if a book doesn't grab me and suck me in right away I get bored with it and have a tendency to move on to something else. That soooo did NOT happen with this story....I got sucked in right away and I had a very hard time putting this book down!
Number 3, all the twists and turns....Liked them a lot. Though there were a few times some of the twists and turns ended up confusing me, I was able to right myself again pretty quickly. The author kept you guessing "who done it?" all the time.....I literally figured it out at the same time that Jack did.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading First Daughter. My only "problem" with the book was some of the twists and turns. But as I said above even in those few instances I was able to right myself again pretty quickly. I defiantely recommend reading this book....Even if you aren't into thrillers....It may be classified as a "thriller" but it is also a redemption story.
Number 1 I liked the characters....All the characters in my opinion were pretty great. Even the "bad guy." My personal favorite was Jack himself....He's a "broken" man who is trying to reconcile all the wrongs and hurts of his past.
Number 2, I loved how much of a fast paced read it was. Being that I have such ecclectic tastes in books, if a book doesn't grab me and suck me in right away I get bored with it and have a tendency to move on to something else. That soooo did NOT happen with this story....I got sucked in right away and I had a very hard time putting this book down!
Number 3, all the twists and turns....Liked them a lot. Though there were a few times some of the twists and turns ended up confusing me, I was able to right myself again pretty quickly. The author kept you guessing "who done it?" all the time.....I literally figured it out at the same time that Jack did.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading First Daughter. My only "problem" with the book was some of the twists and turns. But as I said above even in those few instances I was able to right myself again pretty quickly. I defiantely recommend reading this book....Even if you aren't into thrillers....It may be classified as a "thriller" but it is also a redemption story.
September 16, 2015
What a change of pace from the series of books that I had been reading -- and I loved every page, every line of it. Lustbader writes with such brilliance and suspence that it captivates you from the very beginning until the very end. The twist of McClure having dyslexia is impressive as Lustbader allows it to become McClure's unique weapon and not just as a lame attempt to defend those with his mental disorder. His writing is well-written, the research that went into it well-gathered and he explains all the government terms and procedures so well that you can undersand it even if you're politically-disabled. The story was woven with characters and plots that were all interconnected beautifully and it kept you guessing. The conspiricies and betrayals in the novel protrayed the dark side of the government. This portrayal of the things people do with their power and selfishness is so realistic that it might even sadden you that it seems hard to really trust anyone in the book. This novel was compelling, suspenseful and can't-stop-turning-the-page-cant-yet-sleep-until-its-done-going-to-have-dreams-about-it good! Definitely a MUST READ for everyone, for those who love suspense, and even for those who don't.
July 20, 2011
RATING:4.5)FIRST DAUGHTER by Eric Van Lustader is an intriquing political thriller set in Washington,D.C..It is well written with a plot that will catch you from the first sentence to the last sentence. The characters are intriquing,and will hold your attention.It has intrique,mystery,murder,political intrique,action,suspense,ATF agent,politics,murder,and mayhem. When ATF agent Jack McClure is called into action to help find the president,Emma,he will find a conspiracy that not could effect of power at be but could also destroy everything he holds dear. This is a heart provoking story that combines a personal story with the chilling actions of Washington. It is a fast paced,action packed roller coaster of a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must read for any and all political,suspense,action,and thriller readers. This book was received for the purpose of review from Zeitghost Media.Details can be found at A Forge Book and My Book Addiction Reviews.
October 28, 2016
A new detective hero, a dyslexic with a sixth sense for reconstructing disconnects to find the non intuitive insights that solves crimes - or prevents them from happening. Domestic troubles of course, with an additional tough streets backstory to fill the gaps. The plot taps into the highest levels of US government with a common first daughter link, and targets aspects of the religious dogma which drives political agenda (to whatever extent). And the bad guy is on a mission to respond to this for motivations of his own which also unravel slowly chapter by chapter. There were bits that were unconvincing somehow, the journey from semi-delinquency to trusted secret service agent relatively undisclosed - something for future books I guess. I found the background contrived at some points, as if trying to fit Jack in between the types already taken by others.
October 30, 2014
This is #1 in a Jack McClure Novel.
This one started off very hard to read for me. I don't really care for religious zealots in a mystery that I am reading. However, about half way through, I actually started wanting to finish the book and find out how it all played out. I had trouble with the book jumping from one time frame to another without some better description. I wish when jumping from one time to another it would be better annotated.
It was intense in the last 100 pages and I had hard time putting it down, but because it took so long to get there I almost gave up. I am glad that I didn't though as I really got to know Jack a whole lot better.
I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars.
This one started off very hard to read for me. I don't really care for religious zealots in a mystery that I am reading. However, about half way through, I actually started wanting to finish the book and find out how it all played out. I had trouble with the book jumping from one time frame to another without some better description. I wish when jumping from one time to another it would be better annotated.
It was intense in the last 100 pages and I had hard time putting it down, but because it took so long to get there I almost gave up. I am glad that I didn't though as I really got to know Jack a whole lot better.
I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars.
January 29, 2011
One thing I appreciated about this book was that while there are some serious discussions about religion, you see that there are some zealots on BOTH sides of the spectrum. People often see religion as black and white: all Christians think the same all atheists think the same. vbIn the end, the book doesn't preach about religion or non-religion but merely states the way different people see religion.
September 27, 2011
I'd have to categorize this book under "Credulity Yoga" because it stretched mine to the edge of its endurance. The hero's back story is just ... bizarre, the African-American characters are straight out of bad blaxploitation, there's a touch of the White Messiah I hate so much, and how the hero's history in the ghettoes of DC are somehow related to the plot of kidnapping the president-elect's daughter still has me scratching my head.
November 8, 2008
I wanted to finish reading this book, as the opening scene definitely drew me in. However, the characters were a little predictable (most of them), the dialogue simplistic, and the political message a little heavy handed (maybe because I read it during the never ending election.
July 28, 2011
The book began with much suspense and interest, but waned as we see-sawed from past to present, dealing with the main character and his growing up in a hard way. By two-thirds in, I was begging it to end, which it did, but seemed to speed through to an ending, just to say it was over.
October 9, 2008
While I loved the premise of this book. It was very hard to follow, the sentences were very choppy and the flashbacks hard to keep track of from paragraph to paragraph.
April 29, 2010
What I learned from this book: if you're dyslexic, you can communicate with dead people! Who knew?!!!
May 14, 2013
This was a new author for me and the reading was very intereesting. I'm planning to read his other books too.
June 26, 2013
just a list of words intended to (back)fill a writing contract.
June 12, 2016
Good story but a bit hard to tell who was on which side.
December 19, 2016
Once I got into it, I quite enjoyed the mystery aspects and the way the whole story unfolded and came together - especially as it was one of those stories where what happened in the past to seemingly disconnected characters all became relevant in some way as the book progressed.
What I didn't like was all the religious and political debates. The political stuff was particularly irritating in the beginning and then toned down (it may have been an attempt to give more depth/context to the characters - didn't work for me). The religious debates for certain scenes I found unnecessary, irrelevant and non-genuine. There was a religious conflict aspect to the story (as the main conflict was between dogmatic Christians and the idea of a Christian-state vs the more liberal, non-religious group(s)) and so there were points where it made sense/worked - but not so much in discussions between other characters and I almost stopped reading once or twice because of it.
I'd probably try the second book in the story because (hopefully) that element would not apply for a different plot. If it did, though, then I more than likely wouldn't bother finishing the book. This is a pity, because I found the rest of the story and its characters very entertaining.
What I didn't like was all the religious and political debates. The political stuff was particularly irritating in the beginning and then toned down (it may have been an attempt to give more depth/context to the characters - didn't work for me). The religious debates for certain scenes I found unnecessary, irrelevant and non-genuine. There was a religious conflict aspect to the story (as the main conflict was between dogmatic Christians and the idea of a Christian-state vs the more liberal, non-religious group(s)) and so there were points where it made sense/worked - but not so much in discussions between other characters and I almost stopped reading once or twice because of it.
I'd probably try the second book in the story because (hopefully) that element would not apply for a different plot. If it did, though, then I more than likely wouldn't bother finishing the book. This is a pity, because I found the rest of the story and its characters very entertaining.
May 15, 2018
This was a complex mystery but it was a bit confusing at times. Felt like it left some vital information out. The author describes his characters very well but needed to fill in some background information on the main character, Jack McClure. He kept alluding to some things in his past but never really came out and explained them which was frustrating.
In this story Jack is asked to help find the missing daughter of the incoming president. He has a connection with the president and the daughter as she was his daughter's former roommate. He is dyslexic and the author describes his condition in an interesting way. He also has some rather strange feelings or "other worldly" happenings. He keeps thinking he sees and hears his dead daughter. He is also dealing with feeling for and about his ex-wife. A lot going on in his head.
There is a lot of other stuff going on with the outgoing president trying to get his agenda done and the incoming president doing different things plus some of the heads of different departments also have their own agendas and then there is the psycho who kills and kidnaps people.
Will read another one in the series and hope it gets a little better with some more explanations. Just felt a bit confused at times and wanting more.
In this story Jack is asked to help find the missing daughter of the incoming president. He has a connection with the president and the daughter as she was his daughter's former roommate. He is dyslexic and the author describes his condition in an interesting way. He also has some rather strange feelings or "other worldly" happenings. He keeps thinking he sees and hears his dead daughter. He is also dealing with feeling for and about his ex-wife. A lot going on in his head.
There is a lot of other stuff going on with the outgoing president trying to get his agenda done and the incoming president doing different things plus some of the heads of different departments also have their own agendas and then there is the psycho who kills and kidnaps people.
Will read another one in the series and hope it gets a little better with some more explanations. Just felt a bit confused at times and wanting more.
June 2, 2019
This novel can be aptly described as a train wreck. There are so many things wrong with it that’s it’s hard to know where to begin. For one thing, there are many poorly drawn characters, most notably the President, Hugh Garner, the Secretary of State, the First Daughter, and the story’s villain. Yes, that’s quite a list. They share traits such as not resembling actual human beings, not having believable motivations, and being inconsistent in their actions. Needless to say, characterization was not a strong suit here.
Neither was pace. The novel had overly long flashbacks that took away from the flow of the novel. The whole part about the President trying to wipe out the American secularist movement was just weak. But of all the things that were poorly done, the novel’s biggest shortcoming was the lack of believability. Almost everything that happened made me shake my head. There was just nothing plausible, and some of the events were down right laughable. I can’t say there was much that I liked here. I would strongly suggest avoiding this novel.
Carl Alves – author of The Invocation
Neither was pace. The novel had overly long flashbacks that took away from the flow of the novel. The whole part about the President trying to wipe out the American secularist movement was just weak. But of all the things that were poorly done, the novel’s biggest shortcoming was the lack of believability. Almost everything that happened made me shake my head. There was just nothing plausible, and some of the events were down right laughable. I can’t say there was much that I liked here. I would strongly suggest avoiding this novel.
Carl Alves – author of The Invocation
May 31, 2018
I like my novels to run in good chronological order with back stories being told in a simple and easy to follow manner. This book fails on theses. Telling the back story of the main character, Jack McClure, is done in the most frustrating and confusing way. You could transition from one chapter to the next and suddenly you've jumped back 25 years. You never knew where the next chapter was going to take you. I dislike this style of writing so much. It might be fine if you were to sit down and read the entire book in one sitting but not for me.
This book is full of false leads and double bluffs just to confuse you and I'm left wonder what is the point of the whole story. There was too many dull theorising about religion, the meaning of life, god, ghosts, souls and spirit. Just when it would start to get going it would get stuck in theses topics like a car in mud. The real perpetrator is always the last person you would think it was and is never the one you are lead to believe it actually is.
I found it boring, drawn out and inconclusive.
This book is full of false leads and double bluffs just to confuse you and I'm left wonder what is the point of the whole story. There was too many dull theorising about religion, the meaning of life, god, ghosts, souls and spirit. Just when it would start to get going it would get stuck in theses topics like a car in mud. The real perpetrator is always the last person you would think it was and is never the one you are lead to believe it actually is.
I found it boring, drawn out and inconclusive.
March 2, 2020
"First Daughter" is the first in the Jack McClure series. With a handicap like Dyslexia, does it help or hinder a government agent? This book takes us from the childhood of Jack McClure to late adult, focusing on love, family, work and his handicap. He is overly concerned with his handicap which helps him rather than hinder him.
If you are looking for a story that goes from beginning to end, this is not the one. There are continuous flashbacks, not just for one character, but all of them. At times it's hard keeping track of where you are.
Jack has a dislike for all organized religion and a profound dislike for the Catholic church and priests. This may be a bit strong, but the book seems to be inclined towards atheism.
Putting aside my criticisms, I still like the basic story and am giving it four stars.
If you are looking for a story that goes from beginning to end, this is not the one. There are continuous flashbacks, not just for one character, but all of them. At times it's hard keeping track of where you are.
Jack has a dislike for all organized religion and a profound dislike for the Catholic church and priests. This may be a bit strong, but the book seems to be inclined towards atheism.
Putting aside my criticisms, I still like the basic story and am giving it four stars.
November 25, 2024
I've listened to this book and #3 in the series. Overall, interesting.
* Decent plot and characters, etc.
* Uncommon perspective that is anti-religion and pro-ghost. (That's right. I said ghost. I'm pretty sure that of all the many books I've read in this genre, these are the first to have ghosts. Don't get me wrong; I love a ghost in an urban fantasy, but it felt a little weird in the context of this series.)
* Far too many sex scenes for my taste. Especially true of #3, which talks about human trafficking. #3 got more graphic, too. Sure, along with the "realism" of the trafickers' attitudes towards women, maybe it was an attempt to be authentic. However, all of it struck me as gratuitous.
* Confusing. It's probably less confusing in written form - presumably there are separators of some kind to indicate context changes - but as an audio book, it felt like I was constantly backing up to make sure I knew who was talking and when/where they were. #1 wasn't as bad, but I actually listened to #3 twice just to sort it all out and make some sense.
I don't anticipate bothering to track down the rest of the series.
* Decent plot and characters, etc.
* Uncommon perspective that is anti-religion and pro-ghost. (That's right. I said ghost. I'm pretty sure that of all the many books I've read in this genre, these are the first to have ghosts. Don't get me wrong; I love a ghost in an urban fantasy, but it felt a little weird in the context of this series.)
* Far too many sex scenes for my taste. Especially true of #3, which talks about human trafficking. #3 got more graphic, too. Sure, along with the "realism" of the trafickers' attitudes towards women, maybe it was an attempt to be authentic. However, all of it struck me as gratuitous.
* Confusing. It's probably less confusing in written form - presumably there are separators of some kind to indicate context changes - but as an audio book, it felt like I was constantly backing up to make sure I knew who was talking and when/where they were. #1 wasn't as bad, but I actually listened to #3 twice just to sort it all out and make some sense.
I don't anticipate bothering to track down the rest of the series.
July 20, 2025
This is my first read of Van Lustbader, although I have been aware of his books for years. I figured it was time to give him a try. Very happy I did.
Jack McClure is dyslexic and sees the world in a totally different way than others. It makes him an outsider, but his skills make him one hell of an investigator. When the President-elect’s daughter, Alli, is kidnapped prior to the inauguration, Jack is called in to find her. Alli was Jack’s daughter’s roommate at a private school before she was killed in a car accident.
But there are hidden forces doing their best to thwart Jack. With no one to trust, Jack needs to trust himself and his unique skills to save the day.
Excellent story with multiple plotlines. It kept you guessing right until the end. This is the first in a series, one that I plan on revisiting.
Jack McClure is dyslexic and sees the world in a totally different way than others. It makes him an outsider, but his skills make him one hell of an investigator. When the President-elect’s daughter, Alli, is kidnapped prior to the inauguration, Jack is called in to find her. Alli was Jack’s daughter’s roommate at a private school before she was killed in a car accident.
But there are hidden forces doing their best to thwart Jack. With no one to trust, Jack needs to trust himself and his unique skills to save the day.
Excellent story with multiple plotlines. It kept you guessing right until the end. This is the first in a series, one that I plan on revisiting.
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