Book Review: First Daughter by Eric Van Lusbader

This is the first book that I read by Eric Van Lustbader. I picked it up after seeing Last Snow also by Van Lustbader in the fifty percent off pile. Being a person who likes order once I knew that Last Snow was the second in the series I had to go and read First Daughter First in order to be able to read Last Snow.

Van Lustbader is the author that Robert Ludlum's estate has chosen to continue the Bourne Books. I picked up First Daughter by Van Lustbader because I was in the mood for a thriller similar to Vince Flynn and/or Daniel Silva. Van Lustbader is good and I will read him again with that said in my opinion he is not in the same league with Flynn or Silva.

First Daughter is the story of Jack McClure and the relationship he had with his daughter, Emma, who dies shortly before the story starts. Jack is haunted by his daughters death, his marriage has fallen apart and one of his best friends has just been elected president of the United States. The president elect, Edward Carson, also has a daughter, Alli, who just happened to be Jack's daughters best friend and college roommate and she is kidnapped twenty days before the change in guard and no one must know and so the action begins.

Van Lustbader does a good job of keeping the story moving and there are a number of unexpected twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing but with that said there are also times that when the twists and turns lead down empty alleys and leaves the reader guessing and confused. While I understand and appreciate the genre of thrillers I also want to be able to follow the story and also believe that there is a difference between keeping the reader guessing and creating scenarios that really jump reality. I am also willing to suspend belief for a great story and understand that the writer must create circumstance and coincidence but a great writer does it in such a way that the suspension of belief takes place without the reader realizing they are suspending belief. Throughout First Daughter I was jarred a number of times when a character described something that happened that on occasion made no sense.

I am sure that many people will enjoy this book. It is a light and easy read and is followed by Last Snow where McClure and Alli are back in action.