The President's Daughter: A Thriller

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did the fast-paced, multi-perspective structure affect your reading experience? Did it feel more like a political thriller or a personal story, and which aspect did you find more compelling?

2. If you’ve read The President Is Missing, how does this book compare to that previous collaboration? If not, how does it stand out against other books you’ve read in the genre?

3. What was the most memorable or shocking moment for you in the novel, and what made it stand out to you?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Matthew Keating leverages a network of old friends and contacts built over his career, and these trusted relationships prove more effective than official channels. How do you see the power of personal networks play out in your own life or community? 

2. Samantha Keating holds onto compromising information about Richard Barnes for years, only using it when she feels she has no other choice. When have you had to weigh personal ethics against a desperate goal?

3. David Stahl and Kimberly Bouchard both choose personal loyalty to Keating over professional protocol, risking their careers to help his mission. Have you experienced this kind of profound loyalty?

4. Melanie “Mel” Keating has to be incredibly resourceful to survive her ordeal, from leaving clues to engineering her own escape. When have you had to be resourceful to meet a goal or escape danger?

5. The Personal Consequences of Political Acts is a theme central to Keating’s story. Think about your own life. How do you balance your personal duties to family and friends with your professional or public responsibilities?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How did grounding the story in real-world geopolitical issues, like the power vacuum in post-Gaddafi Libya and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (See: Background), affect your reading experience? Did it make the fictional crisis feel more plausible or immediate?

2. President Barnes’s administration is shown to be heavily influenced by political optics and public perception, even during a crisis. In what ways does this portrayal reflect or comment on modern political leadership and the 24-hour news cycle? In a country that has never had a woman president, what are the implications of imputing these characteristics to a fictional woman president? 

3. Technology like drones, deepfake videos, and satellite surveillance is central to the plot. What commentary does the novel seem to be making about the implications of these technologies for privacy, warfare, and the nature of truth?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does the novel’s structure, which alternates between Keating’s first-person narration and shifting third-person perspectives, shape your understanding of the events? 

2. How are Keating and Asim Al-Asheed presented as parallel figures or foils in their fatherhood, and how does this connection explore the theme of The Cycle of Vengeance as a Perversion of Justice?

3. What significance does the presidency have as a symbol throughout the story? How does the narrative contrast the formal, bureaucratic power of the office, as held by President Barnes, with the personal, skill-based power Keating wields as a former SEAL?

4. Mel evolves from a victim into a key agent in her own rescue. Which moments best illustrate her resourcefulness and courage, and how does her character arc challenge typical archetypes for female characters in thriller novels?

5. The manipulation of intelligence, from Jiang Lijun’s initial tip-off to Al-Asheed’s fake video, drives the plot. How does the novel portray the battle for information as being more critical than the physical battles fought by the SEALs?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. You are tasked with designing a memorial dedicated to David Stahl. What form would it take, and what key elements or symbols would you include to honor his loyalty, sacrifice, and the concept of “hope” he represented?

2. Picture yourself as a member of Keating’s rescue team. Based on your own skills and personality, what role would you play in the mission—strategist, communications expert, or something else entirely, and what would be your biggest challenge?

3. Imagine that President Barnes loses the next presidential election to Matthew Keating. What note might she leave in the Resolute Desk for him, as a reply to the note from Keating that concludes this novel? What tone would she take, and what message would she want to send him? Write this note.