NEW YORK — Neither Bill Clinton nor James Patterson has ever tried something like this before.
The former president and the best-selling novelist are collaborating on a thriller, The President is Missing, to come out June 2018 as an unusual joint release from rival publishers — Alfred A. Knopf and Little, Brown and Co. In a statement Monday provided to The Associated Press, the publishers called the book "a unique amalgam of intrigue, suspense and behind-the-scenes global drama from the highest corridors of power. It will be informed by details that only a president can know."
Knopf has long been Clinton's publisher, and Patterson has been with Little, Brown for decades.The President is Missing is the first work of fiction by Clinton, whose best-known book is the million-selling My Life. For Patterson, it's the chance to team up with a friend who knows as well as anyone about life in the White House.
"Working with President Clinton has been the highlight of my career, and having access to his firsthand experience has uniquely informed the writing of this novel," Patterson said in a statement. "I'm a storyteller, and President Clinton's insight has allowed us to tell a really interesting one. It's a rare combination — readers will be drawn to the suspense, of course, but they'll also be given an inside look into what it's like to be president."
"Working on a book about a sitting president — drawing on what I know about the job, life in the White House and the way Washington works — has been a lot of fun," Clinton said in a statement. "And working with Jim has been terrific. I've been a fan of his for a very long time."