Bill Clinton and James Patterson Announce New Thriller “The First Gentleman”: ‘We Really Take the Gloves Off'
‘The First Gentleman,’ a stand-alone novel, follows the cowriters’ previous books, including ‘The President is Missing’
‘The First Gentleman,’ a stand-alone novel, follows the cowriters’ previous books, including ‘The President is Missing’ Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Little, Brown and Company and Alfred A. Knopf; Slaven Vlasic/Getty James Patterson (left), Bill Clinton and the cover of 'The First Gentleman':max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/james-patterson-bill-clinton-tout-121124-f208af0d19564a62ba55e5dde8009eab.jpg "James Patterson (left), Bill Clinton and the cover of 'The First Gentleman'")
Bill Clinton and James Patterson are teaming up to write another riveting thriller. Little, Brown and Company and Alfred A. Knopf 'The First Gentleman' by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
On Dec. 11, publishers Little, Brown and Company and Alfred A. Knopf announced that the former President and bestselling author will co-write their third novel together. The First Gentleman will hit shelves in summer 2025, and will be published jointly by Little, Brown and Company and Alfred A. Knopf.
The First Gentleman follows the United States’ first female president, whose husband is on trial for murder. With the president up for reelection, a team of investigative journalists are also searching for answers about the First Gentleman’s true motives.
"Jim and I always have a great time writing together, but we’re admittedly pretty tough on our fictional presidents,” Clinton said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “We've sent one chief executive into hiding to stop a global terror attack, and thrust another into a deadly firefight to protect his family. In our new book, we really take the gloves off. I hope this one is as much fun to read as it was to write.”
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Clinton and Patterson published their first co-written novel, the bestselling thriller The President is Missing, in 2018. The book sold over 3 million copies, and was followed by The President’s Daughter in 2021.
Related: Bill Clinton & James Patterson Share Excerpt from Thriller, 'The President’s Daughter'
“President Clinton and I have written a couple of well-received thrillers so far. But The First Gentleman is at a whole new level,” Patterson said. “When we first got writing — two presidential administrations ago — we simply could not have dreamt this one up.” Slaven Vlasic/Getty James Patterson (left) and Bill Clinton in 2018
Patterson is the author of over 200 books, including the popular Alex Cross series, now a TV show on Prime. Both Patterson and Clinton published new books in 2024 as well; Patterson released The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians with Matt Eversmann on April 8. and Clinton published his new memoir, Citizen: My Life After the White House on Nov. 19.
Related: Author James Patterson Reminisces About His Surprise Side Gig: Writing the Toys "R" Us Jingle
The pair’s latest novel will be told “with Patterson’s signature suspense and will be informed by details that only a president can know,” per a press release.
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“The First Gentleman is a story that only James Patterson and President Clinton can tell,” said Hachette Book Group CEO David Shelley in a statement. “I’m immensely proud to help bring it to the world, and I know it’s going to have readers across the world on the edges of their seats,”
The First Gentleman will be published on June 2, 2025 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
