The New York Times Best Seller”[Hope Never Dies is] an escapist fantasy that will likely appeal to liberals pining for the previous administration, longing for the Obama-Biden team to emerge from political retirement as action heroes.”—Alexandra Alter, New York TimesVice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama team up in this high-stakes thriller that combines a mystery worthy of Watson … high-stakes thriller that combines a mystery worthy of Watson and Holmes with the laugh-out-loud bromantic chemistry of Lethal Weapon’s Murtaugh and Riggs.
Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, “Amtrak Joe” re-teams with the only man he’s ever fully trusted: the 44th president of the United States. Together they’ll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America’s opioid epidemic.
Part noir thriller and part bromance, Hope Never Dies is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs.
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Do you remember the Obama/Biden memes that were ever so popular and super funny? Well, if you liked those, you are probably going to like Hope Never Dies, because Andrew Shaffer has taken everything that tickled the funny bone in those memes and translated that into a fanfiction buddy tale that has Joe Biden solving the mystery of “who killed Amtrak Joe’s favorite conductor”.
The story starts with an adorably insecure former vice president Joe Biden missing his friend Barack Obama while being angry at him for seemingly deserting him now that they are both out of office. But when Barack drops by in the dead of night to tell him about the death of his favorite conductor, it’s the the evidence that points to Joe Biden that has him determined to find his friend’s killer.
Written entirely in Joe Biden’s first person point of view, what follows is a romp around Delaware in which Joe solves the murder with the help of Barack Obama. There’s all sorts of characters involved — insurance investigators, motorcycle clubs and dirty cops. This story touches upon every tidbit of Joe’s and Barack’s public personas, and I found myself either chuckling or groaning over most of what Biden has to say in this fanfic. Some of the bits made me laugh out loud, and I believe there was a gigglesnort of two along the way. While the mystery keeps the story moving, it really is the one-liners that made this book an almost 5 star read for me.
If you are looking for some relief from the current political scene and just want a good head-shaking laugh, you will probably like Hope Never Dies. I’ll admit to buying a copy of this just for the cover that makes me smile every time I look at it. I think Andrew Shaffer did an amazing job of capturing the personality of Joe Biden and Barack Obama, and I can only hope that their real relationship was akin to how they are portrayed in Hope Never Dies because it’s pretty terrific.
Very funny start to finish. A good characterization of both Biden and Obama in the after presidential life.
Hope Never Dies is an entertaining, fictional take that asks what if President Obama and Vice President Biden, in their time after leaving office, joined forces to solve a murder. Told from the viewpoint of “Uncle Joe,” the book follows the storytelling style of Holmes and Watson. The characters feel real and the mystery will leave you guessing until the end. Overall, a fun read!
This book was everything I didn’t know I needed. It’s the Obama-Biden memes come to life and there’s not a single thing better than that.
There was just never a question about whether I was going to buy this book. The cover alone was reason enough to have it on my shelf. There was a question of whether I was actually going to read it or not, but the “danged” thing had me from the first page! A lot of satirical novels have just the one joke that everyone gets within the first fifteen pages, and then the rest of it is like the annoying guy at a party who keeps repeating his punchline because it got such a big laugh the first time. This book is not like that. It is an endearing, corny, hilarious romp, and on top of that a surprisingly solid page-turner. I don’t really know what to call it. Cozy Noir? Anyway, the plot rolls along at a fast pace, and it’s got all the parts in all the right places. By far the best fun of all is the author’s decision to embrace the “meme” in his development of the characters. Sympathetic readers will break into loopy grins at the true-to-form dialogue and nod appreciatively at Barack’s “thin-lipped smile” because we know exactly what that looks like. From the cover logo (“An Obama Biden Mystery”) there is the hint that more could be coming. I don’t know whether the premise (and the fun) can be stretched to cover a sequel, let alone a series, but Andrew Shaffer exceeded my expectations with this one, so I’d certainly take a chance on a #2.
I bought this book because of the brilliant premise: Joe Biden, the amiable elder statesman, solves a murder mystery with some help from the former president. I was a sucker for an Obama Biden Mystery from the get-go. The story is a fun amateur detective yarn with some light action that moves along at a nice pace. However, after finishing the novel, it’s the characters that have resonated with me. I would like to meet “Uncle Joe” Biden and get some ice cream with him(don’t see that happening with too many politicians). Joe’s old boss..er..friend is a different story. He’s smart and wants to do the right thing, but he is just a little too cool for school. Still, I liked these characters and I think the author got their personalities right. I suspect he studied their speeches and a multitude of audio and video clips to ensure that their fictional voices sound convincing. While a story involving this crime-solving duo is fantasy, the characters provide a level of realism that draws the reader in. I’m ready for the next novel in the series!
The author did a wonderful job, working with living, well-known individuals. He crafted a well-plotted mystery/adventure that I enjoyed reading. I hope there are more to come. NOT A COZY mystery.
I enjoyed this story so much! Found myself smiling every time I cracked it open. An amusing, engaging, suspenseful whodunit that I didn’t want to end. Solving the mystery was difficult considering I spent a great deal of time imagining the President and Vice-President really getting themselves into and out of the various situations they happened upon in this story. Hilarious & Good!
If you liked Obama, you’re going to love this book. The main characters are Joe Biden and his side-kick Obama, and it is hilarious. It’s also a very good mystery (and I’m not much for mysteries). If you don’t like Obama, you will probably still like this book. It’s that funny.
This is basically a love note to Joe Biden, a man about whom John Boehner said, “If you don’t like Joe, you have no soul.” In this creative novel, Biden and Obama take on the roles of a Watson and Holmes to solve the mystery surrounding the death of Biden’s favorite train conductor. A cute story that would have been so much better had the author not resorted to an unrealistic ploy at the end. You’ll know it when you see it.
Not great but I loved the main character.
I loved it and hope there will be more!
fun read
It was a fun read. Especially Joe Biden’s character.
Just when things seem darkest, Joe Biden comes roaring out of retirement in his Dodge Challenger to deliver justice and take names, with his former boss along for the ride. Andrew Shaffer could have sold this on the premise alone, but he takes the time to go beyond caricature to write a funny and engaging mystery that just happens to feature the former veep and prez bickering over protein bars and playing “POTUS, SCOTUS, or FLOTUS.” This may not be the buddy-cop adventure America deserves, but it’s the one we need.
Funny
I felt compelled to read to the end of the book, hoping it would improve, but it was a very average story. You can’t expect an average story to be better just because your characters are Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Funny to see Obama and Biden as action heroes.
I think the book made Joe Biden look like an idiot so therefore I did not like it.
Cute, not political at all.