We Are Holding the President Hostage

De: Warren Adler

Narrado por: Eric Bryan Moore

Aging mafia Don Salvatore Padronelli, a.k.a. the Padre, is furious when fanatical terrorists capture his beloved daughter and grandson on a trip to Egypt. Fed up with diplomatic caution that prolongs their captivity, the Padre and his loyal henchman cleverly insinuate themselves into the White House and hold the President and his wife hostage. Now the Padre calls the shots on getting the President to take steps to release his family. This classic confrontation between two men on utterly opposite sides of the law is laced with humor and illustrates how fierce paternal love can motivate even the most ruthless of gangsters into reckless acts of courage and bravery.

©1986 Warren Adler (P)2016 Warren Adler

When All Else Fails, Call In The Mafia!

What would a father do for his family? More importantly, what would a mafia father do for his family? Well, this mobster father, know as the Padre, is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his family. He devises an ingenious plan that will either save his daughter, and grandson or cost him his life, he's going to hold the president hostage!

Once the padre has the president under his control, he uses the additional resources, and political assistance to help devise a plan to force the capturers to release his daughter and grandson. However, once the capturers learn who's daughter they are holding captive, the stakes get even higher. This was good story involving terrorism, politics, suspense, and a few twist.

I'm a big fan of paranormal stories; however, I have to take a break every once in a while and enjoy something different. So when I received the opportunity to listen to We are Holding the President hostage by Warren Adler, I had to listen to the story. Stories including mobster are great, and while they can be ruthless, normally they are a tight knit family, live by their own code of ethics, and you don't want to cross them.

This is the first story I've listened to by Eric, and he did a really good job! He has great voice, and the narration was clear and precise. However, I had to change the speed to 1.25/1.50 as narration seemed slower. Not sure if it was due to the recording or just speaking slower. I would loved to heard a few more accents to help distinguish the different characters, and stronger emotions for the more intense scenes but overall a great performance. I would certainly listen to another story narrated by Eric Bryan Moore.

I really, really liked this book!

What did you love best about We Are Holding the President Hostage?

I loved the performance by Eric Bryan Moore. He made the characters come alive for me and he was easy to follow.

What was one of the most memorable moments of We Are Holding the President Hostage?

The most memorable moments were when the mafia actually got around the president and first lady and successfully carried out the kidnapping. I was on pins and needles!

Which character – as performed by Eric Bryan Moore – was your favorite?

I would say that the President and the Mafia boss were my two favorites.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! It was so hard to put it down because I wanted to see what would happen next and how it would end.

Enjoyed from beginning to end

This book was on my radar for a while, and now I'm just sorry it took me so long to get it and listen. Really enjoyed this book. Normally when you think mafia boss, you think bad guy. But, I really enjoyed The Padre. Loved that the characters weren't one dimensional. The line between bad guy or good guy was blurred, as is true for real life as well. I was engaged from the very beginning to the end. 
And, the narrator did a really great job. He pulls you in and keeps you there as you watch the story unfold. And, he captures the essence of each character. It wasn't a grab you, drag you up, down, and every way through an emotional ringer. But, it is a good, easy, suspenseful listen from beginning to end. J

Great Read, Interest in Politics Not Required!

We Are Holding the President Hostage was first published in 1986, now, 30 years later it is available as an ebook and audiobook.

The story opens in Egypt with the attempted kidnapping of an American Assistant Secretary of State, when this went awry, the terrorists immediately changed plans and kidnapped Maria Michaels and her five year old son Joey who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The kidnapper, Ahmed, has no idea that Maria is the daughter of the very powerful Mafia leader, Salvatore Padronelli “The Padre”.

The Presidents attempts to negotiate freedom for Maria and Joey are failing and the Padre is becoming very impatient.
The Padre holds a meeting and tells his men of his audacious plan.

Meanwhile, at The White House, first lady Amy Bernard is finalising plans for a grand State Dinner.
The evening of the dinner is when the Padre strikes, some of his men, dressed as waiters, snatch the President and hold him hostage in the presidential quarters.
However, things do not proceed as smoothly or as quickly as the Padre had expected.

Meanwhile, Maria and Joey are in captivity with only their basic needs being met, it is quite touching, the way Maria attempts to comfort her son.
Back at the White House it’s interesting to hear of some of the less ethical plans that some of the Presidents men come up with.
The final plan causes the First Lady to doubt her husbands integrity and the tension is building.
Though a little slow to start, this was an exciting read, I couldn’t wait to find out how they would resolve the situation, and there is a little twist in the tail.
I would also recommend it even if the reader has no interest in politics.
Narrator
Eric Bryan Moore has a versatile voice ranging from the trusting to the menacing. His good pace and rhythm carries the story well and makes it an easy listen. He gave a distinct voice to each character of which there were many, the accents, again, quite a few, sounded natural and authentic.
I hope we will be hearing more of him in the future

Audiobook provided by the producer, author or narrator in return for an unbiased review

As timely Today as it was when first published

Would you consider the audio edition of We Are Holding the President Hostage to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the ebook edition. However, I want to now after listening to this Audible version. The story is different enough in regards to characters involved. Good guys? Bad guys? The rules have changed!

What was one of the most memorable moments of We Are Holding the President Hostage?

When the Padre's plan begins to evolve til its conclusion

Which character – as performed by Eric Bryan Moore – was your favorite?

Many are given a fine performance by Bryan Moore. It's more that his performances worked as an ensemble than one character. The Padre, the President, the President's wife, and the Padre's daughter performances stand out. But so do the bad guys.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It took several sessions, the plot was intricate but easy to follow,when I could give it my undivided attention.

Any additional comments?

This book was originally published in 1986! It's as timely today as,it was when first published, in my judgement.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to and review!

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com