Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Release Day Review: Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer


This mystery thriller reunites Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama for a political mashup full of suspense, intrigue, and laugh out loud bromance.

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 novel, Hope Never Dies is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fanfiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs.

"[An] entertaining, offbeat whodunit... Fans of Carl Hiaasen’s comic crime novels will have fun." — Publishers Weekly

"Put on your aviators and grab an ice cream cone—you're in for a hell of an Amtrak ride...and that's no malarkey." — Jeff Wilser, author of The Book of Joe: The Life, Wit, and (Sometimes Accidental) Wisdom of Joe Biden




What I thought about Hope Never Dies

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.

An ARC was provided for review. 


Watch the trailer!




Andrew Shaffer is a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter whose books include the parody Fifty Shames of Earl Grey and the humorous survival guide How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters. His new book, Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery is now available wherever books are sold from Quirk Books and Audible.
More: Wikipedia — Andrew Shaffer • IMDB • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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