Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! If you recall from the last book club post, I had read a hilarious bromance mystery novel starring Barack Obama and Joe Biden called Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer. And, today, we will be reviewing the sequel entitled Hope Rides Again – without giving any spoilers away, of course! Let’s get started:

It has been almost a year since Joe Biden and Barack Obama’s whirlwind adventure of solving the mystery of an Amtrak conductor’s murder. Now, the only thing on Joe’s mind is his potential run for president. As per Barack’s invite, Joe ends up at an event in Chicago that his bestie is speaking at so he can rub elbows with people who might endorse him. The schmoozing gets cut short, however, when Barack discovers that his prized Blackberry phone is missing.

The phone is traced to a freight yard and, despite Barack wiping the phone remotely, Joe slips back into amateur detective mode to make sure justice is served. Rather than finding the phone at the freight yard, Joe stumbles onto a crime scene. A young man who is part of Barack’s Rising Stars foundation has been shot and is in critical condition. Who better to solve this mystery than the dream team?

During their investigations, Joe and Barack uncover crooked cops, gang activity, and a stolen shipment container filled with guns. They can trust no one, as law enforcement might be turning a blind eye to the gang responsible. With a young man on death’s door and a huge cache of guns ready to make their way onto the streets, it is up to Joe and Barack to save the day. Can they do it? Read Hope Rides Again to find out!

Guys. I freaking LOVE these books lol. The Obama Biden Mystery series is an absolute riot and Andrew Shaffer is a genius. Although I liked Hope Never Dies better, Hope Rides Again is a solid follow up and is still definitely worth the read. The premise of these books are just so ridiculous. You are not going to get jaw dropping revelations from them but if you are looking to laugh yourself silly, then I can’t recommend the series enough.

Hope Rides Again follows the same format as its predecessor and has Joe as the narrator/Barack’s ride or die. From heartfelt moments between the two, cracks at politicians, and a world to save, the boys are back but not necessarily better than ever. They still end up in life threatening situations even when they think they’re getting a grasp on the whole detective thing!

The sequel is, admittedly, less funny than the first in my opinion – but only slightly. However, as long as Andrew Shaffer keeps cranking out Obama Biden Mysteries, then he will always have me as a customer. Overall, I am going to rate Hope Rides Again with an eight out of ten stars for a strong but not amazing sequel. Here’s to this series becoming a trilogy!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah