First Daughter is the first book in the Jack McClure series by Eric Van Lustbader. It’s another political series featuring a “Jack” as the main character.
In First Daughter, Alli Carson—the teenage daughter of the next president-elect—goes missing right before her father is sworn in as POTUS. Her dad, Edward Carson, asks his old friend Special Agent Jack McClure to help find her. POTUS thinks McClure is right for the job because Alli used to be best friends with his daughter Emma before she died in a car accident.
McClure investigates Alli’s disappearance, while POTUS goes after an atheistic terrorist group he thinks is responsible for Alli’s abduction. McClure, who also suffers from dyslexia, welcomes the case, as it distracts him from thinking about Emma. He stops at nothing to find and rescue Alli.
First Daughter wasn’t too exciting. It’s nothing I haven’t read before in the way of political thrillers, and the writing was subpar. The religious sub-plot is annoying, and the rest of it is ridiculous and over the top. It’s too melodramatic.
I think it’s weird how McClure’s dyslexia is seemingly glorified, and gives him the power to see his dead daughter’s ghost. It also makes him especially awesome at being a special agent, apparently.
Also, there’s nothing exciting about Alli’s case of Stockholm Syndrome. All in all, I’d recommend skipping this series and reading another “Jack” series, like Jack Ryan or Jack Reacher. They’re way better.
There are 5 books total in the Jack McClure series. The ones that come after First Daughter are:
- Last Snow (2010)
- Blood Trust (2011)
- Father Night (2012)
- Beloved Enemy (2013)
What did you think about First Daughter?
Last Updated on January 11, 2026 by Sarah Ann
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