The Second Lady
Encyclopedia
The Second lady is a political thriller
by Irving Wallace
. During a good-will visit to the Soviet Union
, the American president's wife is kidnapped and replaced with a Russian spy who is visibly indistinguishable from the first lady. The Soviets need a spy close to the president in order to learn the weaknesses of an American-backed regime in Africa
that is currently the focus of a stand off between the superpowers. Ultimately, the Soviets decide to kill both the spy and the president's real wife using explosives. The plan is only partly successful - one of the women survives, but it is not clear which. The reader is left to decide whether the woman who returns to the president is indeed his real wife or the spy.
Political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. They usually involve various extra-legal plots, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him. They can involve national or international political scenarios....
by Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. Wallace was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. One critic described him "as the most successful of all the many exponents of junk fiction perhaps because he took it all so seriously, not so say...
. During a good-will visit to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the American president's wife is kidnapped and replaced with a Russian spy who is visibly indistinguishable from the first lady. The Soviets need a spy close to the president in order to learn the weaknesses of an American-backed regime in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
that is currently the focus of a stand off between the superpowers. Ultimately, the Soviets decide to kill both the spy and the president's real wife using explosives. The plan is only partly successful - one of the women survives, but it is not clear which. The reader is left to decide whether the woman who returns to the president is indeed his real wife or the spy.