When I start a book, I don’t usually flip to read the Acknowledgments at the back. This time, I was curious about the authors. How does a political figure and a mystery writer, both well known in their fields, collaborate? Both with completely different styles of writing and at a distance. The answer: successfully. Clintons knowledge of the machinations of global politics and Penny’s skill with her mystery series created a fascinating ride through political intrigue. Truly a State of Terror.
President Douglas Williams has chosen Ellen Adams for the position of Secretary of State. Previously founding and running a powerful media empire for decades, she and the President definitely do not see eye to eye. An odd appointment but it kept Ellen where the President thought he could control her. She had published unfavourably about him in the past. As the story progresses, her Foreign Service Officer, Anahita Dahir, received a strange text that was initially ignored as spam by one of her superiors, but she did keep a copy. Realizing its importance she pushes past security agents to get the message to her boss. Bus bombings occur in France, Germany and the U.K. that are related to this cryptic message. The terror is that there are more to come, but where and who is responsible! From Washington, D.C. to Oman to Pakistan to Moscow, Ellen Adams, Secretary of State meets with all of the heads of state. She confronts these powerful men with what little she knows and asks questions she wants answered. Seldom alone, she keeps security people close in all of these incredibly dangerous situations. She also keeps her close friend and counsellor, Betsy Jameson with her at all times, or on the other end of her video phone. There are strong female characters are throughout this story, not always on the side of the good guys.
It could be easy to translate this work of fiction into the recent political atmosphere in the U.S. That being said, this story goes much deeper than any political news reports of the day. In her travels, Ellen Adams not only confronts powerful men, but has to respect cultural and political protocols in each country, some related to women and their garb.
Throughout this story of intrigue, there are references to mythological stories like Gilgamesh, a Persian children’s story about the cat and the rat, and the poet John Donne (1572 - 1631). Having read several of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, I could see her hand in the crafting of this book. Spoiler alert: Inspector Gamache and the village of Three Pines play roles in the latter part of this tale of political intrigue and murder.
“This is a work of fiction but the story it tells is all too timely.
It’s up to us to make sure its plot stays fictional.”
~ Hillary Rodham Clinton, State of Terror
Title: State of Terror
Author: Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny
Copyright: 2021 by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Three Pines Creations
Publisher: Simon & Schuster and St. Martin’s Press
Type: Fiction
Format: Novel
ISBN - 978-1-9821-7367-8
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