State of Terror, Louise Penny
State of Terror, Louise Penny
100 Rating(s)
List: $29.99 | Sale: $19.79
Club: $14.99

State of Terror

Bestseller

Author: Louise Penny, Hillary Rodham Clinton

Narrator: Joan Allen

Unabridged: 15 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/12/2021


Synopsis

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER​

Named one of the most anticipated novels of the season by People, Associated Press, Time, Los Angeles Times, Parade, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and more.

From the #1 bestselling authors Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny comes a novel of unsurpassed thrills and incomparable insider expertise—State of Terror.

After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone’s surprise the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of secretary of state.

There is no love lost between the president of the United States and Ellen Adams, his new secretary of state. But it’s a canny move on the part of the president. With this appointment, he silences one of his harshest critics, since taking the job means Adams must step down as head of her multinational media conglomerate.

As the new president addresses Congress for the first time, with Secretary Adams in attendance, Anahita Dahir, a young foreign service officer (FSO) on the Pakistan desk at the State Department, receives a baffling text from an anonymous source.

Too late, she realizes the message was a hastily coded warning.

What begins as a series of apparent terrorist attacks is revealed to be the beginning of an international chess game involving the volatile and Byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning rogue terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena.

As the horrifying scale of the threat becomes clear, Secretary Adams and her team realize it has been carefully planned to take advantage of four years of an American government out of touch with international affairs, out of practice with diplomacy, and out of power in the places where it counts the most.

To defeat such an intricate, carefully constructed conspiracy, it will take the skills of a unique team: a passionate young FSO; a dedicated journalist; and a smart, determined, but as yet untested new secretary of state.

State of Terror is a unique and utterly compelling international thriller cowritten by Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 67th secretary of state, and Louise Penny, a multiple award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling novelist.

About Louise Penny

Canadian author, Louise Penny, has been very successful in her career of writing mystery novels. The main character of her novels is francophone Chief InspectorArmand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec. She won several awards for her work, including the Agatha Award for five years, and the Anthony Award five times, as well as publication in 23 languages.

Penny's earlier career was a broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting System after her graduation from college. Many times, she had postings booked far from family and friends, so loneliness became a big problem. She turned to alcohol, until age 35 when she admitted her problem to herself and has been sober since.

After accomplishing sobriety, she met her future husband, Michael Whitehead, who was head of hematology at Montreal's Childrens Hospital. They were married for 20 years, and she described him as a man of kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, and a man of courage and integrity. She lost her beloved husband to dementia in 2016 at age 83. Louise has all of her friends in the village outside of Montreal, along with her golden retrievers to keep her company.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Susan on April 28, 2023

This book interested me because I am a fan of Louise Penny, having read several of her books about Inspector Gamache and Three Pines. Although State of Terror is not her usual detective story, it was very much in Louise Penny's writing style, and I was pleasantly surprised that she was able to incor......more

Goodreads review by Grace on September 16, 2023

Like all the other useless reviews I saw, I haven't read this book. Unlike the others I saw, I'm not going to review something I haven't read. No one cares if you're excited to read it or have prejudged it. This is about reviewing a book on the merits of the book. Well, I've now read the book and tho......more

Goodreads review by Ron on October 12, 2021

At the start of 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton resolved that she would not respond to Donald Trump’s insults. Turns out she was just storing up her responses to unleash in her first novel. There is no shortage of score-settling Washington memoirs, but this must be the first time a major presidential can......more

Goodreads review by Melissa (Semi-hiatus for Work) on December 29, 2021

3.5 stars, rounded up I'm not much for political thrillers, but this one was pretty good. Probably won't go over very well with people who are fans of/loyal to 45, but seeing Clinton's name as author should make those people steer clear. I'm not a Clinton supporter myself, but she is a decent writer......more

Goodreads review by Karen on January 20, 2025

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! UPDATE: On February 21, 2024, I invited some wonderful, dynamic women friends to my home to discuss this book. I was surrounded by brilliant, accomplished conversationalists. The discussion was engaging, captivating, serious and thoughtful. The perfect book to discuss at this......more


Quotes

"Narrator Joan Allen’s portrayal of newly appointed Secretary of State Ellen Adams has echoes of Hillary Clinton herself. Allen’s well-paced reading handily unfurls this roller-coaster thriller as Ellen contends with terrorist acts AND the backbiting and political maneuverings of White House leaders."