State of Terror
Hillary Rodham Clinton
From the #1 bestselling authors Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny comes a novel of unsurpassed thrills and incomparable insider expertise—State of Terror. State of Terror follows a novice Secretary of State who has joined the administration of her rival, a president inaugurated after four years of American leadership that shrank from the world stage. A series of terrorist attacks throws the global order into disarray, and the secretary is tasked with assembling a team to unravel the deadly conspiracy, a scheme carefully designed to take advantage of an American government dangerously out of touch and out of power in the places where it counts the most. more
495 pages, Hardcover
First published Simon & Schuster
4.1
Rating
75810
Ratings
8766
Reviews
Hillary Rodham Clinton
127 books 2829 followers
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) was the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the cabinet of President Barack Obama. In 2016, she became the first woman in U.S. history to win a major party's presidential nomination, and the first woman to win the popular vote in a presidential race - despite losing the election.She was a Senator from the state of New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd, President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, Hillary served as First Lady from 1993 to 2001. In the 2008 election Clinton was a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
A native of Illinois, Hillary Rodham attracted national attention in 1969 when she was chosen by her peers to be the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley College. As a graduate of Yale Law School, Class of 1973, she served temporarily as a Congressional legal counsel. Rodham moved to Arkansas in 1974, marrying Bill Clinton a year later. Hillary Rodham Clinton co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in 1977, and became the first female chair of the Legal Services Corporation in 1978. Named the first female partner at Rose Law Firm in 1979, she was twice listed as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. First Lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992 with husband Bill as Governor, Clinton successfully led a task force to reform Arkansas's education system. She has served on the board of directors of Wal-Mart as well as several other prominent corporations.
In 1994 as First Lady of the United States, her major initiative, the Clinton health care plan, failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress. However, in 1997 and 1999, Clinton played a role in advocating for the establishment of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act. Her time as First Lady drew a polarized response from the American public. She is the only First Lady to have been subpoenaed, testifying before a federal grand jury in 1996 due to the Whitewater controversy, but was never charged with any wrongdoing in this or any of the other investigations during her husband's administration. The state of her marriage was the subject of considerable speculation following the Lewinsky scandal in 1998 that spurred Articles of Impeachment to be issued against her husband, Bill Clinton.
In January of 2000, Clinton was elected as senator to the State of New York after moving to the small suburban hamlet of Chappaqua in Westchester County. That election marked the first time an American First Lady had run for public office; Clinton was also the first female senator to represent New York. In the Senate, she initially supported the Bush administration on some foreign policy issues, including a vote for the Iraq War Resolution, subsequently opposing the administration on its conduct of the war in Iraq, and most domestic issues. Senator Clinton was re-elected by a wide margin in 2006. In the 2008 presidential nomination race, Hillary Clinton won more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history, but narrowly lost to Senator Barack Obama. As Secretary of State, Clinton became the first former First Lady to serve in a president's cabinet
Community reviews
The politics that have skewed these reviews are disgusting. Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton are close friends, FYI. Don’t want to read it. Fine. But remove your ratings and comments that lack any objectivity. more
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 incorporate some of Three Pines into this book. Also, it was touching that she modeled the role of Michael Whitehead after her husband who had passed away. I will say that as far as a political thriller goes, it is really frightening. The story line was clearly created by Hilary Clinton using her vast knowledge of the inner circle at the White House and foreign affairs. more
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 thoroughly enjoyed it. more
Separately, I really think both Penny and Clinton are great writers, but in my opinion a fictional political thriller wasn't a great choice for either one of them. Penny's Armand Gamache series does at times have political intrigue involved in the plot but it's not the real focus. I feel the primary reason people keep reading that series is for the lovable/quirky townspeople of Three Pines. None of that light-hearted, fuzzy feeling associated with her usual characters can be seen anywhere in this book and it painfully shows. The character of Betsy (ignoring the easter-egg appearances) is as close as we get to it, and that's not nearly close enough. more
I’m not a fan of thrillers, so kudos to Clinton and Penny for creating one that immediately grabbed my attention and never let it go. I tore through this book. Clinton’s experience as Secretary of State shines through. Couple that with Penny’s ability to create characters that come through as real, fully fleshed out characters and it’s a winner. My dislike for most thrillers is become they always feel so unbelievable. more
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 candidate has conducted a political assassination via a thriller. “State of Terror,” written with best-selling crime writer Louise Penny, is part entertainment, part roman à clef and all payback. Lightly cloaked in the guise of fiction, Clinton’s onetime opponent appears in these pages as careless, stupid, dangerous and traitorous. more
Let me cut to the chase and say that this was a totally legit political thriller. And far superior to anything produced by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, FWIW. No, I stayed up past 1:00am to finish the book because I needed to know how it ended. Now, I don't know if it's fair to compare the two Clintons' literary endeavors because it's not an even playing field. Louise Penny is a far more gifted novelist than James Patterson. more
3. 5 stars, rounded upI'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 and I love Louise Penny, and loved the inclusion of Three Pines, Gamache, and others from her series. Overall, this is a fast paced, globe-trotting whirlwind of a story, chasing terrorists, bombers, and high level informants. more
Oh my godddddd. This book is an absolute dream collaboration between two amazing women. Well-paced, exciting, tons of surprises, and a whole lot of squee for Louise Penny fans especially. 1000+ ⭐️. more
2. 5 stars rounded to 3. I was pleased to learn that Louise Penny and Hilary Clinton were collaborating on a political thriller. I preordered this book well in advance. I regret to say that although it contained much intrigue and action, it failed to captivate me. more
Louise Penny returns with high-profile story collaborator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to create a strong international thriller that pushes the boundaries at every turn. In a story that has some subtle (and not so) references to the previous US Administration, as well as Clinton’s work as Secretary of State, the plot inches forward in a stunning manner. A few terrorist attacks in Europe turn the world’s eyes towards a group that seeks to topple all that is held dear. When the newly-minted Secretary of State is sent to handle the situation, truths emerge about future attacks on American soil, which could have drastic outcomes. Fighting against time and a blur of information, truths will have to emerge before America is again the victim of a horrible attack on its own soil. more
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 time. more
3. 5 starsAuthors Hillary Rodham Clinton (left) and Louise PennyFor this thriller, Hillary Rodham Clinton drew on her experience as U. S. Secretary of State and Louise Penny on her talent as a mystery writer to craft a tale about a Secretary of State trying to stop nuclear terrorists from exploding bombs in American cities. The twist - a traitor in the upper echelons of the U. more
I look forward to reading it because the inside knowledge Hillary Clinton offers. I am rating it five stars to try to counterbalance the preemptive one-star reviews by people who hate HRC. more
Louise Penny has always been one of my favorite crime writers and I was curious to see if she could make the transition to political thriller--a genre I'm not overly fond of. Never having read any of Hillary Rodham Clinton's books, I didn't know what to expect from her. As my star rating indicates, this read turned out to be a satisfying collaboration in a genre neither of them had previously tackled. The story is riveting and there is even a wink and a nod to Penny's crime series that blends in nicely. Newly elected president Douglas Williams selects an unlikely person, media mogul Ellen Adams, to be his new Secretary of State. more
I don’t like Louise Penny books, they are too cozy and boring for me, and read this one only because of Hillary Clinton. I’ve also read the 2 James Patterson/Bill Clinton collaborations and found them much more entertaining than this book. Hillary has a huge axe to grind and, while I completely agree with her assessment of Trump as a dangerous fool, this book was extremely heavy handed and there was too much about politics and the prior administration. It cluttered up what should have been a suspenseful thriller. I almost stopped reading in the first chapter when the authors wrote “… he kissed her so hard their teeth collided…” Then in chapter three, a junior foreign officer and her journalist boyfriend were “stealing away” and she was “feeling his hard body inside hers”. more
I read this book. Was terribly disappointed. I adore the books written by Louise Penny and eagerly awaited this book to read the collaboration with Hillary Clinton. The story line is convoluted, confusing, repetitive and tortuous. How many times do I need to read that Ellen Adams is the surprise appointment of Secretary of State by the President Elect, and read various characters discussing why the President would choose her. more
I was sadly disappointed with this book. Louise Penny, did you stretch yourself too thin getting two books out in the same season. Did you rush to publication without sufficient time for revision. My husband and I did this as a read aloud on this past week's road trip, so you get both of our perspectives on this novel. We tend to read different genres, so we picked this book as one we could both agree on. more
Can’t wait to read this book. These types of mysteries are my favorite kind. This one is promising :)Edit: just finished it and I LOVED IT. Couldn't put it down, obviously. more
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first saw that Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton had teamed up to write State of Terror. At first, I felt skeptical about wanting to read this book but my curiosity won out. I actually listened the audio CD that was read by Joan Allen. State of Terror was most definitely a plot driven novel. It was fast paced, gripping and even suspenseful at times. more
I just finished STATE OF TERROR by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny, so good I couldn't put it down and hated to be finished. There’s so much to ponder and love, politics domestic and foreign, layers of mystery, family ties, tension, humor. It’s twisty and complicated, with surprises at every turn but clarity in the writing. Whom to trust. Whom to fear. more
Were there problems with this book. Sure. Did I stay up way too late and finish the book in less than a day. Also yes. Think of this book as a girl power-ed Jack Ryan. more
No, I didn't read the book. I adore Penny's Gamache series. Her novels have it all. quirky characters, rich character development, humor, intrigue, mystery, sadness, hopefulness. Her talent is undeniable. more
4. 5 starsState of Terror turned out to be the savvy political thriller I didn't know I either needed or wanted. For me, this book covered almost the entire gamut of possible emotions or reactions. I laughed out loud, I shed a tear or two, I smirked, I scoffed. I was on the edge of my seat, I was bored, I was impressed, I was discontented. more
I actually read the Hillary Rodham Clinton Louise Penny book. I think if people like Louise Penny books and don’t hate Hillary Clinton they’re going to like this book. If they don’t like Hillary Clinton they’re not going like this book. The main character is a secretary of state who definitely resembles her. The book storyline is more of a Democratic storyline than a Republican storyline including about the past president in the book. more
2. 5-Stars: "It Was Ok", but not worthy of a 'rounding up'. State of Terror - Hillary Rodham Clinton/Louise PennyAudiobook: 15:41 Hours - Narrator: Joan AllenFrom my Reading Activity:March 18 @ 24%: "I'm not quite sure about this one yet, but I am encouraged to push on by what I have heard so far. "March 19 @ 39%: "I think this book is becoming somewhat tedious. There is a lack of plausibility, particularly in regard to the incompetence of previous administration officials, including a former president, which surprises me, coming from Clinton. more
I read 'The President's daughter is missing' by James Patterson and Bill Clinton, loved it however boys move over because these ladies have done it in spades. What a book. I knew it would be good because Louise Penny is a great author and Hillary R. Clinton has been in the political world for years, also author, both are intelligent women however I didn't realize just how good it would be. It was FANTASTIC, fast paced, political thriller. more
A thrilling political page turner that kept me up past my bedtime & screwed with my normal morning routine (still no coffee). I imagine many will hate this book without even reading it due to Hillary Clinton being one of the authors but it’s their loss. She and Louise Penny have collaborated on a tightly paced, highly suspenseful novel that examines the underlining unrest and evil in our world. I’m sure Clinton’s time as Secretary of State influenced and gave real legitimacy to the Ellen Adam’s character. That alone is what gives this novel a sense of reality and frightening possibility. more
The book grabbed me from the start. The story was interesting as were the characters. The book was written before the pullout from Afghanistan. I found it interesting how right on some of the comments in the book were and what actually happened when the Taliban moved in. It was more interesting to me that some of the key people in the book were based on real people. more
I am disappointed that my favorite author has teamed with Ms. Clinton. I will not read this book. more