Review of STATE OF TERROR by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

 3.5 Stars

I don’t usually read political thrillers, but I was intrigued to see the result of a writing collaboration between these two women.  Though entertaining, the book is uneven.

Ellen Adams, a former media magnate, has been appointed Secretary of State in the administration of President Doug Williams.  Three bombings occur in three European cities, and Ellen is soon criss-crossing the globe trying to find who is responsible and to prevent bombings in the U.S. when it seems that terrorists have acquired nuclear weapons.

From the beginning, I had difficulty accepting that someone with no political or diplomatic experience would be chosen for the position of Secretary of State.  The suggestion is that the President appointed “his most vocal, most vicious adversary” to a high-level cabinet position because he wanted revenge:  he expected her to be publically humiliated when she failed miserably at her job.  Perhaps I’m politically naïve, but would a President do that since her failure would reflect badly on and perhaps prove disastrous to his administration as well?

Quite often, the reader is expected to suspend disbelief.  Ellen’s best friend Betsy, a retired teacher, serves as her personal counselor.  Obviously, Ellen wants someone she trusts to be her confidante, but would a person in such a role be allowed the access she has and to actively take part in political and diplomatic missions?  Likewise, Ellen would be allowed to take her daughter, now the head of Ellen’s media empire, on such missions?  She also brings along a junior foreign service officer and knowingly places her in danger?  Other of Ellen’s tactics, like blackmailing a head of state, stretch credibility. 

Then there are the chance events and coincidences.  Not one but two cell phones run out of battery power.  A young woman is both the love interest of Ellen’s son and related to people at the heart of international events?  Would a person in Iran know so much about a relative in the U.S. with whom there has been no contact?  And the connections to the small village of Three Pines in Quebec and Inspector Gamache are just too much! 

Characterization favours women.  The females tend to be courageous, determined, and intelligent; it is they who save the world.  Most of the men are secretive and often deceitful and treacherous.  Strong prejudices against women abound.  I appreciate the pro-female perspective, but would prefer a more balanced portrayal. 

In terms of the characterization of the previous President, there is no mistaking that the disparaging portrayal of Eric Dunn is a depiction and character assassination of Donald Trump.  His pre-presidency days are described:  “his empire had grown, then crumbled, then rose again.  Each time more audacious.  More bloated.  More fragile.”  During his term, people were “punished for revealing anything resembling a fact, never mind the truth” because “Total loyalty to President Dunn and his decisions, no matter how ego-driven and uninformed and outright dangerous they were, had been demanded.”  After losing the election, Dunn lives in Florida and spends his time golfing.  There’s even a reference to his “big gold door” which can only be a nod to the 24-carat gold door in Trump’s New York apartment.

Other characters are also barely veiled references to world leaders.  The British Prime Minister is described with “hair askew, as always.”  The Russian President has a video showing him “bare-chested on that horse.”  Could the woman who is Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs be based on Chrystia Freeland?  Interestingly, there is no usual disclaimer that all characters are fictional and any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental.

Part of the message of the book is that Trump’s incompetent leadership has had devastating long-term repercussions.   Ellen finds allies do not trust Americans, “Not after the debacle of the past four years.” Trump’s abandonment of the Iran Nuclear Deal is criticized:  “As long as Iran was part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and allowed in UN inspectors, we were pretty sure their program had stopped.  But since the . . . administration threw it out . . .”  The Doha Agreement signed by Trump regarding the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is denounced:  “It was done without a plan, without getting anything in return.  Nothing was put in place to make sure all the gains, the hard-won stability, our intelligence and counterintelligence and counterterrorism capabilities would be maintained.  Under the . . . plan a vacuum was created.  One the Taliban is happy to fill.”

As expected with a thriller, this book is plot driven.  The plot, though convoluted, basically relies on the race against time trope:  the protagonist must prevent a catastrophe put into motion by some evil villain.  Disaster is averted only in the last seconds.  Obviously, there is a great deal of suspense, especially because there are surprise twists. 

Readers of thrillers will probably enjoy this novel.  I found it uneven in quality, but it is entertaining.  Of course it is based on enough real events and facts that Hillary’s last comments in her Acknowledgments are somewhat chilling:  “Finally, 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.”