State of Terror

A Novel

By: Louise Penny, Hillary Rodham Clinton

Narrated by: Joan Allen

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 powerin 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.

Critic reviews

"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."

Good book but horrible reader

The book was well-written and engaging. The reader is terrible. Her phrasing is off. I can’t believe these two authors would practically ruin their book by having this reader perform the book.

Good story, disappointing narration

The story was on a par with what you expect from Louise Penny, the political atmosphere is what you might expect from Clinton, but the performance is not what I’ve come to expect from a good audiobook. Not much difference between characters’ voices for one thing.

Urgently timely.

I read this when first published. In the intervening time the threat has risen to the hights described in this work of prophetic fiction. A definite must read or listen to , preferably before November of 2024.

Not your run-of-the-mill "Who done it?"

The political intrigue mixed with suspense and excellent character development are this book's strong suite. Lured by Clinton's name on the cover but now can't wait to become a Louise Penny fan. I recommend this book to any political wonk or aspiring political science major as well as readers looking for a different approach to terror too close to reality to not be concerned about the world we live in. This book could become the first in a series starring the brilliant Secretary of State, or another cabinet secretary--perhaps a new genre has been created. I look forward to more from Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny because their collaboration seems to be the golden ticket for readers. The parallels to the last five years and the previous White House bungling and ignorant administration are uncanny and right on target hitting the current administration military debacle as well. This book was probably in press when the real withdrawal from Afghanistan took place.

Riveting

This whodunit played out on a global stage, had me rooted to the story from cover to cover. It was at its essence a classic thriller, but with the insider experience of the workings of government and diplomacy from our former Secretary of State. Still, with the modern peril of terrorism in our daily lives, it felt real and foreboding. I most enjoyed, though, the personal relationship between Ellen, the story's Secretary of State, and Betsy, her lifelong friend. And, finally, here was a suspense story in which a female protagonist solved the puzzle and also, didn't need a gun to do it! The challenge in this book was in keeping track of multiple locations and a near constant addition of characters as the narrative shifted point of view from one chapter to the next. As captivated as I felt by this story, the length (45 chapters) asked for a lot of commitment from readers.