Deep State

Fast paced and unpredictable.

This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier. Synopsis: Haley Chill has fought all her life. She left her impoverished, West Virginia childhood behind her to join the army and become a member of the infantry, where she excelled at boxing. She is used to fighting. Now the battlefield is different. Haley has become an intern at the White House. The other interns see her as an outsider without a college degree. However, the newly elected and controversial President Richard Monroe and his chief of staff take a liking to her. When she discovers the chief of staff dead in his house, she finds a single clue that suggests he didn’t die of natural causes. So now, she is fighting not only for her life but for the country she swore to defend. But who can she trust? Review: Chris Hauty has put together the makings of an exciting political thriller. Set in Washington D. C., where the nation’s players seek to protect their power bases and will stop at nothing to guard their fiefdoms. Into this setting comes an intern who is ex-military with no college degree: the first strike against her. Her military training makes her an efficient aide to the chief of staff and the president: more reasons to dislike her. She is loyal to her country and not prepared to let the deep state ruin it. These are reasons enough to kill. While all the elements are there, including some exciting twists, the execution is somewhat lacking. Information dumps diffuse the suspense and feelings of imminent peril. Haley Chill has all the making of a sympathetic protagonist, but her humanity seems shallow for some reason. The result is the book was not a fast passed thrill, and I never quite connected with her. However, it was still an interesting read.

I read this genre a lot. Nothing has really grabbed my attention in a while, but this one did. The ending is superb! Don’t cheat and look ahead. It plays out perfectly.

Was a nice story. Easy to grow to like the main character and world she is in. The twist at the end killed it for me. Was a silly end to what was otherwise an interesting story.

From the first page to the shocking last, I was hooked. I read hundreds of books a year with political thrillers being one of my favorite genres. Looking forward to reading Savage Road!!

The book was interesting at times but seemed a little too shallow and try hard. I was ready for a decent ending but was disappointed when it plunged into an entirely new plot. Not going to read another book in the series.

Too fantastical with many abrupt twists and turns. I didn’t read the last few pages, I just couldn’t take any more. Some good moments early on convinced me to give the book my time, but by the end the convoluted and cutesy twists were too much.

While the intern heroine is quite appealing and has impressive talents, the plot is way too convoluted to be believed. Yes, I know it’s fiction but I need some semblance to reality to read a book like this. I just couldn’t do it.

Not at all a bad read for a first time published author. Grab the lookup tool as you will have to decipher a few words’ meanings if you don’t play crosswords. This work is truly inspired and analogous to the current times. You will feel an instant connection to the plot and main character. Enjoy!

This was an exciting read. The surprise ending caught me completely off guard. You’ll love it. Hope there’s a sequel.