#BlogTour State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton

 It's truly a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

'When an ingenious #1 bestselling novelist, known for her rich themes, riveting plots, and empathetic characters, and one of the world’s most experienced leaders with inside knowledge on the global power players from top to bottom, team up to write a novel, the result is STATE OF TERROR, by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny.' 

About the Author/s

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first woman in US history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party. She served as the 67th Secretary of State after nearly four decades in public service advocating on behalf of children and families as an attorney, First Lady, and US Senator. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of seven previous books, all published by Simon & Schuster. Follow @HillaryClinton on Twitter

Louise Penny is an international award winning and bestselling author whose books have hit #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail lists.  Her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels, published by Minotaur Books, an imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group, have been translated into 31 languages.  In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise Penny lives in a village south of Montréal. Visit louisepenny.com

About the book

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 influence 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 and her best friend and counsellor.

State of Terror takes readers around the globe, through palaces and marble hallways, mountain caves and hotels, deserts and the gritty streets of the world’s cities, in a race-against-the-clock struggle to untangle the threads of a terror campaign and stop those bent on death and destruction. 

Review

In a ruthless and cleverly planned political move Ellen Adams has made the choice to be the secretary of state for her political rival, but power means silence, because above all a loyal front must be presented to the world. The cost is high though, especially when give and take seems a little lopsided.

Before long she is drawn into a dark, manipulative conspiracy and plot, which threatens the country an people she values the most. A plot that draws its web across borders and through many countries.

It's not an easy thing to do, write a novel with another author or writer. Writing styles can make the read seem disjointed and alternate voices can be distinctly heard. Luckily Penny and Rodham Clinton fit together like a hand in a glove, so much so that the two entities are barely discernible, which means the story flows well.

Saying that, what the story definitely profits from is the very particular type of insight the experienced politician and stateswoman brings to the table. Giving the reader a look into a world the majority of us will never experience, and now and again there's a wee glimpse at the secrets behind the closed doors. I think it gives this political thriller an edge.

The combination of experienced storyteller and a woman who has earned her place in history, both iconic women in their own right, make this a perfect collaboration. Truth, reality, fact and fiction travel quite closely together on this rollercoaster of a read. Based on the last page, one can only hope this book is the first of many by the two of them. If this is the beginning of a series, I for one will be waiting with bated breath for the next one. It's a cracking read.

Buy State of Terror at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Pan MacMillan: pub date 12th October 2021 - Hardback £20. Also available in E book and Audiobook read by Joan Allen. Buy at Amazon com. At Waterstones.

#BlogTour The Beijing Conspiracy by Shamini Flint

 

It's my turn and the last day on the BlogTour The Beijing Conspiracy by Shamini Flint.

About the Author

Shamini Flint was born and brought up in Malaysia. Having studied law at Cambridge University, she travelled extensively throughout Asia for her work as a corporate lawyer, before becoming a writer, part-time lecturer and environmental activist. Shamini now lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. She is the author of the highly acclaimed Inspector Singh mystery series.

Follow Shamini on Facebook, Visit shaminiflintbooks.com

About the book

A long-lost daughter. An explosive secret. A lethal conspiracy.

Ex-Delta Force soldier Jack Ford is trying to put the past behind him. But when he receives a letter from someone he hasn't spoken to in thirty years, claiming he has a daughter, he can't resist investigating for himself.

Soon he's on a plane to China, a country he hasn't returned to since witnessing the atrocities of the Tiananmen Square massacre. But on his search he stumbles upon a document which both the Chinese and American governments are desperately chasing. Now Jack is trapped in an impossible dilemma: save his daughter or prevent a new world war where thousands will lose their lives.

Review

Jack Ford has never really put the events of the Tiananmen Massacre behind him. The images, the flashbacks and the decisions of those days still haunt him. They are brought back to the forefront of his daily life when he receives a request for help from someone he left behind in China and his alleged daughter. It means having to immerse himself back into the ruthless political machinations of a regime that doesn't stand for any opposition - ever.

This book is especially poignant given that the anniversary of the Tiananmen Incident is looming. It's hard to believe it has already been over three decades. I recently watched an interview with one of the leaders of the protesters who was lucky enough to survive and escape. He hasn't seen his family in three decades, can't return to China - for obvious reasons - and his family isn't allowed to leave China. 

He made a really important point - the young protesters were absolutely convinced they would be able to sway both public and government opinion by standing up for their rights and against the oppressive regime. Instead the protest and subsequent massacre was used as a tool to instill fear and even more oppressive measures on the country. It signaled a significant change in the way the authoritative rule governed and controlled the people of China.

It's a captivating political thriller with aspects of espionage, which is based on the factual events of the Tiananmen Incident and the mystery of the Tank Man, who becomes the centre of this story. I actually enjoyed the way the author took this Kodak moment in history and built a story around the identity and mystery of said man.

Buy The Beijing Conspiracy at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published in paperback format by Black Thorn Books on 4th March 2021. Buy at Amazon com. At Waterstones. At Foyles. At Hive.

#BlogTour A Time to Lie by Simon Berthon

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour A Time to Lie by Simon Berthon

About the Author

Simon Berthon worked at the top of the television industry for nearly four decades as an executive producer, producer, director, and writer. He was a founding partner and Chief Executive of the successful independent production company, 3BM Television, and was Vice-Chair of Directors UK from 2007-2011. Dividing his time between London and Wiltshire, he now writes thrillers and works independently as a freelance executive producer and consultant.

Simon has written three non-fiction books to tie in with his award-winning television programmes. In 2016, he wrote his first thriller which was fiercely fought over by agents and publishers and came out as Woman of State in 2018 (it was retitled in paperback as A Secret worth Killing For). He has since written The Inquiry  (published 2019) and his third thriller, A Time to Lie, is published in December 2020. 

Follow @simonberthon on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit simonberthon.com, Buy A Time to Lie

About the book

A divisive prime minister. A long-buried body. A plot to bring him down…The bigger the secret the more dangerous it is to lie…

On the morning of the Tory Party conference, the bones of a young woman’s hand are discovered in a London building site.

Jed Fowkes, Special Adviser at the Treasury, confronts Prime Minister Robin Sandford with a terrible accusation. He claims the hand belongs to someone they once knew well: a young woman whom Sandford murdered years ago.

With his career on the brink of ruin, the Prime Minister’s only hope is to enlist the unofficial help of MI5. A decision which leads him into a new world of espionage, illegal trafficking and murder. And the deeper he goes, the more treacherous the game becomes. Because now it’s not just his life on the line; it’s the future of the state itself 

Review

When a body or part of a body is uncovered someone starts to panic about the consequences. At the same time it is just the right leverage to get powerful people to do exactly what others want.

Set to the backdrop of a fictional Britain changed and jaded by the political grandstanding, false promises and ramifications of privileged men, the current Prime Minister has reason to be worried about an old friend popping up accusing him of the worst crime. He is eager to keep his nose and name clean and not to go under with the dregs of society. 

Quine is hired to give the PM a nice little PR job in the form of a biography in order to make him shine brighter than the full moon. Not an easy task when there are ruthless powers willing to destroy the very basis of democracy to achieve their goal. But then perhaps the PM isn't as squeaky clean as everyone thinks he is.

I have to say the underlying political story is very much an accurate description of the last few years. Berthon is right on the mark and as sharp as a knife. A political commentary and plot that reflects the manipulation, idiocy and grandstanding, which has and will change the landscape and fragile peace forged by and with the blood of others.

In combination with political power games and a possible career changing crime Berthon gives readers a sharp-tongued read with plenty of machinations and betrayals.

Buy A Time to Lie at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 10 Dec. 2020. At Hive. At Bookshop.org.

#BlogTour The Glass Diplomat by S.R. Wilsher

Today It's my turn on the BlogTour for The Glass Diplomat by S.R. Wilsher. It's a story of political machinations, revenge, history and also one about love. You can also enter a Giveaway by commenting on this post to win 1 x Paperback copy of The Glass Diplomat  - (the Giveaway is open Internationally).

About the Author
'It didn’t occur to me to write until I was twenty-two, prompted by reading a disappointing book by an author I’d previously liked. I wrote thirty pages of a story I abandoned because it didn’t work on any level. I moved on to a thriller about lost treasure in Central America; which I finished, but never showed to anyone. Two more went the way of the first, and I forgave the author.

After that I became more interested in people-centric stories. I also decided I needed to get some help with my writing, and studied for a degree with the OU. I chose Psychology partly because it was an easier sell to my family than Creative Writing. But mainly because it suited the changing tastes of my writing. When I look back, so many of my choices have been about my writing.

I’ve been writing all my adult life, but nine years ago I had a kidney transplant which interrupted my career, to everyone’s relief. It did mean my output increased, and I developed a work plan that sees me with two projects on the go at any one time. Although that has taken a hit in recent months as I’m currently renovating a house and getting to know my very new granddaughter.

I write for no other reason than I enjoy it deeply. I like the challenge of making a story work. I get a thrill from tinkering with the structure, of creating characters that I care about, and of manipulating a plot that unravels unpredictably, yet logically. I like to write myself into a corner and then see how I can escape. To me, writing is a puzzle I like to spend my time trying to solve.' - S.R. Wilsher

Follow @SrWilsher

Visit srwilsher.com

Buy The Glass Diplomat

About the book
In 1973 Chile, as General Augusto Pinochet seizes power, thirteen-year-old English schoolboy Charlie Norton watches his father walk into the night and never return. Taken in by diplomat, Tomas Abrego, his life becomes intricately linked to the family.

Despite his love for the Abrego sisters, he’s unable to prevent Maria falling under the spell of a left-wing revolutionary, or Sophia from marrying the right-wing Minister of Justice.

His connection to the family is complicated by the growing impression that Tomas Abrego was somehow involved in his father’s disappearance.

As the conflict of a family divided by politics comes to a head on the night of the 1989 student riots, Charlie has to act to save the sisters from an enemy they cannot see.

Review
There is this side to Charlie, which I think is inherent in the majority of  journalists who live in or come from countries under a democratic rule, an almost childlike naiveté that their homeland rules and laws build an invisible shield around them and will keep them safe. Nothing could be further from the truth, and also one of the reasons many of them are murdered doing their jobs.

Journalists or just people in general, who live in countries governed by oppressive regimes and police states, know they have targets on their back when they speak out against said regimes. The voice of freedom, of rebellion and of justice comes with a heavy price.

Although Charlie is understandably driven by the unofficial death of his father, and the blatant theft of any property or wealth he had at the time of his disappearance, I think his sense for self-preservation is clouded by this pseudo familial attachment he has to the Abrego family. The truth is that when it comes down to the nitty-gritty everyone will look to save themselves and their loved own ones first.

In one of the chapters Charlie interviews a known rebel against the cause. Encarro's father is also a victim of the Chilean regime, which is probably the reason both men can lay their differences aside for a moment. Charlie asks him why the regime doesn't silence all of their opposition and critical voices, to which Encarro replies that the government needs to give the appearance that they allow some voices to criticise as long as they don't go too far. It gives the rest of the world the impression that they are indeed open to critical views, that the horror stories are merely propaganda, which in turn means the international world is satisfied and looks in the other direction.

The Chilean government has only recognised and admitted to their hand in the deaths and torture of over 40000 deaths, during the regime of the dictator Pinochet, including '88 children younger than 12 years old' from 1973 onwards. The real numbers are a lot higher and that doesn't account for the unaccounted disappeared victims or the the exiled. The military government of Chile committed systematic human rights violations, including, torture, rape and psychological damage, during the 17 year reign of Pinochet.

During his attempt to discover the truth and right some wrongs Charlie inadvertently sets a series of events in motion, which culminate in the most horrifying of consequences, but apparently one the head of the Abrego family is willing to accept.

This is stunning read, and one that may make you feel angry and powerless. As we look on as the same atrocities happen on our doorstep, which the Western world has often done and will probably always do. More concerned with our own profits and machinations to intercede on the behalf of the vulnerable. People are quick to forget mass-murder and genocide committed under our noses as I am writing this or only a few decades ago. Instead we point towards horrors a lot further back, perhaps in an attempt to negate the truth that power reigns supreme and always supersedes the right of the single human being.

It's a story of trauma, justice and also of love. It is also a story of culpability. Are your hands less dirty than the person doing the killing, if you are the one ordering it or more importantly enabling the murder? Or looking the other way whilst someone else is committing the atrocities?

I will leave you with this sentence from the book, which when considering the implications is truly an indication of the horror the people left behind experience on a loop for the rest of their lives.
'Disappeared is a much worse evil than death'

Buy The Glass Diplomat at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Buy The Glass Diplomat at Amazon Com

Enter the Giveaway by commenting on this post to win 1 x Paperback copy of The Glass Diplomat  - (the Giveaway is open Internationally).

You can also enter the Giveaway on the following blogs on this BlogTour:

lauramorningstar.com (22nd of August 2018) and bookreviewsbyjasmine.blogspot.com (23rd of August 2018)

#BlogTour The Benevolent Dictator by Tom Trott

It's my turn on the BlogTour for The Benevolent Dictator by Tom Trott. It's a clever little tongue-in-cheek political thriller with a very poignant message.

About the Author
Tom Trott was born in Brighton. He first started writing at Junior School, where he and a group of friends devised and performed comedy plays for school assemblies, much to the amusement of their fellow pupils. Since leaving school and growing up to be a big boy, he has written a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival; he has written Daye's Work, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel, and he has won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest. He is the proverbial Brighton rock, and currently lives in the city with his wife.

Follow @tjtrott on Twitter
Connect with tomtrottbooks on Facebook
Visit tomtrott.com
Buy The Benevolent Dictator

About the book
Ben longs to be prime minister one day. But with no political connections, he is about to crash out of a Masters degree with no future ahead. So when by chance he becomes fast friends with a young Arab prince, and is offered a job in his government, he jumps at the chance to get on the political ladder.

Amal dreads the throne. And with Ben’s help he wants to reform his country, steering it onto a path towards democracy. But with the king’s health failing, revolutionaries in the streets, and terrorism threatening everyone, the country is ready to tear itself apart.

Alone in a hostile land, Ben must help Amal weigh what is best against what is right, making decisions that will risk his country, his family, and his life.

Review
Ben is a boy, filled with the naiveté of a well-educated young man, who believes he can change centuries of oppression merely by being present. No different from any other idealist or any other young person, who has yet to comprehend that the world does not revolve around his or her persona, desires and expectations in life.

Ben inadvertently ends up in the middle of a contentious political skirmish merely because his uni friend asks him to become his political advisor, and a friend in the midst of a nest of vipers.

There is an interesting TV series, which mirrors the true life events of a certain dictator and his son. A son who was raised and schooled amongst the most elite of the British regime. When said son returns with his democratic upbringing and thought processes he plans to change his country and the autocratic rule they have lived under for many decades. What happens instead is that the man raised with western values slowly but surely morphs into his own cultural values and into the dictator his father was before him.

Bearing in mind how different and complex the Western democracy is from non-democratic countries, it is almost colonial thinking that presumes to change these existing systems merely based on the audacity and presumptuous attitude of democracies deciding they need to change every country to reflect their values.

Not that I don't wish human, civil, basic rights and equal opportunities and safety for all genders in every country, it is just unrealistic and very Victorian to push it on unwilling populations, especially when there is a basic lack of understanding of different cultures.

Although Amal may have the best intentions he lacks the experience to comprehend the intricate political scheming going on around him and behind him. Lacking the objectivity and refusing to believe his situation as the heir is anything other than set in stone and tenable, he ignores the machinations going on around him.

Trott gives an accurate representation of why the democratic countries who think they can save countries under dictatorships or communist regimes either fail or end up making the situation worse. There is a lack of basic understanding of non-Western cultures. In this sense Ben represents the countries, who end up chasing their tail or being helicoptered out of war skirmishes, and leaving the stirred pot to their own devices and demise.

The title Benevolent Dictator is of course a paradox. A dictator is by virtue of the fact he or she decides everything for all of their people regardless of whether they like it or not, never benevolent. It's a clever little tongue-in-cheek political thriller with a very poignant message.

Buy The Benevolent Dictator at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Indecent by Ethan Brant

Brant weaves the criminal element of the Yugoslav Wars into the story and life of his main character. Zlatan is recruited from inside a prison cell, but his so-called freedom has a high price.

He essentially becomes the lap-dog of the people who have freed him. They can demand his obedience at any time. To kill, to stalk and to destroy. He is their personal pawn.

Often it seems as if Zlatan is having a dialogue with the reader, almost as if he is asking their opinion or wanting their understanding.

In a way I believe it is him asking the audience/reader to be his conscience. Will we judge him for his violent crimes and complete lack of restraint? Do we understand the fact he has no choice?

Of course the truth is he does have a choice. Perhaps he enjoys the power, the violence and the lifestyle. In fact given the right circumstance he might even be at the top of the pyramid.

The author delves into the murky financial, political and personal motivation going on in the background of the Yugoslav Wars. At the forefront is the criminal underworld, the secret police and the criminals who played a pivotal role in the Wars.

What Brant needs to do is focus his energy a little more, give the plot more direction and give the characters more depth.. There is a lot of potential, and the political and historical context is a minefield with plenty of avenue for exploration.

Buy Indecent at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

American Quartet by Warren Adler

Fiona is a highly complex character. She spends three-quarters of her time inside her head either questioning her own motives or having internal debates with herself.

I don’t think I have ever experienced a female lead with such an intense desire to understand why her relationships will probably not work out. In her case it is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. It will certainly be entertaining to watch her meet her real match one day.

Adler always creates a realistic cop on cop partner relationship, especially when one of those is a female. He has a keen eye for the inequality, the daily oppression, the barrage of abuse and general lack of respect, when it comes to gender in the police force.

For females in a male dominated career you don’t have many choices, you either fall in line and put up with it silently or you fall in line and become one of the men. They frown upon the third option, the ones who don’t want to put up with the sexist and outdated order of command in the male world.

Fiona bows down to the higher rank when she has to and tries to accommodate even the most difficult of partners. Indeed even Jefferson grows on her, and in the end he has her back in a way no other person does, even if it costs him everything. He becomes the epitome of a true partner.

The actual plot is quite complex and the book is strewn with conspiracy theories connected to assassinations of Presidents going all the way back to Lincoln. The murderer has lost his timid grip on his sanity, if indeed he ever had a grip on it at all. Plagued with Mommy issues and confusion about his own sexuality he thinks his salvation lies in the culmination of an extremely complex murderous plot.

As always Adler manages to mix facts with fiction to create a story with his very own flair.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and courtesy of Stonehouse Press.

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

This is certainly a book of epic proportions. It is roughly double the length of a normal novel. The story reaches far back into the past and takes the reader on a long path towards the truth. The tragic events of the past cast their wicked tendrils far into the present.

Even now after all these years many murders and disappearances related to the civil rights movements during the 60′s, remain cold cases.Close knit communities are still reluctant to point the finger at bigots and racists, who committed heinous crimes to prevent equality between different races.

A fictional tale based on historical facts and events, it is often a read that might upset or anger, which is only understandable considering the content. I think you can actually feel Iles frustration at the apathy directed towards solving these crimes and the level of corruption at that point in time.

Even now it seems as if many people just don’t want to muddy the already really dirty waters. Who knows how many bodies are still buried or how many people are still alive and able to reveal the fates and resting places of the remaining victims?

I think in a way the length of the novel subconsciously represents the time span between crimes and culmination of the events resulting from those crimes. This isn’t just a crime story for the author, this is making readers remember an incredibly difficult passage in history.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of William Morrow via Edelweiss.

Far Gone by Laura Griffin

What didn’t gel very well for me was the way Gavin was treated from a legal point of view. Being the brother of cop shouldn’t be a free pass, especially when domestic terrorism is involved. He aided and abetted a criminal, and yet that is conveniently forgotten.

I would have liked to have read more about the incident that gets Andrea suspended. From a police perspective she has done her duty and yet it seems as if the powers that be would rather be dealing with a mass shooting instead. A moral conundrum or just plain old politics? How is her decision brought into question at all, given the facts of the event?

Andrea is attacked and the reader never actually finds out the why and the who, so what was the point of that scene aside from setting up a sympathy scene with Jon later on in the book.

The domestic terrorist plot starts off quite well and there are some interesting comparisons made to the Oklahoma bombing. Overall it could have been a lot stronger from a plot point of view if the author hadn’t been so divided by the fact she also wanted to tell a story of a romantic encounter.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Just between you, me and tiny world of web...what a beautiful cover and what on earth does it have to do with the story?