Deep State: A Thriller

Chris Hauty

Jan 2020 · A Hayley Chill Thriller Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

THE INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“One of the more surprising double-reverse plot twists...in some time.” —The New York Times

In this “propulsive, page-turning, compelling, fragmentation grenade of a debut thriller” (C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author), a deadly plot against the president’s life emerges from the shadows of the Deep State.

Recently elected President Richard Monroe—populist, controversial, and divisive—is at the center of an increasingly polarized Washington, DC. Never has the partisan drama been so tense or the paranoia so rampant. In the midst of contentious political turf wars, the White House chief of staff is found dead in his house and West Wing intern and ex-Army grunt Hayley Chill is positive that it’s not from natural causes.

Determined to find the truth, Hayley uncovers shocking evidence that a wide-ranging conspiracy is running beneath the surface of DC in an effort to undermine the rule of law—and democracy itself. Soon, Hayley is in a race against time to reveal the truth and save the life of the next victim: the president.

“Deep State rings eerily true [and] will keep you turning pages well into the night” (Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL and author of The Terminal List).

Ratings and reviews

"...white-knuckled, timely, and whip-smart debut thriller..." That's what the blurb for Deep State promises. Does it deliver? Not in my ever so humble opinion. The premise for this one sounded like it would be at least close to that sit up and take notice description, but the story just doesn't get there, and I expected so much more after reading the author's bio and seeing that he's a screenwriter. Deep State is written in present tense, which didn't bother me. I like the real-time feeling, especially in a fast-paced thriller. The problem is that this wasn't fast-paced, and it's full of unnecessary information. For example, I don't need to know what will happen with characters years down the road if it doesn't impact this story. And since it is written in present tense, what will become of these often minor characters is so much information that I don't need or want. Yet, I found myself slogging through this information that seemed like more filler than anything else while trying to get to the meat of the story. And there is where my other problem came in. As I mentioned, I liked the premise of this one even if it does lean farther toward conspiracy theories than I usually care for, but it ended up being rather boring and wordy. I will say that there is an excellent twist at the end, but by then it was just too little, too late to save this one for me. Good twist or not, Deep State ended up being a book that was much easier to set aside than it was to pick back up. I did push through to the end, mostly out of sheer determination and a bit of OCD about finishing things, but if you're looking for an exciting thriller, I would advise skipping this one.

For a first novel, it's not bad. Hauty is still learning to adjust his writing style from screenwriter to novelist, and it shows in several parts. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read with quite the plot twist at the end. Looking forward to continuing the story with his next book.

Great read with every turned page. Looking forward to reading more.

About the author

Chris Hauty’s debut, Deep State, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and Barry Award nominee. Other novels include the CALIBA Award–nominated Savage Road, and Storm Rising, as well as the acclaimed novella Insurrection Day. He currently lives in Glendale, California.