Deep State by Chris Hauty

"Trust no one."

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a timely political thriller released in a US election year when just about everyone is sharing an opinion, conspiracies abound, and fake news is rampant. The premise is that a "Deep State", a "shadow government...a hybrid association of elements of government joined with parts of top-level finance and industry that effectively governs the US without consent of the electorate" needs to be stopped from assassinating the sitting US President, Richard Monroe.

Enter ex Army Infantrywoman, Hayley Chill. A boxer with an eidetic memory, Hayley leaves the military and obtains a recommendation from her former boxing coach to become an intern at White House. Assigned initially to the West Wing office of the Chief of Staff, she is an outlier who manages to do her job so well that she is noticed and appreciated by CoS Peter Hall. Just as she is getting her bearings, he's found dead in his home. Was it murder? Hayley finds some indication of foul play, but has no one to turn to in that hotbed of gossip with everyone jockeying for position and currying favor with the administration. She thinks she might be able to trust a new man in her life, Secret Service Agent, Scott Billings, but is hesitant to reveal her suspicions to him or to the FBI when questioned. As she moves closer to the Oval Office, she becomes more fearful of the President's safety and has no one to rely on except herself. Is there really some sort of Deep State operation imminent or is her sense of duty misplaced as other staffers seem to be afraid of the direction the President is taking with foreign governments? NO SPOILERS.

This was an easy read that I devoured in a couple of hours. Lots of action, cross and double-cross, twists and turns and an ending that was quite unexpected. That said, I found Hayley to be a bit unreal -- as a woman or even as a human being. Yes, we want our female heroes to be strong and mentally tough, but it is always reduced a bit when looks and sex appeal and youth are emphasized. Definitely she had a lot of luck on her side despite being nearly superwoman. The novel does read a bit like a screenplay and should translate well to the screen. I have to echo others because I, too, found that occasional futuristic toss (such as "he'll go on to eventually manage a hedge fund") a bit disconcerting but not a huge deal. Most of the other characters in the book were one-dimensional stereotypes who didn't add anything to the storyline. I guess I have to say this: call me naive but I found it all just a tad unbelievable and that strained my ability to fully get "all in" with the story. I was, however, entertained and enjoyed the wild ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

As of now, this appears to be a debut and a standalone. I am happy with it ending here.
Genre - political thriller