Lives less ordinary
Wrongs are righted, presidents saved and mystery men revealed in three new novels.
New West Wing intern Hayley Chill is told early on by the doomed White House chief of staff to trust no one she meets at the centre of US power. And as one who has had more tough knocks than most, this young army veteran with boxing chops, yet with the blonde looks and blue eyes of a beauty queen, takes this information on board and gets on with things. But as Chris Hauty’s Deep State
(Simon & Schuster, $32.99) unfolds and more of those in the West Wing and senior players in Government prove to have their own agendas, even the sanguine 25-year-old is surprised by what she finds. But she keeps her cool and when the time comes steps in to protect the US President. Chill is reminiscent of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo‘ s Lisbeth Salander – she never gets too close to anyone, is highly intelligent, is unfazed by having to do what needs to be done and is extremely observant about the dangers of her environment. It’s an engrossing read if you are interested in the whole “deep state” thing and like to see an underdog do well. Los Angeles screenwriter-author Hauty adds enough plot twists to keep you on tenterhooks until the very end. Apparently, 20th Century Fox has optioned the TV rights already.
Author/actress Catherine Steadman
sets up the intrigue of Mr Nobody
(Simon & Schuster, 29.99) at the very start. A man is found on a Norfolk beach with head trauma and no memory of who he is or how he got there. The only clue is a name written on his hand. Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is called in to establish whether his condition is genuine after some previous cases managed to fool the authorities. She can’t help thinking there is something familiar about this appealing man, whom the hospital has named Matthew, but can’t pin it down. Lewis has strong links to the town near where the man was found and has good reason to never want to return. Inevitably, her traumatic childhood comes out as the country’s media tries to find out all it can on “Mr Nobody”, including about his doctor. Steadman, who came to attention as an author with her first book, the bestselling Something in the Water, takes the reader down a number of alleys before the real story is revealed, and it’s never predictable.
Beth Morrey’s Saving Missy (Harper
Collins, $32.99), is the touching portrayal of Missy Carmichael, a crusty older woman who lives alone, drinks too much and, fed up with the turn life has taken, is trying to close herself off from the world. But in an effort to send her son, Alistair, who lives in Australia, more interesting emails, she decides to go out into the world a bit more. A chance incident leads to her making new friends who soon have her fostering a dog and getting to know a whole canine community. Meanwhile, there proves to be a lot more to Missy than meets the eye. Through flashbacks, we see she is a highly intelligent woman with academic aspirations who stepped aside to raise a family while her husband, Leo, who liked to shine brightly, had his career given centre stage. However, Missy has a razor wit and proves herself a staunch friend. There are, perhaps, too many perfect solutions from the author, but having a little help from younger generations opens Missy’s life up enormously and satisfyingly rights some serious wrongs.