Clinton and Penny co-writing thriller

In Louise Penny’s upcoming thriller, a novice secretary of state faces the daunting task of rebuilding U.S. leadership after years of diminishing influence abroad. She is immediately put to the test when a wave of terrorist attacks threatens to destabilize the world order.

A topical political thriller represents new territory for Penny, best known for intricate murder mysteries set in a quiet Canadian town. But she had a political veteran on hand to help her shape the plot: her co-author and friend, former secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton.

Their novel, “State of Terror,” will be published in October by Simon & Schuster and St. Martin’s Press, Clinton and Penny’s respective publishers. Jennifer Enderlin, president and publisher of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group, will edit it.

“When it was suggested my friend Hillary and I write a political thriller together, I could not say yes fast enough,” Penny said in a statement. “Before we started, we talked about her time as secretary of state. What was her worst nightmare? ‘State of Terror’ is the answer.”

It is unusual for a prominent politician and a bestselling crime writer to team up on a novel but not unprecedented. The subgenre has already been popularized by Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, who wrote “The President Is Missing” with James Patterson in 2018.

Penny and Hillary Clinton decided to work together on a novel that would be shaped by Clinton’s insider knowledge of the State Department and White House and by Penny’s penchant for crafting addictive plots.

Dimitrios Kambouris / TNS Hillary Clinton is the co-author of “State of Terror.”