A geopolitical page turner

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. Does seeing the name Hillary Rodham Clinton on a book jacket guarantee it's a first rate read?

Of course not but when it's coupled with ace Canadian crime author Louise Penny it's odds on it's going to be a pretty good one. Their collaboration for the novel State of Terror is up there with some of the best international espionage writers.

The fictional principal player is US Secretary of State Ellen Adams, the role Clinton held in the Obama administration. In Adams' case she's been appointed by a vengeful president of opposite political persuasion. He wants her crucified.

Adams dashes from one international war zone to another, negotiating with leaders including Iran's Ayatollah, Afghanistan's Taliban

State of Terror

By Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny, Macmillan, $34.99

and Pakistan's Prime Minister. She suspects her son, a converted Muslim, is held hostage there. The countdown is on to halt a pending nuclear attack on two US cities and the White House. Adams' team is female heavy, her daughter and son's code cracking girlfriend are along for the bumpy ride. So too is Adams' closest friend from grade school, Betsy Jameson, appointed as her counselor.

Top prize for the joint authors' best characterisations go to their portrayal of the US' immediate past president and his still-in-office Russian counterpart. It's pure type casting. The co-authors' combined girl power has produced a not-to-be-missed geopolitical page turner.

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