This was an amazing thriller and I was not expecting to become attached to so many characters (once I was able to actually follow who everyone was, thanks to looking at a guide online and rewinding the audiobook a few times). I ended up enjoying many of the characters I at first did not care for and that honestly makes sense given a large theme of this novel is surrounding judgement and perception of character. 

I also know this is fiction and the portrayal of the government would obviously be bias but nonetheless I learned a lot about international relationships and diplomacy and also just how what we see and hear is nowhere near what is all going down at a given point in time. 

The only issue I had with the book was especially in the first third, there were way too many repeated mentions of “the mess of the previous administration” which regardless of  political views just did not always fit into the narrative flow.

I received a copy if this book in exchange for a review.

This is a political thriller based on the story of the Secretary of State chasing down a terrorist threat and finding that it is nothing like she initially expected. She relies on the president who doesn't like her, her adult children, low level staffers, and her best friend and closest advisor to determine what is going on and who she can trust. 

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I devoured it and lost a lot of sleep because it was just too good to out down. Every moment was one that made you need to know what was next. It is a political thriller, and there are some characters you may recognize, but it is still clearly a fictional story. It is not biased toward one group or another, and in fact, I would say that if it did not clearly involve American political figures, you wouldn't necessarily know it was meant to be a political novel. Do not let your feelings, toward Hillary positive or negative, be the reason you pick up this book. Pick it up because it is fantastic.