Deep State

August 1, 2019

After bigmouthed populist Richard Monroe takes his place as president in a divided Washington, DC, the White House chief of staff drops dead--and an intrepid intern finds evidence that it was not from natural causes. Also evident: a conspiracy shaped by powerful political figures pervades the government, and who knows whom to trust? Screenwriter Hauty debuts with a 200,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 11, 2019
Screenwriter Hauty makes his debut with an engrossing, if flawed, political thriller. Army veteran Hayley Chill, an intern for Peter Hall, the White House chief of staff, is in the right place at the right time one winter evening to help Secret Service agent Scott Billings take down two intruders headed for the White House. After drinks at a D.C. bar, the two spend the night at Scott’s place in suburban Virginia. In the morning, Hayley goes to Hall’s Washington home, where she finds him dead, apparently of natural causes. A boot print in the melting snow outside the house suggests foul play to Hayley, who eventually uncovers a conspiracy to assassinate the U.S. president, populist Richard Monroe. A refreshing change from the typical male action hero, Hayley is a capable, kick-ass, and sharp woman from unassuming roots. Unfortunately, the sudden climactic revelation, which would have worked on the screen, will have readers skimming back to see if the moment has been foreshadowed and earned (it hasn’t). Hauty shows enough talent to suggest he can do better next time. Agent: Ann Rittenberg, Ann Rittenberg Literary.

November 1, 2019
A White House intern saves the republic. Hayley Chill is no ordinary intern: She comes to the job from the military, after life experiences more varied than her companion interns, and is more self-possessed and focused than they are. In fact, she is more self-possessed and focused than almost anyone. She's assigned to the chief of staff's office, and when, in the course of flirting with hunky Secret Service Agent Scott Billings, she assists in the apprehension of a White House intruder, she becomes a minor celebrity. But then the chief of staff, Peter Hall, dies of an apparent heart attack, and only Hayley has evidence his death may not be a natural event. As she tries to investigate this, she begins to uncover a vast conspiracy--the deep state is not happy with her boss, the president--and just as she recognizes this, she also realizes that Scott Billings is involved. She escapes from his murderous attention and then manages to elude or otherwise neutralize the deep state's agents until she has the opportunity to warn the president. These superhuman feats are told in slightly clunky prose, but the novel's biggest weakness is its reliance on Hayley Chill and her somewhat implausible array of talents, strength, training, intelligence, and grit. Cute and savvy as a Swiss Army knife, there's nothing she cannot accomplish, except being believable. A workmanlike plot, but the main character lacks human depth.

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