Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Really enjoyed Deep State by Chris Hauty, i started it on the night which i always do and i stayed up through the night wanting to not miss a page, i really recommend this book. I wasn't able to put it down, kept me intrigued and wanting to find out more, lots of twists and keeps you guessing to the end. Very suspenseful and tense keeping you on your toes wanting to read into it more, it kept me intrigued and interested in the storyline as it seemed like something that could happen in day to day life, nail biting suspense which i found hard to put down, i would thoroughly recommend this book to family and friends.

I was not sure what to expect from this book when I received it from Netgalley
I found it fast paced and enjoyable the main characters were likeable and I found myself willing Hayley to succeed
The book was exciting and I did not see the twists and turns coming and the ending defiantly was not what I was expecting
All in all a very enjoyable read

A very interesting and believable story that could quite easily be happening in the present day. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this genre.

I was totally enthralled by this story. So unexpected at times but very intense in the presentation. Nothing in the story is beyond the reals of possibility which, even though I am not American, is a terrifying thought.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Deep State’ by Chris Hauty in exchange for an honest review.

Army vet Hayley Chill now serves as an intern in the White House working closely with Peter Hall, the President’s Chief of Staff. He warns her that there are those who want him and the President dead. When she queries who he explains: “The people who actually control this town, the shadow government, or ‘deep state.’ Call it what you will, they are a hybrid association of elements of government joined with parts of top-level finance and industry that effectively governs the United States without consent of the electorate.” He advises her to ‘trust no one’.

Not long after this Hayley finds Hall dead at his home, apparently of a heart attack. Hayley senses that something is not right and we, the readers, know that he was actually murdered by a shady group. Hayley expresses her reservations about his death and soon finds that she is being watched.

In this assured debut Chris Hauty has skilfully incorporated the popular thriller genre trope that sees a relatively powerless individual stumbling across a conspiracy, which they then have to try to stop as well as staying alive against all odds.

Hayley proved a very appealing protagonist, deeply principled and willing to place herself in harms way when necessary. It is fast paced with some truly surprising twists and nail-biting moments. I found it difficult to put down.

I enjoyed this very much and look forward to reading Hauty’s future projects. Will they feature more adventures for Hayley Chill? Time will tell.

Deep State by Chris Hauty

America has a new President, Richard Monroe, who has some controversial and populist policies in mind that worry the establishment, the Deep State that runs the country from behind the scenes. Hayley Chill, ex-army and boxer, is thrown into the heart of a White House in turmoil when she becomes its newest intern. There’s something about Hayley that gets herself noticed – her photographic memory, her eye for detail, her looks, her plain talking and her military precision and determination – and this makes her unpopular with many. This is a competitive world and they’re envious. But these traits also attract the attention of not only the Chief of Staff but also the President himself. Hayley’s career looks set to soar until the day when she arrives at the house of the Chief of Staff to deliver some papers and discovers him dead. The authorities think it’s a natural death but Hayley, who found a footprint in the snow outside, thinks differently. When she begins to question it people die and, from that moment on, Hayley knows that to survive she must work out who wants the Chief of Staff dead. What she will discover is unthinkable.

I’m a huge fan of political thrillers and Deep State is most assuredly one of the best I’ve read. It opens spectacularly with our memorable introduction to Hayley Chill, soldier and fighter, and from that minute on we are as fascinated by Hayley as we are hooked by the thriller. Hayley is a remarkable figure. In many ways she goes against the stereotype of a West House intern. She’s underestimated by almost everyone as a southern redneck, perhaps she even underestimates herself, but her talents are astonishing. She’s an unusual person, she has her routines and rituals, her rules and obsessions, and she is immensely driven and extremely good at her job. When she fears that the President may be the next target for the assassin we know that she’ll stop at nothing to protect him. Hayley Chill attracts attention. Her position is increasingly dangerous and extreme. Her story is utterly gripping.

Deep State has a fantastic plot. It’s complex and there are surprises so extreme it can take your breath away. This actually happened to me at one point. I was reading it on the bus and had to put it down to gather my thoughts and laugh in admiration! I was impressed! It’s not often I’m completely blindsided by a book.

I loved the Washington and Camp David settings. The summer is turning to winter and the heat is turning to cold and snow. There’s such a sense of place with the descriptions of rooms inside the White House, the upstairs and downstairs feel of it, especially for the interns who find themselves confined to the deepest basement. It’s a stratified world with the interns at the very bottom and the President at the very top but Hayley is to discover that not all is as it seems, that the power might not lay where one expects it. It’s a minefield and Hayley is the one best suited to negotiate it and it’s riveting watching her do it.

Chris Hauty writes very well indeed and Deep State is superb. Hayley Chills in particular is a fine achievement. I would love to meet her again and soon. I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes open for any future novels by this excellent writer.

If Donald Trump’s presidency has brought us one thing it is the concept of the Deep State. In Trump world this is the cabal of government and business interests working secretly to bring down the government, or at least to further their own ends. A character in Chris Hauty’s new novel Deep State describes it as follows:
‘The people who actually control this town, the shadow government, or ‘deep state.’ Call it what you will, they are a hybrid association of elements of government joined with parts of top-level finance and industry that effectively governs the United States without the consent of the electorate.’
Given the free reign business interests have had in modern America it seems that if the Deep State did exist it has come out of the shadows. This has not stopped writers leaning on the concept to create tense political thrillers. Recently we have had the TV series Deep State in which an American megacorporation supported by agents within the CIA manufactures conflict in the Middle East and Africa to create business opportunities. In Chris Hauty’s novel, the forces of the ‘deep state’ have their sights on bringing down a non-compliant presidency.
Hayley Chill is introduced days before she quits the army. She shows her grit, determination and smarts in a boxing match against a much tougher opponent. From there she gets a job as an intern at the White House, working for the office of the Chief of Staff. America is undergoing a political renaissance with the election of President Monroe, who at first blanch seems like a West Wing style Republican fantasy president and ex-soldier Monroe “continues to be an iconic presence, the natural born leader America sorely needs in these rancorous and divisive times”. But Monroe’s stance on Russia, and in particular its interference in Estonia, is not supported and a shady group of interests decides to take action.
When Hayley’s boss dies in mysterious circumstances, she is thrown into the middle of the conspiracy. But as an intern her access is limited and she is up against well organised professionals. Hauty ratchets up the tension on Chill, pulling a few near scrapes and reverses as the plot unfolds. The whole builds to an explosive finale which is only let down by a late reveal which takes a swathe of exposition in the final chapter to explain and essentially pulls the rug out from reader’s understanding of the characters and the plot.
Hayley Chill is a classic action hero. She is highly motivated by a willingness to do the right thing, so much so that she manages to inspire others, highly trained and willing to take action when required. Again, though, much of what readers know about Chill turns out to be form of misdirection which creates an even greater feeling of having been cheated.
So most of its length, Deep State is an effective thriller in which a cabal of high-powered evil doers try to bring down a duly elected President to further their own interests but have to deal with a plucky, skilled, intuitive outsider. But the whole enterprise is brought down by a bunch of tricky reveals which throw the whole story, and the concept of the deep state into a different light, but that are not foreshadowed and not earned. That said, Chill is the type of action hero we need right now and, now the cards are on the table, deserves a sequel.

A really enjoyable action adventure which raced along, with a good plot and well thought out threads that get pulled together neatly at the end.

One can imagine many more stories off of the back of this one.

Prepare yourself to read about a new intern (Hayley Chill) at The White House, a plot to kill the US President, is Camp David safe? All involving this ex forces veteran Hayley who seems like 'super girl' at times solving murders, having a wonderful memory and eventually having the 'ear of the president'.

All rather far fetched and there are books with similar plot lines. However, the book has some redeeming features with some excellent dialogue and vivid descriptions pf places. Plus, a prequel at the end which answers a lot and brings the whole book up to 4 stars.!

Enjoyable most of the time. She could develop to be a FBI agent and be involved outside of Washington?

Thanks to Net galley and Simon and Schuster UK for the chance to read and review.

Chris Hauty writes a good political thriller for his debut which I very much enjoyed reading. However, I gather he is a screenwriter and this is plainly transparent in the narrative. Whilst the plotting is excellent, his writing drains the levels of tension, suspense and immediacy that make thrillers such great, compulsively addictive, fast paced reads, which is such a shame. The United States have elected a popular ex-military man into the White House, Richard Monroe, he is proving to be both controversial and divisive as he upturns strategic historical alliances and concentrates instead on China as the primary enemy of the country. Hayley Chill is an ex-military new intern working for Monroe's Chief of Staff, Peter Hall. To the dismay of the other ambitious interns keen to make their mark, Hall takes to Hayley, despite her outsider status, she proves to be capable, dependable and remains unruffled in the face of any crisis. To the consternation of many, she catches the eye of the President, who is impressed by her abilities.

25 year old Hayley is blessed with an eidetic memory, something she doesn't advertise, and is a gifted boxer, trained by the army. She discovers the Chief of Staff, a loyal consigliere to the President, orchestrating the implementation of Monroe's policies with a ruthless efficiency, dead at his home on arriving to deliver briefing papers. Peter Hall has ostensibly suffered a heart attack, but Hayley sees evidence of a more sinister cause of death. However, she is merely an intern, a woman with no power, she decides to keep quiet about her suspicions for the moment but nevertheless begins to investigate. Hall had warned her about the power of the Deep State, a shadow government and Hayley knows this conspiracy emanates from some very powerful players who will think nothing of having her taken out. She finds herself elevated to work in operations, a promotion that is viewed as a threat by some. However, Hayley gets on well with her co-worker, a gay man from a privileged background, Asher, who believes her but is terrified of the repercussions. Suspecting that the conspirators have their eyes on an even bigger target, Hayley finds herself in extreme danger yet still determined to uncover the truth and foil a deadly plot.

Haugty certainly knows how to put together and plot a terrific thriller with some fabulous twists, but he needs to get to grips with the art of writing a thriller as opposed to a screenplay, they have different demands, purpose and do not have the same audience. He is well equipped with some necessary skills required in the process but needs to focus on fine tuning how he delivers the end product in terms of his writing and character development. Having said all that, I did find this an entertaining and absorbing read. The character of Hayley, from her poor background in West Virginia, was a great central protagonist that interested me right from the beginning when she is preparing to fight a boxing match in the army. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.

This is an amazing and intriguing thriller which I have no doubt will go straight to the top of the bestseller lists!

The story of how West Virginian, Hayley Chill comes to work in the White House and goes on to become part of the president's security detail is incredibly entertaining and totally engrossing. The story is pacy and the characters Hayley meets along the way are always interesting and believable. The narrative twists right up to the very satisfying end chapter.

I will most definitely be looking out for further books from this exciting author, Chris Hauty.

Well, yesterday I wrote that the tag line for this book ‘The Most Addictive Thriller Of The Decade’ was a brave one to have, now I have read it all I would say its definitely one of the most addictive thrillers etc

Its a cracking read it really is

Meet Hayley Chill who leaves the Army to follow her dream to be a ‘staffer’ in the White House, once there she discovers things she shouldn’t and is on a full on mission to save the President’s life

But nothing is quite as it seems and the last extraordinary chapter of the book left me tizzing with excitement at how the story had fooled me and drawn me in and then BANG completely got me and I am willing to bet would any reader!

Its unique, fresh and the word ‘twist’ is just not acceptable to cover what happens

Great descriptive writing, excellent insight into the workings of the West Wing and characters straight from a TV programme ( in fact would make a brill film or tv series ) this book is in a word wonderful and worthy of any readers time

SUPERB!

10/10
5 Stars

Haley Chill has decided to leave the army. She moves to Washington DC so that she can become an intern at the White House. Haley makes a few new friends but then one of them is murdered. Peter Hall was one of the presidents chiet of staff. Haley tries to solve the murder. She doesn't know who she can trust.

It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The plotline is current, gripping, thrilling fast paced and it will have you on the edge of your seat. There is multiple twists and characters you will love and others you won't like at all. I'm not really into political thrillers ut I loved everything about this book. And WOW, the ending did not disappoint. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author Chris Hauty for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Deep State". Written in an almost clinical style it is unlike most other political thrillers I have read; our heroine is a rather enigmatic character and almost robotic-like in her approach to her 'difficulties' and indeed her life in general, but in this instance I found her rather endearing. There was, thankfully, little of the usual "one hero against the bad guys" violence or unlikely fight scenes.

The final twist was a total and complete surprise.

Highly recommended.

The plot stretches credulity but doesn't detract from an exciting romp of a book. Hayley, an ex-soldier, becomes an intern at the White House. Having helped capture intruders she ends up in the office of the president. She stumbles on a plot to eliminate the President but does not know who she can trust.

The book is full of intrigue to the last page.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC.
What an amazing plot - what a twist!
Twenty five yr-old Hayley Chill, an Army veteran and champion boxer, begins an internship in the Chief of Staff's office in the White House. The CoS, Peter Hall, recognises her intelligence and organisational skills and favours her, much to the annoyance of her fellow interns, for the more 'important' jobs. He tells her to "Trust Nobody" - the Deep State, consisting of the powerful and wealthy, would kill them all if necessary to keep hold of their influence on the Government. The newly-elected President, Richard Monroe, is extremely unpopular for getting closer to Russia and projecting China to be the enemy.
Calling at the CoS's house to deliver the daily briefing, Hayley sees him laying on the floor and calls the police; she also sees something which tells her someone else was there just before she arrived, but she remembers - "Trust Nobody" - and keeps it to herself. Is the Deep State starting to make its presence known?
As Hayley negotiates her position at the White House, she is convinced the President is in danger and has to find someone to listen to her.
Will anyone believe her? Who could she trust?

I've been deliberately obtuse with my summary to avoid any spoilers. Suffice it to say that this is a fast-moving political thriller with an amazing plot, so well-written with good dialogue; the author cleverly leads you down possibly a well-trodden path then - oh my!
Excellent Read. Except - I did find the historical narrative rather too lengthy and which interfered with the fast-moving story.

West Virginian Hayley Chill is the daughter of a Marine turned trucker who was killed in action. She joins the army, where she becomes a boxing champ. She leaves and is given a White House internship. She learns of a plot to kill the President and doesn't know who to trust.

This is a real page turning action thriller. There's just the right amount of detail. Hayley is a cross between Cinderella and an invincible action heroine. The author also has the habit of revealing the future of a number of the minor characters. The ending twists to an ultimately satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed it.

I found this a great page turner, liked the central character and the level of Washington detail. Also, interesting was how he summarized what would happen in the future for some of the bit par characters. In terms of the overall plot/story it's hard to give too much more without giving anything away, but as you think the book starts to wind down and reach a natural conclusion there's a fantastic twist. This is well worth a read and I look forward to see what else Chris Hauty has to offer.

I cannot rate this thriller highly enough. The leading character Hayley, a young woman interning at the White House is an unusual lead for a thriller. Don't be put off. She is brilliantly portrayed - empathetic, warm and believable. The circumstances she finds herself in are entirely plausible given the world we live in today. All of the plot twists took me surprise (and I'm a seasoned vet of US contemporary thrillers!). I have no hesitation in saying that this will be the thriller of 2020 and I cannot wait to read more by this author.