Hillary Clinton writing thriller about a ‘deadly conspiracy’ designed to ‘take advantage’ of the US government

Former Secretary of State teases new book: ‘All is not as it first appears’

Hillary Clinton has already had to fend off questions about her health, and will be 69 by election day 2016 (Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton is many things: a grandmother, former secretary of state, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and now the soon-to-be author of a political thriller about a “deadly conspiracy” created “to take advantage” of the US government.

Ms Clinton’s novel, reportedly set for release in October, focuses on a “novice secretary of state” who joins “the administration of her rival, a president inaugurated after four years of American leadership that shrank from the world stage,” a press release stated. 

State of Terror is written by Ms Clinton and her longtime friend, author Louise Penny. Simon & Schuster and St Martin’s Press have both acquired the rights to the book.

Ms Clinton said about the upcoming project: “Writing a thriller with Louise is a dream come true.”

“I’ve relished every one of her books and characters as well as her friendship,” she said. “Now we’re joining our experiences to explore the complex world of high stakes diplomacy and treachery.”

The former secretary of state added about the book: “All is not as it first appears.”

The fictional book comes after Ms Clinton previously published What Happened, another political work about her defeat to former President Donald Trump in the 2016 elections. She remained active in the wake of the election, rebuking her former opponent for his efforts to withdraw the US from its key alliances and partnerships around the world. 

It remained unclear whether Ms Clinton gained any inspiration from her criticism of the former president or the last four years of national and international politics for State of Terror. 

In the novel, Ms Clinton’s main character will be tasked with “assembling a team to unravel the deadly conspiracy, a scheme carefully designed to take advantage of an American government dangerously out of touch and out of power in the places where it counts the most,” the press release read. 

Many politicians have forayed into fictional and thriller writing, including Ms Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, who has authored multiple thrillers with his friend and author James Patterson.