Savage Road

November 30, 2020
In Hauty’s over-the-top sequel to 2020’s Deep State, a shadowy group of former U.S. government and intelligence leaders tasks White House staffer Hayley Chill, a covert agent for the “deeper state,” with running President Richard Monroe as a double-agent against Russia. Her mission is thrown into jeopardy when a hacker known only as Cyber Jihad launches cyberattacks against multiple U.S. government and infrastructure targets. As advisers scramble to point fingers at likely adversaries, Monroe feels increased pressure to launch a retaliatory strike. Convinced that attacking the wrong target will result in a major escalation of force with a malign enemy state, Hayley disobeys orders and pursues the hacker herself. Feverishly paced action scenes alternate with lumps of lengthy backstory for both major and minor characters, and too many operational conveniences and weak tradecraft erode credibility. This is the Hollywood version of an espionage thriller. Fans who appreciate more authentic fare should pass. Agent: Ann Rittenberg, Ann Rittenberg Literary.

December 17, 2020
In the sequel to the surprise hit Deep State (2020), White House staffer Hayley Chill is ordered by her superiors in the "deeper state" (for which she is a covert operative) to get to the bottom of a series of cyberattacks that have targeted major American newspapers. What she learns is shocking: the world is on the brink of war, and only Hayley can stop it. One thing you can't accuse Hauty of is plausibility: Hayley Chill, with her array of special talents, is a larger-than-life character, and the whole story would be at home between the pages of an over-the-top graphic novel. On the other hand, one thing you definitely can say about Hauty: he knows how to tell a story. He pulls us in immediately and won't let us go until he's good and ready. The story is implausible, sure, but it's also wildly entertaining. The writing is a little clunky in places, but overall the book is an improvement on Deep State (which was more clunky, though still entertaining). A sequel that builds on the promise of its predecessor.

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