DNF at page 145...this is too much a political thriller in all the ways I dislike. The writing is stilted, stopping and starting in a way that tries to create tension but just feels annoying. Character POVs switch randomly. A chapter literally ends with one character's narrative saying, "How long before they noticed she was gone? Before they realized she'd lied. Again." All that work to have the reader and characters try to believe/trust her and then you drop that narrative bombshell? For what, tension? Intrigue? Come on. It's lazy.

There's some kind of serpentine plot taking shape but I don't care enough to figure it out or follow the five million clues and characters. 145 pages in, and not even the Hillary self-insert main character feels like a real person.

Glad I gave this a go, but meh. My Friday afternoon at the office is too boring to finish out my lunch break continuing this.

This is my first Louise Penny book, but I think I'm going to give some of her others a try because I really enjoyed this one! Hillary is a great writer, and her knowledge of the White House helped to write a great story that's real and believable. The twists and turns were great, and there were some that had me gasping out loud. While some of these twists and turns were predictable, there were some that I didn't see coming. It had good pacing throughout, and I really enjoyed the perspectives of various characters. Overall, it was very entertaining to read! And, in my opinion, I enjoyed this more than the James Patterson and Bill Clinton books.

(Also, not sure if it was just me, but the copy I have has a few editing errors, such as repeat sentences. Not a huge deal, but as someone who worked as a teaching assistant for a writing class it really bugged me.)