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State of Terror, by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny Simon & Schuster hide caption

State of Terror, by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny

I approached the package with caution. The book inside could be trouble, big trouble. Literary collaborations usually are and this one by two women of achievement gave off warning signs of being a high-profile gimmick gone wrong.

Don't open the book, I told myself, but I couldn't resist late night readings, undercover, so to speak. And before I knew it, I'd lost my grip and fell headlong into the frantic feminist fantasy of State of Terror, a thriller by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny.

Let's debrief: Clinton and Penny are personal friends a friendship that was sparked by Clinton's admiration for Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series. In the wake of Clinton's loss of the 2016 presidential election and Penny's loss of her husband, who suffered from dementia, they decided to collaborate on a political suspense novel.

The two women have said in interviews that they wanted to have some fun during a difficult time and to pay tribute to the power of female friendship. Call me nave, but the resulting thriller, though uneven, bears out their claims.

State of Terror is what Graham Greene famously called "an entertainment." Searching for fine writing or complex characters here would be as pointless a quest as searching for the Maltese Falcon. Instead, like most political thrillers, State of Terror is a plot-driven concoction, featuring a classic race against time to out-maneuver international terrorists and homegrown traitors hellbent on turning the United States into a Russian satellite state.

The twist here is the gender of the action figure who's barking commands and sweating her mascara off in the effort to save American democracy. Not only is she female, but she's a late-middle-aged secretary of state named Ellen Adams.

At Adams' side is her trusted counselor and best friend from childhood, a woman named Betsy Jameson. Together, they outwit a cabal of evil potentates, minions and dictators as they ricochet around the globe on Air Force Three. Call it, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits."

State of Terror is a giddy read, particularly for women of a certain age; let's say, us women of an age old enough to think that the just-concluded run of Daniel Craig as James Bond lost much of its mojo when Judi Dench as "M" departed the series in Skyfall.

Suspense let alone political suspense is still pretty much a white man's game. Lauren Wilkinson's recent Cold War thriller, American Spy, is one of the rare novels in this genre starring a woman of color and one who's a professional. Most often, when female characters occupy a lead role in suspense, they've stumbled into it. That's especially true of World War II thrillers starring female spies and assassins: Think of Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett; Fall from Grace, by Larry Collins; and Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black.

Dench's "M" was that rarest of animals an ambitious professional older woman wielding power. And, that's what makes State of Terror intriguing, particularly in its second half when Penny's trademark one sentence paragraphs intensify the pace of the suspense and Clinton's fictional alter ego goes la mano a mano with two of her real-life foes: Putin, here called Ivanov, and a former American president, here called "Eric Dunn."

There's always been a score settling potential inherent in mystery and suspense fiction; for instance, the late literary scholar Carolyn Heilbrun routinely targeted her Columbia University English Department colleagues in her Amanda Cross mysteries. Here, at the end of an unsuccessful fact finding meeting with Dunn in his Palm Beach palace, Adams lets her nemesis know who's in charge:

"Thank you for your time." [Adams] held out her hand, and when [Dunn] took it, she yanked and pulled the immense man right up to her, so that their noses were touching and she smelled his breath. It smelled of meat. ...

"You've made it clear time and again that nothing happened in the White House without your approval. ... If there is a disaster, it will be dumped at your big gold door. I'll make sure of that. ..."

All thrillers are fantasy stories fantasies about power and ingenuity. In State of Terror, an older woman draws on her expertise, a reserve of female solidarity, and the magic of a tool James Bond never scored a pair of Spanx and she manages to avert disaster. As thriller fantasies go, this one feels a lot more plausible to me than most.

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'State of Terror' Review: Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny ...

Hillary Clinton was heckled and booed by a crowd outside of Queen's University in Belfast on Friday as she attended a ceremony installing her as the college's first female chancellor.

A 40-second clip posted on Twitter showed Clinton dressed in robes as a child follows behind her, holding the garment up to prevent it from dragging on the ground. As she steps into the roadway, toward the university, members of the crowd begin yelling at the former U.S. Secretary of State.

One person can be heard screaming "war criminal!" at least a dozen times while another individual yells for Clinton "to go f**k" herself. Someone else in the group shouted, "shame on Queen's" before an inaudible chant briefly starts.

The group is anti-war and was protesting against the United States' foreign policy, according to British media.

Clinton appeared to be unphased by the taunting and gave a quick wave before ascending the college's steps.

The politician was originally appointed as chancellor in January 2020 but her installation was delayed because of COVID. She is the university's 11th chancellor and the first woman to hold the title.

"Secretary Clinton is an internationally recognized public servant who has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to Northern Ireland. She has an enormous amount to offer the University and will continue to work as a key advocate for Queen's on the international stage," Professor Ian Greer, the president and vice-chancellor of Queen's University, said in a statement.

The term is for five years and will be largely ceremonial, however, Clinton will oversee graduation ceremonies, serve as the university's ambassador and offer advice to senior management.

Prior to the ceremony, Clinton said she was happy to be in Northern Ireland and is proud of her "longstanding connection" with the country. In her acceptance speech, she said the decision to take on the role was easy as she's always enjoyed being on campuses and talking with students.

But she also cited the country's recent history as part of her reason.

"Northern Ireland has become a symbol of democracy's power to transcend divisions and deliver peace, and we need that beacon of hope now more than ever," Clinton said during her inauguration ceremony.

"But with hope comes responsibilities, the responsibility to be a citizen, to be willing to discuss and learn from people unlike yourselves," she added. "To debate and compromise in search of common ground to participate in our shared institutions, to respect the rights, dignity and needs of all people, and to uphold the rule of law."

Fourteen other individuals from areas like business, politics, sports, the arts and education were awarded honorary degrees during Clinton's installation. Among them include Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee and international field hockey player Shirley McCay.

In 2018, Clinton received an honorary doctor of law degree from Queen's University Belfast. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate in civil law at Oxfordwhich former President Bill Clinton attended between 1968 and 1970the day before her 2021 ceremony in Belfast. Their daughter, Chelsea, graduated with a doctorate from the school in 2014.

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Hillary Clinton Booed, Called a War Criminal By Crowd ...

Falco did make choices in her portrayal of Hillary. In Tuesdays episode, Bill wakes up Hillary on the the morning of his grand jury testimony to reveal that he has lied to her about his relationship with Lewinsky. In the scene, Bill explains that he did have an affairand Falco decided to react with shock and fury.

I spoke to director Rachel Morrisonbut we were operating under the assumption that she believed what she believed at those moments. Its complicated psychologically, because who knows what she actually knew, even in a deeper place, and what she was willing to admit to herself. Nobody knows but Hillary. But based on the information I was given, and the views of the filmmakers, this is what went on.

To play Hillary, Falco was outfitted in the first ladys 90s fashionspainstaking recreations of oft photographed pants suits accessorized with headbands and gold broaches. Asked about the wardrobe, the Sopranos and Nurse Jackie star does not mince words.

I have absolutely no interest in the costumes, says the actor. I want to know that the people who have been hired have an obsessive interest in it. When I show up, I really am just like a mannequin. I never have ideas about wardrobe. I used to think that was a fault. And now I realize, no, I just do my job. I would not want them telling me how to do my job.

The actor similarly did not ask questions when it came to her costar, whom she met the first day of filming. Owen was already outfitted in full Bill Clinton prosthetics and costume.

I thought I knew what Clive Owen looked like, she remembers, laughing at her confusion. I just thought, He looks different. And then at one point I was pulling out of the parking lot and some attractive man is running towards my window saying, Hey, hold on, hold on. And I feel like, Oh, my God, thats Clive Owen. The whole time we were together, he looked like Bill.

It wasnt just with Clive, she adds. They were filming during the height of COVID restrictions, when myriad precautions were taken on set. I didnt know what anybody looked like between the masks and the plastic shields. I didnt ever know who the hell I was talking to. It was very strange.

The series highlights the unfair and cruel ways that the women in Clintons orbit were treatedinfuriating moments to revisit from a more evolved cultural standpoint. In Tuesdays episode, after Hillary appears alongside Bill during the 60 Minutes interviewa P.R. Hail Mary she reluctantly agrees tothe first lady is told that the television appearance bolstered Bills popularity, but somehow hurt hers.

Did those gender imbalances anger and shock Falco on behalf of Hillary?

I was doing it more from the point of view that those were how things were at the time,she says. I mean, I could compare this to the fucking Sopranos. To play Carmela on that series, which premiered in 1999, the actor had to arrive hours ahead of shooting so her characters appearance could be perfectedthe hair, the makeup, the nails, the jewelrythen Jim Gandolfini would come in and be on set two seconds later. But thats the show that I was doing, about a woman who liked to get dressed up. So you do the show that you do under the circumstances that you do it. So no, I wasnt shocked by any of it. That was the worldthe world is evolving, and thank God for that.

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Playing Hillary Clinton on Impeachment Was Edie Falcos Way of Protecting Her - Vanity Fair

Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listens to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speak during the third U.S. presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Unraveling viral disinformation and explaining where it came from, the harm it's causing, and what we should do about it.

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Four years ago today, an anonymous 4chan user posted the following message:

Hillary Clinton will be arrested between 7:45 AM - 8:30 AM EST on Monday - the morning on [sic] Oct 30, 2017.

An hour later they followed up with some more detail about the operation, including predictions of massive riots organized in defiance and a claim that the national guard would be activated for duty across most major cities.

Needless to say, Clinton was not arrested thenor everbut these were the first of almost 5,000 messages posted by a user who became known as Q, and they inspired the conspiracy movement known as QAnon.

Four years later, the movements God-Emperor, former President Donald Trump, is out of office. Q went silent almost a year ago. An innumerable list of Qs predictions have failed to come true. But true believers are still holding out hope.

Happy birthday, Q, a Telegram user called AbsoluteConviction1776 wrote on Thursday. For your birthday bash this year, can we maybe celebrate with some arrests and the fall of the cabal? Would be great!!!

The post is signed from a grateful American patriot.

Over the last fours years, QAnon has changed completely: Initially, it grew slowly on sites like 4chan, 8chan, and Reddit before exploding in popularity as it moved to mainstream sites like YouTube, Twitter, and, in particular, Facebook.

The way people now speak about QAnon has also changed dramatically. No longer are people dismissing it as a joke, a fringe conspiracy believed by a bunch of wackos. The FBI calls it a potential domestic terror threat, and following the Jan. 6 riots, it is seen as a serious threat to the integrity of U.S. democracy.

But its not just the U.S. where QAnon has spread.

In an indication of the global appeal of the movement, responses to the birthday message on Telegram came from users in the Netherlands and England, showing the movements international reach, despite its deeply U.S.-centric conspiracies.

QAnon groups have been found in 85 countries, intermingling with anti-vaxxer groups, sovereign citizens, and far-right extremist networks. In France, a QAnon group was behind a recent kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl.

The birthday message to Q, which has been viewed thousands of times and shared in one of the most popular QAnon channels on Telegram, is a testimony to the enduring nature of a conspiracy that spiraled out of all control and is quickly becoming part of mainstream politics in the U.S.

This week saw more than half a dozen sitting U.S. lawmakers and candidates for secretary of state sharing a stage with some of the QAnon movements biggest QAnon grifters and influencers, at the QAnon-focused Patriot Double Down conference in Las Vegas.

At that event it was revealed that a QAnon influencer has become central to the creation of a coalition of GOP secretary of state candidates who are eager to push a slew of voter-suppression measures.

And Trump himself, who has done as much as anyone to help QAnon fester and grow, by repeatedly failing to denounce it, is helping to boost QAnon-linked candidates ahead of the 2022 elections.

And no one has exemplified the rise and radical mainstreaming of the conspiracy more than Ron Watkins. Watkins was the administrator of 8kun (previously known as 8chan), an even more fringe website where Q began posting exclusively from early 2018.

As administrator, Watkins facilitated QAnons rise, refusing to do anything to stop the posts even after QAnon-inspired violence began emerging in 2019. Indeed many of those tracking QAnons evolution believe that it was Watkins and his father Jim, who took complete control of the Q account shortly after it moved to 8chan, and even wrote the posts themselves.

But Watkins moved out of the shadows and into the spotlight on Election Day 2020, when he announced he was retiring as 8kun administrator and was now a cyber security expert. In the year since, he has ingratiated himself into the right-wing MAGA community by pushing baseless election fraud conspiracies.

Watkins has been so successful that he is now running for Congress, and while his chances of winning are almost zero, the fact he believes he has a chance is a further testament to how mainstream QAnon beliefs have become.

As QAnon merges with mainstream American politics, and as followers of the movement continue to try and shed the QAnon branding because of its toxic associations, the future of the movement is in flux.

But as the QAnon conference in Las Vegas this week showed, four years after the first Q drop, theres still a huge amount of interest in the QAnon conspiracy theories, and people still believe. The movement has also found a home in the more extreme parts of the evangelical community, and given enough time, the movement could itself become a mainstream religious movement.

There is this old adage among folks who study religion that cult plus time equals religion, Ryan Burge, a pastor and an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, told VICE News.

Everything sort of started out as a cult, whether it be Christianity or Judaism or, you know, Scientology. If it hangs around long enough, it will eventually become a religion.

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QAnon Is 4 Years Old and Believers Are Still Waiting for Hillary Clintons Arrest - VICE

In 'State of Terror,' Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny have pointed messages : NPR's Book of the Day : NPR

In 'State of Terror,' Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny have pointed messages : NPR's Book of the Day The bestselling author Louise Penny is a prolific writer of mysteries and thrillers but for her latest book, she decided to bring a partner into the fold, a novice to the world of mystery-writing: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Their book, State of Terror, brings readers into a world in which a president picks a former rival to be his secretary of state (sound familiar?) and she must then contend with what Clinton calls one of her greatest fears: nuclear-armed terrorists. In this interview, Penny and Clinton discuss the messages they hope readers take away from the book.

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In 'State of Terror,' Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny have pointed messages : NPR's Book of the Day - NPR