Any good thriller lover knows: the devil is in the detail. For a story to be truly satisfying, it has to be believable – to immerse you in its world and keep you there until the very last page. This is something State Of Terror (Pan Macmillan), a new political mystery that’s out today, does expertly, combining the deft penmanship of award-winning author Louise Penny with the insider knowledge of Hillary Rodham Clinton, a woman who’s walked the corridors of power for more than four decades.

“Following the story of Ellen Adams, a secretary of state working under a US president who’s out to get her, this is one of the paciest and most complex political thrillers I’ve read in years,” says Stylist’s features editor, Meena Alexander. “An ominous text message from an anonymous source soon unravels into an international conspiracy involving terrorist organisations, nuclear weapons and the Russian mafia. Amidst the relentless action, there’s also wry commentary on the many (many) barriers that face women navigating positions of power, as Adams deals with male politicians who consistently dismiss, underestimate and undermine her. Although it can veer into melodrama at times (how many cliffhangers is too many cliffhangers?), some of the conversations and vignettes in the Oval Office are so real you wonder if they’re lifted directly from Clinton’s life. The real thrill, perhaps, is trying to decipher the fact from the fiction.” £20, Bookshop.org 

Watch Hillary and Louise in conversation with broadcaster Steph McGovern at 7pm, Wednesday 13 October to discuss their new book – find out more here