Hillary Clinton to co-author new thriller, 'State of Terror'

Hillary Clinton is taking on the thriller genre for her next book.

This fall, Clinton and her long-time friend, Canadian mystery novelist Louise Penny, will publish their book, "State of Terror," a political-mystery novel that follows a novice secretary of state.

"Writing a thriller with Louise is a dream come true," Clinton said in a statement released by publishers Simon & Schuster and St. Martin's Press. "I've relished every one of her books and their characters as well as her friendship. Now we're joining our experiences to explore the complex world of high stakes diplomacy and treachery. All is not as it first appears."

In their book, the secretary of state has joined the administration of her rival, a president inaugurated after four years of American leadership that shrank the world stage.

In real life, Clinton served as secretary of state under President Barack Obama -- her competitor in the 2008 Democratic primary -- from 2009 to 2013.

After a series of terrorist attacks throws the global order into disarray, the secretary is tasked with assembling a team to unravel the deadly conspiracy in 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.

"When it was suggested my friend Hillary and I write a political thriller together, I could not say yes fast enough," Penny said in the press release. "What an incredible experience, to get inside the State Department. Inside the White House. Inside the mind of the Secretary of State as high stake crises explode."

Penny added, "Before we started, we talked about her time as Secretary of State. What was her worst nightmare? STATE OF TERROR is the answer."

"State of Terror" will be released Oct. 12.