54 LISTENER MARCH 14 2020
BOOKS&CULTURE
by GILL SOUTHN
ew West Wing intern Hayley
Chill is told early on by the
doomed White House chief of
staff to trust no one she meets at
the centre of US power. And as one who
has had more tough knocks than most,
this young army veteran with boxing
chops, yet with the blonde looks and
blue eyes of a beauty queen, takes this
information on board and gets on with
things. But as Chris Hauty’s Deep State
(Simon & Schuster, $32.99) unfolds and
more of those in the West Wing and
senior players in Government prove
to have their own agendas, even the
sanguine 25-year-old is surprised by
what she finds. But she keeps her
cool and when the time comes steps
in to protect the US President. Chill is
reminiscent of The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo‘s Lisbeth Salander – she never gets
too close to anyone, is highly intelligent,
is unfazed by having to do what needs to
be done and is extremely observant about
the dangers of her environment. It’s an
engrossing read if you are interested in the
whole “deep state” thing and like to see
an underdog do well. Los Angeles screen-
writer-author Hauty adds enough plot
twists to keep you on tenterhooks until
the very end. Apparently, 20th Century
Fox has optioned the TV rights already.A
uthor/actress Catherine Steadman
sets up the intrigue of Mr Nobody
(Simon & Schuster, 29.99) at the very
start. A man is found on a Norfolk beach
with head trauma and no memory of whoLives less
ordinary
Wrongs are righted,
presidents saved and
mystery men revealed
in three new novels.
G
ET
TY
IM
AG
ES
Catherine Steadman: takes readers down a
number of alleys.FICTION ROUNDUP
he is or how he got there. The only clue
is a name written on his hand. Neuropsy-
chiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is called in to
establish whether his condition is genuine
after some previous cases managed to fool
the authorities. She can’t help thinking
there is something familiar about this
appealing man, whom the hospital has
named Matthew, but can’t pin it down.
Lewis has strong links to the town near
where the man was found and has good
reason to never want to return. Inevita-
bly, her traumatic childhood comes out
as the country’s media tries to find out
all it can on “Mr Nobody”, including
about his doctor. Steadman, who came
to attention as an author with her
first book, the bestselling Something
in the Water, takes the reader down a
number of alleys before the real story is
revealed, and it’s never predictable.B
eth Morrey’s Saving Missy (Harper-
Collins, $32.99), is the touching
portrayal of Missy Carmichael, a
crusty older woman who lives alone,
drinks too much and, fed up with the
turn life has taken, is trying to close
herself off from the world. But in an effort
to send her son, Alistair, who lives in Aus-
tralia, more interesting emails, she decides
to go out into the world a bit more. A
chance incident leads to her making new
friends who soon have her fostering a
dog and getting to know a whole canine
community. Meanwhile, there proves to
be a lot more to Missy than meets the eye.
Through flashbacks, we see she is a highly
intelligent woman with academic aspira-
tions who stepped aside to raise a family
while her husband, Leo, who liked to
shine brightly, had his career given centre
stage. However, Missy has a razor wit and
proves herself a staunch friend. There
are, perhaps, too many perfect solutions
from the author, but having a little help
from younger generations opens Missy’s
life up enormously and satisfyingly
rights some serious wrongs. l