Secrets of State - by Matthew Palmer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An NPR Best Book of the Year

From a veteran insider with over twenty years' experience in the U.S. Foreign Service comes a taut, insightful thriller of global intrigue and behind-the-scenes international politics.

Sam Trainor's career of overseas work coupled with a penchant for being outspoken has left him on the outside of the competitive Washington establishment. Formerly the top South Asia expert in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Trainor has moved to the private sector, working as an analyst for the consulting firm Argus Systems.

But Sam soon discovers that for all their similarities, the government and their hired contractors have vastly different motives. As he struggles to adjust to a more corporate, profit-driven version of the work that had been his life, he stumbles across an intelligence anomaly--the transcript of a phone conversation about the fastest ways to upend the delicate political balance keeping India and Pakistan from all-out war. Yet Sam knows that conversation can't have occurred--because he is having an affair with one of the alleged participants.

As he digs into the source of this misinformation, he realizes that more is at stake than just bad intel. Someone is deliberately twisting the intelligence to stoke the simmering conflict between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed rivals that have already fought multiple wars. And Sam's new employer could be up to its neck in it.

Review Quotes

Praise for Secrets of State

"Secrets of State is a gut-churning international thriller whose all-too-real plotline makes one contemplate the dangers of the world in which we live."--Huffington Post

"Palmer is a Foreign Service Officer himself and his experiences and knowledge provide a realistic backdrop to his novel. . . . An excellent political thriller that readers of both espionage stories and thrillers in general will enjoy."--Library Journal

"Palmer uses his knowledge of how behind-the-scenes maneuvers actually work to great effect in this involving and frightening political thriller."--Booklist

"Engaging . . . A well-written imagining of how India and Pakistan could be pushed to the brink of nuclear disaster."--Kirkus Reviews

"A very intense thriller that will bring readers to the edge of a deadly conflict between the countries of India and Pakistan. . . . [A] fantastic read."--Suspense Magazine

Praise for The American Mission

"With their intelligence and humanity, Alex and Marie are easy characters to root for--but even the bad guys are well drawn and believable. . . . This is first-rate fiction. Let's hope Palmer has a sequel in the works."--Kirkus (starred review)

"Palmer's first novel offers an insider's look at the world of American diplomats stationed in foreign countries. . . . Pair this one with John le Carré's The Constant Gardener (2001)."--Booklist

About the Author

Matthew Palmer, author of The American Mission, is a twenty-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, currently serving as the director of Multilateral Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Asian and Pacific Affairs. A life member of the Council of Foreign Relations, Matt has worked as a diplomat all over the world. While on the secretary of state's Policy Planning staff, Matt helped design and implement the Kimberly Process for certifying African diamonds as "conflict free."