I LOVED Chris Hauty's first book, Deep State, It had twists and turns that you never saw coming. This second book is also a political thriller. It is very timely as it contains cyber attacks and their effects. Mr. Hauty writes books that read like movies to be made. Recommended

I’ll start by saying that I actually liked Savage Road a lot better than Deep State. This is a more evenly written book and overall a better story.

For the most part I liked Deep State just fine, though I was frustrated by the fact that it dragged for long stretches and was mostly redeemed by a very shocking twist right at the end.

Savage Road has no such enormously stunning plot twist, but it boasts loads of smaller twists and turns and is a better, more fun book overall.

We get a lot more of Hayley Chill the human being in this book, as opposed to Hayley Chill the robotic super spy who dominated the first novel in the series. I didn’t really need more of Hayley’s personal life (one of the best things about Deep State is that we didn’t get loads of filler about the protagonist’s superfluous to the story romantic entanglements), but I appreciated the humanity she shows in Savage Road, which was largely absent in the previous book.

I’m a little unsure about where the series might go from here. There was a clear path to a follow-up book from the first novel in the series, but the ending here leaves me more uncertain about what direction we’re going. It feels like we might be moving more toward the mystery of Hayley’s father’s death, which I don’t love, though I do trust Hauty to create a compelling story to go with it based on the information doled out to us about it in Savage Road.

One last thing: Hauty writes one hell of a villain. If you thought the baddies were creepy and compelling in Deep State, wait until you meet the baddest of the bad guys in Savage Road.

Kicks it out of the park. And then kicks it one more.
Chris Hauty never misses to surprise. Sets the bar even higher than last year's Deep State.

Haley Chill. Part 2.
If you took our advice and read Deep State, buckle up. Haley Chill returns. This time, the Army veteran and Deep State asset has jumped up the food chain from White House intern to chief of staff for a Senior Presidential Advisor where her street smarts, guile, ‘eidetic memory’, and political savvy get her the ear of the President.
The nation is under a series of cyber-attacks directed at utilities and news organizations. Federal response is timid at best mostly due to rival security heads unwilling to put petty jealousies aside for the sake of the nation. One side says it’s Russia. Other side thinks jihadists.
The president is stuck. Our war hero has his own deep secret. He wasn’t born in the US. Actually born in Russia, but political vetting seemed to have missed that minor detail. Despite being raised from infancy in the US, he still clings to his Russian roots to the point of being a mole . . . and the Deep State knows about him . . . and her handlers have Haley keeping tabs on the President . . . a President who loyalties seem to be, how shold be say it, fluid. Its Haley’s job to make sure the President stays RedWhite&Blue and not just Red.
The source of the critical hacks is elusive. The hubris of the national security chain borders on childish arguments over who owns the sandbox they play in, forcing Haley to undertake her own off the books investigation.
Let’s get one thing straight. Adding Savage Road to his debut Deep State, Chris Hauty brings a knack for plot twists to the political thriller genre that cannot be denied. Savage Road kicks ass. Clear the calendar, start a fire, get comfortable, gather snacks and beverages, but dont' get too comfortable because Haley will have you on the edge of your favorite reading spot. I think all three of us here at MRB have responded very favorably to Savage Road. Three for three. Can't do much better.
Oh, and did I mention it yet? I know I suggested you all need to pay attention to the publisher. Emily Bestler Books is ground zero for top shelf mysteries and thrillers. Wondering what to read next? Browse the website. Pick one. Trust me. It’ll be a winner.
Savage Road is brand new. Just released.

Chris Hauty’s Savage Road is quite the thriller! From the first page to the last, it is absolutely riveting. The heroine, Hayley Chill, was first introduced in the first book of this series, Deep State, and Savage Road continues the story of her efforts to protect her country from various outside threats.

I loved the author’s writing. The story is fraught with tension from the start to the finish. I truly enjoyed the main character, Hayley Chill. She is a delightfully, strong female protagonist. She is physically strong and mentally agile, and she has the grit and determination to take on a potentially treasonous president and escalating cyber attacks.

The incredible intrigue and espionage made me wish I had read Deep State prior to reading Savage Road, so that will be at the top of my to-be-read list as I anxiously await the next installment in the series.

This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately left me wanting more. The characters, I think, were my issue. They felt as though they could easily have been a lot more fleshed out.

The second in a series and I will quickly advise that I believe you should start at book one - Deep State, as there is a whole plot that you will want to know before you even start this book.

Now that you have been warned, I will dive in with my review.

Hayley Chill is perfectly positioned inside the White House and very close to the President to help the deep state get what they want and fast. She is on a mission until it is quickly derailed by someone infiltrating the inner workings of a few different essential places and businesses.

If you can't tell I am being cautious in what I write in this review because this is such a suspenseful read and I don't want to spoil one thing.

As far as my reading experience of this book, it had been a year and a half since I had read book one and I definitely forgot some of the plot points of book one and this book didn't completely bring the reader up to speed, so I had to go back and refresh before diving in. This made my reading a little slow in the beginning because I was trying to remember the ins and outs from book one, but once I was in, I was in and this was a crazy roller coaster ride til the end.

I think this book ended on a note where book three is inevitable and I will not so patiently wait until it arrives!

This sequel does a fantastic job of delivering a thrilling plot with solid detail and great pace. The last few chapters were great at setting it up for another in the series. Hauty's method of showcasing other characters story arcs continues to be a joy to read and adds a new level to the main plot. Hayley Chill is a great character to read!

Having been such a huge huge fan of the first novel to feature Hayley Chill, I embarked upon Savage Road with not some little trepidation. Second books are notoriously difficult to pull off when you have started with a bang, so was it possible that Chris Hauty could keep up the momentum…

Oh boy yes it certainly was possible and then some. Savage Road is a brilliantly plotted thriller with plenty of edge of the seat moments, twists and turns to satisfy the most ardent of crime fans, a central premise that is eerily possible and, of course, the indomitable Hayley Chill – a main protagonist with so much bite it might be as well to wear protective clothing whilst reading.

Once again we enter the White House, in a set situation that unfolded in the first book so I can’t say much about it – suffice to say the reader is already on edge about what might occur – add to that a devastating set of cyber attacks, possible Russian involvement, a set of untrustworthy characters (Hayley Chill rightly trusts no-one) and nefarious goings on at the very highest levels of government.

There is plenty of action and some further additions to Hayley’s personal story that really keeps you involved and utterly riveted throughout. The story unfolds with classic integrity of plotting, that unpredictable sense that makes a thriller truly thrilling, until once again it’s final resolution changes the state of play…
Both Deep State and Savage Road offer satisfying resolutions to the central stories whilst opening up the world created into one you want to enter again, like last time I am already desperate for the next instalment.

There is a quality of writing here that should be celebrated in this literary era of so many choices, for me that is always front and centre of what I look for in a novel. Chris Hauty offers that and so much more so for that reason Savage Road and previously Deep State come highly recommended by me. Now the long wait for more Hayley Chill begins…