Scavenger Hunt

Blake Hudson just wants to serve his country well as a lawyer for the United States Justice Department—but when an unknown threat begins plotting his downfall, he must find who is setting him up before it costs him his life.

Scavenger Hunt is a suspense novel chronicling the plight of Blake Hudson, a Justice Department lawyer assigned to a clandestine counterterrorist group created to bypass onerous legal requirements. After the group mysteriously disbands, Hudson becomes the scapegoat and is transformed from hunter to hunted. As he searches for answers and attempts to piece the puzzle together, people are following him, trying to kill him. 

Written for fans of fast-paced thrillers, dry humor, political gamesmanship, and Clue-like twists and turns, Scavenger Hunt carves out a distinct niche best described as a hybrid of the Robert Ludlum classics and works by Brad Meltzer. Blake Hudson’s story addresses issues that have shaped recent elections and continue to frustrate interest groups and government leaders, while featuring the inner workings of the U.S. Department of Justice Building—arguably the most important and misunderstood agency in the federal government. Author Chad Boudreaux’s unique voice and page-turning storytelling packs a plot-driven punch that readers won’t be able to put down. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Before becoming Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer of the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, Chad Boudreaux served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he advised Secretary Michael Chertoff on almost all significant matters facing the newly established department. Before working for Homeland Security, Boudreaux served in several high-ranking positions at the U.S. Justice Department, where he was hired the night before the September 11, 2001 attacks. During his time at the Justice Department, Boudreaux focused most of his time on matters relating to terrorism and homeland security. Boudreaux graduated from Baylor University in Texas in 1995 and from the University of Memphis School of Law in 1998, where he was Managing Editor of the law review. 

Chad lives in Hampton Roads, Virginia, with his wife and four children.

TALKING POINTS:
- Chad can discuss his extensive legal and homeland security background that came about unexpectedly. Hired by the U.S. Attorney General the night before the 9/11 attacks at the age of 28, he was working alongside cabinet level secretaries immediately after 9/11 before he was 30 years old.

- In the book, Chad pulls back the curtain in the Main Justice Building in Washington D.C.. He can talk about the secret 8th floor, Robert Kennedy’s Marilyn Monroe room, and more…

- On Chad’s first day on the job at the Main Justice Building (October 2001), Chad met with 9/11 survivors from NYC. It was an experience that forever changed his life. As part of his many duties, Chad went on to help manage for the Department of Justice the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 (“9/11 Fund”), led by Special Master Kenneth Feinberg. The story behind the 9/11 Fund was recently made into a Netflix movie titled, Worth. In the movie, Michael Keaton plays Ken Feinberg. (But they left Chad out!)

- Chad’s transition from Justice to Homeland Security: at just 32 years old, he took on a new role as a top advisor to the Homeland Security Secretary (called the Department’s “Texas Wrangler”). In that role, he was no longer in a lawyer role; rather, he had to help manage issues related to starting a brand-new agency with 22 subagencies and 40,000 employees responsible for dealing with terrorism, immigration, and hurricanes.

- The clandestine group in Scavenger Hunt is comprised of some interesting characters from DOJ, Delta Force, NSA, DIA, and CIA. That fascinating assortment adds to the novel’s intrigue. By choosing this cast with these backgrounds, Chad was able to flesh out all the significant and sexy legal, policy, and operational issues in the legal and national security fields. What’s more, it allowed him to demonstrate the palpable, inescapable tension that lawyers, policy wonks, and operators face in the real world of terrorism and espionage.