The president is forced to flee to the safety of his underground bunker when the White House is breached. He takes along his trusted secret service and a few officials. Erik Hill is one of these trusted agents, a man whose dedicated his career to the secret service, and he convinced something doesn’t smell right and thinks the president could be in perilous danger, in the most secure place imaginable. As the conspiracy unravels Hill must move fast if he is going to save his president and his country. But can he do it in time. I read this book in a couple of sittings. It’s a fast paced, high octane thriller, with a main character you will cheer on throughout the book. I’ve read pretty much everything Matthew Quirk has written and he never lets the reader down. This is what thriller writing is all about, I loved it.

We loved Matthew Quirk’s novel – The Night Agent – which garnered so many great reviews when it was published in 2019 that it was immediately snapped up to be made into a Netflix series. It’s a brilliant political thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Inside Threat is Quirk’s latest book and it’s cast in the same mould: fast-paced, interesting characters and a belter of a plot. Eric Hill is a Secret Service agent working at the White House. He’s doing a desk job to atone for a mis-step when he’d been protecting the Secretary of the Treasury. As one of the longest serving Secret Service agents in the White House he has everyone’s respect, even if they’re a bit wary now that he’s been busted down to administrative duty. The reader knows from page one that there are traitors in the White House, serving at the highest levels of the Secret Service. Along with Hill you follow an attack as it unfolds, which causes the President, the First Lady and a small group of close protection agents to be evacuated to Raven Rock, a mountain complex in Pennsylvania that’s designated as the USA’s continuity-of-government site in the event of nuclear attack. Shortly after arriving it becomes apparent that the bad guys are part of the group in Raven Rock, and that getting the President there has been part of their plan all along. So Eric Hill and a few of his colleagues must not only identify the traitors but outwit them too. And of course, it stands to reason that if you’re locked in, other people are locked out. Our verdict: Helpfully, there are clear maps and diagrams at the beginning of the book which show you the layout of the various tunnels and buildings in Raven Rock. Without those it could be difficult to work out where the action was happening at any particular time. Matthew Quirk writes terrific action sequences which convey the speed, detail and importance of what’s happening without hyperbole. In Inside Threat he builds things slowly. You get to know the main characters and their situations bit by bit, from Hill’s own fall from grace to the background of newbie agent, Amber Cody. By the time these two are engulfed in the crisis that’s unfolding you’re willing them to succeed and survive. (And it’s quite easy to imagine they might not survive, because other characters are being picked off by the bad guys one by one.) Of course it’s not all one-way traffic, some of the bad guys die too. But it isn’t easy to spot the villains, so you’re kept on your toes. As with all good thrillers it’s a race against the clock. Can the good guys in Raven Rock survive until help arrives? Is help even on its way? Like Hill and Cody, the reader battles on! We found the ending a bit of an anticlimax. The book is billed as a standalone novel but we thought it ended with a very small question mark, so we’re not sure if another Eric Hill story might follow at some stage. It's quite unusual for our book group to give identical scores to a book but every single one of us who read Inside Threat awarded it 4 Stars, which must give you an indication that if you like reading action thrillers, this is one you might enjoy. Review by: Oundle Crime

Wow, this is a cleverly woven and complex read with a believable plot line. When the White House comes under attack and his presidency threatened, President Kline and a number of trusted agents and aides go to Raven Rock, a top secret facility believing they will be safe there. Are they though? I found this to be a good, fast paced read which is well written and flows easily. The story takes place over a short period that makes for a thrilling read with lots of action, suspense and mystery. I was drawn into the story quickly and Matthew Quirk held my attention and interest to the last page. I really liked Hill and Cody the two main agents and was rooting for them throughout. I felt the story was a bit long and descriptive at times though and because of this I found myself skimming pages. It is still a good read, I just think it could have been shorter without losing anything from the plot line. If you like political thrillers I think you'd enjoy this and I'd recommend it. 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐