海角大神

After decades of dormancy, a spate of anti-Clinton books is hitting the market, and observers reading between the lines are calling it proof positive of Hillary Clinton鈥檚 return to political power.

鈥淭here may be no clearer sign of Hillary Clinton鈥檚 political reemergence than the flurry of new books critical of her,鈥� Politico reported in a recent article. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all testing the depth of a market for anti-Clinton fare that had gone mostly dormant 鈥� and triggering a fierce campaign by her defenders to shame the mainstream media not to write about the books, lest they lend them legitimacy.鈥� Politico calls it 鈥渢he summer of anti-Clinton books."听

In other words, Clinton鈥檚 comeback, including her recent book, 鈥淗ard Choices,鈥� as well as her possible run for office in 2016, has roused a fervent anti-Clinton movement that appears prepared to battle the former Secretary of State should she decide to seek political office. And for now, at least, the leading front in that movement is books.听

The lineup includes both published and forthcoming titles including 鈥淐linton Inc,鈥� by Weekly Standard writer Daniel Halper; 鈥淏lood Feud,鈥� by Edward Klein, which knocked Clinton鈥檚 bestseller 鈥淗ard Choices鈥� from atop the New York Times bestseller list this month; and 鈥淭he First Family Detail,鈥� by Ronald Kessler.

So numerous are the books and so pointed their allegations that the Clintons issued a strongly worded statement censuring the books, 听and those in the media who dare to cover them.

"We now have a Hat Trick of despicable actors concocting trashy nonsense for a quick buck, at the expense of anything even remotely resembling the truth," explained the statement. 鈥淚t's an insult to readers [and] authors, and should be reserved for the fiction bin, if not the trash.

鈥淭heir behavior should neither be allowed nor enabled, and legitimate media outlets who know with every fiber of their being that this is complete crap should know not to get down in the gutter with them and spread their lies,鈥� the statement added. 鈥淏ut if anyone isn't sure, let's strap all three to a polygraph machine on live TV and let the needle tell the truth.鈥�

One of the books鈥� authors, Klein, responded to the statement. "In typical Clinton fashion, when people can鈥檛 handle or respond to the truth, they attack the messenger,鈥� he said, according to reports.

Here鈥檚 a closer look at the books:

鈥淐linton Inc.鈥� offers a closer look at the 鈥淐linton dynasty,鈥� from Bill Clinton鈥檚 near-impeachment in the late 鈥�90s to Hillary Clinton鈥檚 2008 defeat to her present-day reincarnation. In it, author Halper alleges that Clinton鈥檚 health scare in December 2012 was a stroke, not a concussion.听

The publisher of 鈥淏lood Feud鈥� says it goes inside the fraught relationships between Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton, with recreated conversations between the first families. But many, including conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, have questioned the material.

Secret Service writer Kessler鈥檚 鈥淭he First Family Detail鈥� focuses on the security situation of first families but also includes rumors of Bill Clinton鈥檚 purported infidelities.听

鈥淭he fact is that my book is entirely nonpartisan and presents startling revelations about both Republicans 鈥� including some of the saints of the GOP 鈥� and Democrats, as well as about Secret Service laxness and corner cutting that threaten the life of the president,鈥� Kessler told Politico.听

Meanwhile, the upcoming Aaron Klein book 鈥淭he Real Benghazi Story鈥� addresses the Benghazi attacks and speaks to a large conservative audience convinced there was an administration cover-up.

Both the credibility and the success of each of these books is uncertain.

Not surprisingly, they have been roundly dismissed by the Clinton camp, led by David Brock, the Clinton鈥檚 chief public defender and head of media group Media Matters. Edward Klein鈥檚 book in particular, 鈥淏lood Feud,鈥� has come under scrutiny, even by some conservatives.

[Editor's note:听The original version of this article incorrectly identified the book under scrutiny by conservatives.]

Perhaps the more important point, however 鈥� will the books sell?听

While 鈥淐linton Inc.,鈥� has sold just under 3,500 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, 鈥淏lood Feud,鈥� has done well, selling just over 100,000 copies so far and knocking Clinton鈥檚 own book from the NYT Bestseller list for a month.听

Clinton鈥檚 鈥淗ard Choices鈥� which came out in June, has sold just under 250,000 copies, according to Politico.

Roger Stone, the former Richard Nixon operative, predicted that the current market for anti-Clinton books will prove robust, the political website reported.

鈥淭he one segment of the book market that is thriving is conservatives,鈥� Stone told Politico. 鈥淭hey read. The tabloids also show there is also an insatiable public interest in any gossip about the Clintons.鈥�

And, he added, 鈥渋t will only get bigger if she runs.鈥�

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.