Espionage, Russian secret agents, MI5............the timing of this book is perfect, it couldn't be more topical and it all feels chillingly credible. Compulsive!
I love a thriller and this ticks all the boxes. I'm new to Stella Rimington and discovered that this is the tenth book in her series featuring Liz Carlyle of MI5. It stood alone as an absorbing read and was so enjoyable that I will seek out and read the earlier books.
Rimington writes intelligently and authoritatively - after all if anybody has the inside story in the world of espionage it must be her! It all feels very authentic and credible, but who really knows and that is part of the thrill.
The book links incidents occurring in the USA, Germany and Belgium with strange activities reported at a Suffolk boarding school and all are attracting the attention of the international intelligence agencies, we watch how they co-operate (or not) as they investigate mysterious and chilling Russian involvement. The plot moves along at a clip with lots of strands skillfully woven together with plenty of detail, well-drawn characters and a satisfying conclusion that made me keen to stay involved with Liz and her colleagues, hopefully in future novels.
The timing of this book is perfect, in view of recent news events it couldn't be more topical!
A great telling of spy infiltration entwined with police procedural elements around schools and refugees.
A great cross between spy thriller and police procedural.
I really enjoyed the detail and thought behind the characters and plot here. With quite a few characters and locations simultaneously in the narrative I thought that it might become confused but I found that this never happened. Each element was clear enough and linking them together was done cleverly.
Liz Carlyle is a likeable lead character, meaning that I cared about what happened to her.
A timely thriller in the Liz Carlyle series, with a large cast of characters, giving an insight into the world of espionage.
This is the tenth book in Stella Rimington's Liz Carlyle series, although it is not necessary to have read any of the previous books in the series (however it might to help understand some of the personal issues Liz is going through).
As the former head of MI5, Stella Rimington gives a convincing portrayal of espionage. It is also very timely with a plot covering Russian spies, immigration issues and terrorism. It starts with the death of a man in hospital in Canada and moves across many locations across the world, with a large cast of seemingly unrelated characters. We see the plot develop through the eyes of these characters to varying extents.
I thought the aspects of Liz's personal life were well done and these did not interrupt the plot development. If there is a failing in this book it is that some of the characters do not seem very developed or their narration seems almost wedged into the story; this is perhaps because there are so many characters to fit into the plot. However, I did enjoy the story and it would make me pick up another one in the series.
Watch out for the spies!
I have not read any Stella Rimmington novels before and understand this is the tenth in the series of Liz Carlyle books. Rimmington writes with ease, believable characters and a storyline that bubbles along nicely. It is clear the author knows what she is talking about in her descriptions and methods of working. We are transported all over Europe and the story pieces together neatly but I felt more could be done to 'up' the excitement and keep me guessing what was going to happen.