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13 must-read books for Killing Eve fans

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9 must-read books for Slow Horses fans

(Liz Carlyle 2)

Secret Asset

Stella Rimington brings all her experience as the first woman Director General of MI5 to bear in a heart-stopping thriller series that takes us deep into a wilderness of mirrors where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.

From the former head of MI5 and bestselling author Stella Rimington comes the heart-stopping second novel featuring MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle.

From the former head of MI5 and bestselling author Stella Rimington comes the heart-stopping second novel featuring MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle. 
 
When Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle learns from one of her agents that suspicious meetings are taking place at an Islamic bookshop, she trusts her instinct that a terrorist cell is at work. 
 
Her boss, Charles Wetherby, immediately puts a surveillance operation into place. An attack seems imminent. 
 
So Liz is surprised when Wetherby suddenly takes her off the case. And she’s shocked to hear the reason why: he has received a tip-off that a mole is at work inside British Intelligence. 
 
If true, then the potential damage to the Service itself could be immeasurable. 
 
Now, as her colleagues scramble to avert a terrorist strike, Liz must find out who the mole is, and what their intentions are, before it is too late. 
 
------ 
 
Readers love Secret Asset: 
 
'A quick, well-paced read' 5-star reader review 
 
'Outstanding!' 5-star reader review 
 
'Great book with a terrific plot' 5-star reader review 
 
'A thoroughly gripping read' 5-star reader review

This is something rare: the spy novel that prizes authenticity over fabrication

The Security Service background is exceedingly convincing

Stella Rimington joined the Security Service (MI5) in 1965 and was appointed Director-General in 1992.She was the first woman to hold the post and the first Director-General whose name was publicly announced on appointment. Following her retirement from MI5 in 1996, she became a non-executive director of Marks and Spencer and published her autobiography, Open Secret. The first Liz Carlyle novel, At Risk, was published in 2004.

From the former head of MI5 and bestselling author Stella Rimington comes the heart-stopping second novel featuring MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle. 
 
When Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle learns from one of her agents that suspicious meetings are taking place at an Islamic bookshop, she trusts her instinct that a terrorist cell is at work. Her boss, Charles Wetherby, immediately puts a surveillance operation into place. An attack seems imminent. 
 
So Liz is surprised when Wetherby suddenly takes her off the case. And she’s shocked to hear the reason why: he has received a tip-off that a mole is at work inside British Intelligence. If true, then the potential damage to the Service itself could be immeasurable. Now, as her colleagues scramble to avert a terrorist strike, Liz must find out who the mole is, and what their intentions are, before it is too late.

(Liz Carlyle 1)

At Risk

Former head of MI5 Stella Rimington brings the high-stakes world of intelligence to life in AT RISK – the first novel in her bestselling and much-loved series featuring MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle

Former head of MI5 Stella Rimington brings the high-stakes world of intelligence to life in AT RISK – the first novel in her bestselling and much-loved series featuring MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle. 
 
'A cracking good thriller' The Observer 
'Intelligent [and] undeniably pacy' Guardian 
 
----- 
 
For MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle the nagging complications of her private life are quickly forgotten at Monday’s Counter-Terrorist meeting. An invisible may have entered mainland Britain. 
 
An ‘invisible’ is a terrorist who is an ethnic native of the target country, who can cross its borders unchecked and move about unnoticed – the ultimate nightmare. 
 
For Liz this signals the start of an operation that will test her to the limit. Who or what is the target? Where and who is the invisible? With each passing hour the danger increases. 
 
But as she desperately sifts the incoming intelligence and analyses the reports from her agents she finally realises that it is her ability to get inside her enemy’s head that is the only hope of averting disaster. 
 
------ 
 
Readers love At Risk: 
 
'A superior example of espionage fiction' 5-star reader review 
 
'A well-written, well-crafted novel' 5-star reader review 
 
'Excellent!' 5-star reader review 
 
'This book had me riveted from beginning to end' 5-star reader review 
 
'What a great storyteller Stella Rimington is' 5-star reader review 
 
'Excellent plot, exceptional writing style and vivid characters' 5-star reader review

Rimington makes adroit use of her expertise as former MI5 chief

The Secret Service background is exceedingly convincing

Stella Rimington joined the Security Service (MI5) in 1965 and during her career she worked in all the main fields of the Service's responsibilities - counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism - and became successively Director of all three branches. She was appointed Director-General of MI5 in 1992. She was the first woman to hold the post and the first Director-General whose name was publicly announced on appointment. Her autobiography, Open Secret, was published by Hutchinson in 2001.

Former head of MI5 Stella Rimington brings the high-stakes world of intelligence to life in AT RISK – the first novel in her bestselling and much-loved series featuring MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle. 
 
'A cracking good thriller' The Observer 
'Intelligent [and] undeniably pacy' Guardian 
 
----- 
 
For MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle the nagging complications of her private life are quickly forgotten at Monday’s Counter-Terrorist meeting. An invisible may have entered mainland Britain. 
 
An ‘invisible’ is a terrorist who is an ethnic native of the target country, who can cross its borders unchecked and move about unnoticed – the ultimate nightmare. 
 
For Liz this signals the start of an operation that will test her to the limit. Who or what is the target? Where and who is the invisible? With each passing hour the danger increases. 
 
But as she desperately sifts the incoming intelligence and analyses the reports from her agents she finally realises that it is her ability to get inside her enemy’s head that is the only hope of averting disaster. 
 
??????

The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5

Open Secret

'The story of MI5's transformation - is fascinating. So, too is Rimington's account of her rise in what was very definitely a man's world' Guardian

Was she right to publish? Most certainly. If we are to have a mature attitude to our intelligence services, we need this kind of inside account - it is vital in stripping away mystique and building understanding

Stella Rimington deserves our thanks for resisting the bullying of the cabinet office and many of her colleagues and associates in Whitehall, and pushing on to publication

She writes in a refreshingly self-deprecating style of juggling the roles of single parent and chief "spook"

'The story of MI5's transformation - is fascinating. So, too is Rimington's account of her rise in what was very definitely a man's world.' Guardian 
____________________________ 
 
The eye-opening memoir from the first female Director-General of MI5 
 
Stella Rimington worked for MI5 between 1969 and 1996, one of the most turbulent and dramatic periods in global history. Working in all the main fields of the Service's responsibilities - counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism - she became successively Director of all three branches, and finally Director-General of MI5 in 1992. 
 
She was the first woman to hold the post and the first Director-General whose name was publicly announced on appointment. In Open Secret, she continues her work of opening up elements of the work of our security services to public scrutiny, revealing the surprising culture of MI5 and shedding light on some of the most fascinating events in 20th century history from the ultimate insider viewpoint. 
____________________________ 
 
Stella Rimington is also the author of the novels At Risk and Secret Asset.

Stella Rimington

Rimington's plot, as one should expect from a former head of MI5, bristles with subterfuge and splices in allusions to Litvinenko's poisoning to give Illegal Action a contemporary feel . . . Gripping . . . Carlyle, in her third outing, has depth and tenacity

The thing about Ms Rimington's stories is that they have the smack of authenticity

There is every sign of inside knowledge about this spying business as our hero Liz enters the world of mega-rich and mega-eccentric Russian 'oligarchs' in London

Rimington's command of espionage and counterespionage history and techniques enables her to bring enormous believability to her well-paced narrative. Her dialogue moves as swiftly as the action, and her characters are as believable as the world in which they - and we - live. Fans of intelligent spy thrillers are in for a treat

An ideal beach read for the upcoming vacation season . . . Elements of the old-fashioned spy novel -sudden twists and characters with hidden agendas-combine with James Patterson's secret to success

Readers can expect authenticity - and that is what she delivers

A tense, terrifying read we couldn't put down

(Liz Carlyle 3)

___________________________________________ 
 
'Readers can expect authenticity - and that is what she delivers.' The Times 
 
ILLEGAL ACTION is the third thriller from the former head of MI5 and bestselling author Stella Rimington, featuring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle. 
 
When MI5 intelligence officer Liz Carlyle learns of a Russian government plot to kill super-rich Nikita Brunovsky – a man who openly criticises the Putin regime from his London base – it’s a race against time to track down the killer. How the man is to be silenced is unclear, but the Foreign Office dreads any kind of incident and Liz must work fast to protect him. 
 
As she goes undercover, desperately trying to find out who in Brunovsky’s retinue might betray him, Liz discovers that an ‘illegal’ Russian agent has arrived in London. Is this the assassin she is seeking? Under an assumed name, caught up in the high-octane world of the oligarchs, Liz soon finds herself in terrible danger...

Stella Rimington

Books by Stella Rimington

Series by Stella Rimington

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13 must-read books for Killing Eve fans

9 must-read books for Slow Horses fans

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