Dead Line [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Stella Rimington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2010

Here is the fourth installment in Stella Rimington’s series of thrilling novels that have at their center MI5 officer Liz Carlyle.

As plans get under way for a Middle East peace conference at the Gleneagles resort in Scotland, alarming information comes to MI5 from a high-ranking Syrian source: two individuals are mounting an operation to violently disrupt the conference and lay the blame on Syria. No one knows who they are, exactly what they’re planning or if they’re working independently or being controlled by an unseen foreign hand. But given the stature of the conference attendees—heads of state from the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran—no chances can be taken.

Initially, the leads look promising, but as the conference deadline draws closer and the clues lead Liz to one seeming dead end after another, she begins to understand that the threat is far greater than she or anyone else has imagined. Her most reliable tool has always been her searingly keen intuition—about what makes people tick, what makes them explode, what makes them defy the most basic constructs of society—but will it be enough to avert a disaster that may forever erase the possibility of peace in the Middle East?

Once again, Stella Rimington brings her experience as the first woman Director General of MI5 to bear in a powerfully suspenseful, intellectually and psychologically riveting tale about how the war on terrorism can suddenly—and continually—reshape our world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Rimington's fine fourth spy thriller to feature MI5 officer Liz Carlyle (after Illegal Asset), the 35-year-old counterespionage agent takes the lead in unraveling disturbing intelligence received from MI6 regarding a plot to disrupt an upcoming Middle East peace conference in Scotland. According to a Syrian source, a Lebanese businessman living in London and a freelance journalist are suspected of planning to lay the blame for the projected attack on Syria. With the high-profile conference quickly approaching, every clue raises more questions for Liz, who begins to wonder if the intelligence wasn't all just disinformation. Liz's intuition proves correct when she uncovers an ingenious conspiracy that, if successful, could throw the entire Middle East into chaos. Rimington, the former director general of MI5, can be a bit methodical at points, but the impressively Ludlumesque plot will keep readers blissfully turning the pages until the end. (July)
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From Booklist

Rimington brings a great deal of credibility to her espionage thrillers—she worked in MI,5, Britain’s intelligence agency, for 27 years and was serving as director general of the agency at the time of her retirement in 1996. She has mined that experience in an autobiography published in the UK, Open Secret (2001), and three previous spy novels starring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle. This time Carlyle is the pivot point for a tale involving a plot to disrupt an upcoming Mideast peace conference in Gleneagles, Scotland. Much of the novel constitutes MI5’s build-up to the conference. What could be tedious in another author’s hands is absolutely sweat-inducing in Rimington’s, as she guides readers through the terrorist plot, the intelligence counterplot, and the protocol involved in staging a conference. A secondary story line stems from Carlyle herself—an old friend asks her to check out the young admirer of the mother-in-law, who may be involved in Israeli intelligence. Fast moving, engrossing, and well constructed. --Connie Fletcher

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First edition (June 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307272540
• ISBN-13: 978-0307272546
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.3 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #876,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great espionage thriller, July 1, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Line (Hardcover)

M16 Agent Templeton in Cyprus reports that a contact Abboud insists Syrian deputy director of dreaded Idarat al-Mukhabarat Tibshirani believes that a London based Lebanese expatriate Sami Veshara and Chris Marcham intend to devastate the upcoming Middle East peace conference being held in Scotland. Disrupting efforts is expected by most counterterrorist groups, but what makes this allegation different is that the credit (and consequently the blame) will be given to Syria. With the leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran participating, MI5 officer Liz Carlyle is assigned to investigate the plausibility and if affirmed who they belong to.

As she follows leads, Liz fears time is running out. Clues either go nowhere or lead to more questions. She begins to revise her theory from these two nonentities to hypothesize whether the original source is using a ploy to cause some other unknown havoc although why remains out of reach. Liz knows a major incident could lead to devastating chaos in the Middle East and the end of peace negotiations for years to come.

This is a great espionage thriller that readers will fully appreciate. Thirtyish Liz is at her best in her latest tale (see At Risk, Illegal Action and Secret Asset) trying to connect dots that not only do not link but add more points to the increasingly convoluted equation. Readers will join Liz as she races to prevent a disaster but by whom and why remain just outside her analysis.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than the last, but..., August 21, 2010

By 

T. Good "daddie-O" (Limerick, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dead Line (Hardcover)

...still not a thrilling spy novel. Ms. Rimington is dutifully writing in a manner that may mimic real world methodology of solving international espionage, but you've gotta toss a little something in for action. This supposed to be fiction with a hard gripping edge if you want to call it a thriller. Reads more like a case study and not the most interesting case, either. It's how she wants to write her novels and that's fine. She's said before that James Bond and all the other Hollywood spy work has given everyone false expectations as to what really goes on in the spy world, but when you are writing fiction you can let your hair down a bit and give it some action.

5.0 out of 5 stars Espionage Reviewers are a Hard Lot, July 10, 2011

By 

Kenneth S. Hayes - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dead Line (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (Paperback)

As much as I like the two other books I am reading, I immediately began reading 'Dead Line' the day it arrived somewhat unexpectedly in the mail. I had Pre-ordered it a month or so ago. After the first short chapter I did not want this book to end and I could not put it down. I had to think a bit along the way, and yes, keep track of characters, but Liz Carlyle's personality kept me engaged. Thank You Stella Rimington. I will be getting 'Rip Tide' when it comes out in Paperback. (I see it has been released to Kindle first, trying to sucker us into buying electronics!)