Illegal Action [Audio CD]

Stella Rimington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2008

A suspenseful mystery set during the Cold War in London.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Books on Tape; Library Edition edition (2008)
• ISBN-10: 1415955212
• ISBN-13: 978-1415955215
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,512,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An authentic spy novel, October 13, 2007

By 

Julia Flyte - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Illegal Action (Hardcover)

This is the third thriller penned by Stella Rimington, the former Director General of Britain's MI5. Rimington's first hand experience in the Secret Service comes through in her writing and gives her novels a very authentic feel. When she writes about the way that a surveillance operation is conducted, for example, you know that this is really how it goes down.

This is an enjoyable book that takes off fast and holds your attention. The plot takes off where "Secret Asset" left off (though it's not necessary to have read that book) and again centres on Liz Carlyle, now transferred to the Counter Espionage division within MI5. Her team become aware of a Russian Government plot to silence a Russian oligarch living in the UK. Liz goes undercover in a bid to prevent the plot, but quickly becomes a target herself. Can she and her team find the potential assassin before it's too late?

It's hard to find a thriller that has a good ending and unfortunately this book is yet another that loses its way around the 90% mark. The resolution is ultimately weak but it's still a good book that keeps you hooked throughout, and while some of the key plot elements are very predictable, there are a couple of twists that most definitely aren't. The main characters are well thought out and the premise feels realistic. Rimington has written another winner and I look forward to her next.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The DG just keeps getting better, February 8, 2008

By 

Bryan (Ellicott City, MD) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Illegal Action (Hardcover)

The author, a former MI5 Director General, is at the top of her form in this third Liz Carlyle novel. Unlike so many fictional spies, Carlyle lives in a real world, with paperwork and budget cuts and manpower shortages. It's so refreshing to read about characters who could actually be human. The plot is intricate as well as educational regarding the extent of Russian espionage in the post-Yeltsin era. The Russians may not exactly be our enemies, but they're not allies either.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars `..truth was an abstract notion..', August 21, 2008

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illegal Action (Hardcover)

Liz Carlyle, MI5 agent, is now working in the Counter-Espionage Branch. While it was once the hub of MI5 operations, Counter-Espionage has been reduced in size since the end of the Cold War - even though there are significantly more spies operating in London. Drawn in part by London's status as the base of the international financial community, Russian agents are particularly focussed on the Russian oligarchs intent on wielding their influence and spending their millions.

Liz learns of an apparent Russian government plot to `silence' one of the oligarchs who is becoming an increasing vocal opponent of the Putin regime. The Foreign Office is concerned about the negative consequences of any such incident and Liz is assigned to prevent the incident from occurring. First, though, she needs to learn who the target is. At the same time, it becomes apparent that there may be a Russian illegal in London: is there a connection to the government plot? In order to uncover the plot, Liz goes undercover as a member of the oligarch's retinue.

Ms Rimington is a former director of MI5, and this lends her novels a sense of credibility. This is the third novel to feature Liz Carlyle: a likeable but dedicated career officer who knows her tradecraft. I've read the novels out of order, and will hasten to remedy this by reading the second novel.

I especially enjoyed this novel because it features believably human characters.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith