Illegal Action (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. MI5 officer Liz Carlyle tries to make the best of it after she's unwillingly transferred from counterterrorism to counterespionage in Rimington's excellent third novel (after Secret Asset). Assigned to a case involving a rich Moscow oligarch living in London, Liz quickly realizes that there's considerable evidence the oligarch's been targeted for death by someone in Russia—perhaps with the assistance of the Russian government, perhaps not. Matters become more complicated when it becomes evident Liz herself may wind up a target. Rimington's command of espionage and counterespionage history and techniques (derived from long personal experience at the same British agency as Carlyle's) 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. Author tour.(July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

This is the third entry in the British spy series by Rimington, herself a former director general of MI5, featuring the smart and daring intelligence-operative Liz Carlyle. Along with her sidekick, Peggy Kingsolving, Carlyle has been transferred to the Counter-Espionage division, which, in the terrorist-obsessed modern world, is no longer the plum assignment it was during the height of East-West rivalries. She is surprised to find that there are more spies lurking around the current London scene than there were during the cold war—no longer in pursuit of military intelligence but the rich stakes of the global business community. After discovering a plot to assassinate a Russian billionaire, Nikita Brunovsky, who has been strident in his public criticism of Vladimir Putin, Carlyle goes undercover as a member of the financier’s entourage only to find herself in danger from a Russian spy who is also masquerading as an innocuous associate of Brunovsky. Elements of the old-fashioned spy novel—sudden twists and characters with hidden agendas—combine with James Patterson’s secret to success (short chapters) to create an ideal beach read for the upcoming vacation season. --Michael Gannon --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307389065
• ISBN-13: 978-0307389060
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #137,733 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 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)

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 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old style and gripping, January 6, 2008

By	Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Illegal Action (Hardcover)

MI5 officer, Liz Carlyle is now working in Counter Espionage since the end of the Cold War reduced the size of her department. Liz hears of a supposed Russian government plot to eliminate one of the millionaire oligarchs who now live lives of super luxury in London.She is about to be planted in the millionaire's home as an art student and so takes a crash course in modern Russian art, enough to give her a convincing cover story to pass as the real thing. An attempt is made on her life in the guise of a street mugging but she's determined to go ahead with the plan. The household consists of a strange mixture of people with mysterious pasts and complete innocents so Liz continues to probe secretly into the cast of characters in an attempt to foil any attempt at murder which would cause a political crisis on the eve of the British PM's trip to Russia. It's a good, old fashioned spy story and my only criticism is the unbelievable number of times that the word oligarch is used in the story, but I'll still be looking for more books by Stella Rimington.

6 of 6 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.