Secret Asset

If forgetting you are being read to is the sign of a good audiobook narrator, then performer Emma Fielding hits the mark. Her soft voice lets the listener lose themselves in MI5 intelligence officer Liz Carlyle's hunt for an illusive IRA mole inside British Intelligence's counter-terrorism division. Although her voice is lyrical, Fielding doesn't convey the necessary tension and suspense of action sequences such as a car bomb that threatens to detonate in the middle of an Oxford graduation ceremony. Fielding's Irish accents are as believable as her own British speaking voice, but she struggles to sound realistic as other nationalities. Nevertheless, Rimington's mole manages to be more than a one note villain and his enactments of revenge have surprising motivations and unexpected outcomes.

This is the second book by former MI5 head Rimington and it's even better than At Risk. Rimington does excellent secondary and minor characters - the Oxford dons, the varied colleagues, the various civilians all come across crispy with just the right amount of detail to make them memorable and interesting. Once again, Liz is the least clearly drawn character in the book, but this time there are no gaping holes in her day to day life. The settings get more time and space here than in the first book - lovers of London and Oxford will be very very happy -- and the pacing of the plot, which was excellent in At Risk At Risk: A Novel, is truly outstanding: you'll stay up all night. The author combines the best elements of a procedural with the action scenes of a spy thriller. And that brings me to the one problem. Rimington doesn't end well. In her first novel, she practically threw up her hands and offered the reader an explosive version of "whatever." Here she spends more time and ink, but it is still a weak ending for such a strong narrative. But it's well worth your time and pocket change: lots of British-isms for Anglophiles.

Runner Sohail "code name Marzipan" Din meets his former handler M15 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle to inform her that there is odd meetings going on at a London Islamic bookstore especially the visits from a VIP Pakistani Imam. Not only is the lad, who plans to go to university shortly a reliable source, he gives "Jane" a tape left behind by the Imam. Although Jane knows this could be innocent meetings, her gut tells her otherwise. She reports to her superior M 15 Director of Counterterrorism Charles Wetherby, who trusts her instincts; besides which he takes no chances. He assigns an A-4 surveillance team to watch the bookstore. However, at the last moment, Charles removes a stunned Liz from the case. Instead he directs her to work a more insidious scenario that in the long run could cause even more immense problems for the country. Evidence has surfaced that a terrorist SECRET ASSET has infiltrated British Intelligence; Liz is assigned to uncover the mole before further damage is done to M 15 and terrorists repeat the transportation calamities. She calculates what is AT RISK if she fails. Having a mole inside an espionage agency is not a knew theme and has had real world counterpoints, but former M15 Director Stella Rimington keeps it fresh by finding who the perfect fit at the conference table (think Ames) is before terrorists strike. The story line is fast-paced, but it is the underlying belief that future hits will occur regardless of M15 efforts and attempts to include alienated minorities into society that make the tale way above the usual espionage thriller. Fans will appreciate this strong story of determining just which one of your colleagues is betraying your country and causing people to die. Harriet Klausner

If you like spy thrillers you will almost certainaly love this book. As well as trying to stop a terrorist attack, Liz Carlyle must find an IRA mole (who infiltrated MI5, but was never activated.) The characters are great and the story cracks along at a terrific pace. There are the usual twists and turns, and although I did guess who the mole was about half way through, there was always the chance that I was wrong (!) and it did nothing to spoil my enjoyment of the book. Rimington also adds in some nice touches. Even characters who are only bit part players are well drawn and we find out small details about their lives and why they were in that place at that time. If this is the kind of thing you usually enjoy then buy it! Safe houses, surveillance techniques, the inner workings of the terrorist mind, IRA informers.....this book has it all.