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 Russian 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.

About the Author

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. At Risk and Secret Asset, the first two Liz Carlyle novels, are available in Arrow.

Prizes

The third thriller from the former head of MI5, featuring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle 20040922

Reviews

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 2008 Reed Business Information.

"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."
-"Booklist
"
From the UK:
"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 . . . Carlyle, in her third outing, has depth and tenacity."
-"Financial Times
"

MI5 officer Liz Carlyle discovers that wealthy Putin opponent Nikita Brunovsky is about to be assassinated-on her territory. With a six-city tour. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.