An announcement is made at a meeting of the British Intelligence Joint
Counter-Terrorist group: "The opposition may be about to deploy an
invisible." An "invisible" is CIA-speak for the ultimate intelligence
nightmare: a terrorist who is an ethnic native of the target country and who can
therefore cross its borders unchecked, move around the country unquestioned, and
go unnoticed while setting up the foundation for monstrous harm.
Intelligence officer Liz Carlyle has had to prove herself in countless ways as
she's come up through the ranks of the traditionally all-male world of
Britain's Security Service, MI5. But this announcement marks the start of an
operation that will test all her hard-won knowledge and experience–and her
intelligence and courage–as nothing has before. Having analyzed information
from her agents, she realizes that there is indeed an imminent terrorist threat.
She may even have the invisible's point of entry. But what she cannot draw out
of all the "chatter" is the invisible's identity and intended target.
With each passing hour, the danger increases. As the desperate hunt continues,
it becomes clear that Liz's intuitive skills, her ability to get deep inside
her enemy's head, are her best hope for tracking down the terrorist. But will
that be enough? And can she succeed in time to avert a disaster?
Drawing from her experience as the first woman director general of MI5, Stella
Rimington gives us a story that is smart, tautly drawn, and suspenseful from
first to last. At Risk is a stunning debut novel that plunges us headlong
into today's shadowy and fever-pitched battle between terrorism and
Intelligence.
A perfectly enjoyable thriller but without the edge of a true master such as Le Carré. Still, considering Rimington's background (as the former Director General of MI5) and that this is her first foray into fiction, she is definitely one to watch. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Publishers Weekly
The first woman director general of Britain's MI5, Rimington speaks smartly
about workplace issues while ratcheting the tension high in her authoritative
debut thriller...She is
open about having had an assist with the structure of the book, but the voice
rings true, and she keeps faith with a genre she clearly venerates.
Library Journal - Teresa L. Jacobson
Rimington, former director general of Britain's security service MI5, introduces
us to Liz Carlyle, a young, hip, and incredibly intuitive counterterrorism
intelligence officer....Women authors and protagonists are rare in the
British intelligence genre, and this debut has series potential.
Kirkus Reviews
Their day-of-the-jackal search for
Faraj and Lucy, played out against the violent and resourceful countermeasures
of their targets, doesn't exactly break new ground in the genre. Yet once she
sets up her irresistible situation, Rimington controls the game of hunters and
hunted like-well, like a master of real-life spycraft. New wine, expertly
crafted, in old bottles.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Mr. Dave Just okay I expected more from this book. The characters and plot were very simple and underdeveloped. Given her background I looked forward to this book hoping for some interesting plot twists and some real sense of suspense and intrigue and this book gave... Read More
Rated of 5
by Marvin
This was the best book I have ever read. People of all ages will love this book because of its stunning content. The author should be very pleased with herself.
According to a BBC
Interview with Rimington, there is no exact equivalent to MI5 in
the USA - the nearest equivalent is what used to be called the Foreign
Counter Intelligence arm of the FBI. She goes on to say that "MI5 is a civilian
intelligence service with no powers of arrest or any other police powers, but a
lot of investigative powers. For example, tbey have the power to intercept
communications, follow people around, and search houses and cars. Its job is to help
to protect the country against serious threats to our national security by
generating intelligence, assessing it and taking action on it to prevent the
harm intended."
Rimington's autobiography, Open Secret, was published in 2001 and a new
thriller, Secret Asset, will be published this August.
Incidentally, having a female in charge of MI5
wasn't a one-time aberration in the system - as witnessed by the fact
that the current DG is Eliza
Manningham-Buller. (Has there ever been a female in charge of the...
Rich with sharply etched characters and prose, and a plot of astonishing intricacy, this is an uncommonly intelligent thriller by one of our very best writers.
Iran has dispatched its most deadly assassin to kill Frank Perry - unless Perry´s protectors can reach him first. A powerful and thrilling novel about how the past can haunt the present.
These are 2 of the 7 readalike suggestions for At Risk. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Two Lives is a memoir written by international best-selling author, Vikram Seth. In this interesting and engaging book, Seth writes about his great...
read more
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
Full Story
BookBrowse
(568 words).
of 5
by Mr. Dave
of 5
by Marvin
Write your own review!
