Stella Rimington, Secret Asset

Secret Asset

Stella Rimington

Knopf, Jun 2007, $24.95

ISBN: 9781400043958

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