At Risk [Hardcover]

With At Risk, Dame Stella Rimington's first novel, she is probably aware that she'll be under negative pressure for her literary efforts quite as she was for her true-life revelations concerning the world of spooks in her autobiography Open Secret. In fact At Risk is a strikingly assured debut, with a female perspective on the secret world (via Rimington's heroine Liz) that is as fresh as it is plausible. Rimington's position in MI5 led to the inevitable comparisons with Judi Dench's performances as the first female M in the James Bond films, but what we're shown here is clearly a picture of the author in her early days--Liz is an overworked lower-echelon secret service operative, dealing with both the casual chauvinism of her colleagues and a potentially devastating terrorist plot. The latter is handled with terrifying verisimilitude (one senses the author's intimate knowledge of this world here), and the chapters involving the activities of the 'invisible' (a terrorist who passes as a native of the host country) is probably the most chillingly handled section of the book.

At Risk appears to be partly autobiographical--a novel with a female intelligence officer as its heroine will be construed that way--but it wouldn't be enough to carry an indifferently written book--and this is anything but that. In a plot that mixes East End gangsters, hierarchy and the role of women in government organisations, the central theme here is terrorism. Rimington clearly sees this as the major threat to homeland security in this day and age. Liz Carlisle is a very promising character--and the fact that a series is pending is welcome news. --Barry Forshaw

The developing plot draws the reader in; set against a background of Islamist extremism, At Risk is undeniably pacey

It is a tense terrifying read we couldn't put down

Do you want to keep turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next? Answer: Yes, absolutely

Her story has enough in it too, of the technical services to be intriguing, without ever clotting the plot

‘a beguiling and successful debut’

‘It’s a tense and terrifying read we couldn’t put down’

‘The satisfaction of At Risk lies in its wealth of persuasive detail, obviously drawn from first-hand experience’

‘an interesting story, competently told’

At a weekly anti-terrorist meeting, Liz Carlyle, MI5 Intelligence Officer, goes on alert when it is reported that an 'invisible', an unidentified British terrorist, has entered the country. This is the first indicator that something bad may be about to happen. As Liz gets more information and starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together, she realizes that a major terrorist operation is underway. In a race against time, Liz's intuitive skills, her ability to get inside the head of the 'invisible', is the best chance they have to stop them.

A high tension, fast moving, debut thriller from the ex-head of MI5.

Stella Rimington joined the Security Service (MI5) in 1965 and during her career she worked in all the main fields of the Service's responsibilities - counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism - and became successively Director of all three branches. She was appointed Director-General of MI5 in 1992. She was the first woman to hold the post and the first Director-General whose name was publicly announced on appointment. Her autobiography, Open Secret, was published by Hutchinson in 2001.