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Secret Asset (Paperback)

by Stella Rimington (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

Secret Asset + Illegal Action + At Risk
Price For All Three: £17.47

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  • This item: Secret Asset by Stella Rimington

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Product details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd; New edition edition (5 April 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099472597
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099472599
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 16,999 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #64 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Thrillers > Spy Stories

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Product Description

Review
"A cracking good thriller." Lynn Barber,
-"Observer
""Intelligent... Undeniably pacey."
-"Guardian
""This is something rare: the spy novel that prizes authenticity over fabrication"
-"Mail on Sunday
""Tense and terrifying."
-"Cosmopolitan
""The Secret Service background is exceedingly convincing."
-"Evening Standard"
Praise for "At Risk":
"This is something very rare: the spy novel that prizes authenticity over fabrication."
-"Mail on Sunday"
"Tense and terrifying."
-"Cosmopolitan"
"A cracking good thriller"
-Lynn Barber, "Observer"
"Intelligent -- Undeniably pacy"
-"Guardian"
"Rimington makes adroit use of her expertise as former MI5 chief"
-"Sunday Times"
"The Secret Service background is exceedingly convincing"
-"Evening Standard"
"First class"
-Douglas Hurd," New Statesman"
Praise for Stella Rimington's autobiography "Open Secret":
"The story of MI5's transformation is fascinating. So too is Rimington's account of her rise in what was very definitely a man's world."
--"Guardian"
"She writes in a refreshingly self-deprecating style of juggling the roles of single parent and chief 'spook'."
--"Independent on Sunday"
"Open Secret is a fascinating account not only of Stella Rimington's various roles in the evolving Security Services, but also of the strains on a single mother as she struggles to compartmentalize a life that is necessarily unpredictable, stressful and shrouded in secrecy."
--"Time Out"

Product Description
When Liz learns from one of her agents that suspicious meetings are taking place at an Islamic bookshop, she trusts her instinct that a terrorist cell is at work. Her boss, Charles Wetherby, Director of Counter Terrorism, trusts her as well and immediately puts a surveillance operation into place. An attack seems imminent. So Liz is surprised when Wetherby suddenly takes her off the case. And she's shocked to hear the reason why: he has received a tip-off that a mole is at work inside British Intelligence. If true, then the potential damage to the Service itself could be immeasurable. Now, as her colleagues scramble to avert a terrorist strike, Liz must find out who the mole is, and what their intentions are, before it is too late.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Secret Asset
65% buy the item featured on this page:
Secret Asset 3.6 out of 5 stars (17)
£5.99
Dead Line
12% buy
Dead Line 3.7 out of 5 stars (7)
£3.99
At Risk
10% buy
At Risk 3.9 out of 5 stars (23)
£5.99
Illegal Action
10% buy
Illegal Action 3.2 out of 5 stars (17)
£5.49
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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Spymistress doesn't quite Hit the Mark, 19 Nov 2006
By Mr. S. J. Bonsor "bonsor2" (Horley, Surrey UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Secret Asset (Hardcover)
At the very least it would be impossible to fault the authenticity of this novel. Rimington's former life as the head of MI5 gives this the pedigree of someone who clearly knows what she's talking about.

The day to day details of the UK's Security Services are deftly written: all the interview and investigative procedures ring true and Rimington also has a good eye for character and motivation.

The plot twist is quite novel but the denouement leaves a lot to be desired- it's as if a kind of real-life reticence kicks in: what is reqired is the unbuttoned fantasy of a hollywood plot to create the kind of climax most readers have come to expect. No doubt the author knows what is real and is unwilling to suspend disbelief.

I enjoyed this book, and would not discourage the interested reader from giving it a go. My advice to Ms Rimington on writing the next one would be: keep the authentic detail, stick with your characterisations, but don't be afraid to spice up the action.

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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant page turner/ beach novel, 29 Aug 2006
By Snapdragon (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Secret Asset (Hardcover)
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.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The former DG's new best seller, 5 Aug 2006
This review is from: Secret Asset (Hardcover)
Reads just like an episode of Spooks, but a hundred times better.

The story isn't as fast paced as "At Risk", but it dosen't lack any of the realism.

With real locations and twist and turns on every page this sure to become a No1 best seller.

Richard & Judy need to review this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Good read with some minor irritations
This is the second of Stella Rimington books I have read, and on the whole I have enjoyed them both. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Silverflora

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent thriller !
I started reading Rimington with her first book 'At risk', where I found the conclusion a real let down. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Josephine Huys

3.0 out of 5 stars Slightly muted Liz Carlyle novel
Secret Asset

Second in the series of Liz Carlyle novels this has dual converging plots of a sleeper within MI5 and a shadowy Islamist threat. Read more
Published 8 months ago by pointone

1.0 out of 5 stars Not very secret and not much of an asset
I hadn't expected great writing but, given that Stella Rimington once headed MI5, I did imagine that her experience would enable her to construct an original plot and, most... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Tarasque

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Not Great

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,... Read more
Published 21 months ago by J. Chippindale

2.0 out of 5 stars Bit of a let down
I can usually tell by simply reading the first page of a book as to whether or not it's going to be my cup of tea and this showed promise. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Hippy chick

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks Punch
Stella Rimington obviously knows her stuff when it comes to the inner workings of the security services; there can be no doubt about that. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2007 by C. Green

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Not Great

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,... Read more
Published on 24 May 2007 by J. Chippindale

3.0 out of 5 stars Reasonable read
I was intrigued - because it was Stella Rimington. I had not realised that this was her second novel. Read more
Published on 15 May 2007 by Gabrielle de Yorvick

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Her Best Yet
I absolutely loved this book. In many ways it's like an old-fashioned spy thriller - what with slightly off-colour dons being interviewed in their dark and musty colleges, making... Read more
Published on 11 April 2007 by helen

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