Illegal Action

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

ILLEGAL ACTION is the third thriller from the former head of MI5 and bestselling author Stella Rimington, featuring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle.

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 man 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...

'Readers can expect authenticity - and that is what she delivers.' The Times

© Stella Rimmington 2007 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

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 . . . Gripping . . . Carlyle, in her third outing, has depth and tenacity
Financial Times
The thing about Ms Rimington's stories is that they have the smack of authenticity
Daily Mail
There is every sign of inside knowledge about this spying business as our hero Liz enters the world of mega-rich and mega-eccentric Russian 'oligarchs' in London
Guardian
Rimington's command of espionage and counterespionage history and techniques 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
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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
Readers can expect authenticity - and that is what she delivers
The Times
Rimington makes adroit use of her expertise as former MI5 chief
Sunday Times
A tense, terrifying read we couldn't put down
Cosmopolitan

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