A terrorist is targeting Britain. And to make matters worse it’s an “invisible”--someone traveling under a British passport. Vir...
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reviews
Aug 21, 2009
Susan
rated it: 
I’ve been on a spy kick lately, rereading books by old favorites John Le Carré and Charles McCarry and watching the British TV series, Sandbaggers, which, it turns out, has a sort of cult following among intelligence buffs—supposed to be pretty authentic. Most of those books I’ve been rereading as well as Sandbaggers focus on Cold War espionage. This novel focuses on contemporary terrorism and its author, Stella Rimington, is a past director of Britain’s MI5.
It’s like a police proced More...
It’s like a police proced More...
Feb 26, 2011
Sharon
rated it: 
Liz Carlyle works for MI5, the agency of which Stella Rimington was the first female director general. Her experience is used well in this, her first novel.
An announcement is made at a meeting that Islamic terrorists may be about to deploy an 'invisible', an agent native to Britain and able to move and act without attracting suspicion. This is worrying, but Liz has agents to supervise and a new MI6 counterpart to deal with. Very quickly, however, Liz receives information that puts h More...
An announcement is made at a meeting that Islamic terrorists may be about to deploy an 'invisible', an agent native to Britain and able to move and act without attracting suspicion. This is worrying, but Liz has agents to supervise and a new MI6 counterpart to deal with. Very quickly, however, Liz receives information that puts h More...
Dec 26, 2009
Brian
rated it: 
The first novel from former MI5 boss, Stella Rimington, is, as one might expect, a thriller about a terrorist bomb-plot. Tightly plotted with a complex jigsaw puzzle of intersecting events and characters, it is packed with cliff-hangers.
Liz Carlyle, a female MI5 operative struggles to track down the security service's worst nightmare an 'invisible' - a home-grown terrorist with no obvious cultural or political allegiances - who is bent on carrying out a high-profile strike against a More...
Liz Carlyle, a female MI5 operative struggles to track down the security service's worst nightmare an 'invisible' - a home-grown terrorist with no obvious cultural or political allegiances - who is bent on carrying out a high-profile strike against a More...
Jul 21, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
I took up this book because it was written by a woman who became the first female director of MI5. That's a pretty remarkable thing, even today. And unlike similar books I have read, the author creates in this novel a world that is decidedly real. One of the most thrilling aspects of this story is that it very well could happen at any time. It also honestly explores the darker side to government operations. The missions and accidents that people are not so proud of, that they don't want the pres
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Mar 26, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Stella Rimington really grabs the reader from the very beginning. Characters and plot are intertwined like strands of string in a cord, each heading toward a final event that has anti-terrorist agents worried. Along the way, we grown closer to intelligence officer Liz Caryle, who has spent a lifetime trying to prove herself in a very dangerous, male-oriented environment.
Liz and her counter-terrorist teammates must learn whether the opposition has finally been able to land an foreign ag More...
Liz and her counter-terrorist teammates must learn whether the opposition has finally been able to land an foreign ag More...
Jul 28, 2011
I enjoyed reading "At risk" very much. It's a book with interesting characters, a very well constructed plot, action and a strong, intelligent and intuitive female lead character. I think the characters will be come more engaging as the series continues.
I liked that it was cast in shades of grey; though they were a bit dark and realistic. As escapism it wasn't uplifting.
As can be the case with first books, it was sometimes a bit clunky but I enjoyed it thoroughly enough that I will kee More...
I liked that it was cast in shades of grey; though they were a bit dark and realistic. As escapism it wasn't uplifting.
As can be the case with first books, it was sometimes a bit clunky but I enjoyed it thoroughly enough that I will kee More...
Aug 27, 2010
Jessica
rated it:
I try to judge books based on what the author is trying to do. Rimington hits a lot of the spy thriller cliches here: hero(ine) whose job prevents her from finding love--check, innocent victims of evil international villains--check, unexpected twists and red herrings--check, check. But somehow, the novel is not a cliche. Liz Carlyle is a British agent trying to find an "invisible": a UK citizen who also is an Islamic terrorist. The race-against-time plot shows off some solid pacin
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Mar 19, 2009
Shelley
rated it: 
I thought this book was quite well done, but of course the main motivation for reading it was because the author was involved in the world of espionage herself. I really enjoyed the strong female character and thought the work place politics were totally believable. The disappointing part of the book was the ending. While it wraps up the best that it can, I found it slightly less believable that the "invisible" would be so easily dissuaded from the task at hand. But I'd definitely read
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Sep 03, 2008
Ed
rated it:
This is the first of a so-far successful series featuring MI5 operative Liz Carlyle written by the agency's former general director.
One way to look at the protagonist--she is the opposite of Ian Fleming's Agent 007, James Bond. The most basic way, of course, is that Bond is male, Liz female. Bond is licensed to kill--although that license wouldn't work since it would only allow killing in the realm of the Queen, the area where Bond's agency is forbidden from operating. Bond is a spy More...
One way to look at the protagonist--she is the opposite of Ian Fleming's Agent 007, James Bond. The most basic way, of course, is that Bond is male, Liz female. Bond is licensed to kill--although that license wouldn't work since it would only allow killing in the realm of the Queen, the area where Bond's agency is forbidden from operating. Bond is a spy More...
Mar 13, 2009
Monty
rated it:
This British spy/terrorist novel written by a former head of Britain's M15 Bureau becomes a thriller toward the end. The bulk of the book though contains really solid and realistic (at least to me) ways investigators use clues to solve puzzles. I really liked that some clues were never used because they weren't available to the investigators. The working together and the tension amongst the various players in the story seemed real as well. I would like to see this book made into a movie.
Mar 09, 2007
katie
rated it:
God, this is so bland. I kept trying to come up with analogies for it while I was reading it - which says it all, really, considering it's meant to be this FAST-PACED, SUPER EXCITING THRILLER - but it's so nothingy. I bought it because the MC spends the first five minutes angsting about never having quite managed to figure out the dress code thing for life at MI5, because that sounded very me, but it doesn't get past that. I mean, you'd imagine that's meant to be the Endearing Feature about her,
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Jun 16, 2009
Sara
rated it:
If you enjoy spy intrigue stories you will love this book. The plot is captivating and of course extremely realistic considering the author's previous career with MI5. My only complaint was that I needed a "British-English / American-English" dictionary to help me with a lot of the lingo. Also, there are some assumptions made by the author with regards to British culture that not all her non-British readers will be familiar with.
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Oct 24, 2011
Gregory
rated it:
I read the first couple of books in this series. They're very intelligent, wonderfully low-key, knowledgeable about intelligence craft, and easy to read. I quite enjoyed this novel, and the one after it. But I haven't made the effort to read the next in the series, which either says something about the series or about me--or both.
That said, I'd certainly recommend it to a friend.
That said, I'd certainly recommend it to a friend.
Apr 07, 2009
Joanne
rated it:
Rimington is my new favorite espionage/thriller author. Former head of MI5, updating John LeCarre with a smart and likable female agent of counter-terrorism. Great at slowly revealing clues that advance the plot, great at keeping up the pace. Just wonderful.
Jan 20, 2012
Clarissa
rated it:
I bought this novel because it was written by a director general of MI5. How cool! If there was anyone who knew about the inner workings of the spy game, she would be the one. And probably she is. However, in some parts, it was hard to read. I just couldn't get into it. At some point in the future I might re-read it but maybe not. However, I might be willing to pick up another book she's written instead. Debuts are sometimes not as good as subsequent books.
Apr 02, 2010
Mia
rated it:
I liked that the protagonist was capable but flawed, that you got to see the problematics of intelligence work from different perspectives, and that both sides made mistake. The ending was a little odd, but I appreciate that it was an attempt to not fall into any of the cliches that terrorism-related plots fall into.
Feb 28, 2009
Rosie
rated it:
Written as fiction, a former head of MI5 creates the counterterrorist agent, Liz Carlyle, who is given limited time to find the worst kind of terrorist , an "invisible"-someone traveling on a British passport. As taunt, and suspenseful as a Robert Ludlum. Very Good.
Feb 21, 2009
Barrett
rated it:
Initially I started reading Rimmington because of her experience as the head of Britains MI5 and I am always interested in trying to make psych profiles of Intelligence figures through there fiction work. In addition her knowledge of the reality of espionage in the modern age, as opposed to writers like LaCarre who didn't focus on terrorists, makes this work very solid and enjoyable. I gladly plan to keep reading her works.
Sep 07, 2010
Beth
rated it:
This was fun, although I'm not really a mystery reader...the last one I loved was Smilla's Sense of Snow. But the fact that the auther used to be the director of Britain's MI-5 and it was set in London drew me in. If you like mysteries, you'll like this one.
Aug 06, 2009
Marvin
rated it:
A pretty standard thriller--a post-9/11 effort to find a pair of terrorists threatening an attack in England--except that the hero is a female investigator. It was OK, but hard to understand why I picked it, even after rereading the PW review.
Jul 30, 2011
This is her first novel and it shows, with rather two dimensional characters and rather pedestrian writing. However, the plot is good, the detail impressive and one assumes she knows what she is talking about, as ex head of MI5. Enjoyable readable spy thriller, a million miles from James Bond.
Jun 28, 2009
Jill
rated it:
The author was the head of MI-5 and knows her stuff. This is her debut novel. It is a fast moving thriller set in England, and the plot could have come of the headlines. It completely keeps your interest.
Sep 03, 2007
LJ
rated it:
AT RISK (Espionage-England-Cont) – VG
Rimington, Stella – 1st novel
Knopf, 2004- Hardcover
Intelligence officer gets word from one of her agents that there may be an imminent terrorist threat within England. Now it's her job to find the terrorists, identify their target, and prevent them from succeeding in their mission.
*** Since the end of the cold war, I'd not found a good contemporary spy novel. This ends the drought. Ms. Rimington was director general of MI5 so she kn More...
Rimington, Stella – 1st novel
Knopf, 2004- Hardcover
Intelligence officer gets word from one of her agents that there may be an imminent terrorist threat within England. Now it's her job to find the terrorists, identify their target, and prevent them from succeeding in their mission.
*** Since the end of the cold war, I'd not found a good contemporary spy novel. This ends the drought. Ms. Rimington was director general of MI5 so she kn More...
Jun 14, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
checked out from cleveland park branch dc library.
well-paced. written by former head of MI5. Learned that MI6 exists and runs foreign intelligence gathering, MI5 focused more on counter-intelligence, domestic sources. At least, that' s my impression from the book. Several more books in this series - good beach reading.
well-paced. written by former head of MI5. Learned that MI6 exists and runs foreign intelligence gathering, MI5 focused more on counter-intelligence, domestic sources. At least, that' s my impression from the book. Several more books in this series - good beach reading.
Mar 08, 2009
Charles
rated it:
Great story of terror networks and the intelligence "spooks" that piece together the evidence to thwart the terrorists.
All to believable and realistic characters.
All to believable and realistic characters.
Feb 21, 2009
Heather
rated it:
This is the first fiction effort from Stella Rimington, former head of British intelligence unit M15, and the depiction of lead character Liz Carlyle has the ring of truth.
Oct 17, 2011
Marilynn
rated it:
The debut thriller of the former head of MI-5, the British counter-intelligence agency. It is well-written and absorbing, but I would call it more of an "intelligence procedural" than a thriller, because it lacks the pulse-pounding action of the typical thriller. The book follows the thought processes and actions of the protagonist, Liz Carlyle, an MI-5 agent handler, as she tries to find a pair of terrorists, identify their target, and prevent their attack. Rimington's work reminds
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Jun 04, 2009
Ken
rated it:
Stella's the real deal. A former head of MI5, so she knows major crime, and she's a terrific writer. Twists and turns right to the end of this thriller.
Aug 19, 2009
Bill
rated it:
A good modern espionage procedual. I'm not rushing out to read the next Rimington book, but I will definitely get to it sometime. Reminded me of the great British spy tv shows like The Sandbaggers and MI5.
Sep 19, 2011
Julie
rated it:
Wow...another great series! This one kept me on the edge of my seat (and WAY past my bedtime). Thanks, Seattle Mystery Bookshop and the Seattle Tiems, for the great recommendation.
