Review of "The Geneva Trap" by Stella Rimmington

The Geneva Trap by Stella Rimington

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Stella Rimington has the actual advantage of having run a major Intelligence agency so she knows what she's talking about.

Unfortunately, just because someone is an expert in the field doesn't automatically make them a good or interesting author. For instance, a lot of ex-policemen who write detective fiction write rather dull books. Why? Because they get stuck in the minutia of procedure rather than actually telling a gripping story.

Good Crime and spy novels only have to appear authentic; they don't have to actually be authentic. John LeCarre, who was a serving MI6 officer at the time, once said that if "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" had actually been truely authentic his superiors would never have allowed him to publish it. The point is LeCarre was such a great writer he made it seem effortlessly authentic, and that's what matters.

Rimmington is not a great writer. She is a "ho-hum" writer. The plot is fine, if a tad pedestrian and and nothing about the novel really stands out. It's a spy novel by an ex-spy chief rather than a pro like LeCarre or Deighton.

That said, it's a reasonable enough, if forgettable, read and if you enjoy spy fiction you could do worse.



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