Close Call

By: Stella Rimington

Narrated by: Julia Barrie

In 2012, in a Middle Eastern souk, CIA agent Miles Brookhaven was attacked. He was infiltrating rebel groups in the area and no one was certain if his cover had been blown or if the act was just an arbitrary attack.

Now, Liz Carlyle and her Counter Terrorism unit in MI5 have been charged with the task of watching the international under-the-counter arms trade and British Intelligence forces have become increasingly concerned that extremist Al-Qaeda jihadis are building their power base ready to launch another attack. As the pressure mounts, Liz and her team must intercept illegal weapons before they get into the wrong hands.

©2014 Oakhill Publishing (P)2014 Stella Rimington

Critic reviews

"She bids to join the ranks of such secret-agent authors as Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene and John le Carré" ( Wall Street Journal)

"A wealth of persuasive detail, obviously drawn from first-hand experience" ( Marie Claire)

"For a pacy page-turner, she's a safe bet . . . Rimington is particularly strong in her accounts of procedure, unsurprisingly, given her past role as Head of MI5" ( Independent)

"Liz Carlyle remains one of the most interesting characters in the male-dominated world of the spy thriller" ( Daily Express)

"Rimington's best work demonstrates a flair for narrative, with a sense of authenticity and an insider's grasp on the pressing issues of the day" ( Washington Post)

Absorbing

I heard an interview with Stella Rimington on the New York Times Book Review Podcast and was intrigued enough to order the book from Audible. What interests me most was Rimington writing about a job she knew well. Stella Rimington is the former Director General of MI5. I discovered after buying the book it is book eight in the Liz Carlyle series.

In this story Liz Carlyle and her counter terrorism unit in MI5 have been assigned to watch the international under- the- counter arms trade. The British Intelligence has become concerned the extremist AL-Qaeda Jihadist are building their power base. Liz and team must intercept illegal weapons before Al-Qaeda obtains them. We are taken on a tour of Paris and Berlin in the hunt for the weapons.

The author has managed to choose a hot button issue on which to base her story on. There is a suggestion of significant moral or psychological depth to the story. There is action added to the intelligence gather operation. I feel the story has been grabbed right out of today’s headlines. I might go back and read the other books in this series. Julie Barrie narrated the novel.

Not my favorite Liz Carlyle

The narration ruined this one for me. The French accents were painfully cringy. Liz is a mature, intelligent pro but the narrator used a high girlish voice that didn't fit the character.