Secret Service

Product Information

Secret Service is a rather timely spy thriller/political intrigue story that puts Russia’s desire for influence in other country’s political elections front and center. Set in the U.K., Kate Henderson and her team are listening to a conversation when they learn that not only is the current minister resigning soon, but that Russia has a very good foothold into who the next prime minister will be. If that wasn’t enough, the team also learns there is a mole amongst the British ranks, code-named Viper, that can assist Russia and help ensure their candidate’s success. I think maybe, it’s an excellent book for a man to read or anyone au fait with the political systems of these countries. I think perhaps I’m a not quite so well versed, and I did get a bit lost along the way. A suspenseful, professional-grade north country procedural whose heroine, a deft mix of compassion and attitude, would be welcome to return and tie up the gaping loose end Box leaves. The unrelenting cold makes this the perfect beach read. Kate also has a past. She spent time in Moscow as a student and met and fell in love with a man named Sergei. She didn’t act on those feelings, being already committed to Stuart, but she’s never forgotten them. That was 20 years ago. Now Sergei has turned up in London at a diplomatic event she attends and Kate finds that those long-buried feelings still simmer.

Overall, it was sufficiently involving to keep me interested until the end. It’s nothing that special but it’s not bad by any means and I’ll try the next one because there’s promise here. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

The identity of Russian mole "Viper" was revealed and The Teder Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ came on with sirens blaring...and I sent the novel sailing across the room to splat against the far wall and tumble into the waste bin. Secret Service is a fresh-from-the-headlines thriller for fans of Homeland, Crisis and The Bodyguard.

One of the many strengths of le Carré's tales is their verisimilitude and this is the weakness of this book. I don't believe in the reality of the settings or the plausibility of the main character. Sadly, the key reveal is not hidden well enough and comes as no great surprise. The manner in which it arrives is too contrived. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Brilliant. . . . St. Petersburg . . . illuminates The White Russian. . . . Rusky is a character to remember. . . . A complex mystery.” — Columbus Dispatch, on The White Russian

'Do you think it might be time to acknowledge you’re too old for this game?'

My only small niggle is the authors very vocal anti Russia sentiment in the book, it didnt spoil it at all but was obvious his thoughts throughout!

A book that you can whizz through and enjoy; great escapism but routed in the trends and realities of modern espionage. A clever piece and full of insight and the occasional lighter moment. I particularly liked the quip of calling out one of the team as thinking he was the embodiment of George Smilely. A Russian agent has come forward with news that the PM has been the victim of the greatest misinformation play in the history of MI6. It's run out of a special KGB unit that exists for one purpose alone: to process the intelligence from 'Agent Dante', a mole right at the heart of MI6 in London.Okay, so maybe I've been spoiled on Le Carre and Slough House, but when did British Intelligence get so domestic and ...gooey? It's a fast-paced, easy read which plays perfectly on the fears of both the political establishment and the general population. Moving between rich, vivid locations we follow protagonist Kate who begins a covert investigation into corruption in the top-levels of the UK government but her conflicting loyalties creep into her head rather a lot. It's certainly a high-octane, high-stakes story full of palpable tension which builds and builds beautifully. There are some parallels that can be drawn between some of the cast here and those currently in the real-world political spotlight. I suspect that was intentional on Bradby's part. Bradby does a good job controlling his narrative and, without ever becoming tedious or heavy-handed, he subtly helps you remember who knows what, who trusts whom and with what information, and how much each person knows. None of the characters, including the PM candidates, is totally candid, nor can MI6 tip its hand by revealing its investigation of them. Not to mention the bureaucratic difficulty that they’ve concealed this investigation from MI5, which by rights should be conducting it. The title, Secret Service, turns out to have multiple meanings.