Illegal Action (Liz Carlyle, #3) by Stella Rimington

Illegal Action (Liz Carlyle, #3) Reviews

• 
  Alex Cantone

  ‘People sometimes become a little starry-eyed about Russians. They are a romantic people, with great souls and passionate intensity. Many of them are utterly charming…but deep down they are all hard.'
  
  The “Illegal” in the title is a foreign agent in deep cover – an assassin – and in this case a woman, given away in the first few pages. MI5’s involvement is tenuous: in the aftermath of a mole being exposed, Liz Carlyle is sidelined into the counter-espionage branch – “glamorous” back in the Cold War days, now a backwater. Her old boss Charles is taking extended leave to care for his terminally-ill wife, her new one, Brian is a bit of a boofhead, but at least the ever-reliable Peggy Kinsolving has transferred across with her.
  
  An intelligence officer walking his dog on Hampstead Heath spots a known Russian trade delegate meeting up with a mystery man, and a chance discussion at a dinner party reveals that one of the Russian oligarchs living in London, Nikola Brunovsky, a celebrated collector of early 20th century Russian paintings, might be the intended target of an assassin. With the collusion of MI5/MI6 Liz is drawn into the oligarch’s immediate circle – a full “Cluedo” cast – posing as a mature-aged art student, uncovers an art fraud, and her life is put in danger.
  
  I had previously read
  The Moscow Sleepers, which I enjoyed, but this one did its best to put me to sleep. The characters are so wooden – in the case of Brunovsky almost a caricature, and the literary style is stilted in the way of a PD James murder. The essence is that of the case of Alexander Litvinenko, the former FSB defector, famously “offed” in 2006 by a fatal dose of radioactive isotope 210 Polonium. But the worst part is the bungling by senior figures in MI5/MI6: (the author herself is a former DG of MI5) - reflecting badly on the service, showcasing a meanness, scrabble for resources, nepotism, opportunism…the list goes on.
  
  She had no confidence in Brian Ackers and from past experience she wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that Geoffrey Fane had involved her in some Byzantine scheme of his own.
  
  Verdict: not her best work.
• 
  Mike Finn

  "Illegal Action" is a convincing but only mildly suspenseful Brit spy story, set in 2007 when the idea that Russia was waging a covert war against the UK was still new.
  
  The appeal of the Liz Carlyle books comes mostly from the fact that they are written by the ex-Director General of MI5 and therefore have a chance at being based on knowledge of how the secret service actually operates.
  
  "Illegal Action" delivers against that promise, this time moving Liz Carlyle into counter-intelligence and focusing her on an alleged plot against Russian Oligarchs living in London. In 2007, when this book was written, counter-terrorism was the star act. Counter-terrorism was yesterday's favourite. The cold war was over and the Good Friday Agreement had been in place for nine years. "Illegal Action" focuses its attention on the extent of Russian espionage in London and the presence of a large number of Russian oligarchs who owned a lot of London Real Estate and many of whom had UK passports.
  
  The procedural details are interesting and sound authentic. The plot has a few twists and curves along the way and the resolution is credible.
  
  I couldn't quite accept that someone as experienced as Liz Carlyle, would go so long in this story without understanding the personal risks she was running.
  
  There was some tension in the book but it was of the, I'm-curious-if-THIS-or-THAT-will-happen rather than of the PLEASE-don't-let-THAT-happen kind.
  
  The characters are drawn in just enough detail to make the story work but none of them truly came alive for me.
  
  "Illegal Action" was a quick, entertaining but not very memorable read.
  
  I recommend the audiobook version. It's very easy on the ear.
  
  https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/...
• 
  Trish

  When Stella Rimington first published a novel in 2004, I was pleased, surprised, and interested. It was kind of cool, watching the watchers, and seeing what she decided to share with us of her life, her work as the first Director General of Britain's domestic security service, MI-5. Her earlier work, particularly her first novel At Risk, was good. But a really great editor wouldn't have let her get away with this latest narrative, which did not quite reach the mark. Perhaps writing is a stress-reliever for her and we should not ask for more than is offered. But all novelists must run the guantlet of reviewers.
  
  The story here is has Russian actors, and it seems to be reminiscent, in the beginning at least, of the real-life murder of the Soviet citizen Alexander Litvinenko. The ripped-from-the-headlines quality Rimington can bring to her writing certainly adds cachet, but unfortunately her main character was an ice queen who inspired little confidence and no loyalty. I am not at all sure the reserve and secrecy so useful to the DG of MI-5 are particularly useful characteristics for novelists. One must reveal deep truths about characters if we would be willing to walk a distance with them in an alternate universe.
• 
  Oliver Clarke

  This spy thriller from the former head of MI5 was a pretty dull and lifeless affair. The plot involves undercover Russian assassins on the streets of London (which gave it a frisson of topicality), feuding oligarchs and art world shenanigans, but it never came together as a satisfying whole. Stella Rimington’s description of the day to day business of counter espionage feels like it’s probably very realistic, but it’s also pretty dull (basically lots of people following each other around and talking). The cast of characters, especially the desperately bland heroine, are all just as boring, which meant by the time their is a bit of excitement and action at the end I’d completely lost interest.
• 
  Mal Warwick

  In Illegal Action, the third novel in the Liz Carlyle series by Dame Stella Rimington, Liz is transferred from her prestigious post in Counter-Terrorism to a new job in the Russian section of Counter-Espionage. The section is widely considered a backwater in MI5, but ts acting director feels differently. Brian Ackers is an old hand from the Cold War who sees little difference between the KGB of the 1980s and the SVR of the 2000s. He’s rigid and often unreasonable. However, as a more credible source makes clear to Liz, “There are more foreign intelligence officers in London now than before the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
  
  Liz is unhappy working for Ackers. To make matters worse for her, the bureaucrat in the Foreign Office who has veto power over Counter-Espionage is if anything more rigid than Ackers and understands little of what the job requires. When intelligence reports indicate that the Russians have dispatched an “illegal” to Britain for what is undoubtedly to be a major operation, Liz is assigned to a potentially dangerous undercover role. She gets little help from Ackers and none from the Foreign Office. Surprisingly, though, her old nemesis, Geoffrey Fane of MI6, proves to be supportive.
  
  Four months after Liz has moved to Counter-Espionage, intelligence gleaned by MI6 makes clear that the target of the illegal’s operation is one of the thirty-odd Russian oligarchs now living in London. Which one? That’s impossible to know. But there are tantalizing hints that it’s a former KGB officer, now a billionaire many times over, named Nikita Brunovsky. Though it seems unlikely, MI5 and MI6 suspect that the operation is to be a repeat of the Alexander Litvinenko assassination some years earlier, when a fugitive former KGB officer was murdered by polonium. Ackers has assigned Liz to infiltrate Brunovsky’s household, joining the retinue of shady and sycophantic characters who surround him. The plot that unfolds involves long-lost paintings by a 20th-century Russian artist named Pashko which Brunovsky is determined to acquire. His passion for the artist’s work gives Liz an entree into his household following a week-long cram course with an aging Russian emigre art historian at Cambridge. As an “art student” researching Pashko’s work, she is easily able to join the billionaire’s retinue. With difficulty, she seems able even to fool the art experts Brunovsky has retained.
  
  The action shifts from Brunovsky’s palatial home to an art auction house and eventually to Ireland, while Liz lives undercover in an MI5 safe house, spending much of her time in the billionaire’s presence. A violent confrontation seems inevitable if in fact the intelligence is accurate and MI5 has identified the right target among the olhgarchs. However, Stella Rimington’s espionage tales aren’t blood-soaked shoot-em-ups like so many other novels in the genre. The circumstances and characters in Illegal Action are entirely credible, and the spycraft she describes is authoritative, as Dame Stella served as an officer in MI5 for three decades, finishing her career as the agency’s first female Director General.
• 
  Vanessa Wu

  We are promised authenticity with this book and we probably get it. Being a spy is probably as dull and pedestrian as this.
  
  This is Stella's third spy novel so you'd think she'd have hit her stride by now but she seems content with an unambitious amble. She has no doubt used her experience as Head of M15 to good effect, but she doesn't seem to have used her qualification as a graduate in English literature.
  
  The book has no pace. The dialogue doesn't crackle. There is no tension.
  
  Having just compared London's literati to the KGB following her stint as chairman of the Booker prize judges, you'd think she'd know how to stitch together a good plot.
  
  Instead we get uninspired chick lit espionage in which some of the most exciting moments are discovering how Liz Carlyle likes her cocoa.
  
  

  Liz got up and after a search in the kitchen cupboards, unearthed a packet of cocoa that was just in date, so she heated some milk on the old electric stove, then sat down again with her mug. It could be interesting, she supposed, to spend time with a man who literally could buy anything he desired, but she couldn't say her heart was in it.

  
  
  No, quite. Like Liz Carlyle, Stella Rimington's heart simply isn't in it.
  
  
• 
  Kris

  3.5 stars
• 
  T. K. Elliott (Tiffany)

  Liz Carlyle is starting to grow on me. I never disliked her, as such, but in previous books she seemed a little too much of the caricature/stereotype of the career woman: messy flat, messy/non-existent love-life, no friends - a woman who has sacrificed personal happiness/fulfilment for a mere career. As the series progresses, she's starting to get more layers, and the feeling of caricature/stereotype is disappearing. I'm liking her more. Part of this is that these books don't include much of Liz's personal life at all, so we get the odd hint here and there, but it adds up over time. Part is the addition of new characters, such as Peggy Kinsolving, who was introduced in the previous book. Having people to work with makes a difference.
  
  Plot-wise, once again, it's fairly obvious that Rimington is trying to make the story (as I've heard it said) more Cricklewood than Hollywood. James Bond probably didn't have to attend so many meetings, or deal with budget constraints. But that is one of the things I like about these books - I don't know how realistic they are, but they feel real.
  
  This time, Liz is undercover in the household of a Russian oligarch. Something is going on, probably, but what - and where? Has she even got the right oligarch? Virtually nobody is who they seem to be, but how much of that is relevant and how much is just the normal stuff that everyone has in their pasts and hopes will stay there?
  
  This one kept me reading, and I'm looking forward to carrying on with the series.
• 
  An EyeYii

  "Illegal Action" by Stella Rimington, noted by TV Spooks Tessa actress Jenny Agutter (
  http://aneyespy.blogspot.ca/2012/06/s...) as former MI-5 director, became familiar, for previous reading, rather than plot predictability, read through both times, so probaby look for sequel. (Could X-rate for slit wrist murder.) Two rumors accrue enough confirmation to coach Liz Carlyle as an art student focussed on assassination threatens Russian painter Pashko, insert her in a wealthy household. Assassination threatens a Russian anti-Putin oligarch, possibly boyish Pashko-fan Nikita (isn't that a girl's name?) Brunovski. Foreign contacts point to the likelihood of an "illegal" agent, sleeper from Soviet KGB time masquerading as a non-British, moved to London.
  
  Like a soap opera, a large cast entwines questionable personal and professional motives, the villain is introduced immediately as a fit 30s female, but cover identity, secret, never given an age. Knowing a series is planned makes sense of why so many characters are individualized and given tangled relationships. Senior Geoffrey Fane likes Liz who's always been soft on married boss Charles Weatherby retired to care for dying wife. Competent and otherwise male bosses have annoying attitudes "how typical of a female .. thinks she's wasting her time .. digs in her heels" when suggested to quit p139
  
  Quibbles:
  Why assign a senior operative live-in to protect a bad guy? Premise lacks believability. Liz is "preoccupied" and ignores a tail p142 suggests poor craft. If she grabbed outfits quickly, how would she have plenty of flexibility and accessories p143? Charles says she is in danger, she is suspicious of Dimitri p160, staying is weakly justified by pride. Cops maybe could have fingerprinted knife, or she could have, but she is glad they drop mugging investigation p165. Why does she assign her scarce work resources on a trivial question Niki can answer himself p176, then not even compare results?
  
  (Spoilers:
  Because age unspecified, I first confused blonde Greta, Niki's restaurant guest, with elderly Sofia, art tutor and Liz's dinner hostess, obfuscating revelation of the athletic youthful killer. Immature Michael Fane, like red-shirted Star Trek lowlies, was slated for funeral at first glance.)
  
  Not a typo
  p78 "burred walnut" originally "burled" for swirling knot pattern in wood
  
  Excerpts:
  
  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st... Illegal Action
  
  http://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/in...
  
  http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/cat... Secret Asset
  
  http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/cat... Deadline
  
• 
  Mike

  We listened to an audio version of this book, read by Emma Fielding. While listening to an audio version in a car isn't always the ideal way to 'read' a book, it certainly whiles away the long hours of travelling.
  The story is nicely plotted, with some good scenes. There's nothing totally gripping about it - or maybe it felt like that because of the way we heard it. Rather it's a good workmanlike piece of fiction, and though the style is steady rather than vivid, Rimington certainly makes the most of her story. I did feel it was a bit unnecessary towards the end to have a summary of the plot so far, as it were, when three characters sit down and recount to each other all that's gone before. Meantime the heroine is in dire straits in Ireland. Hmm.
  
  It's all a bit 'British' but then that's the way spying has been shown as being in a number of stories. It's as though nobody in the espionage business is taken from the working class.
  
  Anyway, good story, and the ending was well-plotted enough to make me surprised as to what was going on. (Though the scheme did seem a bit involved: there must have been an easier and less expensive way for the baddies to achieve their ends!)
  
  
• 
  Michael Martz

  In place of "Illegal Action", Stella Rimington might have more appropriately called this one "Lack of Action". As compared to the first two entries in her Liz Carlyle series, this one was a bit on the slow side.
  
  The plot is anything but straightforward. Liz, a British MI5 operator, is assigned to what amounts to a babysitter role with a London-based Russian oligarch who British intelligence thinks may be the subject of an assassination. Carlyle, who normally is portrayed as being an astute judge of people, uncharacteristically seems to miss a lot of signals along the way, allowing herself to be drawn more deeply into a confusing situation. That about as far as I'll go on the plot which, at a high level, made a little bit of sense but seemed to fall apart in the details.
  
  As with the other Liz Carlyle novels, 'Illegal Action' is well-written and the dialogue is solid. The plot was fairly weak, though, and the conclusion a bit too theatrical. It's a decent addition to the series but a bit of a step down from Rimington's previous efforts.
• 
  Beth

  The Liz Carlyle books aren’t particularly action-packed or suspenseful for spy/espionage books, but the plot of Illegal Action is interesting enough to keep the brain engaged.
  
  I enjoyed this book more than the previous one in the series and might have given it 4 stars but for the part where Liz gives her phone to Brunovsky. Liz, who has been uber smart for 2.5 books, suddenly turns dumb and offers up her phone after a shaky request and then forgets to get it back right away? Not believable at all based how she has been portrayed to date. Now that I think about, ignoring the shower incident was also not on point.
  
  Character development on the whole continues to be lacking in my opinion. We still only have a superficial understanding of the main characters. The author’s goal seems to be efficiency in telling the story and very little time is spent exploring the thoughts or emotions of the players.
• 
  Joan

  I'm really impressed with this series, based on the first three. It seems that Brits can still write plausibly about espionage in the post-Cold-War world. Here in America, we are taken with the "war on terror," which has yet to be the backdrop for a really good book. (Readers, please correct me if I'm wrong about that. TV, yes [I like "Homeland"], but no books.)
  
  Of course, Brits wrote the best Cold-War espionage books, too. Oh well.
  
• 
  Kevin

  Wonderful characters. Subtle plot, with lots of espionage fiction twists. A believable view of inside politics and its effects on daily activities in the intelligence world. The plot centers around current era Russian emigre oligarchs, and may be a little top heavy with bizarre twists. The characters are a delight and carry the story. A very good read.
• 
  Bookhuw

  Painfully middle class, and obsessed with the weather. I kept reading though.
• 
  Jackie Cain

  I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two Stella Rimington wrote. I couldn't quite decide why - it might have been my mood or maybe the Russians seem a bit old hat. (Yes, I know they are back in the news as the bad guys but maybe that is part of it - I thought that was all over and it is pretty miserable to find that we are looping back to the days of the Cold War.)
  
  Anyway, other reasons include not really liking Liz's new role and finding her less competent. Also, the cleverness of the methodical investigation is less important here. A lot of people were introduced at the start and I was never sure who was who (you see, I said it might be me at fault). In the middle I was bored and a bit lost because it seemed so unclear what was happening. However, thinking back, that was how Liz felt so maybe it was cleverer than you might think. I never actually felt I would stop reading.
  
  The ending was quite thrilling. It suddenly accelerated and jeopardy became real, not the purpose of the Russians' action perhaps but collateral damage for those who got in their way. It was also very clever. I was completely wrong about who the "Illegal" was; I thought it was someone else entirely.
  
  In summary, I enjoyed the book in the end but I missed the teamwork of the earlier ones and didn’t like feeling that Liz was out of her depth - and she was.
• 
  Pixie

  I thought I'd read all the Rimington novels but found this one on the Public Library bookshelf (hurrah for libraries now opening up post Covid lockdown!). Generally, this book reads as a bit more raw than some of her other novels, the plotline seems a bit choppy, and possibly the scenario drawn more upon her earlier days when she worked as an operative at MI5. The storyline hints at post fall-out monitoring in spy circles following the Litvinenko poisoning incident, but one senses, as is usual in all her recounts, that she is holding back on a lot of information, probably for security reasons. It's a fast-paced read, she reveals little about any technology being used, it seems to be a bit 'old school', just with 'watchers & followers on all the usual suspects' sort of thing, but nonetheless of interest as one is the omniscient reader knowing a bit more than the key players as it were in the storyline, almost like watching a theatre play. A worthwhile read but not one of the best in the Liz Carlyle series.
• 
  Ruthiella

  I purchased this book ages ago (at Borders!). I didn’t realize that this was the third in a series featuring agent Liz Carlyle. I think I bought it because of the author’s background (as the former head of MI5). It has been many years since I read him, but if memory serves, Illegal Action wasn’t exactly up to the caliber of John le Carré .
  
  This was a quick, fast paced read and I did like the depiction of the drudge detail of spycraft and particularly the character of Peggy Kinsolving, the desk officer who does most of the digging for facts. But as to the story featuring Russian oligarchs, lost art works and former KGB officers, it seemed rather preposterous. For all I know, the story is right on the money but as a reader, I didn’t quite believe it.
• 
  Carolyn

  This novel dealt with threats from Russia to their citizens living in Britain. Some were ex-spies, others wealthy emigrés. There was a second theme which followed the search for an 'illegal' - a Russian undercover agent. I was interested in the content because I had recently watched the TV series about The Salisbury Poisonings. The series showed the real life events associated with the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Britain in 2018. I found that tense and fascinating; I found this rather tedious. A supposed 'thriller' it was not a page turner and the character development I was hoping for (particularly of the main protagonist, Liz Carlyle of MI5) was disappointing. I found the first two of the series interesting enough but I doubt I'll read any more.
• 
  Susan

  Liz Carlisle has been transferred from counter-terrorism to counter-espionage, a move that she sees as a demotion – especially since her new boss is neither smart nor pleasant. When MI5 hears rumors that a Russian oligarch in London might be targeted for assassination, her boss gets the bright idea of placing Liz in the man’s household. To provide her cover, Liz gets to go to Cambridge for a crash course in art. A reader might question why they would plant a non-Russian speaker in a Russian-speaking household. It is better to disconnect such critical faculties for this book and just enjoy a very suspenseful story with a terrific protagonist.
• 
  Kerry Swinnerton

  Still insufficient character development of the main character, but I guess that the story is about the plot not the characters. I just feel like there needs to be a little bit more of Liz Carlyle to make this worth anything more than a bare four stars. Undercover, and under an inept boss who seems to have his own agenda....a little bit far fetched for my reading and I really wonder if the reality is really as this books makes out.
  Reasonable sort of story to keep you guessing and to therefore keep you reading, but it is frustrating that the plot is all there is. Put some meat on the bones of these characters and it will definitely improve my take on this book.
• 
  Caroline Thorley

  I really enjoyed this very much. Well written and interesting throughout it becomes a real page turner towards the end. Although this is book 3 in the Liz Carlyle series, I think it could probably be read in isolation from the other two. Set in the worlds of MI5 and Russian oligarchs in London who buy art there is a great deal of interesting detail. Would thoroughly recommend it. I look forward to reading more of the Liz Carlyle series - the stories are good and the characters likeable or if not likeable of interest.
• 
  Tory Wagner

  Illegal Action by Stella Rimington is the third in a series featuring Liz Carlye an agent with the British government. For those readers who like espionage novels, this will be of interest. A Russian oligarch living in England is in the market for a famous painting and Liz goes undercover as an art student. Various other agents from M15 and M16 are also involved and sometimes it is difficult to keep the characters straight.
• 
  Kathy Morgan

  I am enjoying this series very much. The books are on my Kindle, which is perfect for reading at antiques fairs because I don't lose my place when I have to put it down to help a customer, but does mean reading can be sporadic and I can't believe it has taken me three months to finish! The story is fast-paced, and the plot twists keep my attention, even when spread over several weeks. Book 4 ready to be downloaded!
• 
  Jackie Harrison

  I found this book quite hard to get into because there were so many characters with Russian names and because Liz has changed departments. It was also a very slow plot and was only thrilling towards the end, so I wouldn’t put it in the thriller genre. This is definitely not Rimington’s best work, but it hasn’t put me off reading the next one.