Started: December 13, 2023 | Finished: April 9. 2024
Illegal Action
Illegal Action is a novel set in the world of the intelligence community in Britain. The story involves Russain bilionaires living im the U.K. In particular Mr. Brunovsky who is an art collector.
Stella Rimington, the author, was a former head of MI5, so that immediately gives the writing a lot of credibility. There is nothing over-the-top here, no high drama or crazy plot lines - which only adds to the impression that one is reading a story being told by someone who knows what she's talking about.
My reading experience was middling - the book was not a page turner but it kept me reading to the end. For most of the book the reading experience felt "cozy" - a nice comfort read with the momentum starting to build during the last fifty pages or so.
Admittedly I found myself getting confused about the plot but, fortunately, Rimington does something brilliant: near the end, just as I was trying to recall key plot points, she creates a scene where a character is being briefed on what has happened so far. This allowed me to get a better grasp of the events leading up to the end of the book.
I have read only one kind of book that is like this and that would be a LeCarre; so if you're a fan of LeCarre, Rimington might be something you'll enjoy.