If Spy Thrillers have to be dark mazes of corruption and confusion then Tom Bradby has delivered a classic. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. But what's real and what is fake? Kate realizes soon enough that everything can be one big chess game the Russians play, with t heir goal of destabilizing the British intelligence agencies. Is the PM really working for, and with, the Russians? Is there really another mole inside MI6? Was her husband ever really the real spy? Can she actually trust anyone anymore? Secret Service is a fresh-from-the-headlines thriller for fans of Homeland, Crisis and The Bodyguard.

As with the earlier books, Bradby excels in his portrayal of the interplay of personal and professional relationships in the secret service, reminding me of Len Deighton’s Bernard Samson novels. The details of the investigation are well handled and convincing, and the characters are carefully wrought and interesting. Bradby’s depiction of Kate’s deteriorating emotional state and her questioning of her earlier conclusions is particularly well done and powerful. As I want to tread carefully with respect to spoilers for ‘Secret Service’, I will be vague about the plot for ‘Double Agent’. Tom Bradby’s Secret Service was one of my favourite espionage novels of 2019. A credible, twisty spy thriller, it was powered along by a clever plot and a strong cast of characters. Kate Henderson has left MI6 and is attempting to rebuild her life in the south of France with her children, Fiona, and Gus, who are hoping to see her reunite with their father Stuart. A visit from the British Prime Minister changes her plans. Riveting...with style and energy, evocative scene-setting and strong characterisation' Financial Times

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. The identity of the mole also doesn't make any sense whatsoever, as it contradicts many clues that were given in books one and two, not to mention that the reasons given for that betrayal were not only weak, but also unconvincing and downright stupid.

The dead girl was a nanny at the Imperial Palace, the man an American from Chicago and, if the brutality of their deaths seems an allegory for the times, Ruzsky finds that, at every turn, the investigation leads dangerously close to home. At the heart of the case, lies Maria, the beautiful ballerina Ruzsky once loved and lost. But is she a willing participant in what appears to be a dangerous conspiracy or likely to be it’s next, perhaps last, victim? Nothing good ever comes from a midnight phone call, especially from Downing Street. For washed-up spy Harry Tower, it is the worst news at the worst possible time. His son, Sean, has gone missing in troubled Iran after writing an exposé about government corruption.

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All the characters are believable and well fleshed-out, and I was glad to see more of Julia, who proves yet again, that despite her unpredictable mood-swings, she's as loyal, intelligent and capable agent as ever. She and Kate really do work well together. As I wrote previously these books are closer to George Smiley’s world to that of James Bond. There is still plenty of action along with the kind of twists and revelations that are integral to well written espionage fiction. There's plenty of strong women characters supported by several weak men. Kate is the strongest of all, which makes the revelation of the mole's identity all the more poignant. There's a strong hint that Kate's story will continue. The conclusion- and don't get me wrong, there definitely is one, especially from Kate's POV- feels a bit rushed, and many thread are left open. Maybe there will be a third book, I don't at this point in time of this review being written- but there's isn't a full resolution here. Many plot lines are left hanging- important ones too. But as I mentioned before, there's is a resolution regarding Kate's story, but still, it's the THE conclusion I was expecting. An enjoyably labyrinthine tale with a light touch and the odd naughty satirical echo.”— Sunday Express

Events make it clear that her visit has been blown, but she is sufficiently persuaded that Borodin should be extracted to press the foreign minister to proceed. The operation goes ahead but once again enemies are aware of the plan, and this time their opposition takes the form of a direct threat to Kate and her family. This is the follow up to Secret Service which I loved, however I say follow up as it really is a part 2, IMO, and so you need to have read Secret Service for a lot of it to gel and make senseA 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 to process the intelligence from 'Agent Dante', a mole right at the heart of MI6 in London. These are spy novels we traditionally love to read. Fast-paced, contemporary and bringing an immediate and constant threat of danger to the principle characters. New York, 1929, a city of speakeasies, swells and hoodlums at the fag end of the roaring twenties. It’s a hell of a time and place for a young cop to be trying to make his way in the world. Complicating Kate’s assessment of the situation is the suspicion that her husband Stuart, codename ‘Viper’, was not the only Russian agent in MI6. The candidates are few, Kate’s boss ‘C’, his deputy Ian, and Kate’s subordinates Julie, Danny and Suzy, a new recruit. This very limited pool of suspects seems somehow at odds with the significance of the matters in play.

My thanks to Random House U.K. - Transworld Publishers for their invitation to receive an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Double Agent’ by Tom Bradby in exchange for an honest review. Bradby has the talent of a reporter but the heart of a storyteller.”— Daily Mail, on The God of Chaos I really hope this series of books get made into a film or tv series as would be fantastic and hope there will be a third instalment n the not too distant future!! Triple Cross opens with Kate retired from MI6 and trying to rebuild her shattered life, following the events in Double Agent, in the South of France. The pleasure of time with her family, however, is shattered by the arrival of the British Prime Minister and a request to re-enter the fray to determine once and for all, whether there is really a Russian mole, known as ‘Agent Dante’, at the heart of British Intelligence. Kate reluctantly accepts the task, for good reasons related to the earlier books, and finds herself commencing a dangerous investigation, which no one wants to succeed.Bradby’s portrayal of squabbling Whitehall folk continues to be intriguing and distinctive (and piquantly naughty, coming as it does from ITV’s chief anchorman).”— Sunday Times Other than that- I enjoyed this novel immensely. Great cast of characters, intelligent, thrilling, gripping, entertaining. Goes to show that thrillers can indeed be intelligent and well thought-out, and not insulting and stupid.