Dead Line

The new high-tension, high-stakes thriller from the first woman to head MI5. MI5 Intelligence Officer Liz Carlyle is summoned to a meeting with her boss Charles Wetherby, head of the Service's Counter-Espionage Branch. A Middle East peace conference is planned to take place at Gleneagles in Scotland and several heads of state will attend. The Syrians have learned that two individuals are mounting an operation to disrupt the peace conference in a way designed to be spectacular, laying the blame at Syria's door. The source claims that Syrian Intelligence will act against the pair, presumably by killing them.

Stella Rimington joined the Security Service (MI5) in 1968. During her career she worked in all the main fields of the Service: counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism. She was appointed Director General in 1992, the first woman to hold the post. She has written her autobiography and three Liz Carlyle novels. She lives in London and Norfolk.

'This is something rare: the spy novel that prizes authenticity over fabrication, that is true to the character and spirit of intelligence work' Mail on Sunday. 'A tense, terrifying read we couldn't put down' Cosmopolitan. 'A beguiling and successful debut' Evening Standard. 'A wealth of persuasive detail, obviously drawn from first hand experience' Marie Claire. 'The details of how MI5 conducts its business are fascinating ... Stella establishes a cracking pace and keeps you guessing right up until the end' Sunday Express.