The two primary candidates for prime minister, James Ryan and Imogen Conrad, present their own complications. Ryan is a long-time establishment conservative who also happens to be a former school chum of Kate’s boss, the head of MI6. And Conrad’s right-hand man is Kate’s husband, Stuart, who finds his loyalties torn between his wife and his boss. This feisty, pacey thriller by Tom Bradby has it all - nervy gangsters, crooked politicians, gutsy cops and a sexy moll. It is also blessed with excellent timing....A top-notch piece of crime writing" — Press Association (UK), on Blood Money From the Publisher TOM BRADBY is a novelist, screenwriter and journalist. He has written nine previous novels, including top-ten bestselling Secret Service, and its two sequels , Double Agent and Triple Cross. The Master of Rain was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Steel Dagger for Thriller of the Year, and both The White Russian and The God of Chaos for the CWA Historical Crime Novel of the Year. He adapted his first novel, Shadow Dancer, into a film, the script for which was nominated for Screenplay of the Year in the Evening Standard Film Awards. It's quite rare to see a novel shoot itself in the foot so badly, but it's been done. (Paul Auster's Mr. Vertigo for example.) Or perhaps, not in the foot, but in the head in this case, because thriller mysteries rarely get dumber than this set up.

A stretch limo of a book, needing every inch of interior space to incorporate its grand themes of political intrigue, social unrest and romantic betrayal.” — News & Observer, on The White RussianThat the author’s protagonist is a married woman with teenage children and strained relationships with her own Mother adds to the tension. It is also a breath of fresh air as we see a woman risking her life in the field while seemingly unable to win an argument with her kids.

From British journalist and bestselling author Tom Bradby, Secret Service is a thriller that follows senior MI6 agent Kate Henderson as she races to unmask a Russian mole in the UK government.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. Bradby has the talent of a reporter but the heart of a storyteller.”— Daily Mail on The God of Chaos What ensues is a twist filled, fast paced thrill ride. There are many misdirections in discovering who Viper is and it really keeps you guessing. I found this book really hard to put down and read it in less than 24 hours. I highly recommend!. 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. There are resonant echoes of le Carré here—in the way the betrayals reach from marriage beds to the seats of governments—but there is also a distinctly contemporary feeling in the idea that truth, even when it's discoverable, may no longer matter.”— Booklist (starred review)

Kate’s boss, Ian Granger is sceptical about what she’s discovered, he’s not a fan of hers, and he prefers to see it as ‘her paranoia’, but Head of MI6, Sir Alan Brabazon also known as (C) decides to allow Kate to follow up on her suspicions and gather evidence, and that doesn’t go down well with Granger. The problem though, is whether the intel she’s receiving is actually genuine, or is it just another game of cat and mouse and interference in the democratic process that the Russians appear to enjoy so much. Author Tom Bradby is a highly respected British journalist, screenwriter, and anchorman on ITV news here in the UK. It’s a long time since his last novel, but boy was ‘Secret Service’ worth waiting for!Kate's most recent mission has yielded the startling intelligence that the British Prime Minister has cancer - and that one of the leading candidates to replace him may be a Russian agent of influence. Imperial Russia and the story of the doomed royal family continue to fascinate… The tale of the Romanovs has always been stranger than fiction. Still, the small details that Bradby includes… lend a tantalizing authenticity to his fictional sidebar to one of the great stories of the twentieth century.”— Orlando Sentinel on The White Russian

The story itself revolves around MI-6 operations as they try to ascertain who all the players are that were discussed in the overheard Russian conversation, but unfortunately knowing that there is a mole leads them to a lot of frustrating moments since no one is sure who it is and whom they can trust. But while there is a spy whose identify must be ascertained, Kate also has a home life that involves two teenagers, a mother with Alzheimer’s, and two family members – her husband and her aunt – who are also employed by the government. Kate is trying to figure out how to balance home life with the overtime work being required of her as well as short notice trips abroad. I loved the humanity of the story; and I felt the characters were fleshed out and believable. The tension is high and the stakes involve life and death decisions. 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! Bradby’s protagonist Kate Henderson is head of MI6’s Russia Desk and an experienced operative. She has a small team of trusted subordinates, a colleague perpetually trying to undermine he, and a boss whose private thoughts are as secret as they come. Kate’s loving and very patient spouse covers for her when she suddenly flies somewhere, and she has two teenagers who think they should be the centre of her attention and a mother full of resentments who lives in a nearby London care home. Attempting to rebuild her shattered life in the South of France, former MI6 operative Kate Henderson receives an unexpected and most unwelcome visit from an old adversary: the UK Prime Minister. He has an extraordinary story to tell – and he needs her help.

Kate and her team set out to vet the two contenders who are in the running for British PM with information that one of them could be the mole, Codename: Viper. Kate must put all at risk, including her life and the lives of her team to get to the truth. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. 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.