Liz Carlyle, the quick, passionate intelligence officer of Britain's MI5, returns to defuse a terrorist plot in this high-stakes, high-tension tale of international espionage.

When it appears a “secret asset”—a sleeper spy—has infiltrated British Intelligence, the Director of Counter-Terrorism assigns Liz Carlyle to dig up the mole. The spy, possibly a former IRA operative now working with British-born Al Qaeda sympathizers, has one thing on his (or her?) mind: total devastation. With a major attack looming, Liz must trust her instincts and move fast. But this assignment is deadly, and suddenly she feels like she has wandered into a wilderness of mirrors, where nothing is what is seems and no-one can be trusted.

“Stella Rimington bids to join the ranks of such secret agent-authors as W. Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene, [and] John le Carré.”—The Wall Street Journal“Welcome a new queen of the genre. . . . Stella Rimington, who was the first female director of MI-5, knows of what she writes.”—The Washington Times “Intelligent, vivid . . . [with] rich insider detail.” —The Plain Dealer “Brisk pacing and intelligent attention to detail make this thriller one of the better spy stories of recent times.” —Mystery Scene