An espionage story with a great twist. Not only is the main spy catcher female, she a wife and mother.

Dealing with domestic day to day life and balancing the mundane with a job that involves all the twists and turn of tracking foreign agents and avoiding assassins is a great take on the traditional spy story.

A very enjoyable read.

Best read of the year so far!
A modern contemporary thriller where the author is bang up to the minute with his references to Russian interference in Western politics but taking it a step further in that one of the two contenders for Prime Minister is a communist plant. The story is neat with not too many characters so that we can concentrate our suspicions on relatively few people who were either politicians or secret service personnel and their past or present connections to each other.
A great read with the only faults being the departmental structure and 'job definitions' of some of the intelligence officers, therefore I drop one star.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to give an unbiased review.

Maybe a bit too much focus on home life of main protagonist Kate, but the tactics are gritty and the political and terrorist dilemmas of Russians in other countries, stirring up destabilising trouble is current theme alright. And this author knows it!

This is the first book I have read written by Tom Bradby; it will not be the last. The first chapter introduces us to Lena, a young shoplifter apprehended by Kate, who then introduces herself as a member of the British secret service. Lena is left in no doubt that she has now become, with little or no choice, part of a much bigger clandestine operation. Skilfully and with little fanfare the reader is led into the murky waters of international espionage. Topical events are woven into a spy story that defies the category of fiction. Fact and fiction, with Russian and British propagandists each embroiled in a cat and mouse game of manipulation with the very security and future of Britain at risk. Clues and dead ends, treachery and lies slowly weave their magic. No aspect of spying is omitted with little regard for loyalty or trust. Finally when everyone is a potential candidate as a traitor comes the final denouement. Unexpected and yet once known, shockingly obvious, heartbreakingly catastrophic and yet a conclusion that questions everything we know and believe about the world we now live in. Hoping that securing the film rights will result in the story eventually coming to the big screen to be watched and enjoyed all over again. Top class fiction. Loved it.
Many thanks to publishers, Author and NetGalley for this opportunity to review Secret Service.

Kate an agent on the Russia desk in MI6 is convinced there is a mole in her office but who is it. Good spy thriller with action and surprising twists. The author makes it a very easy read, no complications or complex plots. The book explores the delicate relationships between Russia and other states showing how these relationships are shrouded in total mistrust. Not your George Smilely novel but for me a better alternative and more entertaining.

Having been seriously underwhelmed by Frank Gardner’s efforts as a spy novelist, I approached another book in a similar vein by a TV journalist with a certain degree of trepidation.

However, Mr. Bradby has written a fast-moving, very readable novel which is ideal for a long journey or the beach. With its focus on Russian interference in our democratic processes, it’s very topical and sadly, very believable. Unlike other books in this genre, I also liked the way the author kept the plot very tight without drifting off into too many subplots. The focus on Kate’s private life and the problems of trying to balance a high-flying career whilst managing a dysfunctional teenage family, also ran true.

The book wasn’t without faults. The gay Muslim sidekick seemed like an exercise in box-ticking and if Mr Brady can find a Muslim originally from Pakistan and going by the fine Hindu name of Ravendra Singh, he’s a better man than me. I also struggled with the apparent management structure at MI6. Kate is being earmarked as the next head of the organisation yet still seems able to fly around Europe getting involved in violent scraps. Couldn’t really see Stella Rimington doing that. On a more serious note, whilst I didn’t guess the ending, I felt it was rather rushed and not really fully thought through.

However, these criticisms aside, I really enjoyed this entertaining book and have no hesitation in recommending it. I will certainly look out for some of Mr Bradby’s earlier novels.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Kate is Russia desk at MI6. She discovers that not only does the Prime Minister have cancer but that one of the probable successors is a Russian asset. Kate's husband is a senior civil servant who works for one of the ministers aspiring to succeed the P.m.. In addition there is a mole in the department, who can only be one of half a dozen people - one of whom is Kate herself. The story moves quickly, and bloodily between London, Greece and Russia. A highly readable page turner which will keep you interested. You do wonder how credible the plotting is - but then is not everything that really happens in the Secret Service slightly incredible?

Kate Henderson is a senior MI6 officer. She presents a very normal face to the world, happily married with two teenage children, she is about to face a crisis in both her home and work life.
Intelligence she receives suggests the Prime Minister has cancer and is about to resign. This information is proved true when the PM does indeed confirm this and announces his almost immediate resignation. Kate also discovers that one of the candidates to replace him is a Russian spy and that there is a mole in MI6.
We are led down lots of blind alleys in this pacey plot. Lots of intrigue that keeps you wanting to find out more.
I found the characters and the plot really engaging so thoroughly recommend giving this a go.

This was an enjoyable read and quite a page turner. That being said, I felt it was highly implausible. At risk of sounded sexist, I would call it a spy story for women. It had a female as the main character and one who was trying to juggle her family life with her job. I didn't really feel that it was very realistic and found myself thinking, surely she wouldn't have been so indiscreet. It, did, however keep you guessing until the end

Entertaining political thriller. A Prime Minister resigns due to illness and the rumour is one of the candidates to succeed him is under the thumb of the Russians, and that the Russians have a plant named Viper somewhere within the Secret Service. Kate needs to work out who are the good and bad across both politicians and secret service staff - complicated by the fact her husband is political advisor to one of the candidates to take over as PM. Plot motors along and moves with the type of realism you would expect from the author who has spent 30+ years as a political correspondent and tv news anchor. This reads very much like a story waiting to be filmed, the characters are well drawn and the plot moves between Kate's professional and personal life to keep the tale moving towards the pleasing conclusion. A good read.

Wow what an absolutely fantastic book this was to read. Really kept you intrigued from the off wondering what was going to happen next right up until the very last page. Highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and once i started i found it hard to put down. This book kept me guessing right until the end. Kate Henderson is an MI6 officer who needs to uncover the Russian mole as well as trying to be a wife and a mother. There are lots of twists and turns, and im hoping for a sequel. I didn't want the book to end and will certainly be on the lookout for more books by Tom Bradby

When MI6 agent Kate discovers details of a Russian mole at the heart of the British Government, she and her team have to work fast to uncover their identity before it’s too late. Hampered by the knowledge that her husband works closely with one of the suspects, Kate’s enquiries lead her around Europe as she battles interference from all sides.

This was the first Tom Bradby book I have read. I can see why his previous novels have been such a success, as this was a great read, keeping me guessing as to the identity of the Mole. The final scenes felt slightly rushed, however the earlier scenes more than made up for this. The drama pulled me along, desperate to find out how the story would pan out, and whether Kate would be successful in capturing the Russian spy.

A fast paced story.

Unlike some other spy thrillers, I found this title easy to read and to follow! The characters were introduced at easy intervals and were interesting, believable and convincing. I liked that the issues described were modern day political intrigue and included the home lives of the secret service. The outcome had me guessing throughout and at one time I was correct, before I changed my mind yet again.
Could Russia have an influence over over the British political system? Never say never.
Although not my normal genre, I have no problem recommending this title.

It has been a long time between books for TV journalist and author Tom Bradby. His last book was the bulky historical thriller Blood Money, released in 2009. Now he is back with a very timely and convincing spy novel, Secret Service.

Kate Henderson appears to be the typical British civil servant with a quiet job, a pleasant husband, two teenagers and an Alzheimer’s stricken mother. In reality, however, she is a senior MI6 officer who is running a very sensitive operation. In response to information from a secret source, Kate infiltrates a young woman and a listening device onto a Russian oligarch’s super-yacht in Istanbul. The bug reveals the startling intelligence that the British Prime Minister has prostate cancer and that one of the leading candidates to replace him may be a Russian agent of influence.

Kate and her superiors are initially sceptical about the intelligence, but when the PM suddenly announces his resignation for medical reasons, they find that they must sift through the possible replacements to find out which one is the Russian agent. It is a complex and very sensitive task, made infinitely more difficult by a web of complicated personal relationships and the likelihood that there is another mole, codename Viper, in one of the intelligence agencies. There is also the real possibility that they are being played by the Russians.

As tension around the operation increases, Kate finds that her job, her marriage and maybe even her life may be at risk.

I really enjoyed this clever espionage novel, which once again proves that the British do the intelligent, credible spy story better than anyone else. There are a couple of slow patches, but overall it moves at a good pace and when the action occurs it is quick, believable and tense. Bradby intermingles Kate’s personal and professional lives with aplomb, although close reading is required to keep the myriad personal relationships clear in your head.

The book moves ably through some twisty turns and Bradby does a good job of keeping us guessing as to who the mole is and which one of the candidates is really the Russian agent of influence. The story is very up to date about Russian attempts to influence elections and there is a good contemporary feel to the story, although he does not explicitly address Brexit. The descriptions of London, Turkey and Greece are spot-on and quite evocative and add a further layer of credibility to the story. There is also a good cast of convincing secondary characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed Secret Service and think it is the best current spy novel I have read so far this year.

Four and a half stars out of five.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the book to review.

Very good. I enjoyed this thriller which is very topical at the moment. The story was fast paced and had a lot of believable detail. I really enjoyed it, and will seek out other books Tom Bradby has written.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to give an impartial review in return for an ARC of this publication.
First boo kby Tom Bradby I have read and certainly won't be the last and will be going to search out back catalogue. Absolutely cracking spy thriller, simply didn't see the end twist, although had several potential outcomes in my head.
5/5
Superb

Kate Henderson is a senior operative at the Russia Desk of MI6 when intelligence leads her and her team to suspect that one of the frontrunners to be the next British PM might be a Russian spy – and that he/she might be getting assistance from a mole within their own ranks … or is the Russian government just throwing false information at them, as it has done before, to stir up the Brits and interfere with the democratic process?

Kate struggles to pin down the truth whilst trying to be loving wife to her husband, mum to two teens, daughter to a mean-spirited and sometimes-demented mum, as well as a good and loyal colleague, but Tom Bradby manages to create credible and empathic characters for us to believe in without resorting either to the glib portraits that can be a byproduct of an action-based novel or, conversely, getting bogged down in existential angst. On the contrary, he has given as a cracking story, genuine character portrayals with enough to genuinely move the reader, and plenty of suspense: we’re kept guessing until the end and in fact even the ending leaves a couple of things a bit open to question.

A fabulous spy story. I’d not read any Tom Bradby before, but I’m definitely planning to read more by him. I'm a bit sparse with my 5-star ratings but this definitely merits a really good 4.5 plus!

This is the first book I've read by the TV news presenter Tom Bradby and I found it a highly entertaining and dare I say it,topical read. Kate Henderson is an MI6 officer who in the course of an operation against the Russians hears that the British Prime Minister is about to resign due to ill health and that one of the MPs likely to be in the leadership election is in the pay of the Russians and furthermore there is a mole in British Intelligence codenamed 'Viper'.
the information is originally dismissed as Russian disinformation but when the following day the PM announces he has cancer and is stepping down ,doubt creeps in as nobody was aware the PM was ill.Added to that an informant who has infiltrated a oligarchs household is found brutally murdered,evidence there is indeed a mole?
There follows a race against time as the leadership election narrows down to 2 candidates the prime suspects in the MI6 investigation.Kates difficulties are further exacerbated by the fact her husband is an advisor to one of the candidates.!
As the chase hots up.(if the russian agent wins the election the investigation has no chance of continuing) Kates assistant travels against orders to obtain proof against one of the candidates but is murdered ,his death made to look like a gay sex game gone wrong.but this eventually leads to the unmasking of the mole,Viper' but .... I wont give anymore away.
Given the apparent Russian penchant for interfering in the Democratic process of western countries it doesn't need an enormous leap of imagination to think they could take it a stage further and buy themselves a candidate and there have already been a number of highly placed Russian agents found in the upper levels of British Intelligence over the years so why not.
Quite scary really when you think about it but an great read and as the ending was left a bit up in the air hopefully Mrs Henderson will be returning for a sequel

A really great book,loved every page.
Kate Henderson , a senior intelligence officer on the Russia desk gets a message about a secret meeting aboard a yacht on the Mediterranean. She sets up surveillance . The team hear that the Russians have a mole called "Viper" in the British intelligence service and are about to have replace the Prime Minister with a Russian agent .
Is this disinformation or real frightening information?
The book runs at great pace with no one trusting anyone . Makes you wonder if something like this could really happen.