ILLEGAL ACTION

Dame Stella Remington, the first female director general of MI5, provides a peek at the workings of British counterespionage through the character of Liz Carlisle. The covert operator becomes ensnared in a convoluted plot of implanted spies targeting Russian oligarchs— millionaires living the high life in London. Landor's Russian accents vary nicely with the array of ex-pat Russian characters. But when she overlabors the bass of male voices, volumes change, and clues are dropped. Landor's females capture Remington's portraits of women battling their way in a man's world. Tension, suspense, and confrontation are also well portrayed. So once reading glitches—in particular, excessive sibilants—are overlooked, the story moves along. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]