Bradby avoids both these pit-falls to produce an intelligent, thoughtful and meticulously-plotted spy thriller. But while John le Carré's had his readers’ equally confused with double agents, Tom Bradby offers us a mole in MI6 but also the possibility the PM is a Russian agent too. We learn about Kate’s possibly stalling career and Leo’s plan to apply to acting schools against his mother’s wishes. With proof of the PM involved in a sordid scandal and a financial paper trail that undeniably links him to the Russians, the evidence seems bulletproof. In exchange he offers Kate conclusive evidence to prove the identity of a live Russian agent at the very heart of the British Government.

With one parent in Moscow, Fiona and Gus are understandably confused, but it is not always easy to sympathise with bratty teenage behaviour. Double Agent is the follow up to Secret Service and once more features embattled MI6 agent Kate Henderson as she tries to determine the truth behind claims that the new British Prime Minister is really working for the Russians. I hope it is a little more tightly focussed, though, and branches out from the slightly samey structure of the first two. It was captivating and I would probably have read it in one go if I'd had an actual cooy of the book (another book read on Pigeonhole, so it was a stave a day!Kate is clearly under a great deal of strain and the office politics in the intelligence service are just mind boggling. Kate Henderson is back and she has to deal with a possible defection of a prominent Russian and his family. There were some parts that seemed a bit off to me but that's probably because I haven't read the first book in the series. At the insistence of the foreign minister that Borodin’s story be better substantiated before she makes a decision, Kate makes a dangerous trip to Russia under cover. The novel starts off with a murder, and with seven people trapped on an isolated Greek island lashed by a "wild, unpredictable Greek wind.

Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense.Its the type of book that is full of action and it takes you on a breathtaking ride from England to Venice and Russia.

Bradby's narrative is easy to follow, flowing ever so well, and his descriptions of places, emotions, action, thought processes- is done wonderfully. This is dealt with sensitively and adds another layer to what is an excellent and exciting tale of spies, deceit, secrets, fear and love.

While Kate is visiting Venice with her children, she is kidnapped by a senior Russian agent, who wants to defect. But for Senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson, nothing is ever that simple… Kidnapped in Venice by a Russian defector, Kate knows she’s in trouble. Such are her management skills that she deals with the most disconcerting events with insouciance, which perhaps detracts from the excitement one might expect. This technique creates two problems: firstly it is almost impossible to appreciate the novel without reading the prequel beforehand and, secondly, the plot becomes somewhat drawn-out. I love these because Tom Bradby beautifully balances the edge-of-your-seat thriller elements with the spycraft and political infighting.