Empire State by
Henry Porter
hbk out July 03
Published by Orion
at £12.99
The collapse of the Soviet bloc more than a decade ago caused a host of
problems, not least for writers of espionage thrillers. However, the fateful
'nine-eleven' has come to their rescue so that el Qaeda and its look-alikes
now provide an even more sinister adversary for Western security services.
Henry Porter has taken full advantage of the new situation in both his
previous A Spy's Life and now Empire State, producing British-based spy
stories with an American angle, a wise precaution for writers with an eye on
the transatlantic market.
All novels about MI5, MI6 or SIS or whatever, inevitably have a common
denominator of inter- and intra-departmental jealousies and intrigue and this
book is no exception, but it is done very well indeed. The writing and the
intricate plotting are reminiscent of John le Carre, though perhaps not quite
so tortuous as Smiley's escapades. Henry Porter has a female as his lead
character, Isis Herrick, an SIS agent of remarkable intelligence and tenacity.
An American admiral, the security adviser to the President, arrives incognito
at Heathrow and in spite of being rapidly smuggled away during a sudden
crisis, still manages to get assassinated on the M4 before he gets to meet the
Prime Minister. Isis, who sounds as if she could do the Times crossword in
thirty seconds flat, puts her mind to the situation at Heathrow and works out
that a complex switch of Muslim terrorists must have taken place. The
scene rapidly shifts to Macedonia, then to New York, where a rich osteopath
wants his friend rescued from the clutches of the Albanian authorities. Later,
we move to Egypt, where the CIA are colluding in the torture of a suspect,
but much of the action takes place in London, including a shoot-out in
Bayswater, but the dénouement is in the Empire State Building, to justify the
title.
The author demonstrates a vast knowledge of security systems and a deep
appreciation of the changing state of world safety. His portrayal of the
American attitude to terrorism is often uncomplimentary and he endeared
himself to me by his description of our two great leaders - 'a none too bright
President and a Prime Minister with attention-deficit problems'!
I felt that this author was opening up a new chapter in espionage writing,
after the rather faltering period since the end of the Cold War. The book is
thought-provoking and raises serious issues about the current re-orientation
of conflict in the world - yet it remains a gripping story with unexpected
twists, written in a steadily-paced British fashion that avoids the 'gee-whizz'
immaturity of some other spy writers.
(
Bernard Knight
ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series)
Empire State by
Henry Porter
