by Antony Johnston

Lightning Books, out now

British agent Brigitte Sharp is sent to help uncover a mole at a top secret Anglo-French project…

Antony Johnston may best be known currently for penning the script for the graphic novel The Coldest City, which formed the basis for Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde earlier this year. The original was considerably low key than the movie, and Johnston brings that same air of reality to this contemporary novel, which concentrates for a large part on those who work at the coal face of intelligence, analysing data and looking for patterns that may indicate actions taken by those hostile to their country’s interests.

It’s almost a shame that Johnston and his publishers have elected to make it clear that this is the first in a series, as there are a number of occasions within the story where the odds are stacked against Brigitte, but knowing that she will survive slightly undercuts the tension. The idea of an agent haunted by an operation that has Gone Wrong is nothing new, but Johnston handles it well, with flashbacks and other elements that give as much insight into the character of Brigitte as they do the situation she’s recalling.

There’s a lot of procedural material in here that feels authentic – and to a large extent, it doesn’t matter whether it is or not: it tallies with what we know publicly about the operation of the security services, whether it’s the police, MI5 or the SIS. Brigitte isn’t a Jane Bond: if anything, she’s more like Diane Keen’s character, Laura Dickens, from The Sandbaggers (although those of us who love that show will hope that somewhere down the line she won’t face the same situation). She’s been given the necessary training to work in the field, and even if she really doesn’t want to be there, she’ll do what she has to do. And she makes mistakes – sometimes some quite big ones.

Johnston writes in mostly short chapters, in an economical style that draws you in. The action sequences are clear and always serve a plot purpose, rather than being “set pieces” – but I hope that someone picks up the rights to Brigitte sooner rather than later and we can see her in action on screen.

Verdict: A very enjoyable piece of contemporary spy-fi. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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