Tom Marcus

7/10 (good): There's lots to enjoy about this book, which is a biographical account of an MI5 surveillance officer, helping to keep our streets safe from terrorists and spies. There's a problem, though. Marcus frequently exaggerates small details. Sometimes this is obvious hyperbole (he talks of "loosing about 800 litres of sweat in the night"). Other times it is less obvious (for example, that a Russian spy would be "advancing his country's technology research and development by at least thirty years"). Russian technology is certainly sometimes behind British technology, but it's not stuck in the 1970s or 80s. The result is that the book comes across as an account that can't be entirely trusted. I'm not suggesting the author is lying or fake; it's just that it probably didn't all happen quite like he says, and it's therefore a better thriller than of historical value.… (meer)

Capture or Kill – Fantastic Spook Thriller

Capture or Kill is the fantastic debut thriller from former Mi5 operative Tom Marcus, who first came to our attention with his autobiographic first book, Soldier Spy. Capture or Kill brings that knowledge of his spy trade into the light for readers to enjoy. This is an excellent piece of thriller writing where you question could Mi5 really get away with any of this, or they tied up with red-tape. This is truly a page turner!

Matt Logan is an Mi5 officer working on the front line of counter-terrorism operations in the UK. He and his team have been tasked with watching two brothers who have come on to the terrorist watchlist and that is what they are doing. But when the team leader at Thames House requests that Logan’s team pull back, do they lose the brothers.

Having seen terror operations hampered by bureaucracy Logan and a number of other Mi5 operatives are offered the opportunity to be in a dark deniable operations team. Like the terrorists they would have no rules than other than stop at all costs any terrorist that has been targeted as part of their mission. This team would go into action and emotion could not be part of the deal.

When the brothers who they had been watching start an attack at the heart of the British establishment, Logan begins to see the deniable unit kicked into action. Will the Logan be able to stop the attack, or will it be a major embarrassment to the country.

A fantastic thriller that really does live up to the cliché of a real page turner. The insight of Marcus shows throughout the thriller, and that knowledge makes this book so good.… (meer)

This is a quite remarkable book, a first hand account of one narrow aspect of the 'war on terror', the constant struggle of MI5 and the other intelligence agencies to keep us all safe. Concentrating on 'surveillance' and written by an ex MI5 officer, this book brings home in vivid detail the complexity and scale of the on going threat we face. The author recounts examples of extreme danger he faced which led ultimately to a severe case of PTSD and retirement from the service. I can accept that many details have been changed, to the point that parts of the narrative have been fictionalised - still the central theme rings true to me and makes me even more grateful to those whose skill, bravery and dedication are confronting the dangerous few who seek to attack the UK and our way of life.… (meer)