Stella Rimington's six best books

Stella Rimington was the Director-General of MI5 from 1992 to 1996 and the first woman to hold the post. Her spy novels feature the ambitious MI5 officer, Liz Carlyle.

She named her six best books for the Daily Express. One novel on the list:

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
by John le Carré

Many of the characters are reminiscent of people I met when I joined the security services in the Seventies. However, the plotting is just brilliant and, while a lot of it is made up, it’s a fantastic read. A classic Cold War novel.

Read about another book on Rimington's list.

Also see Rimington's five best list of books about spies in Britain.

--Marshal Zeringue