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Spy thrillers have had to adapt to new environments since the end of the Cold War. Where Len Deighton or John Le Carre could develop characters and plots over many years, confident in the essential stability of the deadlock between the US and Russia, writers now have to respond in a much more timely, and topical, fashion. EMPIRE STATE is set very much in the here-and-now: a post-9/11 world with al-Qaeda the dominant threat and the special relationship between US and British intelligence communities a strong theme. Isis Herrick works for the British SIS. Daughter of a legendary SIS operative, she keeps her head when an American VIP is attacked at Heathrow airport, and discovers the first signs of a complex al-Qaeda plot which leads to the formation of a joint US/British counter-terrorist team. Throughout the events which unfold, Isis takes an independent line which leads her to risk her career and her life. Herrick's independent spirit is well drawn and completely believable, underlined by her relationship with her father, who acts as her occasional mentor. A cast of several combines to create a complex and satisfying plot: the enigmatic osteopath Sammi Loz, the injured American spy Robert Harland, Karim Khan, the medical studentturned Islamic warrior, and Walter Vigo, disgraced MI6 agent. In the background, we have the brooding presence of the unidentified al-Qaeda chief directing events. This is primarily an action novel which resists the temptation to put all the good guys in white hats -- we lose sympathy for some of the home team, through their willingness to employ torture, whilst developing some rapport with Khan in particular, who wishes to turn away from violence but finds that violence hasn't finished with him. I was gripped by this book. Even the internal squabbling of the intelligence community captured my interest, and the core plot - the well-travelled route of a race against time - provided a steady pulse of twists and turns to keep me reading late into the night. Along the way Porter touches on two topical themes: the justification - or otherwise -- for torture, and the dangers of Britain and the US developing too exclusive a relationship. My only criticism would be that the conclusion of the book didn't ramp up the way I had anticipated. It was certainly satisfying and conclusive, but EMPIRE STATE had held me so securely that I had expected stronger acceleration at the finish. Small criticism for a genuinely absorbing read.
Reviewed by Jim Sullivan, August 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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