The Hidden Hand cover art

The Hidden Hand

Manon Tyler Thrillers, Book 2

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The Hidden Hand

By: Dame Stella Rimington
Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents The Hidden Hand by Stella Rimington, read by Penelope Rawlins.

'Stella Rimington was the first female director general of Britain’s MI5 and brings true authenticity to her tale of intellectual thievery' Irish Independent

A historic institution is hiding a very modern threat.

The student
Li Min, a Chinese student, is forced by her government to transfer from Harvard to Oxford University, where she is recruited to an elite Chinese study centre based out of St Felix’s College.

The scapegoat
Meanwhile, the centre’s newly recruited head stumbles on its more sinister purpose: recruiting Chinese and sympathetic British students to steal high-value research and intellectual property. Unsure who at the university he can trust, he turns to CIA agent Manon Tyler for help.

The spy who might be their only hope...
But as Li and another Chinese-American student are drawn deeper into a deadly game, will Manon be able to penetrate the heart of St Felix’s secrets in time to save them?

PRAISE FOR STELLA RIMINGTON:

'Intriguing and very cleverly-plotted' ALEX GERLIS

'Races along at breakneck speed. Packed with insider information, this is not one to miss' M. W. CRAVEN

'Damn good' Daily Telegraph

'A must-read for fans of contemporary spy fiction' Publishers Weekly

'This is something rare: the spy novel that prizes authenticity over fabrication, that is true to the character and spirit of intelligence work' Mail on Sunday©2025 Stella Rimington (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Espionage Mystery Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths China Student

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All stars
Most relevant
Too bland and contrived plot. Plot and people involved to stereotypes. Shame l enjoyed her previous books l have listened to or read

Transparent

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An unconvincing story albeit based upon a contemporary theme of the perils of AI. Too many characters leading to messy cross encounters. A laboured storyline.

Disappointing

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I love the way Stella Rimmington writes exciting, believable thrillers without the need to resort to a load of violence to fill out her stories. This is such a refreshing change from many writers of the genre and much appreciated.

Sadly, I felt the content was marred somewhat by the poor rendition on the recording. The voices were not really believable and, at one point, the reader mixed up two of the voices in a conversation. At a vital point in the story, this was quite confusing and required a replay.

However, the story was sufficiently gripping to keep me listening and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Another un-putdownable thriller from Stella Rimmington

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An up to date spy novel with AI Deepfake at its centre. Manon’s reappearance delights, but the narrator lets the book down. I nearly gave up after the narrator’s normal voice is replaced by dreadful accents, which change as the story proceeds. However, the story is such a good one, that my recommendation is to persist and enjoy the action in Oxford!

Another excellent outing for Manon

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It was realistic and well crafted, but not too violent. The characters were credible and well set in London and Oxford.

The storyline in London involving Chinese and American spies/embassies

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