Tim Ayliffe

“Stick with me, bubba.’ Ronnie turned to him and smiled. ‘Like I told you, this is going to be a hell of a story.”

Killer Traitor Spy is Tim Ayliffe’s fourth fast-paced thriller to feature investigative journalist John Bailey.

When a young friend of his is poisoned with what appears to be a nerve agent meant for a Russian millionaire, Dmitry Lebedev, John Bailey wants answers. With Lebedev on the run, Bailey begins to dig, and guided by an anonymous tipster, links the man to the death of another expat Russian billionaire, Mikhail Volkov, and the hanging of a dual Russian–Australian citizen working for a locally produced newspaper, The Russian Times. Bailey is not too surprised when he learns his new source is connected to an old ex-CIA buddy, Ronnie Johnson, who now wants Bailey’s help. Having Ronnie’s back can be risky though, and soon Bailey is caught up in the dangerous, shadowy world of secrets, spies and corruption.

Ayliffe draws from headline news events for elements of the plot, which is clever but not complicated. It’s a race against time as the pair follow a trail of money laundering, cybercrime and political scandal to identify the foreign assets working to extract Australian intelligence. Bailey is a skilled and experienced investigator but he finds it difficult to maintain a professional distance from the story as he and Ronnie encounter trained killers, bombs, and a terrifying secret weapon.

Though Ronnie is a reminder of some of his more harrowing experiences as an overseas correspondent, Bailey is mostly in a good place in this fourth novel. His relationship with TV journalist Annie Brooks is a perhaps little rocky but Bailey remains sober, and he is delighted when his daughter announces she is pregnant.

As with his previous novels featuring Bailey, The Enemy Within, The Greater Good and State of Fear, Killer Traitor Spy is a gripping, tense and entertaining read. It’s not strictly necessary to have read the series to enjoy this instalment but I’d recommend it.… (más)

The Enemy Within is Tim Ayliffe’s third exciting thriller to feature investigative journalist John Bailey.

After a young Sudanese man is beaten into a coma only streets away from where a white supremacists rally was held just hours earlier, Bailey, writing a piece on the rise of right wing extremism for the launch issue of a new independent magazine, finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy determined to start a race war.

Fast paced and offering plenty of action, elements of the plot are recognisable from headline events including the emboldening of various hate groups (supported by political, media and law enforcement leaders), the cull of experienced investigative media, and the AFP raid on a journalist. I really like the way that Ayliffe (a former journalist himself) grounds his stories so that events seem plausible, and are relevant to Australian society. I found it easy to guess who was behind the direct actions of the extremists, but the identity of other players came as a surprise.

Up against a well resourced and connected enemy, Bailey gets some help in The Enemy Within from his former newspaper colleagues, Gerald Summers, and Marjorie, plus ex-CIA agent (among other things) Ronnie Johnson. Unable to trust the police, when they learn of the supremacists end game Bailey and Ronnie physically take on the threat in a tense showdown.

Bailey is in a fairly good place in this third novel,. He remains sober, he has grown closer to his daughter, he has adopted a dog, and his PTSD from his time as a captive in Iraq is rarely close to the surface. Though he is still mourning the death of his girlfriend (in State of Fear), there is a hint of possibility of a new romance in forthcoming books when Bailey reunites with a former lover, TV journalist Annie Brooks.

The bushfires raging along the coast of NSW, which creates a pall of smoke over Sydney, and a throwaway line that refers to the incipient pandemic dates the timeline at January 2020. Set in Sydney, readers familiar with the city will recognise locations such as the Lindt Cafe and Bondi Beach.

The Enemy Within is a gripping, tense and entertaining read. It’s not strictly necessary to have read the previous novels, The Greater Good and State of Fear, to enjoy this novel but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.… (más)