India, Aug. 24 -- Dear Reader,

The first woman chief of British Intelligence (MI5) died earlier this month. Dame Stella Rimington, who passed away at 90 years on August 3 was the inspiration for the 'M' played by Judi Dench in the recent Bond films.

I was first introduced to this first lady of British Intelligence by Parul Bavishi, co-founder of London Writers Salon.

"You enjoy spy novels, don't you ? You should read Stella Rimington - her novels are so real, she knows it all - she used to be the Director-General of MI5".

Parul's recommendation led me to Rimington's fiction and to her memoir, works that together illuminate the world of intelligence from an insider's perspective.

Rimington's novel The Hidden Hand tackles a chilling qu...