Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Harry Tate #1

Red Station

Rate this book
Four washed-up spooks. Two dead civilians. One remote and deadly outpost.    Harry Tate is a loyal MI5 officer and a servant of the State. But when two civilians are shot dead during a drugs intercept gone wrong, he is forced to take an immediate posting to the Red Station. What he doesn't know is that this remote Balkan outpost is a punishment, and he won't be going home. With an assassination team coming for him and invading Russian forces heading straight for the Red Station, Harry does whatever he can to save himself. But with few allies and enemies everywhere, Harry's chances of survival shrink with each passing day....

Audio CD

First published December 1, 2010

156 people are currently reading
322 people want to read

About the author

Adrian Magson

47 books95 followers
Adrian Magson is a British crime-writer, his books often involve conspiracies, and have two repeating main characters - Riley Gavin, a young female investigative reporter, and Frank Palmer, a former RMP (British Royal Military Policeman) now a private investigator.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
239 (27%)
4 stars
386 (43%)
3 stars
202 (22%)
2 stars
43 (4%)
1 star
14 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
Profile Image for Nick Brett.
1,063 reviews68 followers
February 15, 2023
I recently discovered the author with his second “Watchman” book, Close Quarters. I was very impressed with the style, the flow and the feel of the book and determined to catch up on the original Watchman and Mr Magson’s other works.
So, to Red Station. The first in the Harry Tate series, here we have an ex soldier and MI5 agent who is involved in a drugs bust that goes wrong. To get him out of sight he is posted to Red Station, a small outpost in Georgia to join a small group of British agents who have been hidden out of the way. And there is lots going on around Red Station, the Russians are on the border, the Brits are being watched by a mysterious team and, as things hot up it becomes apparent that they can trust nobody, not even each-other.
This seeps with atmosphere and strong writing. What’s going on with the Russians, what is Red Station actually there for and do the team have a real purpose or are they just expendable?
Tate tries to find answers and they don’t come easy, especially when people start to die.
This is a proper old fashioned (in a good way) intelligence thriller. Finding the author’s books has been a great discovery and he is one that deserves to be far better known and should be selling books by the truckload. I am going to have to work my way through more of the author’s works and you would be missing out if you didn’t too.
Profile Image for Clay Boutwell.
Author 226 books36 followers
January 18, 2013
It is a fun story as you can imagine. Think Patrick Mcgoohan’s The Prisoner but without the weirdness; “Red Station” is very believable.

OK, so on to the language. There were moments where Mr. Magson’s descriptive language made a good story great. For example, Harry is in a meeting with his bad-guy boss and there is a stranger in the corner listening. He isn’t introduced to Harry but it is obvious he is someone important — he does learn who he is toward the end. (No, I won’t tell you.)

"‘Why?’ Harry stared at his superior, then flicked a glance at a heavy figure standing in one corner. The man, nameless and grey as battleship paint, had said nothing when Harry had entered the room, and there had been no introductions."

“Nameless and grey as battleship paint” — Now, that’s great. It painted an image in my head that stayed throughout the novel. When Harry figured out who he was, I knew he was the battleship paint guy.

Another place describes the American “journalist” Higgins’ suit: “His suit looked as if it had been used to bed down a donkey.”

One thing I look for in a novel now is how chapters begin and end. Here is a good opener:

"George Paulton eyed the bodies assembled in the large room and sensed his spirits stirring. An emergency meeting had been called and the air of excitement was palpable. He noticed a number of eyes normally dulled by the mundane, gleaming with an inner fire."

“Spirits stirring,” “air of excitement palpable,” dull eyes now “gleaming with an inner fire.” Oh, yes. I’m there.

Another great passage is when Harry Tate is interrogating his prisoner (a man who broke into his house and had been following him). He was tied up in the bathroom:

"He took his coffee to the bathroom. There was nothing like the aroma of best roasted to make a man feel uncomfortable. A classic softening-up technique, mostly recommended now to people selling houses."

I remember being advised that I should brew a pot for potential buyers when we were getting our house ready for sale. This is a nice tie-in with something normal people can relate to.

The book should have wide appeal. No major profanity. No graphic description of violence. For example, this is about the most graphic it gets:

"He dropped to one knee, a stone gouging sharply against the bone, and felt the first wave of agony stitch across his upper body. A flesh wound, he told himself, and felt an impulse to giggle. A Monty Python movie. Only a flesh wound. Bloody hell, it was still flesh–and it hurt!"

I could go on showing examples of phrases I liked, but I think this gives a good sampling of his style and excellent handling of the English language.

Lastly, I think his chapter spacing is perfect (for my tastes, anyway). I guess each chapter is about 1,500-2,000 words long, just enough to enjoy during a quick sitting and leave you wanting more (which means I will probably keep reading even when I should be washing the dishes).

The negatives are really trivialities:

No table of contents for the Kindle. I really shouldn’t even mention this since a novel is meant to be read in order page-by-page, but I do like to review chapter headings (if so named) before reading a novel.

I didn’t see any other formatting issues on the Kindle.

Then there is the almost $10 (USD) price for the ebook. It is a little cheaper than the paper back but not much. I think he would sell a lot more with a lower price. But I’m sure that is out of his control.
Profile Image for Natalie M.
1,437 reviews89 followers
December 1, 2019
I’d place the style of this read somewhere between a good James Patterson and a John Le Carre. A traditional spy/espionage tale without the big unbelievable tricks or intense violence. On both these issues it was realistic and without unnecessary gore. So for fans of Fleming or Child this is not a ‘whiz-bang-explode-die’ read, it is far more realistic.

Harry Tate is really likeable and the powers that be in London who send him to Red Station (Georgia, Russia) are covering their own tracks at Harry’s expense. I really enjoyed the straightforward sleuthing, uncovering of corruption and his tenacity in doing so (no romances required either).

A solid, enjoyable spy read with good writing, great vocabulary and short chapters.
Profile Image for patrick Lorelli.
3,756 reviews37 followers
September 18, 2019
Harry Tate was a solider and now works for MI-5 as the book opens with him and his team on an op. The op goes bad and days later in order to save whatever is left of his career he agrees reluctantly to go to a place called Red Station. Which is in the Balkans and he begins to notice that the other people there have also been sent because of a screw-up. Not feeling right about his night in question he finds a phone untraceable and contacts a member of his team to look into things. Also seeing what is going on where he is at he begins to feel that the whole situation is not right. Slowly as you are drawn into Harry’s plight the author also takes you to London and you begin to see what is beginning to happen. Will he and the other at Red Station find out as well or will they just be another casualty in a political game. Read this very good book to find out. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
Profile Image for Trevor.
233 reviews
September 8, 2022
Do not expect to to find this very enjoyable thriller on a Booker prize shortlist. Nevertheless, it is a fast paced and directly written tale of adventure and challenge. Adrian Magson has developed an excellent character in Harry Tate - ex soldier and out of favour MI5 officer - who finds himself posted to Red Station, a remote Balkan outpost from which no-one seemed to return alive.
Red Station is in Georgia and while it is not clear what role the team is to fulfil, it equally clear that they are in dangerous country, with enemies and potential enemies all around them.
I thought the story lost its way a little towards the end and the final pages were a little disappointing, but all that aside I still enjoyed it very much. Harry Tate is a very promising character and I hope to read many more of his adventures.
Profile Image for Bob.
135 reviews22 followers
January 17, 2011
I waivered between 1 and 2 stars on this one, but only because I did manage to get through 200 pages of it before I tossed it. I didn't care about any of the characters, least of all, Harry, the MI-5 agent, who is shipped out to the Republic of Georgia after a mission failure, or the plot, which didn't generate much in the way of interest or excitement.

Interesting that the cover, which is appealing to an espionage reader, is a complete misrepresentation. The Red Station doesn't look anything like the building shown and the book doesn't take place Winter, so there is no snow. Ever.

Decent enough writing, but that's about all I can say about this one.
Profile Image for David Dalton.
3,060 reviews
September 2, 2019
to be honest, it took me a while to warm up to this story. Harry Tate is no James Bond. But the more I read the more I got into the story. In the end I liked it and enough to move on to the 2nd book in this spy series.
Profile Image for Ti.Me.
586 reviews13 followers
May 16, 2021
DNF. Abandoned at 70%. I just don't care about this story.

2 bored stars
638 reviews3 followers
September 16, 2019
Great read bit different to what I usually read as it's about what happens to spies when jobs go wrong and in this case, someone has to pay for a botched MI5 & MI6 combined mission that went fatally wrong and a young couple and a policeman got killed, as a result, were they in the wrong place at the wrong time or what.? Harry Tate an MI5 operative was one such man that was the team leader of the job and heads have to roll so it's his and he is sent on a posting in the Balkans, Georgia on the border with Russia. a very bleak place. He does try to make sense of it and it's not pretty, who it seems is watching the watcher was his first encounter and with prevailing Russian troupes on the border things seem to hot up and Harry then assumes the inevitable that he is at the point of no return and as there is a hit squad always to hand..so all these ex-spies never get to go home. Intriguing take, the author paints a very bleak picture of Georgia not bright and sunny but very dismal even in autumn. Great read would definitely recommend and would like to thank Netgalley and Black Thorn Publishers for a copy to give this honest review.
Profile Image for Jennie.
448 reviews12 followers
November 8, 2019
Red Station is the first in a new series. It focuses on MI5 officer Harry Tate. After a disastrous op, Tate is sent to a remote station in Georgia that might not be what it seems. The story bounces back and forth between the Red Station and London. Tate is trying to find out what is going on and London is trying to hide the Red Station.

While the concept is interesting and clearly ends with a book 2 ready to go, I found the actual plat and action kind of boring. There did not feel to be a book of action nor a psychological warfare book. It just felt kind of sleepy. It wasn't a bad book just more one I would not prioritize reading at all.
619 reviews2 followers
July 9, 2018
I downloaded this ebook, not knowing what to expect as this was not a familiar author and the novel was the first in a series. I was pleasantly surprised by in interesting plot, well delineated characters and above average writing.

The main character, Harry Tate, is ex-Army and a member of M-15 falsely blamed for a failed drug interception. We are firmly grounded in how it all went down though we don't get the full story until book's end by which time Harry has spent months in exile in the Republic of Georgia from which he barely escapes with his life.

He gradually increase to understand that he and others are victims of a clever scheme to keep potential threats to the intelligence from talking. The story has plenty of unexpected twists and turns that kept this reader thoroughly entertained. The setting in an unfamiliar part of the the world in an area on the brink of war with Russia and the emergence of high level corruption add depth to the story.
822 reviews29 followers
October 31, 2019
Harry Tate, an MI5 agent and ex soldier, is blamed when an operation he’s leading goes wrong, and 4 people are dead. As the press tries to find out the full details and the the people responsible, Harry is quickly posted out of the country to a remote station in the Balkans. As the tensions between the Balkans and the Russians worsens, Harry realises the games he has been playing with their watchers has become deadly.
An excellent novel that had me interested from the first page. I empathised with Harry and his colleagues. The pace is fast, well plotted and convincing. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be the last.
Thanks to netgalley and Black Thorn for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Anne Robinson.
697 reviews17 followers
August 15, 2021
I chose this book completely at random from the Library’s ebook collection. Having just finished it, I searched for more in the series or by the same author, but was very disappointed not to find any! So, that gives you an idea of my response.

The book was a quick and enjoyable read with some nice setting up for the next book in the series. The main character, Harry, was interesting and well developed, but with plenty more to be discovered. The setting was fairly dismal and bleak. Lesser characters were mainly rather unlikeable.

All in all, this is a good spy thriller, which has had a very mixed reception here, on Goodreads. I found that it held my attention well and was a satisfying read.
Profile Image for Leah.
392 reviews5 followers
August 29, 2019
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this novel.

Red Station is a spy thriller centered around Harry Tate an MI5 op who is shipped off to “Red Station”, an outpost in Georgia after a botched operation back home. He’s told it’s to protect him until things cool down back at home, but is it? What is a Red Station, and why are all these people out there in that hell hole with no real purpose? It doesn’t take Harry long to start uncovering inconsistencies and unraveling the truth of the outpost and what they are there.

I enjoyed the story. It had lots of thrills and page turning excitement.
32 reviews
December 17, 2019
4.5 Stars! A really exciting espionage thriller. The protagonist, MI5 officer Harry Tate, is a likeable man, who by thriller novel standards is uncomplicated and relatable. Tate has been shipped off to Red Station, a British intelligence gathering post on the Georgian-Russian border. Having been sent there after a botched operation in England, Tate digs into what Red Stations true purpose is. Some MI5/MI6 stories can be full of jargon or seem farfetched, this book was not that! My most enjoyable aspect of the novel was that there were no unrealistic, fantastical plot twists! Just a good solid believable story.
Profile Image for Ben Denison.
518 reviews48 followers
May 12, 2020
My first Adrian Magson book. GREAT!!!

I’m not sure where I first heard Magson’s name but picked up a couple of ebooks not knowing where to start. I really like this first book of her Harry Tate series, Red Station.

Tate is a tainted MI5 officer sent to the boonies as punishment for a failed drug bust, is posted with other intelligent misfits in a far off land and dropped into international intrigue, small town corrupt politics, and the intra-agency rivalries that form the plot that Harry must navigate.

Good plot twists. Good action and didn’t get bored even through the (first book in series) building of the characters.

Can’t wait for the next book.
Profile Image for Dave.
638 reviews9 followers
July 17, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this spy story. I loved the author's writing style and turn of phrase. The story was inventive but believable. The protagonist, Harry Tate, is an army veteran who is working as an MI-5 agent when errors are blamed on him and he is put out to pasture. Harry does not resign himself to his fates, but decides to fight back, and thus begins the tale. I was glued to this book and found myself thinking that it could have been written by John LeCarre. I will definitely look for more by this author.
Profile Image for Dan Smith.
1,802 reviews17 followers
October 30, 2018
Having been made the scapegoat for a botched drugs intercept operation, MI5 officer Harry Tate is dispatched to ‘Red Station’, a remote outpost in the Balkans, ostensibly to avoid press scrutiny, but where in effect the security services send ‘problem’ agents they’d like to be rid of. But the outpost is thrust into the international spotlight when troops begin massing in the area; and, as the situation becomes increasingly dangerous, Tate discovers the real, truly shocking, purpose behind ‘Red Station’ – and decides to fight back
Profile Image for Jeff.
829 reviews28 followers
August 31, 2019
“Red Station” is the first in a series feature British spy Harry Tate. Tate is assigned to an outpost on the Russian border after taking the blame for a botched operation. The action is non-stop, as Tate joins forces with the other “misfits” at the outpost as he discovers the real reason for the outpost. Good page-turner, easy to follow plot lines, and a likeable character in Tate make this an interesting series to follow. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
63 reviews
June 15, 2020
There is nothing new plot-wise in this political espionage thriller and that's OK! The story flowed smoothly and the details vivid, a great entry into the world of Harry Tate.
No Superman missions with unrealistic odds against the protagonist. Magson created complex and relatable characters with excellent development. Very little chaff, nearly every paragraph servicing to forward the narrative.
I will definitely be putting the entire series in my reading queue (and probably more Magson works outside the Harry Tate universe)
866 reviews4 followers
December 3, 2019
A rather slow paced first half does the story no favours but it does improve both in pacing and interest as the plot develops. Tate is an interesting character but those around him less so. Some events seem rather unlikely e.g. the intervention of a Russian agent at a crucial juncture in the story and the denouement on the banks of the Thames seemed quite ridiculous although very convenient.

A decent spy thriller but nothing that makes it rise above the ordinary.
Profile Image for Heather.
2,379 reviews11 followers
October 28, 2021
This was quite an entertaining novel. The short chapter made for a quick read and Harry Tate was a likeable character. I admired his tenacity as he uncovered the corruption in MI5 and MI6 and there was certainly lots of action.

Red Station was a solid mystery without being far-fetched and there were enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. An enjoyable start to this spy series.
Profile Image for Helaine.
342 reviews3 followers
June 21, 2018
This is a series that I am looking forward to the books following this first one. Harry Tate is an engaging character and the story's location and plot are right out of modern day world chaos. It's one of those "just one more chapter" kind of books until you notice its 2:00 AM and you are still engrossed.
133 reviews3 followers
July 9, 2018
Not a comic book hero

I read this book in two sittings over the 4th of July weekend. The pacing is fast, and the writing literate. Harry Tate (the hero) is an ordinary agent not a comic book hero. The authors of many (perhaps most) thrillers cast heroes and villains with ridiculous super abilities to excuse poorly thought out plots. Magson writes a coherent plot.
24 reviews
October 25, 2018
Great First Adventure

This could be the beginning of a good Harry Tate series.
It hit all the right points with keen dialogue, good character development and an ice hard cold war prospective.
Okay Harry, what's next on your tales of Right, espionage and the ubiquitous Security services and their people?
663 reviews37 followers
August 24, 2019
The first book I have read by this author and it was more than OK - a well plotted action packed thriller with thrill and spills and excitement so really there is not too much to grumble about.

It just did not grab me as much as I wanted or hoped for. The prose was a bit laboured and the characters did not really engage me.

A good beach read though.
Profile Image for Sean.
4,162 reviews25 followers
November 6, 2019
Harry Tate is a likable, believable protagonist who gets jammed up on a mission beyond his control. Exiled to the Red Station readers get to learn more about him and his skills. Magson does a good job of moving the story along and making you leery of all the characters. The mysteries made sense when revealed and nothing was super obvious. This was a good spy thriller.
1,475 reviews19 followers
April 24, 2020
Harry Tate is sent to Red Station in the Balkans after a drug bust goes wrong. What he finds out there is that the only people sent there are ones who eventually disappear or mysteriously die. He doesn't want to be one of them so he begins to fight back with some help from a Russian operative.

It took me a while to get into this but it was an interesting story.
11 reviews
July 15, 2021
Very few surprises: I found myself figuring things out ages before the big reveals, which I very rarely, if ever, do.

Female characters are subjected to a heavy male gaze in the way they are written (e.g. described in terms of their attractiveness; they always are, unsurprisingly), and reading this today stands out uncomfortably.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.