An interesting perspective on a man who lived in the shadows and whose legacy is British SIS. Vernon Kell founded MI5 and led it for 31 years in the turbulent years of the early 20th century. Without doubt, the establishment of a British Intelligence Service was the single most important event in 20th century British history. Without that imagine how different the two world wars, Cold War and numerous other events would have been.

This book is an examination of the Man from the perspective of his wife. It is of significant primary source value to intelligence history historians like myself.
Clearly it’s biased but it provides excellent research evidence about a man who stand as one of the most important people in British history, and yet he’s unknown.

An enjoyable read but I can’t see this being a must read for everyone.

3.5 Stars
Very intriguing read and interesting subject, although it seems to focus more on the couple than I was expecting. Still, a very good read, especially for those readers who love history, biographies, and real adventure/spy stories.

You may, as I was, be drawn to this memoir in the belief that you will be privy to an insider's view of MI5 and British espionage. Instead, it's more of a look at the life and marriage of Lady Kell with a bit of spy pepper thrown in here and there. It's good, but not really what I was looking for.

This is a book of interest for the historians of WWII era and particularly for those passionate about the intelligence services. Based on a personal account, it brings details and particular stories regarding the foundation of the MI5 and its development, mostly under the pressure of the fast forward historical realm. It is an easy yet insightful read.

Rather than being a biography of Vernon Kell, as I was expecting, this was rather a memoir between Vernon Kell and his wife. It mostly consisted of anecdotes and it didn't particularly hold my attention. The introduction was all that was really needed to know his major achievements.

I did enjoy this book but it wasn't what I had really expected, that said it was an easy read and I did feel that I learnt more about MI5 after reading the book. Have already recommended it to my husband as it is definitely a book he would like having a very keen interest in WWI and WWII - 3.5 stars from me rounded up to 4 stars.

I am sorry I couldn't access this book despite months of effort. Can't get to open .acsm file even after downloading Adobe acrobat etc. What a pity it wasn't available on Kindle because it looks so very interesting. My apologies for sending in a blank. Should the book be available on Kindle for review I shall jump at it.

This was more the memoir of the wife of the man who started MI5, rather than the story about him and what he did, but it was still a very good book. The life of adventure that they had! Also, BOY could they turn a phrase back then! The writing was beautiful and evocative, descriptive, but not boring. I do wish there was more about Sir Vernon Kell and his work in the MI5, but he didn't tell his wife or his journal much, so she couldn't relate much. I am sure that much of what he worked on has been released by now, since it is past the due date for de-classification, but it wasn't included in this book since this book was written before that time period.

The only thing keeping this from being a five star book is her complete inability to understand those in a lower socio-economic standing than her. She was from a wealthy family, her husband was and they continued to be well-to-do, even during the wars. A solid 4 stars for the peek into what it was like for her during the Boxer Rebellion and World Wars I and II. I would definitely recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Osprey Publishing for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I think, the title is a little misleading. What this is, in fact, is a quite acceptable memoir of a life shared between two people which is told in the first person narrative by Lady Kell. The story is interspersed with anecdotes of her husband's career and then his work in the creation and establishment of MI5. A juicy spy story this is not.

Honestly, I found the story of Lady Kell more interesting than that of her husband. Here was a young Irish woman who married, accompanied her husband to China, survived the Boxer Rebellion, traversed the trans-Siberian Railway back to Europe and England; witness the outbreak of WWI, survived the great influenza epidemic of 1918, saw the creation of the Irish Free State in 1921 and the outbreak of WWII! Through her husband, she rubbed shoulders with an array of interesting folk from politician, diplomats and royalty. What a woman!

For the life of Sir Vernon, Stewart Binn's introduction was really all that was required to sum up his life.

A Secret Well Kept: The Untold Story of Sir Vernon Kell, Founder of MI5, is the biography of a man who rendered an indispensable service to his country, the details of which are only now being uncovered. The narrative comes from the personal journals of his wife, Constance. The story begins with a brief overview of Kell’s childhood before detailing his studies in college. When his gift for languages became apparent, he was offered a government position which eventually led to his becoming the founder and director of Britain’s premier counter-intelligence agency, a post he held for thirty-one years. Beginning with the Boxer Rebellion and culminating in the middle of World War II, the Kells witness an incredible amount of history, and Constance documents her husband’s illustrious career and accomplishments vividly.

A Secret Well Kept is an incredible eyewitness account of extraordinary events. Mrs. Kell’s journal gives the reader a personal perspective of her husband’s work in China, Russia, and Great Britain. Her commentary is a fascinating description of the people and the societies encountered throughout their service. This reader wishes there had been more detail on the cloak-and-dagger aspect of Kell’s career. However, A Secret Well Kept is an intriguing look at history through the eyes of those who shepherded Great Britain through two World Wars and provided pivotal intelligence. Sir Vernon’s service should not be kept secret any longer but told for generations to come.


I was given a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The modern secret services get far more coverage in the media than we might expect from an undercover agency - people like Stella Rimington have exposed some of the inner workings to the public , and should we wish to become spies we could always apply through their website!
But when did MI5 first begin its work and what stories can be told of the origins of British intelligence? In this book written by Constance Kell (from manuscripts uncovered by her great grand-daughter we have an reliable insight, for Constance was married to Sir Vernon Kell the founder and for 31 ears Director of MI5.
Constance was 20 when she married Kell and they travelled to China for their honeymoon, where two weeks later Britain was embroiled in the Boxer Rebellion.
There is no shortage of fascinating history but this is also a love story and tells of Constance's support for a man thrown into tumultuous times as Britain faced two world wars and threats from countries such as Germany and Russia were bound up in the mechanisms which now today are faced with Islamic State -and some would argue still the Russian obsession with power at all costs ( murders on our own streets by poisoning are not just plots from James Bind movies.....)
Vernon George Waldegrave Kell was born in 1873, his career destined to be as part of the army. He was a brilliant linguist and sometime foreign correspondent. He joined the War Office in 1902 just as the Special Branch (under William Melville who sought retirement) was preparing to form a new breed of counter-intelligence operatives. The Secret Service Bureau(SSB) was then formed and although funded on a small scale by the British Government, it was kept secret generally across Whitehall. Alongside Mansfield Cumming, Army Captain Kell made use of his contacts particularly in liaison with Churchill( Kell had been a year senior to cadet Churchill at Sandhurst).
As well as two world wars, there is also discussion of the situation amongst Irish Nationalists and the Bolshevik Revolutionists in Russia.
Alongside the history are the words of the tiny but indomitable Constance at his side. and the home and family life that surrounded Kell . The writing is good and detailed about the intricacies of diplomatic life. 007 might lead a globetrotting and sexy lifestyle c/o writer Ian Fleming, but here is the true account of the real world struggles and insights into the conflicts with the many politicians over the years.
It was interesting to read that despite Kell's concerns about Sir Oswald Mosely MI5 were initially refused an application to use surveillance on him and his fascist movement and that although Kell was warning of the German threat by Hitler way back in 1936 still the Government chose appeasement.
Kell was a hard working loyal man in MI5 but as World War II gained a hold even he found the service overstretched. It was sad to see that Churchill (once his friend) insisting that Kell retire in 1940. Two years later and only aged 68 Kell died.
There is much in this book that was unknown to me. Often the worry over heavy handed surveillance is opposed, but the setting up of the service and the inception of spying skills that Kell and a small band of officers in MI5 established has much to be admired.

Book received from NetGalley.

This book was written by the wife of Sir Vernon Kell who founded MI5. I really enjoyed reading about how MI5 came about and its function in both The Great War and the beginning of WWII. Its small start as a seemingly unimportant part of the War department made me wonder what was kept out of the book since at that time it was focused on German spies in Great Britain. What was still classified at the time the book was published. Especially since it was written in the 50's and they still had the Cold War going on. I really didn't care much about their lives leading up to his becoming the head of the agency, though it does help you understand why he was chosen. It was an interesting book and I will definitely be looking for more on this subject.