Charles Cumming was born in Scotland in 1971. Author of the bestselling thrillers A Spy by Nature and The Hidden Man. The Spanish Game is his third novel. He lives in London.
Drawing upon his experiences working with the British Secret Service, Cumming returns with another spy thriller that is as thrilling as and more fully realized than previous works. Protagonist Alex Milius has learned a lot since his release from MI6 six years ago and is unable to stay away from the high-stakes game of international intrigue. The talented Simon Vance delivers a scintillating reading; his simple, underplayed English dialect captures the very essence of Milius. There are no frills or manufactured emotions; Vance is so good that he need only relate the prose with honesty and passion and listening becomes a compelling and memorable experience. A St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 22). (Feb.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
The Basque nationalists at the heart of this thriller have passionate justifications for their cause, but the new labels of international terrorism in 2003 alter the power balance and enemies lurk everywhere. Drummed out of the MI6 corps six years earlier for a botched operation, young Alec Milius is now doing due diligence work in Madrid when odd and intriguing situations pile up, and suddenly he is at the heart of a plot that inflames his spying appetites and ambitions. Even after Alec is tortured and punished for his curiosity, he continues to pick at the clues hoping to salvage some private satisfactions for a job well done. Notable for its heightened psychological cat-and-mouse play, this second Milius title (after A Spy by Nature) will build Cumming's reputation as a literary spymaster to reckon with--comparison with early John le Carre is not out of line. An added bonus is the masterly description of Madrid and Basque country complete with wine and dine notes. A well-crafted and necessary purchase for espionage fiction collections in all public libraries.--Barbara Conaty, Falls Church, VA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
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