A Foreign Country
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Review
‘The spook tradecraft is unerringly accurate … We are in Smiley country, but with extra 21st century nuance … Cumming has an exquisite touch and we should treasure him’ Daily Mail
‘A rollercoaster of a ride … Bang up-to-date and well-written spy thriller’ The Sun
‘Powerful ****’ Mirror
‘Don’t start this novel close to bedtime: you are likely to be up for most of the night to find out how it ends. It grips the reader’s attention from the first page, and there is no skipping paragraphs. Every word matters … It is all eminently plausible … A fast-moving treat’ The Scotsman
‘Refreshing, plausible and effective … Best of all is the sheer pace of the narrative … This book is perfect travel reading because, once you’ve started it, it’s not easy to put it down’ The Spectator
Praise for Charles Cumming:
‘From the first page to the last it has the ring of absolute authenticity. Tautly written, cleverly plotted…it reminded me strongly of the early books of John le Carré’ Robert Harris
Product Description
Perfect for fans of John le Carré, a gripping and suspenseful spy thriller from ‘the master of the modern spy thriller’ (Mail on Sunday)
Six weeks before she is due to take up her position as the first female head of MI6, Amelia Levene vanishes without a trace.
Her disappearance is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced for more than a decade. There has been no ransom demand, no word from foreign intelligence services, no hint of a defection.
Should news of Levene’s disappearance leak out, the consequences would be catastrophic. But for disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell, the crisis offers a chance for redemption. He is approached by his former employers and ordered to find her.
Kell’s search takes him first to France, then North Africa, where he discovers an extraordinary secret hidden deep in Levene’s past. it is a secret that could fatally compromise Britain’s national security - and for which Kell could pay with his life.
This is another first-rate intelligent thriller which will cement Cumming's reputation as one of the most engaging British novelists writing today.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Spy fiction has an impressive list of luminaries, John Buchan, Erskine Childers, Len Deighton, John Le Carre and so on to which I feel you can add, Charles Cumming.
Tom Kell is an MI6 agent who has left the department under a cloud and finding life tedious, outside the service, is enticed back to working for the department.
The task he is given is no ordinary one. The new head of MI6 Amelia Levene has gone missing and he must investigate and find her. There are lots of twists and surprises along the way and nothing is quite as it seems.
"A Foreign Country" is a supremely structured story, impressively written, with sharp dialogue and an authentic, gripping plot-line, which I found to be a page turner. It is an engaging tale with credible characters and one which will hold your attention from the first page to the last.
Will this be the last story involving British agent Tom Kell? There is scope for more and it would be well worth another run. This book may not have the complex, analytical depth of Le Carre, but it is an entertaining read.
If spy thrillers are to your taste, then look no further, this is top drawer. Recommended.
Tom Kell is an MI6 agent who has left the department under a cloud and finding life tedious, outside the service, is enticed back to working for the department.
The task he is given is no ordinary one. The new head of MI6 Amelia Levene has gone missing and he must investigate and find her. There are lots of twists and surprises along the way and nothing is quite as it seems.
"A Foreign Country" is a supremely structured story, impressively written, with sharp dialogue and an authentic, gripping plot-line, which I found to be a page turner. It is an engaging tale with credible characters and one which will hold your attention from the first page to the last.
Will this be the last story involving British agent Tom Kell? There is scope for more and it would be well worth another run. This book may not have the complex, analytical depth of Le Carre, but it is an entertaining read.
If spy thrillers are to your taste, then look no further, this is top drawer. Recommended.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Cumming has been spoken of by some as 'the new Le Carre' and if his first two novels are anything to go by, it's an accolade he fully deserves. If you enjoyed his first, The Trinity Six, then I feel sure you'll enjoy this one as well. No mention of the Berlin Wall or Moscow - the world's moved on and what happens here is more than a bit to do with post-Arab Spring. The cover might have you think that the 'Foreign Country' is the one nearest to us, given a certain tower in the distance and there is indeed a strong connection but it's also, as you may guess, a reference to the past and it's the past of Amelia Levine, would-be Chief of MI6, which is the central theme. More than that would spoil so I won't say anything. I found it fast-paced and well-written. Many chapters are short. There's a lot of spy-craft and people not being who they seem and builds up to a tense conclusion. OK you don't get the depth of character that Le Carre is so good at but on the other hand, it's considerably easier to read! Only one gripe - really really didn't like last page!! Do give it a go though - I doubt you'll be disappointed. I shall definitely look forward to his next novel.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I stumbled across this book and am really glad I did. A Foreign Country follows former MI6 agent Thomas Kell on a pursuit across Britain, France and Tunisia, tasked with finding the head-designate of the agency who has gone missing. Without giving too much away, the book is set in a modern day Europe, dealing with the aftermath of both the Arab Spring and the Iraq war.
If I was being picky, I could say that the story came to a very abrupt end: the chase that has been building through the whole book appears to come to a remarkably swift and simple conclusion. However, this doesn't distract from what is a great story. Cumming has been compared to John Le Carre. I confess I find Le Carre a bit turgid, but in contrast I finished 'A Foreign Country' in less than 48 hours. I've already ordered more of Cumming's books and highly recommend this one.
If I was being picky, I could say that the story came to a very abrupt end: the chase that has been building through the whole book appears to come to a remarkably swift and simple conclusion. However, this doesn't distract from what is a great story. Cumming has been compared to John Le Carre. I confess I find Le Carre a bit turgid, but in contrast I finished 'A Foreign Country' in less than 48 hours. I've already ordered more of Cumming's books and highly recommend this one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Carre's successor
First book I've read by Cumming and I have to say I really enjoyed it.
If you like Le Carre, Deighton et al, then buy this. Read more
If you like Le Carre, Deighton et al, then buy this. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mr. Chris Pearson
Literary Spy Thriller
A Foreign Country is a real treat from Charles Cumming. It's hiding behind the Thriller genre when it really is quite the literary novel. Read more
Published 26 days ago by N. MEADOWS
A Spy novel, and the bad guys are from.....
A Foreign Country doesn't feel like a spy novel because the other side is major European power generally thought of as an ally. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kenneth C. Mahieu
Couldn't put it down.
A very well written tale that holds you to the last.
Comparisons made by several book critics of the author to a modern day John Le Carre, are not inaccurate. Read more
Comparisons made by several book critics of the author to a modern day John Le Carre, are not inaccurate. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mike France
France
On completion of two earlier novels by Charles Cumming I felt a slight sense of disappointment and my reaction to this latest book is no different. Why would this be? Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Currie
WHAT A LOVELY COMMAND OF ENGLISH
I have read all six of Charles Cumming's novels and in my view five of them have merited five stars. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Charles Ranald
A maturing of Charles Cumming
I have only recently jumped on the Charles Cumming band wagon and I must of read all of his previous works over the last few months. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Kristian Tisdale
Undemanding, predictable, average beach read, Cumming is no Le Carre
I approached "A Foreign Country" with eagerness, as a fan of "The Trinity Six" and spy thrillers in general. Sadly I was disappointed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Huggermugger
A Foreign Country
Trinity Six and The Spanish Game are far superior pieces. This latest book by Charles Cummings is well written but episodic and also formulaeic. Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. Bennett
Very good.....but not excellent
I have read all of Charles Cummings' novels and he is a fine writer. His latest - A Foreign Country - is another really top notch read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kirkmans
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