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A Foreign Country [Kindle Edition]

Charles Cumming (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £7.99
Kindle Price: £1.85 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £6.14 (77%)
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

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Hardcover £9.09   -- --
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Review

‘We are in Smiley country, but with extra 21st century nuance … Cumming has an exquisite touch and we should treasure him’ Daily Mail

‘A thriller that has everything you could ask for – a twisty, sexy plot, topical themes, memorable characters and plentiful spy lore’ Sunday Times, Books of the Year

‘Refreshing, plausible and effective … Best of all is the sheer pace of the narrative’ Spectator

‘You are likely to be up for most of the night to find out how this novel ends. It grips from the first page … A fast-moving treat’ The Scotsman

Praise for Charles Cumming:

‘Charles Cumming is a man put on this earth to perpetuate the spy thriller’ Daily Telegraph

‘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

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 Carre' Robert Harris
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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Charles Cumming Page
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Foreign Country -Excellent spy thriller 9 April 2012
By Champollion VINE™ VOICE
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.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good.....but not excellent 1 April 2012
By Kirkmans
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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. The comparison to John Le Carre is, I think, wrong. Cummings' books develop into the fast paced thriller and he is one of the best writers who do this. But he does not have the literary style, depth and sophistication of Le Carre - what another reviewer complained of as 'over indulgent and boring'. My only complaint about this book is that the ending was too predictable. But the 'fundamental idea' of the book was brilliant - but it would have needed John Le Carre to have really exposed the complete ruthlessness that must lie at the heart of any country's Secret Service.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A serious page turner 12 Feb 2013
By A. Pearson
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well written thriller keeps you on your toes till the end. I liked the main characters and they sustained my interest
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars well spun yarn
Decent book of its ilk, good read if you like spy stories. Pretty well written and kept you wanting more. Had some good twists!
Published 3 days ago by Mr. Anthony Collier
4.0 out of 5 stars Unconventional Spy Story-telling
I enjoyed it. I tried to predict, but didn't succeed. It's not the usual spy story-telling kind of novel. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Clement Eke
4.0 out of 5 stars More Freddie Forsyth than John Le Carre
This is the first book I've read by Charles Cumming, and very enjoyable it was too. But it does rather prove that many professional reviewers don't seem to know what they're on... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Jl Adcock
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad but lacking tension
My first Cummings and it hasn't put me off. It is not Le Carre, or even Deighton territory but at least hero Kell is believable. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Huck Flynn
5.0 out of 5 stars Great spy thriller
This is a fine, enthralling spy story about UK special intelligence services, lost loves and potential future loves. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Blogpiper
4.0 out of 5 stars A cut above
How refreshing to not have to read a spy thriller where the main player is not a kick ass indestructable ninja with a degree in nuclear physics who performs brain surgery as a... Read more
Published 18 days ago by Steveatki
4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing new anti hero.
Nothing too flashy about Tom Kell. He's much about a real spook as I would imagine. He wouldn't dare jump off a speeding train or defuse an atom bomb. Read more
Published 18 days ago by CEEAITCHJAY
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow at the beginning but fine at the end.
I wanted to read a good spy novel that is not your general adventure packed nonsense about saving the world from post-soviet warlords. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Balazs Goldschmidt
3.0 out of 5 stars Quick easy read
Saw this book in Tesco for £1.95 and read the back cover, recommendations and the first page and thought it would be a good 24 hour read. It proved to be just that. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Alexander Kreator
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read
This is an excellent book, in every detail. It is much more believable than most books about spies. The whole story from beginning to end is gripping. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Mr. R. E. Disney
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