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Thomas Kell #1
A Foreign Country
From the internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Trinity Six, comes a compelling tale of deceit and betrayal, conspiracy and redemption
On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris. Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. It is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade. Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain's top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself - find Amelia Levene at any cost. The trail leads Kell to France and Tunisia, where he uncovers a shocking secret and a conspiracy that could have unimaginable repercussions for Britain and its allies. Only Kell stands in the way of personal and political catastrophe.
On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris. Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. It is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade. Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain's top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself - find Amelia Levene at any cost. The trail leads Kell to France and Tunisia, where he uncovers a shocking secret and a conspiracy that could have unimaginable repercussions for Britain and its allies. Only Kell stands in the way of personal and political catastrophe.
405 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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4678 people want to read
About the author
Charles Cumming
26 books1,280 followersCharles Cumming is British writer of spy fiction. His international bestselling thrillers including A Spy By Nature, The Spanish Game, Typhoon and The Trinity Six. A former British Secret Service recruit, he is a contributing editor of The Week magazine and lives in London.
http://www.charlescumming.co.uk/
http://www.charlescumming.co.uk/
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April 14, 2020
”’If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend,’ he thought, remembering the words of E. M. Forester, ‘I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.’
For the first time in his life, that notion made sense to him.”
Spies, of course, struggle with the idea of loyalty more than the rest of us do. Most of us might have to struggle to choose between two friends who are divorcing. Who is my better friend? Who deserves my support the most? We don’t generally have to think about our loyalty to our country or ever have it really tested. Here in the United States, it is always interesting to me when someone expresses loyalty to their state over that of the federal government, as if the issues surrounding the Civil War still linger in the minds of those descended from those who fought over states rights. Loyalty to a state is a nebulous idea for me. State lines, arbitrarily drawn at some point in history, don’t really have importance to me. Of course, it is hard for me to see myself as loyal to the United States by dint of my birth. I like to think of myself as a citizen of the world who just happens to live in the United States.
Spies may begin their career out of loyalty to their country, or maybe for excitement, or maybe for the enticement of enrichment. As they do tasks for their country, they may discover that there are unsavory elements to what they are being asked to do. Maybe the line becomes blurred between who is right, or maybe it is more about who is most right. How about when your country asks you to do something, things go sideways, and then they hang you out to dry?
For loyalty to truly exist, it has to work both ways.
Thomas Kell, after an unfortunate incident in Afghanistan, is frogmarched out of MI6 into the cold, as they say. He is having difficulty adjusting to being ousted. There are unresolved issues, certainly no closure, and now he drinks too much and hopes something will change. It is hard for him to move onto a new career when he is still in love with the last one. It is like trying to date someone else when all you can think about is the girl with the slip shoulder blouses who used to be yours.
And then the phone rings.
MI6 needs his help.
Maybe (dangle dangle) if he can help them with this little task, they can start the process towards letting him back in the game. Kell would have been glad for a chance to clean the MI6 toilets with a toothbrush if it would get him back in the door. Fortunately, they have something a little more interesting.
The new head of the MI6 has disappeared right after she was briefed by her predecessor on matters of national security. Odd timing. It could make a spy organization paranoid, and in this case certainly does. The new head is Kell’s friend Amelia Levene. This means good things for him. She could certainly smooth things over about his past and put him back to work, but first he has to find her and make sure she isn’t being tortured into revealing the very information she has sworn to protect. The trail she left begins in Nice, France. Kell has strong opinions about Nice.
”Kell had forgotten how much he disliked Nice. The city had none of the character that he associated with France: it felt like a place with no history, a city that had never suffered. The too-clean streets, the incongruous palm trees, the poseurs on the boardwalks, and the girls who weren’t quite pretty: Nice was an antiseptic playground for rich foreigners who didn’t have the imagination to spend their money properly. ‘The place,’ he muttered to himself, remembering the old joke, ‘where suntans go to die.’”
Mega burn! I hope the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, doesn’t read this book. He might fling himself off the nearest balcony. Hopefully, he is considerate enough not to mar the too-clean streets with his mangled body, though.
I’ve always personally thought that “the girls who weren’t quite pretty” are the most interesting ones. Amelia doesn’t fall into that category. She is a striking woman whom people notice. I usually think of spies as so bland looking that they disappear into the woodwork or stonework of wherever they are. The bloom has come off the rose as she has entered her 50s, but with so much bloom to start with, the flower is still beautiful even if a few petals have withered and fallen.
Finding her requires Kell to reactivate dormant skills, but finding her is only the beginning of the story. Now he has to figure out what she is up to and navigate the murky waters of those arrayed against her before they not only ruin her career but hinder his own best chance to…come in from the cold.
The book is filled with wonderful, authentic information on spycraft. Kell breaks information apart and finds new strings to pull until he inches closer and closer to the truth. Patience is a virtue with spycraft. Sometimes a good spy has to let the action come to him before the motivations of all parties become clear. Nothing is ever quite what it seems. The devil is in the details, and the nuances might prove to be the key to getting one step ahead of those who are trying to destroy his chance to be redeemed.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
For the first time in his life, that notion made sense to him.”
Spies, of course, struggle with the idea of loyalty more than the rest of us do. Most of us might have to struggle to choose between two friends who are divorcing. Who is my better friend? Who deserves my support the most? We don’t generally have to think about our loyalty to our country or ever have it really tested. Here in the United States, it is always interesting to me when someone expresses loyalty to their state over that of the federal government, as if the issues surrounding the Civil War still linger in the minds of those descended from those who fought over states rights. Loyalty to a state is a nebulous idea for me. State lines, arbitrarily drawn at some point in history, don’t really have importance to me. Of course, it is hard for me to see myself as loyal to the United States by dint of my birth. I like to think of myself as a citizen of the world who just happens to live in the United States.
Spies may begin their career out of loyalty to their country, or maybe for excitement, or maybe for the enticement of enrichment. As they do tasks for their country, they may discover that there are unsavory elements to what they are being asked to do. Maybe the line becomes blurred between who is right, or maybe it is more about who is most right. How about when your country asks you to do something, things go sideways, and then they hang you out to dry?
For loyalty to truly exist, it has to work both ways.
Thomas Kell, after an unfortunate incident in Afghanistan, is frogmarched out of MI6 into the cold, as they say. He is having difficulty adjusting to being ousted. There are unresolved issues, certainly no closure, and now he drinks too much and hopes something will change. It is hard for him to move onto a new career when he is still in love with the last one. It is like trying to date someone else when all you can think about is the girl with the slip shoulder blouses who used to be yours.
And then the phone rings.
MI6 needs his help.
Maybe (dangle dangle) if he can help them with this little task, they can start the process towards letting him back in the game. Kell would have been glad for a chance to clean the MI6 toilets with a toothbrush if it would get him back in the door. Fortunately, they have something a little more interesting.
The new head of the MI6 has disappeared right after she was briefed by her predecessor on matters of national security. Odd timing. It could make a spy organization paranoid, and in this case certainly does. The new head is Kell’s friend Amelia Levene. This means good things for him. She could certainly smooth things over about his past and put him back to work, but first he has to find her and make sure she isn’t being tortured into revealing the very information she has sworn to protect. The trail she left begins in Nice, France. Kell has strong opinions about Nice.
”Kell had forgotten how much he disliked Nice. The city had none of the character that he associated with France: it felt like a place with no history, a city that had never suffered. The too-clean streets, the incongruous palm trees, the poseurs on the boardwalks, and the girls who weren’t quite pretty: Nice was an antiseptic playground for rich foreigners who didn’t have the imagination to spend their money properly. ‘The place,’ he muttered to himself, remembering the old joke, ‘where suntans go to die.’”
Mega burn! I hope the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, doesn’t read this book. He might fling himself off the nearest balcony. Hopefully, he is considerate enough not to mar the too-clean streets with his mangled body, though.
I’ve always personally thought that “the girls who weren’t quite pretty” are the most interesting ones. Amelia doesn’t fall into that category. She is a striking woman whom people notice. I usually think of spies as so bland looking that they disappear into the woodwork or stonework of wherever they are. The bloom has come off the rose as she has entered her 50s, but with so much bloom to start with, the flower is still beautiful even if a few petals have withered and fallen.
Finding her requires Kell to reactivate dormant skills, but finding her is only the beginning of the story. Now he has to figure out what she is up to and navigate the murky waters of those arrayed against her before they not only ruin her career but hinder his own best chance to…come in from the cold.
The book is filled with wonderful, authentic information on spycraft. Kell breaks information apart and finds new strings to pull until he inches closer and closer to the truth. Patience is a virtue with spycraft. Sometimes a good spy has to let the action come to him before the motivations of all parties become clear. Nothing is ever quite what it seems. The devil is in the details, and the nuances might prove to be the key to getting one step ahead of those who are trying to destroy his chance to be redeemed.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
January 28, 2019
This delighted me and even more so because I have further Kell novels to read. Being a new to me series, it is not often that I find gems in a distinct pile like this.
Superb prose and also an occasional savvy, wise passage re the homo sapiens state in general. Although I have to admit I disagree with his dangerous age for men (he puts it at age 42) where the "big questions" of perception vs reality tend to combustion. With the much longer present "adolescence" of past age 25- it is now closer to 48. Or just before 50.
Regardless, I wrote a fairly long and gritty review for this book but in our current blizzard of the day conditions, the wi-fi cut out and it was lost. So now I'll just say it shortly. Which Charles Cumming never does, btw.
It's the core of duplicitous personified. All characters lie. And never more than to the behaviors that say they disdain and punish, which they use continually 50 times more than the average citizen themselves. It's constantly moving in plot location and "groupings". But the beginning is extremely confusing and alternating to context. Very much as nearly every character in these plots are. Francois especially- he took me at least 100 pages to "get".
It's delicious in placements. France, Egypt, England, Tunasia and more. I especially loved the narrations from different individuals upon the various French cities "feel". So pretentious and also IMHO- fairly dated and inaccurate. But it's brutal on occasion. Far more than just in the descriptive sense. Considering the body counts, I thought it rather droll that Kell is supposedly in a quiver over waterboarding! How self-rationalizing are humans!
None of these people are "known" not even to their spouses or best friends. Best friends???
And the game IS being an expert on lies. Lies and waiting. Spies lie. And wait. Intelligence agents make lawyers look straight forward and in definitions honest. They also on more than average occasions keep prime motivations as relative to themselves and their own inklings as they so desire and also critically undercut each other. Not at all unusual to do both at the same time. And just a bit less to their own hierarchies too. Duplicitous.
It holds some true nasties. And some that seem nice, gentle, tolerate and are anything but.
I sure hope the other Kell by Cumming are as good as this one was. And in warm places too.
Superb prose and also an occasional savvy, wise passage re the homo sapiens state in general. Although I have to admit I disagree with his dangerous age for men (he puts it at age 42) where the "big questions" of perception vs reality tend to combustion. With the much longer present "adolescence" of past age 25- it is now closer to 48. Or just before 50.
Regardless, I wrote a fairly long and gritty review for this book but in our current blizzard of the day conditions, the wi-fi cut out and it was lost. So now I'll just say it shortly. Which Charles Cumming never does, btw.
It's the core of duplicitous personified. All characters lie. And never more than to the behaviors that say they disdain and punish, which they use continually 50 times more than the average citizen themselves. It's constantly moving in plot location and "groupings". But the beginning is extremely confusing and alternating to context. Very much as nearly every character in these plots are. Francois especially- he took me at least 100 pages to "get".
It's delicious in placements. France, Egypt, England, Tunasia and more. I especially loved the narrations from different individuals upon the various French cities "feel". So pretentious and also IMHO- fairly dated and inaccurate. But it's brutal on occasion. Far more than just in the descriptive sense. Considering the body counts, I thought it rather droll that Kell is supposedly in a quiver over waterboarding! How self-rationalizing are humans!
None of these people are "known" not even to their spouses or best friends. Best friends???
And the game IS being an expert on lies. Lies and waiting. Spies lie. And wait. Intelligence agents make lawyers look straight forward and in definitions honest. They also on more than average occasions keep prime motivations as relative to themselves and their own inklings as they so desire and also critically undercut each other. Not at all unusual to do both at the same time. And just a bit less to their own hierarchies too. Duplicitous.
It holds some true nasties. And some that seem nice, gentle, tolerate and are anything but.
I sure hope the other Kell by Cumming are as good as this one was. And in warm places too.
June 5, 2012
This review isn’t an easy one to write, since I wanted to really like this book, instead of just liking it. The author has a handle on the spy thriller, and he more than proves his capabilities as a writer. But in order for me to really like a story, I have to become fully invested in the novel in some form or fashion, either through one or more characters, a hair-raising plot, or dialogue that projects louder than an Italian opera singer. And I didn’t get any of those feelings from this story.
Charles Cumming and his publisher have done all that they can do for this novel, but A FOREIGN COUNTRY lacks a bleeding, beating heart. From the first page to the last, the author appeared to be going through the motions of what it takes to write a great spy novel. The multiple characters were developed thoughtfully and meticulously, but none of the characters really grabbed me around the leg and yanked me into the story. The pages turned easily, and the short chapters helped me to race effortlessly to the end, but neither the story itself, nor the characters, will resonate with me much after the conclusion.
Unlike other reviewers, I appreciate the risk the author took by going against the typical formula for a mainstream thriller and writing the story using multiple first person points of view. While it did take away a bit of the suspense, it provided a rather unique perspective and taking chances is what writing is all about.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Charles Cumming and his publisher have done all that they can do for this novel, but A FOREIGN COUNTRY lacks a bleeding, beating heart. From the first page to the last, the author appeared to be going through the motions of what it takes to write a great spy novel. The multiple characters were developed thoughtfully and meticulously, but none of the characters really grabbed me around the leg and yanked me into the story. The pages turned easily, and the short chapters helped me to race effortlessly to the end, but neither the story itself, nor the characters, will resonate with me much after the conclusion.
Unlike other reviewers, I appreciate the risk the author took by going against the typical formula for a mainstream thriller and writing the story using multiple first person points of view. While it did take away a bit of the suspense, it provided a rather unique perspective and taking chances is what writing is all about.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
March 5, 2024
Bought at charity coffee morning and finished same day. Really enjoyed the character of Thomas Kell. Fast paced story with good dialogue. Will look out for more...
November 19, 2017
Full review..
2 stars
Yeah. I should know better. Never trust a book by its sweet cover. That'll always bite you in the ass!
'Misleading Cover 🤔🤔
A Foreign Country is a poor attempt at international spy thriller that gets caught in its own idiosyncrasies, and never really develops either plot or characters. The really annoying thing is that the story really had potential, specially in the beginning! It all starts with an exciting trifecta: a kidnapping scene, a French couple gets brutally murder and there's a mysterious disappearance of the chief of Mi6. We, the readers, are led to believe that all these events will magically coalesce into an awesome harmony of events with thriller, action and high tech spying!
What we get is a story that is stale, without any fluidity of events and quite simply boring! The main protagonist is some washout out ex-Mi6 operative, 'Thomas Kell', for whom I had such high hopes! That's what I get for being spoiled with such amazing novels the likes of 'James Bond', ' The Bourne series' and most recently the fabulous 'I am Pilgrim'. 'Kell' is a total bore, who's insecurities and down right annoying personality bleed through the pages.
For instance there's a scene he gets 'accosted' by French intelligence agents, and unlike the fearless 'Jason Bourne' or 'Bond', he literally gets the shit kicked out of him- without showing any sign of previous combat skills! What the f...!
Many other shortcomings in the writing, plot development and stagnant progression make this book one I would recommend skipping.
2 Stars
2 stars
Yeah. I should know better. Never trust a book by its sweet cover. That'll always bite you in the ass!
'Misleading Cover 🤔🤔
A Foreign Country is a poor attempt at international spy thriller that gets caught in its own idiosyncrasies, and never really develops either plot or characters. The really annoying thing is that the story really had potential, specially in the beginning! It all starts with an exciting trifecta: a kidnapping scene, a French couple gets brutally murder and there's a mysterious disappearance of the chief of Mi6. We, the readers, are led to believe that all these events will magically coalesce into an awesome harmony of events with thriller, action and high tech spying!
What we get is a story that is stale, without any fluidity of events and quite simply boring! The main protagonist is some washout out ex-Mi6 operative, 'Thomas Kell', for whom I had such high hopes! That's what I get for being spoiled with such amazing novels the likes of 'James Bond', ' The Bourne series' and most recently the fabulous 'I am Pilgrim'. 'Kell' is a total bore, who's insecurities and down right annoying personality bleed through the pages.
For instance there's a scene he gets 'accosted' by French intelligence agents, and unlike the fearless 'Jason Bourne' or 'Bond', he literally gets the shit kicked out of him- without showing any sign of previous combat skills! What the f...!
Many other shortcomings in the writing, plot development and stagnant progression make this book one I would recommend skipping.
2 Stars
May 28, 2020
Ha sido curioso este viaje entre países con este espía un tanto desgastado.
Un dilema entre la lealtad a tu país o a la amistad con una compañera en apuros. Al principio parecía más bien un drama familiar, pero poco a poco se va hilvanando una historia de viejos rencores, de suplantación de personalidades, de luchas para conseguir el puesto de honor en un despacho de la inteligencia inglesa.
Entretenida.
Un dilema entre la lealtad a tu país o a la amistad con una compañera en apuros. Al principio parecía más bien un drama familiar, pero poco a poco se va hilvanando una historia de viejos rencores, de suplantación de personalidades, de luchas para conseguir el puesto de honor en un despacho de la inteligencia inglesa.
Entretenida.
August 5, 2017
An excellent spy thriller. Cumming is a new author to me. I look forward to the others in this series. He has written more books, but I really like Kell, the reclaimed British spy.
August 30, 2012
Charles Cumming has gained a reputation as a successor to the inestimable John Le Carre. His sophisticated plots and knowledge of spycraft are second to none in the current crop of spy novelists. His last novel, “Trinity Six”, a re-imagined and taut look at the British spy scandal of the last century was brilliant.
However, “A Foreign Country” falls a little flat because the plot is a little short of the twists and turns that one wants from a spy novel.
Amelia Levane, the soon to be appointed head of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, disappears while on vacation in the South of France. Concerned about her disappearance and leery of her new appointment, the current leaders of MI6, send disgraced spy Thomas Kell to France to find Levane. Kell initially suspects foul play, but through spycraft soon discovers that Levane is in Tunisia, and appears to be involved with a young Frenchman named Francois Malot. His masters believe she is in an affair, but Kell soon learns that Malot is Levane’s previously unknown child, who she placed up for adoption years previously.
Kell soon suspects that something is not right about Mr. Malot. A mysterious woman talks to Kell too much in a bar and when he returns to his hotel room it has been searched. Plus Malot acts oddly on a ferry from Tunisia to Marseille, and the Kell is suspicious of that mode of transportation. Then Kell is attacked. The fact that Malot may not be what he seems is predictable in a spy novel, where red herrings and mysterious characters are the hallmarks of the genre.
Unfortunately, the pacing of the novel is very slow. Kell’s back story, the whys of his expulsion from the service takes a while to unfold. More importantly, although the novel moves slowly at times, Kell uncovers the plot against Levane very quickly, and it does not make much sense. Is the operation supposed to harm Levane’s chances of being the head of MI6? Or is the operation to get Malot close to the center of English power. Finally, once the Malot operation is uncovered, the book becomes little more than a cop and robber novel – a good cop and robber novel, but not much of a spy novel.
And when you expect an excellent spy novel, a good cop and robber novel is just not good enough.
However, “A Foreign Country” falls a little flat because the plot is a little short of the twists and turns that one wants from a spy novel.
Amelia Levane, the soon to be appointed head of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, disappears while on vacation in the South of France. Concerned about her disappearance and leery of her new appointment, the current leaders of MI6, send disgraced spy Thomas Kell to France to find Levane. Kell initially suspects foul play, but through spycraft soon discovers that Levane is in Tunisia, and appears to be involved with a young Frenchman named Francois Malot. His masters believe she is in an affair, but Kell soon learns that Malot is Levane’s previously unknown child, who she placed up for adoption years previously.
Kell soon suspects that something is not right about Mr. Malot. A mysterious woman talks to Kell too much in a bar and when he returns to his hotel room it has been searched. Plus Malot acts oddly on a ferry from Tunisia to Marseille, and the Kell is suspicious of that mode of transportation. Then Kell is attacked. The fact that Malot may not be what he seems is predictable in a spy novel, where red herrings and mysterious characters are the hallmarks of the genre.
Unfortunately, the pacing of the novel is very slow. Kell’s back story, the whys of his expulsion from the service takes a while to unfold. More importantly, although the novel moves slowly at times, Kell uncovers the plot against Levane very quickly, and it does not make much sense. Is the operation supposed to harm Levane’s chances of being the head of MI6? Or is the operation to get Malot close to the center of English power. Finally, once the Malot operation is uncovered, the book becomes little more than a cop and robber novel – a good cop and robber novel, but not much of a spy novel.
And when you expect an excellent spy novel, a good cop and robber novel is just not good enough.
June 4, 2013
So Hannah and Kate of Killer Reads/Harper Collins fame have been subtlety and well, not so much, nagging me to read this book for a while. Its a spy thriller. I wouldnt normally read one because although I adore “Spooks” as a tv show, I’ve never really had the inclination to read that type of story – I’ve always felt the action for spies is so much better in visual format. But those girls have never sent me down the wrong path so with a lot of trust I opened the pages. And well. They still have a 100% record as far as telling me what I will enjoy. It was terrific! Thomas Kell, disgraced operative, is asked to track down Britain’s chief spy who has vanished just prior to taking up her new position. All is not as it seems however, and what follows is a stonking good story and a terrific tale of, well, life. Spies have them as well you know – they don’t spend all their lives clandestinely following mysterious foreign characters down darkened streets. Some of them even read. Thomas Kell does – hey, so do I. Perhaps I should join MI6.
The characters are all wonderful – the background is interesting and well described and you have your “good guys” and “bad guys” and of course those in between. That grey area. Good? Bad? You decide. Thomas Kell has just knocked Charlie Parker (John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series) off my no 1 spot for “literary figures I would marry”. He’s great. Flawed and yet brilliant. Backing him up are some great peripheral characters. The scene setting is nigh on perfect – at one point I almost got seasick. So there is a lot to love here. I can’t elaborate on the plot because anything I say will spoil it. But know – you won’t want to put it down, its easy to read and involving. Uncomplicated yet clever. If you havent read in this genre before make this your first. If you have then be reassured this is good – very very good. Happy Reading folks!
The characters are all wonderful – the background is interesting and well described and you have your “good guys” and “bad guys” and of course those in between. That grey area. Good? Bad? You decide. Thomas Kell has just knocked Charlie Parker (John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series) off my no 1 spot for “literary figures I would marry”. He’s great. Flawed and yet brilliant. Backing him up are some great peripheral characters. The scene setting is nigh on perfect – at one point I almost got seasick. So there is a lot to love here. I can’t elaborate on the plot because anything I say will spoil it. But know – you won’t want to put it down, its easy to read and involving. Uncomplicated yet clever. If you havent read in this genre before make this your first. If you have then be reassured this is good – very very good. Happy Reading folks!
May 20, 2023
Novela de espías que se desarrolla en tiempos actuales (hace algunos años), muy entretenida, de ritmo ágil, de fácil lectura y con intriga y tensión aseguradas.
La trama es simple, pero muy bien desarrollada. Empieza un mes antes de que Amelia Levene sea nombrada jefa del servicio de inteligencia británico. Este futuro nombramiento genera recelo en otro posible candidato a este cargo y, bajo cuerda, extraoficialmente, gestiona que se le encargue a Kell, un ex agente caído en desgracia, que vigile e investigue a Amelia, en un viaje inesperado y privado que ella ha hecho a Francia.
Cuando Kell descubre que ella ha desaparecido del hotel en el que supuestamente estaba alojada, trata de encontrarla, lo cual le llevará a viajar hasta Túnez, donde la trama empieza a complicarse bastante.
La novela tiene un final, pero es la primera de una trilogía que sin duda leeré más adelante.
Es una novela ni corta ni larga, para pasártelo bien y que se lee del tirón.👌
La trama es simple, pero muy bien desarrollada. Empieza un mes antes de que Amelia Levene sea nombrada jefa del servicio de inteligencia británico. Este futuro nombramiento genera recelo en otro posible candidato a este cargo y, bajo cuerda, extraoficialmente, gestiona que se le encargue a Kell, un ex agente caído en desgracia, que vigile e investigue a Amelia, en un viaje inesperado y privado que ella ha hecho a Francia.
Cuando Kell descubre que ella ha desaparecido del hotel en el que supuestamente estaba alojada, trata de encontrarla, lo cual le llevará a viajar hasta Túnez, donde la trama empieza a complicarse bastante.
La novela tiene un final, pero es la primera de una trilogía que sin duda leeré más adelante.
Es una novela ni corta ni larga, para pasártelo bien y que se lee del tirón.👌
June 3, 2013
I picked up this book with very little in the way of expectations due to not being aware of the author's previous works but thought I would take a chance after reading the recommendations on the book jacket.
What a fantastic and fun book. A spy thriller that was modern while embracing the history of the genre.
The main character and the team that come together over the course of the story all jump off the page as likeable and well written and I would be happy to read more of in further adventures.
The plot is well written spy fayre with twists, turns, red herrings and and well executed set pieces that push the story along with a fast pace and the conclusion ties it all up nicely.
What a fantastic and fun book. A spy thriller that was modern while embracing the history of the genre.
The main character and the team that come together over the course of the story all jump off the page as likeable and well written and I would be happy to read more of in further adventures.
The plot is well written spy fayre with twists, turns, red herrings and and well executed set pieces that push the story along with a fast pace and the conclusion ties it all up nicely.
January 31, 2013
I debated between 3 or 4 stars (sure wish we had those half-stars) but had to bump it up to a 4. Any time I can't put a book down, it must mean it's a 4. The author does a brilliant job of setting up the story in the first four chapters, and then slowly lets us get to know the main characters before truly drawing us into the story by the last quarter of the book. A disgraced former agent Thomas Kell is brought in to see what's going on with Amelia Levene, the soon to be first female chief of the British intelligence agency MI6, when she drops off the radar for a few days in the south of France. What he finds is not what he expects and the game of espionage begins!
May 6, 2023
An easy to follow espionage story that moves at a brisk pace. Decent supporting characters including senior citizen spies.
December 15, 2023
3´5*
Seis semanas antes de asumir la dirección del MI6 y convertirse en la primera mujer que encabeza uno de los servicios de espionaje más prestigiosos del mundo, Amelia Levene desaparece sin dejar rastro, provocando así la crisis más grave que la institución ha vivido en una década. Los altos mandos se encuentran en un trance: no sólo tienen que encontrar a Levene, sino que la tarea tiene que realizarse en el más absoluto secreto si quieren evitar un duro golpe a la imagen y credibilidad del MI6. Así pues, la mejor opción que les queda es acudir a Thomas Kell, un agente al que despidieron del cuerpo ocho meses atrás por presuntas torturas a un detenido durante una antigua misión en Kabul.
Incapaz de adaptarse a la vida civil y en medio de una tormentosa ruptura matrimonial, Kell está a punto de tocar fondo, pero a sus cuarenta y dos años no puede rechazar esta oportunidad, tal vez la última de su vida, para redimirse ante sus colegas y volver a ejercer el único trabajo que sabe hacer. Una primera pista lo conducirá a Niza, Marsella y finalmente Túnez, donde, en la nueva situación creada tras la Primavera Árabe, estaría gestándose una trama que podría dañar seriamente los vínculos de Gran Bretaña con sus aliados.
Elogiada por honrar los fundamentos del género y poner el foco en temas reales de actualidad, En un país extraño supuso la consagración como escritor de Charles Cumming, a quien el diario The Observer ha calificado como «el mejor de la nueva hornada de autores de espionaje británicos que están tomando las riendas del género allá donde las soltaron John le Carré y Len Deighton». La novela ha sido galardonada con el CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger al mejor thriller de 2012 y está en proceso de convertirse en una serie de televisión protagonizada por Colin Firth.
Primera novela de la trilogía protagonizada por el agente del MI6 Thomas Kell, escrita por el autor británico Charles Cumming y publicada por Salamandra. Cumming forma parte de la nueva ola de autores que se centran en el espionaje para desarrollar sus novelas, autores como Karen Cleveland, Mick Herron, Frederick Forsyth, Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Robert Karjel o el español Fernando Vallés. Todas sus novelas beben de los clásicos -aunque no llegan a su nivel, pero creo que es bueno renovar la novela de espionaje- como John le Carré, Ben Macintyre, Seis semanas antes de asumir la dirección del MI6 y convertirse en la primera mujer que encabeza uno de los servicios de espionaje más prestigiosos del mundo, Amelia Levene desaparece sin dejar rastro, provocando así la crisis más grave que la institución ha vivido en una década. Los altos mandos se encuentran en un trance: no sólo tienen que encontrar a Levene, sino que la tarea tiene que realizarse en el más absoluto secreto si quieren evitar un duro golpe a la imagen y credibilidad del MI6. Así pues, la mejor opción que les queda es acudir a Thomas Kell, un agente al que despidieron del cuerpo ocho meses atrás por presuntas torturas a un detenido durante una antigua misión en Kabul.
Incapaz de adaptarse a la vida civil y en medio de una tormentosa ruptura matrimonial, Kell está a punto de tocar fondo, pero a sus cuarenta y dos años no puede rechazar esta oportunidad, tal vez la última de su vida, para redimirse ante sus colegas y volver a ejercer el único trabajo que sabe hacer. Una primera pista lo conducirá a Niza, Marsella y finalmente Túnez, donde, en la nueva situación creada tras la Primavera Árabe, estaría gestándose una trama que podría dañar seriamente los vínculos de Gran Bretaña con sus aliados.
Elogiada por honrar los fundamentos del género y poner el foco en temas reales de actualidad, En un país extraño supuso la consagración como escritor de Charles Cumming, a quien el diario The Observer ha calificado como «el mejor de la nueva hornada de autores de espionaje británicos que están tomando las riendas del género allá donde las soltaron John le Carré y Len Deighton». La novela ha sido galardonada con el CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger al mejor thriller de 2012 y está en proceso de convertirse en una serie de televisión protagonizada por Colin Firth.
Primera novela de la trilogía protagonizada por el agente del MI6 Thomas Kell, escrita por el autor británico Charles Cumming y publicada por Salamandra. Cumming forma parte de la nueva ola de autores que se centran en el espionaje para desarrollar sus novelas, autores como Karen Cleveland, Mick Herron, Frederick Forsyth, Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Robert Karjel o el español Fernando Vallés. Todas sus novelas beben de los clásicos -aunque no llegan a su nivel, pero creo que es bueno renovar la novela de espionaje- como John le Carré, Ben Macintyre, Joseph Conrad, Ian McEwan, Graham Greene, Ian Fleming o Alan Furst, entre otros y otras.
En este caso Cumming se centra en un personaje que trabaja (trabajaba??) en el MI6 y por lo que he podido investigar, el propio autor intentó entrar en el Servicio Secreto británico pero no lo logró, es por ello que se le puede dar el beneplácito de que conoce los entresijos del espionaje británico, pero al final en su libro se narran escenas que ya hemos leído y visto en infinidad de novelas, series o películas. Es más, este libro ni tan siquiera se estructura como un libro de espías, sino más bien como una investigación detectivesca en la que desaparece una persona de importancia (person of interest) y es necesario dar con su paradero y descubrir qué ha pasado (con la salvedad de que esta persona es la futura directora del MI6), y aunque es cierto que se nombra a la CIA, o al DGSE y se realizan acciones propias de los espías (y también de los policías o los detectives) como seguimientos, rastreos mediante GPS o tarjetas de crédito, sólo las partes en las que conocemos mediante flashbacks la historia como espía del propio Thomas Kell desde su acceso a la inteligencia británica hasta el episodio de Kabul, son propiamente tramas de espías puras y duras.
La trama es sencilla y el libro se lee rápido, el autor dosifica las escenas de acción y por veces el libro se hace bastante plano, pro sin perder el interés. El lenguaje utilizado es sencillo y directo, con un vocabulario rico y variado con el que el autor crea en su justa medida tensión y misterio. Los personajes son sencillos y tampoco nos da tiempo de conocerlos demasiado, a excepción de Thomas Kell (persona compleja y con muchos problemas personales y contradicciones morales, que imagino siga creciendo en su complejidad a través de los siguientes libros) y de Amelia Levene, próxima directora del MI6 con un pasado y un presente lleno de sed¡creemos pero que pelea continuamente por ascender en su carrera dentro de la inteligencia británica.
Creo que Esti lo leyó hace poco y coincido con ella en que es un libro sencillo, que sirve para evadirse y pasar un rato bastante agradable con su lectura. Seguiré la serie, aunque sin prisa, prefiero recuperar alguno de los clásicos del género, por cierto uno de mis favoritos en cine, televisión y también por qué no decirlo, en narrativa.
En este caso Cumming se centra en un personaje que trabaja (trabajaba??) en el MI6 y por lo que he podido investigar, el propio autor intentó entrar en el Servicio Secreto británico pero no lo logró, es por ello que se le puede dar el beneplácito de que conoce los entresijos del espionaje británico, pero al final en su libro se narran escenas que ya hemos leído y visto en infinidad de novelas, series o películas. Es más, este libro ni tan siquiera se estructura como un libro de espías, sino más bien como una investigación detectivesca en la que desaparece una persona de importancia (person of interest) y es necesario dar con su paradero y descubrir qué ha pasado (con la salvedad de que esta persona es la futura directora del MI6), y aunque es cierto que se nombra a la CIA, o al DGSE y se realizan acciones propias de los espías (y también de los policías o los detectives) como seguimientos, rastreos mediante GPS o tarjetas de crédito, sólo las partes en las que conocemos mediante flashbacks la historia como espía del propio Thomas Kell desde su acceso a la inteligencia británica hasta el episodio de Kabul, son propiamente tramas de espías puras y duras.
La trama es sencilla y el libro se lee rápido, el autor dosifica las escenas de acción y por veces el libro se hace bastante plano, pro sin perder el interés. El lenguaje utilizado es sencillo y directo, con un vocabulario rico y variado con el que el autor crea en su justa medida tensión y misterio. Los personajes son sencillos y tampoco nos da tiempo de conocerlos demasiado, a excepción de Thomas Kell (persona compleja y con muchos problemas personales y contradicciones morales, que imagino siga creciendo en su complejidad a través de los siguientes libros) y de Amelia Levene, próxima directora del MI6 con un pasado y un presente lleno de sed¡creemos pero que pelea continuamente por ascender en su carrera dentro de la inteligencia británica.
Creo que Esti lo leyó hace poco y coincido con ella en que es un libro sencillo, que sirve para evadirse y pasar un rato bastante agradable con su lectura. Seguiré la serie, aunque sin prisa, prefiero recuperar alguno de los clásicos del género, por cierto uno de mis favoritos en cine, televisión y también por qué no decirlo, en narrativa.
Seis semanas antes de asumir la dirección del MI6 y convertirse en la primera mujer que encabeza uno de los servicios de espionaje más prestigiosos del mundo, Amelia Levene desaparece sin dejar rastro, provocando así la crisis más grave que la institución ha vivido en una década. Los altos mandos se encuentran en un trance: no sólo tienen que encontrar a Levene, sino que la tarea tiene que realizarse en el más absoluto secreto si quieren evitar un duro golpe a la imagen y credibilidad del MI6. Así pues, la mejor opción que les queda es acudir a Thomas Kell, un agente al que despidieron del cuerpo ocho meses atrás por presuntas torturas a un detenido durante una antigua misión en Kabul.
Incapaz de adaptarse a la vida civil y en medio de una tormentosa ruptura matrimonial, Kell está a punto de tocar fondo, pero a sus cuarenta y dos años no puede rechazar esta oportunidad, tal vez la última de su vida, para redimirse ante sus colegas y volver a ejercer el único trabajo que sabe hacer. Una primera pista lo conducirá a Niza, Marsella y finalmente Túnez, donde, en la nueva situación creada tras la Primavera Árabe, estaría gestándose una trama que podría dañar seriamente los vínculos de Gran Bretaña con sus aliados.
Elogiada por honrar los fundamentos del género y poner el foco en temas reales de actualidad, En un país extraño supuso la consagración como escritor de Charles Cumming, a quien el diario The Observer ha calificado como «el mejor de la nueva hornada de autores de espionaje británicos que están tomando las riendas del género allá donde las soltaron John le Carré y Len Deighton». La novela ha sido galardonada con el CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger al mejor thriller de 2012 y está en proceso de convertirse en una serie de televisión protagonizada por Colin Firth.
Primera novela de la trilogía protagonizada por el agente del MI6 Thomas Kell, escrita por el autor británico Charles Cumming y publicada por Salamandra. Cumming forma parte de la nueva ola de autores que se centran en el espionaje para desarrollar sus novelas, autores como Karen Cleveland, Mick Herron, Frederick Forsyth, Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Robert Karjel o el español Fernando Vallés. Todas sus novelas beben de los clásicos -aunque no llegan a su nivel, pero creo que es bueno renovar la novela de espionaje- como John le Carré, Ben Macintyre, Seis semanas antes de asumir la dirección del MI6 y convertirse en la primera mujer que encabeza uno de los servicios de espionaje más prestigiosos del mundo, Amelia Levene desaparece sin dejar rastro, provocando así la crisis más grave que la institución ha vivido en una década. Los altos mandos se encuentran en un trance: no sólo tienen que encontrar a Levene, sino que la tarea tiene que realizarse en el más absoluto secreto si quieren evitar un duro golpe a la imagen y credibilidad del MI6. Así pues, la mejor opción que les queda es acudir a Thomas Kell, un agente al que despidieron del cuerpo ocho meses atrás por presuntas torturas a un detenido durante una antigua misión en Kabul.
Incapaz de adaptarse a la vida civil y en medio de una tormentosa ruptura matrimonial, Kell está a punto de tocar fondo, pero a sus cuarenta y dos años no puede rechazar esta oportunidad, tal vez la última de su vida, para redimirse ante sus colegas y volver a ejercer el único trabajo que sabe hacer. Una primera pista lo conducirá a Niza, Marsella y finalmente Túnez, donde, en la nueva situación creada tras la Primavera Árabe, estaría gestándose una trama que podría dañar seriamente los vínculos de Gran Bretaña con sus aliados.
Elogiada por honrar los fundamentos del género y poner el foco en temas reales de actualidad, En un país extraño supuso la consagración como escritor de Charles Cumming, a quien el diario The Observer ha calificado como «el mejor de la nueva hornada de autores de espionaje británicos que están tomando las riendas del género allá donde las soltaron John le Carré y Len Deighton». La novela ha sido galardonada con el CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger al mejor thriller de 2012 y está en proceso de convertirse en una serie de televisión protagonizada por Colin Firth.
Primera novela de la trilogía protagonizada por el agente del MI6 Thomas Kell, escrita por el autor británico Charles Cumming y publicada por Salamandra. Cumming forma parte de la nueva ola de autores que se centran en el espionaje para desarrollar sus novelas, autores como Karen Cleveland, Mick Herron, Frederick Forsyth, Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Robert Karjel o el español Fernando Vallés. Todas sus novelas beben de los clásicos -aunque no llegan a su nivel, pero creo que es bueno renovar la novela de espionaje- como John le Carré, Ben Macintyre, Joseph Conrad, Ian McEwan, Graham Greene, Ian Fleming o Alan Furst, entre otros y otras.
En este caso Cumming se centra en un personaje que trabaja (trabajaba??) en el MI6 y por lo que he podido investigar, el propio autor intentó entrar en el Servicio Secreto británico pero no lo logró, es por ello que se le puede dar el beneplácito de que conoce los entresijos del espionaje británico, pero al final en su libro se narran escenas que ya hemos leído y visto en infinidad de novelas, series o películas. Es más, este libro ni tan siquiera se estructura como un libro de espías, sino más bien como una investigación detectivesca en la que desaparece una persona de importancia (person of interest) y es necesario dar con su paradero y descubrir qué ha pasado (con la salvedad de que esta persona es la futura directora del MI6), y aunque es cierto que se nombra a la CIA, o al DGSE y se realizan acciones propias de los espías (y también de los policías o los detectives) como seguimientos, rastreos mediante GPS o tarjetas de crédito, sólo las partes en las que conocemos mediante flashbacks la historia como espía del propio Thomas Kell desde su acceso a la inteligencia británica hasta el episodio de Kabul, son propiamente tramas de espías puras y duras.
La trama es sencilla y el libro se lee rápido, el autor dosifica las escenas de acción y por veces el libro se hace bastante plano, pro sin perder el interés. El lenguaje utilizado es sencillo y directo, con un vocabulario rico y variado con el que el autor crea en su justa medida tensión y misterio. Los personajes son sencillos y tampoco nos da tiempo de conocerlos demasiado, a excepción de Thomas Kell (persona compleja y con muchos problemas personales y contradicciones morales, que imagino siga creciendo en su complejidad a través de los siguientes libros) y de Amelia Levene, próxima directora del MI6 con un pasado y un presente lleno de sed¡creemos pero que pelea continuamente por ascender en su carrera dentro de la inteligencia británica.
Creo que Esti lo leyó hace poco y coincido con ella en que es un libro sencillo, que sirve para evadirse y pasar un rato bastante agradable con su lectura. Seguiré la serie, aunque sin prisa, prefiero recuperar alguno de los clásicos del género, por cierto uno de mis favoritos en cine, televisión y también por qué no decirlo, en narrativa.
En este caso Cumming se centra en un personaje que trabaja (trabajaba??) en el MI6 y por lo que he podido investigar, el propio autor intentó entrar en el Servicio Secreto británico pero no lo logró, es por ello que se le puede dar el beneplácito de que conoce los entresijos del espionaje británico, pero al final en su libro se narran escenas que ya hemos leído y visto en infinidad de novelas, series o películas. Es más, este libro ni tan siquiera se estructura como un libro de espías, sino más bien como una investigación detectivesca en la que desaparece una persona de importancia (person of interest) y es necesario dar con su paradero y descubrir qué ha pasado (con la salvedad de que esta persona es la futura directora del MI6), y aunque es cierto que se nombra a la CIA, o al DGSE y se realizan acciones propias de los espías (y también de los policías o los detectives) como seguimientos, rastreos mediante GPS o tarjetas de crédito, sólo las partes en las que conocemos mediante flashbacks la historia como espía del propio Thomas Kell desde su acceso a la inteligencia británica hasta el episodio de Kabul, son propiamente tramas de espías puras y duras.
La trama es sencilla y el libro se lee rápido, el autor dosifica las escenas de acción y por veces el libro se hace bastante plano, pro sin perder el interés. El lenguaje utilizado es sencillo y directo, con un vocabulario rico y variado con el que el autor crea en su justa medida tensión y misterio. Los personajes son sencillos y tampoco nos da tiempo de conocerlos demasiado, a excepción de Thomas Kell (persona compleja y con muchos problemas personales y contradicciones morales, que imagino siga creciendo en su complejidad a través de los siguientes libros) y de Amelia Levene, próxima directora del MI6 con un pasado y un presente lleno de sed¡creemos pero que pelea continuamente por ascender en su carrera dentro de la inteligencia británica.
Creo que Esti lo leyó hace poco y coincido con ella en que es un libro sencillo, que sirve para evadirse y pasar un rato bastante agradable con su lectura. Seguiré la serie, aunque sin prisa, prefiero recuperar alguno de los clásicos del género, por cierto uno de mis favoritos en cine, televisión y también por qué no decirlo, en narrativa.
April 29, 2016
Oh dear. How can a spy story be this boring? I don't mean demanding like a John le Carre novel. This is dullness without depth.
The characters consist of tedious middle aged people in unhappy marriages. There's an unpleasant sneering tone to it all, for example; "The woman, bottle blonde and upholstered in white leather was far younger than her partner and wore the spoiled-milk look of a mistress growing tired of her role."
I did laugh aloud at one point, when our hero makes a mistake. He was that irritating, MI6 deserver to fail. (I reckon a good spy would actually like people, be observant, and good at getting them to talk about themselves instead of stuffing them into stereotypes.)
The first sentence was well-written; "Jean-Marc Daumal awoke to the din of the call to prayer and to the sound of his children weeping."
The premise of the blurb drew me in - the first female head of MI6 disappearing - but it in no way lived up to the hype. Reccommended only for sad middle-aged men who want to imagine sad middle-aged men having adventures. Yes I'm harsh. But the narrative posits older guy screwing au pair as something special and that's just deluded.
The characters consist of tedious middle aged people in unhappy marriages. There's an unpleasant sneering tone to it all, for example; "The woman, bottle blonde and upholstered in white leather was far younger than her partner and wore the spoiled-milk look of a mistress growing tired of her role."
I did laugh aloud at one point, when our hero makes a mistake. He was that irritating, MI6 deserver to fail. (I reckon a good spy would actually like people, be observant, and good at getting them to talk about themselves instead of stuffing them into stereotypes.)
The first sentence was well-written; "Jean-Marc Daumal awoke to the din of the call to prayer and to the sound of his children weeping."
The premise of the blurb drew me in - the first female head of MI6 disappearing - but it in no way lived up to the hype. Reccommended only for sad middle-aged men who want to imagine sad middle-aged men having adventures. Yes I'm harsh. But the narrative posits older guy screwing au pair as something special and that's just deluded.
May 28, 2020
La primera mitad del libro es bastante lenta y la segunda rapida.
Me ha gustado la forma en que se resuelve el caso...pero nada mas...
Me ha gustado la forma en que se resuelve el caso...pero nada mas...
September 10, 2019
At last.... Visada mėgau ir mėgstu šnipų istorijas. Ranka taip ir tiesiasi link jų. O dar tiek žadantis viršelis bei aprašymas, bet... nežinau, buvo kankinė, nors pati mintis ir patiko, bet visas tekstas sunkiai lipo, nelabai rūpėjo ir patys veikėjai, tiesiog buvo smalsu kuom gi baigsis istorija. Norėjosi, kad patiktų, bet neprisiversi mėgti. Well... būna visko
June 30, 2018
Temporary rating: I'm only halfway through, but have been telling myself for 50 pages already "if this doesn't get better soon, I'm outta here." Was somehow lead to believe Cumming is a 21st Century le Carre, but so far this book reads more like Barbara Cartland - all romance and secret affairs with absolutely no action and just the slightest veneer of espionage, and that pretty lame. Protagonist Thomas Kell lies to a hotel receptionist and then can't calm down due to his "adrenaline rush;" later on he can't get to sleep basically because he saw two people meeting. Good grief - how will he react if someone actually draws a gun or drives above the speed limit?
Anyway, will give this a few more chapters, because another Goodreads review promises that "its pace picks up sharply about two-thirds of the way through the book and builds to a crescendo at the end" - but so far, I'm not holding my breath...
...And okay, so the plot did pick up in the final third of the book (as promised) - but still left a LOT to be desired, such as characters I cared about or anything in the way of action. And speaking of the plot (and here comes the SPOILER) - the bad guys of the story are the French intelligence service? Who brutally murdered an old French couple (which I can't even imagine the Iranians doing), just so they could embarrass the head of the British intel service? Really - the French vs. the Brits?? This is 2012, not 1812!
Anyway - for anyone who wants a good spy story and isn't already invested in this book for at least 150 pages, I'd say look elsewhere.
Anyway, will give this a few more chapters, because another Goodreads review promises that "its pace picks up sharply about two-thirds of the way through the book and builds to a crescendo at the end" - but so far, I'm not holding my breath...
...And okay, so the plot did pick up in the final third of the book (as promised) - but still left a LOT to be desired, such as characters I cared about or anything in the way of action. And speaking of the plot (and here comes the SPOILER) - the bad guys of the story are the French intelligence service? Who brutally murdered an old French couple (which I can't even imagine the Iranians doing), just so they could embarrass the head of the British intel service? Really - the French vs. the Brits?? This is 2012, not 1812!
Anyway - for anyone who wants a good spy story and isn't already invested in this book for at least 150 pages, I'd say look elsewhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2018
How many times will I have to read books that are touted to be written by "the successor to John Le Carre", and find myself disappointed? I guess it's not the writer's fault that the publisher chose to promote this work that way, and the New York Times agrees that this is Le Carre material.
But seriously: the "good team" here is an MI6 head who believed that the Second Iraq War was justified, and an agent who stood by while his American counterparts tortured a terrorist.
The dastardly French intelligence agency - remember the cheese-eating surrender monkeys didn't support that Second Iraq War - murder two French citizens brutally to plant a stooge in the future SIS Head's home. To be fair, it is rogue elements of the agency who do it.
The good guys win, after a bit of shooting on French soil by some very tough veterans of the Iraq War.
There will be writers who write such books, and readers who like them. That's all right.
I'm troubled by the comparisons to Le Carre, which draw in readers who cannot possibly like them.
But seriously: the "good team" here is an MI6 head who believed that the Second Iraq War was justified, and an agent who stood by while his American counterparts tortured a terrorist.
The dastardly French intelligence agency - remember the cheese-eating surrender monkeys didn't support that Second Iraq War - murder two French citizens brutally to plant a stooge in the future SIS Head's home. To be fair, it is rogue elements of the agency who do it.
The good guys win, after a bit of shooting on French soil by some very tough veterans of the Iraq War.
There will be writers who write such books, and readers who like them. That's all right.
I'm troubled by the comparisons to Le Carre, which draw in readers who cannot possibly like them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2021
(3'5 / 5)
Entretenida novela de espías con regusto clásico y con un último tercio final adictivo y notable .
Entretenida novela de espías con regusto clásico y con un último tercio final adictivo y notable .
November 17, 2022
Novelaca de espías de las clásicas pero con el twist de vivir en el siglo XXI. Algunas tramas, incluso puedo decir que la principal, son un poco demasiado fantasiosas, demasiado rebuscadas, pero la verdad es que te da igual, sigues leyendo y disfrutando con las aventuras y situaciones tan bien narradas
February 12, 2022
Fantástica novela de espionaje, impecablemente escrita, con buenos giros y buen ritmo.
August 2, 2025
I wasn't into it as I thought I would.
I guessed early on what was going on.
I think I like the last 100 pages which had more action.
I guessed early on what was going on.
I think I like the last 100 pages which had more action.
September 24, 2020
This isn't my first Charles Cumming novel. I read Trinity Six which I quite liked but found it a bit cumbersome this novel already seems much lighter on its feet and just as interesting.
Brilliant. Fast-paced but not madcap. Intelligent and humourous characterisation. A great read. Also really liked the character of Thomas Kell much more than the novelist character of Trinity Six. Really glad there's more to read.
Brilliant. Fast-paced but not madcap. Intelligent and humourous characterisation. A great read. Also really liked the character of Thomas Kell much more than the novelist character of Trinity Six. Really glad there's more to read.
May 9, 2022
Me ha resultado entretenida, pero no sé la razón de que no haya acabado de gustarme del todo.
August 17, 2012
Spy thrillers work best if they leave the reader guessing for at least half of the book while trying to piece together strands that are clearly connected – it’s just not clear how.
In the first half of A Foreign Country, the author’s sixth novel, Cumming achieves this admirably. A brutal and seemingly motiveless killing of a middle-aged French couple on holiday in Egypt; an MI6 operative, sidelined after a botched interrogation in Afghanistan and unaware of how desperately he wants to get back into the game; the appointment of a new female chief at the head of Britain’s spy service, a quiet, professional kidnap on the streets of Paris. All these present day events are presented in the light of an affair, in 1978, between an obsessive middle-aged French ex-pat and a bright young girl, travelling though Tunisia, that we are told in the prologue resulted in a pregnancy. How are these events connected?
The book reads like a film. The action – jagging back and forth between North Africa, southern France and London – moves at a pace that left me begging for more at the end of each chapter. The events, which seem tantalizingly disparate, remain unconnected, driving the narrative on. The characters are well enough drawn – and attractive enough – to hold the readers attention.
A big question for spy novelists, however, is when to reveal the truth to the reader. Leave it too long and you lose them; reveal too early and you risk a long and tedious denouement.
In A Foreign Country the truth is revealed relatively early, putting the reader in the intimate position of watching the concluding events with the knowledge that it is extremely unlikely that the hero will be outwitted. Too early perhaps – once this point of intimacy with the story (not just the hero) has been reached, there is a tendency on the part of the reader to push on through to the conclusion. The details (which Cumming is very good at painting) become less relevant and can be lost in the desire to reach the end. The exact circumstances of the denouement have still to be revealed of course, but there is less of a sense of mystery. We have all the pieces of the jigsaw, and they’re all in the right places – just the edges are fuzzy.
Cumming is an excellent writer, and has a superb sense of dramatic tension, but in A Foreign Country – unlike some of his other novels – this reviewer was left with the feeling that he has not quite got the balance right, that the novel was a little rushed in its production, perhaps under pressure of a publishing deal.
Nevertheless, the book is thoroughly enjoyable, and has been long-listed for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.
In the first half of A Foreign Country, the author’s sixth novel, Cumming achieves this admirably. A brutal and seemingly motiveless killing of a middle-aged French couple on holiday in Egypt; an MI6 operative, sidelined after a botched interrogation in Afghanistan and unaware of how desperately he wants to get back into the game; the appointment of a new female chief at the head of Britain’s spy service, a quiet, professional kidnap on the streets of Paris. All these present day events are presented in the light of an affair, in 1978, between an obsessive middle-aged French ex-pat and a bright young girl, travelling though Tunisia, that we are told in the prologue resulted in a pregnancy. How are these events connected?
The book reads like a film. The action – jagging back and forth between North Africa, southern France and London – moves at a pace that left me begging for more at the end of each chapter. The events, which seem tantalizingly disparate, remain unconnected, driving the narrative on. The characters are well enough drawn – and attractive enough – to hold the readers attention.
A big question for spy novelists, however, is when to reveal the truth to the reader. Leave it too long and you lose them; reveal too early and you risk a long and tedious denouement.
In A Foreign Country the truth is revealed relatively early, putting the reader in the intimate position of watching the concluding events with the knowledge that it is extremely unlikely that the hero will be outwitted. Too early perhaps – once this point of intimacy with the story (not just the hero) has been reached, there is a tendency on the part of the reader to push on through to the conclusion. The details (which Cumming is very good at painting) become less relevant and can be lost in the desire to reach the end. The exact circumstances of the denouement have still to be revealed of course, but there is less of a sense of mystery. We have all the pieces of the jigsaw, and they’re all in the right places – just the edges are fuzzy.
Cumming is an excellent writer, and has a superb sense of dramatic tension, but in A Foreign Country – unlike some of his other novels – this reviewer was left with the feeling that he has not quite got the balance right, that the novel was a little rushed in its production, perhaps under pressure of a publishing deal.
Nevertheless, the book is thoroughly enjoyable, and has been long-listed for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.
April 6, 2017
Spies in Conflict in Contemporary Europe
Although its pace picks up sharply about two-thirds of the way through the book and builds to a crescendo at the end, A Foreign Country is the slowest-paced and most contemplative of Charles Cumming’s spy stories.
MI6 agent Thomas Kell has been sacked because of what he believes to be political expediency by the Old Guard now running the shop. Assigned to collaborate with American operatives in Iraq interrogating prisoners, he was forced to take the rap when they turned to torture to extricate information from a British citizen. He has been out of work for months and feeling sorry for himself, “his loyalty to the newly minted high priests of SIS . . . close to nonexistent. ‘If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend,’ he thought, remembering the words of E. M. Forster, ‘I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.’ For the first time in his life, that notion made sense to him.”
When Kell is called up “out of the cold” by one of the Old Guard to investigate the shocking disappearance of an old friend, SIS Chief-designate Amelia Levene, he is confronted with Forster’s dilemma. He chooses friendship, pursuing Amelia’s trail and keeping his bosses in ignorance. As Kell digs more deeply into the mystery, he comes face to face with a crew of renegade agents of the French secret service (the folks who sank the Rainbow Warrior), with the future of the United Kingdom at stake.
A Foreign Country is a complex tale that interweaves threads of deadly inter-service rivalry and the secrets hidden in Kell’s and Levene’s past. Both characters are fully realized, warts and all, and their stories unfold against a thoroughly credible backdrop of intrigue in contemporary Europe and North Africa.
A Foreign Country is the sixth spy novel Charles Cumming has written since 2001. In this blog I have previously reviewed A Spy by Nature (the first of the six), The Spanish Game, The Trinity Six, and Typhoon.
(From www.malwarwickonbooks.com)
Although its pace picks up sharply about two-thirds of the way through the book and builds to a crescendo at the end, A Foreign Country is the slowest-paced and most contemplative of Charles Cumming’s spy stories.
MI6 agent Thomas Kell has been sacked because of what he believes to be political expediency by the Old Guard now running the shop. Assigned to collaborate with American operatives in Iraq interrogating prisoners, he was forced to take the rap when they turned to torture to extricate information from a British citizen. He has been out of work for months and feeling sorry for himself, “his loyalty to the newly minted high priests of SIS . . . close to nonexistent. ‘If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend,’ he thought, remembering the words of E. M. Forster, ‘I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.’ For the first time in his life, that notion made sense to him.”
When Kell is called up “out of the cold” by one of the Old Guard to investigate the shocking disappearance of an old friend, SIS Chief-designate Amelia Levene, he is confronted with Forster’s dilemma. He chooses friendship, pursuing Amelia’s trail and keeping his bosses in ignorance. As Kell digs more deeply into the mystery, he comes face to face with a crew of renegade agents of the French secret service (the folks who sank the Rainbow Warrior), with the future of the United Kingdom at stake.
A Foreign Country is a complex tale that interweaves threads of deadly inter-service rivalry and the secrets hidden in Kell’s and Levene’s past. Both characters are fully realized, warts and all, and their stories unfold against a thoroughly credible backdrop of intrigue in contemporary Europe and North Africa.
A Foreign Country is the sixth spy novel Charles Cumming has written since 2001. In this blog I have previously reviewed A Spy by Nature (the first of the six), The Spanish Game, The Trinity Six, and Typhoon.
(From www.malwarwickonbooks.com)
July 8, 2014
If you like spy novels, you'll really enjoy this one. It has everything: great writing, a tricky story, good tradecraft, and a satisfying ending. The plot moved along at a good clip and the characters were developed well enough- I particularly liked the fact that the resolution of the story wasn't dependent upon a Rambo-type figure, just great thinking and operational excellence. I am bothered only by one detail toward the end that contributed to the conclusion, but I'll continue to think on that point.
In addition to the list of 'successors to LeCarre' anointed by reviewers over the years (ie. Seymour, Littell, etc.), I think Cumming may also need to be named. He seems to have the background, ideas, and facility with the language that puts him among the best.
I loved this book, almost as much as I love 'discovering' writers in my favorite genre who happen to have a back catalog I can explore! On to more from this author for me....
In addition to the list of 'successors to LeCarre' anointed by reviewers over the years (ie. Seymour, Littell, etc.), I think Cumming may also need to be named. He seems to have the background, ideas, and facility with the language that puts him among the best.
I loved this book, almost as much as I love 'discovering' writers in my favorite genre who happen to have a back catalog I can explore! On to more from this author for me....
January 27, 2020
I listened to the audiobook which was well narrated by Jot Davies.
I'm a fan of spy/espionage novels, and devoured so many of the cold war ones in my younger years. Since I was in the mood for one, I selected this new-to-me author, and settled in for the ride. The writing is really good, the plot interesting, and the characters wonderfully fleshed out. High stakes, yes, but this is a much slower paced novel than is typical for this genre, and that was fine by me. I was along for all the twists and turns, and plan to read the other two in this series.
I'm a fan of spy/espionage novels, and devoured so many of the cold war ones in my younger years. Since I was in the mood for one, I selected this new-to-me author, and settled in for the ride. The writing is really good, the plot interesting, and the characters wonderfully fleshed out. High stakes, yes, but this is a much slower paced novel than is typical for this genre, and that was fine by me. I was along for all the twists and turns, and plan to read the other two in this series.
June 23, 2021
This was a Mystery Thriller. I liked this one. I've had this book for a few years and I'm glad I finally got around to it. This is book #1 in the Thomas Kell series. I have the second one and will be getting to that one soon enough.
I liked the way the plot unfolded. It wasn't a page turner, but it felt kind of clever with all the spy/mystery intricacies. There was always something going on. I really liked the way this one came together at the end.
There were times when this one felt a little dated at times with the vocab. The author used phrases I haven't heard since the 80's. I kept wondering if people still talked like that. I checked the age of the author and that explained the vocab issues. We came into adult hood in the same decade.
All in all, 3 stars for me.
I liked the way the plot unfolded. It wasn't a page turner, but it felt kind of clever with all the spy/mystery intricacies. There was always something going on. I really liked the way this one came together at the end.
There were times when this one felt a little dated at times with the vocab. The author used phrases I haven't heard since the 80's. I kept wondering if people still talked like that. I checked the age of the author and that explained the vocab issues. We came into adult hood in the same decade.
All in all, 3 stars for me.
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