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A Colder War cover art

A Colder War

By: Charles Cumming
Narrated by: Jot Davies
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Summary

MI6's Head of Station in Turkey is killed in a mysterious plane crash. Amelia Levene, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, wants the incident investigated - quickly and quietly. The only man she can trust is Thomas Kell, a disgraced spy searching for redemption. Arriving in Istanbul, Kell discovers that MI6 operations in the region have been fatally compromised: A traitor inside Western Intelligence threatens not just the Special Relationship, but the security of the entire Middle East.

Kell's search for the mole takes him from London, to Greece, and into Eastern Europe. But when Kell is betrayed by those closest to him, the stakes become personal. He will do anything to see this operation through - including putting himself, and others, in the line of fire…

©2014 Charles Cumming (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A Foreign Country is stuffed with totally credible ‘tradecraft' and human and fallible characters. It is also an excellent example of good, clear, straightforward narrative prose, confirming to me that [Cumming] is one of the brightest stars illuminating the murky world of British spy fiction." (Mike Ripley)
"Eat your heart out, Daniel Craig… Cumming vividly showcases meticulous research and insight into the undercover life of spies." ( GQ)
"An utterly absorbing and compelling novel. A brilliant re-imagining of events surrounding the notorious Cambridge spy-ring." (William Boyd, bestselling author of Restless)
"Often talked of as a potential heir to John le Carré, Cumming confirms here that he's a reliably classy storyteller … an assured and richly enjoyable thriller." ( Sunday Times)
"Delicate and supremely controlled, this is a spy story to be savoured, not rushed." ( Daily Mail)
"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)
"Perfect for fans of John le Carré, a gripping and suspenseful spy novel from ‘the master of the modern spy thriller." ( Mail on Sunday)

What listeners say about A Colder War

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Credible, imaginative and unexpected - brilliant!

What other book might you compare A Colder War to, and why?

Others have been comparing it against Le Carre and Forsyth, but I suggest one should take this book on its own merit. This new master (well to me) sits along side the old masters. If you enjoy them, you will also enjoy this book too.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Very Average

I am not sure who compared this to le Carre but it was nowhere near the same class. More comparable to Jack Higgins.
The story, though engaging, was obvious. The characters were predictable, unoriginal and stereotypical of the genre.
Really not that impressed.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible sequel

I loved the first Thomas Kell book, A Foreign Country. It was brilliant.

Sadly, this did not live up to expectations indeed it was so bad that I couldn't bring myself to listen to the last 2 hours it was just too awful!

The story centres on this hideous May to December style romance, yes he was friends with her recently deceased father (vomit). The descriptions of his pathetic infatuation & her obvious role as a honey trap for every man in the world is not only gross but totally disables the plot. The idea that Kell, an experienced master spy doesn't cotton on to any of this renders a good character terrible and the continuous florid descriptions of sexual infatuation that only teenage boys or old men could appreciate destroy any trace of actual plot.

All in all appalling. Won't be listening to any more of these.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Read the first book and loved it
This one is great until the last quarter when it loses reality and becomes contrived
The whole chain of unfortunate events are avoidable they tell you that but do it anyway
Very daft behaviour from cunning spies

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

entertaining enough, great narrator

an entertaining book. not a great the first one, but still nice to spend the time on. love the narrator, he's really good with the different voices and accents without being annoying.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fabulous!

Second book in the series. I cannot recommend too highly. Great story, read wonderfully well. 5 stars to ALL concerned.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not one of his best.

I like the author generally & at the time if listening have read all but two of his books. This one is around his average. Some things irrretate - eg too many Americanisms. One hopes that a British spy would put out the rubbish rather than the 'garbage' for example.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved Jot's narration

Great narrator!
I've been devouring Cumming's books of late. This is the best narrator yet.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good listen

Great plot, very tense, lots of twists and a very impressive performance from the narrator

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely superb spy thriller

So much better than the first book because we get straight into the story. Thomas Kell is a fallible yet decent guy who has been let down by the service he is still loyal to. Jot Davies' narration is spot on with understatement and excellent characterisation. Can't wait to get started on number 3

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