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A Foreign Country

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About this listen

 Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year. Selected by Sunday Times Books of the Year and The Guardian as Best Thriller of the Year.

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.

©2012 Charles Cumming (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Crime Thrillers Espionage Fiction Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Literary Fiction Mystery Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Exciting

Critic reviews

‘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
All stars
Most relevant
Perhaps it is unfair to write a review but I never finished this. It could be I'll get back to hear the end of the tale and wish I had waited to write this, but the story is not so gripping and has a sort of so what feel to it.

I hope that it gets better, there is a double buff feel to it but I did not really feel engaged by the story or its characters despite the summary.

And so?

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Great characters, excellent narrative style, satisfying denouement. Exactly my kind of story. Enough jeopardy to keep you on the edge of your seat (especially the last few chapters) yet that satisfying sense that the main characters had a handle on what was going on. The characters were really well drawn, easy to identify with and no having to work out who was saying what. The narration was superb too. Clever pitching of voice, very good accents for the various languages. Plot was intriguing and thoroughly believable. All in all a most satisfying read. Will definitely be looking out for more of Mr Cummings books especially when read by Jot Davies.

Superb!

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It's a great plot, which is told so well and easily visualised. Exciting, 'page turner'.

Great plot, well told.

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Found it really addictive. Held my interest from the beginning to the end. Looking forward to listening to the others in the series.

Enthralling

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A gripping story, well written to keep the listener engaged and entertained . I kept finding opportunities to listen to the story.

Gripping. well written and preformed

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