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The Spanish Game

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About this listen

A vivid and gripping novel from ‘the master of the modern spy thriller’ (Mail on Sunday) which sees Alec Milius coaxed back into the secret world to face the uncontainable danger of 21st century terrorism…

For six years, Alec Milius has escaped the past. In Madrid, he has rebuilt his life, but remains in exile and in danger.

Slightly older, and much wiser, than the young spy who first impressed MI6, he has kept his fatal attraction to secrets. So when a prominent politician mysteriously disappears, Alec is lured back into the spying game.

Only this time he operates without the protection of any official agency – isolated and expendable, with nobody to turn to if things go wrong. And they soon do.

But when Alec is confronted with the nightmare of modern terrorism, he is given one last chance for redemption…

 Crime Thrillers Espionage Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Literary Fiction Mystery Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Fiction Crime Emotionally Gripping

Critic reviews

'A cracking good spy thriller… the serprentine twists and the unflaggingly realistic suspense leave you breathless, but spellbound’ Daily Mail

'The Man who most successfully gets under the skin of Britain's intelligence agencies' The Times

'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, author of Fatherland and The Ghost

'A wholly compelling and sophisticated spy novel – vivid and disturbing – immaculately researched and full of harrowing contemporary relevance' William Boyd, author of Restless

‘Terrific…vividly realised…as strong on emotional literacy as it is on spycraft’ New Statesman
All stars
Most relevant
Such an incredible spy thriller. The constant sense of paranoia and the intrigue of Spanish politics just had me hooked.

Outstanding!

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The narrator was great, story was very confusing, But what jarred deeply was the casual misogyny. Rating the two main women by their appearance and ability to stimulate desire in the main character. Main character also fairly unpleasant with few likeable traits.
I listened while on holiday in Spain and it passed some hours by the pool.

It was fine. Good for a holiday to Spain.

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Very disappointed in the story. Milius is such an unsympathetic protagonist anyway, so paired with an unlikely and uninteresting story-line, it was really not a good listen.

Not the best of Cummings

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For me this took a long time to get going, also the narrator's voice just a bit dull. Enjoyed the last half

Enjoyed the last half

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Alec is annoying. He’s a liar and a cheat. Quite a weasel really. However, the story is a good one and the narrator excellent and a fluent Spanish speaker.

The story is complex, with many peripheral characters, some with unfamiliar Basque names, so no falling asleep and missing the plot developments!

I have several Charles Cummings books in my online library but won’t be listening to this one again. Alec just isn’t my kind of “hero”.

Not a likeable hero!

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