A Foreign Country: From the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author, a compelling spy action crime thriller you won’t want to put down (Thomas Kell Spy Thriller, Book 1) - Hardcover

Cumming, Charles

3.85

8,154 ratings by Goodreads

9780007337866: A Foreign Country: From the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author, a compelling spy action crime thriller you won’t want to put down (Thomas Kell Spy Thriller, Book 1)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007337868 ISBN 13: 9780007337866

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2012

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Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2012 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 Carr�, 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.

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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 Carr�’ Robert Harris

From the Back Cover:

"Silkily written, and more cool than hot...might make le Carre proud."--"The New York Times BOOK REVIEW"

On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple is brutally murdered. Then, days later, on the streets of Paris, a young French accountant is kidnapped. When Amelia Levene, who in six weeks is due to take over as the first female Chief of MI6, disappears without a trace while in the south of France, it is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade. Desperate not only to find her but to keep the press from learning that she has gone missing, Britain's top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced former MI6 officer Thomas Kell.

"Eat your heart out, Daniel Craig...Cumming vividly showcases the undercover life of spies."--"GQ"

Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself--all he has to do is find Amelia Levene: quickly, quietly, and at any cost. Following a trail that leads him to France and then Tunisia, Kell uncovers a shocking secret and a conspiracy that could have unimaginable repercussions for Britain and its allies. All that stands in the way of personal and political catastrophe is Kell himself...

"Superb."--"Publishers Weekly "(starred review)

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