Complete Spy Thrillers

Charles Cumming was born in Scotland in 1971. He has been described as ‘the man who most successfully gets under the skin of Britain’s intelligence agencies’ (The Times). In the summer of 1995, he was approached for recruitment by the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). A year later he moved to Montreal where he began working on a novel based on his experiences with MI6. The result, A Spy by Nature, was published in the UK in 2001.

Praise for A Colder War: 'The spy thriller has been on the ascendant in the past few years, breeding a bunch of talented writers, Cumming among the very best' The Times (Saturday Review) '[A] cleverly plotted spy tale' Sun 'A Colder War is more than an excellent thriller: it is also a novel that forces us to look behind the headlines and question some of our own comfortable assumptions' Spectator 'An espionage maestro ... The levels of psychological insight are married to genuine narrative acumen - but anyone who has read his earlier books will expect no less' Independent 'For those hungering for a new John le Carre, Charles Cumming has inherited the master's mantle. His new book, A Colder War, features sinister goings-on in spook-infested Istanbul' Sunday Times 'There's a sense that Kell is developing into a Smiley for our times' Mail on Sunday '[Cumming] expertly recreates a world of waiting and watching where boredom is as much an enemy as other agents, and yet has still produced a page-turning thriller...If you thought true spy novels went out with the Berlin wall, think again' Press Association 'Edgily elegant ... perfect for those wanting a contemporary spy thriller in the vein of Le Carre and even for those who don't' Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal Praise for A Foreign Country: '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 '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