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A Colder War: A Novel
Scritto da Charles Cumming
Narrato da Jot Davies
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareDescrizione
A top-ranking Iranian military official is blown up while trying to defect to the West. An investigative journalist is arrested and imprisoned for writing an article critical of the Turkish government. An Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated on the streets of Tehran. These three incidents, seemingly unrelated, have one crucial link. Each of the three had been recently recruited by Western intelligence, before being removed or killed.
Then Paul Wallinger, MI6's most senior agent in Turkey, dies in a puzzling plane crash. Fearing the worst, MI6 bypasses the usual protocol and brings disgraced agent Tom Kell in from the cold to investigate. Kell soon discovers what Wallinger had already begun to suspect—that there's a mole somewhere in the Western intelligence, a traitor who has been systematically sabotaging scores of joint intelligence operations in the Middle East.
A Macmillan Audio production.
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareInformazioni sul libro
A Colder War: A Novel
Scritto da Charles Cumming
Narrato da Jot Davies
Descrizione
A top-ranking Iranian military official is blown up while trying to defect to the West. An investigative journalist is arrested and imprisoned for writing an article critical of the Turkish government. An Iranian nuclear scientist is assassinated on the streets of Tehran. These three incidents, seemingly unrelated, have one crucial link. Each of the three had been recently recruited by Western intelligence, before being removed or killed.
Then Paul Wallinger, MI6's most senior agent in Turkey, dies in a puzzling plane crash. Fearing the worst, MI6 bypasses the usual protocol and brings disgraced agent Tom Kell in from the cold to investigate. Kell soon discovers what Wallinger had already begun to suspect—that there's a mole somewhere in the Western intelligence, a traitor who has been systematically sabotaging scores of joint intelligence operations in the Middle East.
A Macmillan Audio production.
Informazioni sull'autore
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Recensioni
I received this book from the publisher, Palgreve MacMillan as an Early Reader edition. This is the first book I have read from this author, but will certainly be watching for others. A very good spy novel, no pretensions of being something else. The title is a little deceiving, but the story is well done and many twists and turns built in. I highly recommend this novel!!
Rating: 5A well done novel of international intrigue in which a British secret agent is killed in an airplane "accident". The crux of the plot is the unraveling of what actually happened that day leading down a complex path of twists and turns involving agents from several different countries. I was reading a John Le Carre book (of a similar genre) concurrently to this one and frankly I enjoyed the Cummins' novel much more primarily because there is less circular dialogue and much more action. So, espionage lovers will like this one.
Rating: 4Thomas Kell plays an agent for MI6 whose career seems to be at a standstill because of the death of prisoner in his care. He is handed a life line by his boss Amelia who asks him to investigate the death of a high level spy in a plane crash near Greek island of Chios. Much intrigue ensues.Ok story but I didn't find it as co Pelli g as other master s such as LeCarre or Kerr.
Rating: 4Thomas Kell, who was the lead character in A Foreign Country, is back in this one. An SIS officer who is on suspension, he still is waiting to be cleared of allegations relating to involvement in US torture and rendition. The head of SIS assigns him to investigate the death of the head of the Ankara station in a plane crash, and to help identify a mole who has been feeding intelligence to the Russians, who may be either British or American.There's a lot of detail of how field operations work in the spy game. It appears as very real and accurate. The pace is fast; I read the book quickly and wanted to keep going. And it has a good sense of place, which I like. Not as strong as the Joseph Kanon books that I've read recently, but good enough.It's set up at the end for another book in this series, which I'll be looking forward to.
Rating: 4"A Colder War" is the second book in Cumming's Thomas Kell series. Cumming had written a number of very good spy novels prior to creating Kell, but this series is a step above. This is excellent and hopefully there will be many more entries, and soon. In CW, Kell's career is resurrected by MI-6 head Amelia, and he is asked to investigate the aircrash death of one of his former colleagues. Kell spends much of his time in Istanbul and soon finds himself rubbing elbows with CIA personnel and other shady characters. As the investigation proceeds, Kell finds himself rubbing other body parts with a relative of the deceased. For Kell, this is another resurrection of sorts as it is his first relationship after a hurtful divorce. As Kell continues to attempt to balance his work load and his new love life, Amelia begins to pop up at unexpected times and places, seemingly running a parallel investigation, and somewhat belatedly sharing info with Kell. And how could you have a great spy story without a mole?......and this IS a great spy story. The plot is crisp, fast moving, with just the right mix of trade craft stuff to ramp up the tension. For example, how does a suspect elude a team of a dozen tails in London? Simple.....Harrods. Great writing, great plot, great characters, and a climax that will dovetail nicely into book #3. As good as Le Carre's Smiley stuff, and better than any spy novels of the last 10-15 years that I can think of. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for a book review.A Colder War is the first book I've read by Charles Cumming and I was quite impressed with his writing. The depiction of Britain's MI6 and the USA's CIA and how they interact crackled with authenticity. It's quite apparent that Cumming not only knows how to write, and write splendidly, I might add, but he is able to formulate a great plot and populate it with realistic characters. A Colder War is a joy to read.The main character is Thomas Kell, a shelved Secret Intelligence Service, aka MI6, who was sidelined due to a scandal resulting from a somewhat too vigorous questioning of a prisoner. The plot revolves around the investigation into the death of Paul Wallinger, a close friend of Kell's, who was MI6's senior man in Turkey. Soon it becomes apparent that there's a mole in either MI6 or the CIA and Kell must find him or her---but the mole will stop at nothing to keep from being discovered, and Kell must really scramble to keep himself, and those that he holds dear, alive. This is espionage at its best.
Rating: 4A Colder War, being the sequel to A Foreign Country, is an espionage thriller starring Thomas Kell, a former MI6 operative who has been left out in the cold by the Secret Intelligence Service due to an unfortunate scandal. But this time it's personal; a close friend of Kell's has died in a suspicious plane crash, and MI6 Chief Amelia Levene, who happened to be having a secret affair with the deceased, calls Kell in for the sensitive investigation. Kell jumps at the opportunity, causing to ensue a country-hopping pursuit of intelligence that takes us from Istanbul to Odessa.I was very impressed by Charles Cummings' ability to lay out a landscape in a foreign land. As an avid traveller, I truly appreciate the cultural diversity offered as Kell follows the international trail throughout Europe. There is a vast array of believable and fully-dimensioned characters, and depth to Kell himself which draws the reader in emotionally. That being said, I found it was at times too much for me.Like I said, this time's it's personal, and I guess I just found the personal elements a little too touchy-feely. Kell's state of undeserved disgrace in the eyes of MI6, though a well formed area of sympathy, often offered much less intrigue than I would have hoped from a spy novel. Although it is clear that Kell is experienced and cool under pressure, an espionage thriller really needs to incorporate that "thrilling" side. In my own opinion, this book was not thrilling. It had thrilling components, but did not have me on the edge of my seat. And I was sometimes inclined to yell, "Suck it up, Kell! You're a spy, goddammit!"Altogether, I would consider this a well written travel diary with a few moments of suspense. But, that being said, Thomas Kell's motto is "Spying is waiting", not "Spying is action every minute, so hold on to the edge of your seat". For my own taste, I simply prefer the latter.
Rating: 3As of late I have been selecting primarily spy/espionage books and A Colder War by Charles Cumming was the perfect fit. Well-written, with fully developed characters, full of ambiance, and just the right amount of suspense, Cumming exceptional writing kept me reading long into the night. I would not hesitate to recommend A Colder War to readers who enjoy an excellent spy novel.
Rating: 5I loved this book.... great writing, a decent plot, and most importantly, intricate tradecraft. Not having a background personally in spying, I have no idea whether what Cumming describes in the cat and mouse activities involved in surveillance is actually realistic or not, but it certainly seems to be and it's dynamite.
The plot itself is, as always in this genre, straightforward at the high level but infinitely complicated beneath. Cumming writes beautifully and guides us through, in great detail, the decisions, indiscretions, thoughts, international competition, personality conflicts, and everything else that makes this such a wonderful read. The only real problem I had with the story was with Kell's emotional decision-making, but I suppose that's one of the things that contributed to how the plot unfolded. I just felt some of it was unlikely yet had great impact on the eventual results,
A Colder War uses the same characters as we experienced in A Foreign Country, and the series has great potential because the characters are so strong and well developed. Cumming seems to be getting better and better and I look forward to additional novels in this series. I've heard the comparisons to LeCarre and, although I think they're premature, Cumming certainly has greatness within reach.
Rating: 5The plot itself is, as always in this genre, straightforward at the high level but infinitely complicated beneath. Cumming writes beautifully and guides us through, in great detail, the decisions, indiscretions, thoughts, international competition, personality conflicts, and everything else that makes this such a wonderful read. The only real problem I had with the story was with Kell's emotional decision-making, but I suppose that's one of the things that contributed to how the plot unfolded. I just felt some of it was unlikely yet had great impact on the eventual results,
A Colder War uses the same characters as we experienced in A Foreign Country, and the series has great potential because the characters are so strong and well developed. Cumming seems to be getting better and better and I look forward to additional novels in this series. I've heard the comparisons to LeCarre and, although I think they're premature, Cumming certainly has greatness within reach.
Bang up to the minute, this spy thriller has it all, intricate plotting, a flawed hero, lots of spy-lore/tradecraft. This is the second book featuring Thomas Kell, and argueably better than the first. Charles Cumming's novel deserves the acolades and the comparisons with the best of John Le Carre' Smiley books. A real treat for the spy fiction enthusiast.
Rating: 4Wow! What an awesome read. If you are a fan of international espionage, you'll like this one. Very well written, and characters so well developed that I found myself casting a movie as I read. I appreciate that the romance was minimal, an integral part of the story and did not go on for pages and pages about the "anatomy" of the activity (we all know where the parts go). The ending dictates another book starring Tom Kell will be forthcoming and I can't wait to read it. Must read for thriller and/or spy fans.
Rating: 5"A Colder War" is Charles Cumming’s sequel to his first Thomas Kell novel, "A Foreign Country" (reviewed here).
I love Gentleman-thief's novels.
I don't usually do book or author comparisons, but this time I'm going down that path.
Is it possible to write successful spy fiction in Le Carrés Milieu? Yes, it is. Charles Cumming proves it.
In my teenage years I fell in love with spy novels. I devoured everything Le Carre, Len Deighton and Graham Greene ever wrote.
You can read the rest of this review on my blog.
Rating: 4I love Gentleman-thief's novels.
I don't usually do book or author comparisons, but this time I'm going down that path.
Is it possible to write successful spy fiction in Le Carrés Milieu? Yes, it is. Charles Cumming proves it.
In my teenage years I fell in love with spy novels. I devoured everything Le Carre, Len Deighton and Graham Greene ever wrote.
You can read the rest of this review on my blog.
Thomas Kell, who first appeared in Charles Cumming’s earlier novel A Foreign Country, returns, this time charged with investigating the sudden death of Paul Wallinger whose plane had crashed during a flight over one of the Greek islands. Wallinger in no ordinary citizen. He was MI5’s chief representative in counter espionage operations in Turkey, and also the occasional lover of Amelia Levine, Head of MI5, and known officially as ‘C’. Kell’s own past is clouded, and he had been on suspension from MI5 following his alleged indirect involvement in an incident of extraordinary rendition some years. His career had been rehabilitated following the events of A Foreign Country, though he has not yet been exonerated, and the official enquiry into the rendition claims continues.Kell had known Wallinger well, and was shocked to learn of his death. He is even more astounded to learn from ‘C’ that there seems to be a leak and that intelligence operations out of Turkey might have been compromised. Kell is commissioned to investigate, which means reviewing whether Wallinger himself had been a traitor. Being Kell, it is not long before he has managed to embroil himself in additional complications, including starting a relationship with Wallinger’s daughter.The plot is well constructed, and Cumming gives intriguing insight in intelligence tradecraft. I did, however, occasionally feel that the relationships between Kell and his fellow characters, especially the women (and Rachel Wallinger in particular) were portrayed rather clumsily. Still, over all it was a gripping story that held my attention throughout. Not up to le Carre’s almost peerless standard, but rather more satisfying that Stella Rimington’s most recent offering.
Rating: 4