Book details

A Colder War

A Novel

Thomas Kell (Volume 2)

Author: Charles Cumming

A Colder War

A Colder War

About This Book

Internationally acclaimed as "a premier writer of espionage thrillers" (USA Today), Charles Cumming is "among the most skillful spy novelists" (Washington Post) and "a worthy...

Page Count
400
Genre
On Sale
06/16/2015

Book Details

Internationally acclaimed as "a premier writer of espionage thrillers" (USA Today), Charles Cumming is "among the most skillful spy novelists" (Washington Post) and "a worthy successor to the masters…like John le Carré and Len Deighton" (Chicago Sun-Times).

Now, with A Colder War, Cumming returns with MI6 agent Tom Kell (A Foreign Country), in a tour de force that will dazzle readers and critics alike.

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.

Imprint Publisher

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN

9781250025548

In The News

“Cumming has a growing reputation as the heir to the John Le Carré tradition in British fiction.” —Alan Cheuse, NPR

“Compelling. . . complex. . . dangerous. . . Hard to put down.” —Washington Post

“For those hungering for a new John le Carré, Charles Cumming has inherited the master's mantle.” —The Sunday Times (London)

“One of the best books of 2014 thus far.” —Bookreporter

“Cumming has established himself, along with Olen Steinhauer, as one of the best of today's old-school espionage novelists…We're in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy territory here, of course, but there are also hints of later le Carré, …Cumming is a master… Superb espionage fiction in the grand tradition.” —Booklist (starred)

“Edgily elegant … perfect for those wanting a contemporary spy thriller in the vein of le Carré and even for those who don't.” —Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

“The bombshell plot twists toward the novel's conclusion will have spy fiction aficionados eagerly awaiting the next installment.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Charles Cumming scores again with a smart, sexy thriller, reinventing the Russian-American-British triangle of espionage for a new generation.” —Alex Berenson

“Eat your heart out, Daniel Craig...Cumming vividly showcases the undercover life of spies.” —GQ on A Foreign Country

“A fast paced and absorbing spy thriller.” —Wall Street Journal on A Foreign Country

“Simmers and crackles until the explosive finale.” —Library Journal on A Foreign Country

“Cumming is particularly skilled at sketching his characters, most notably Kell (a classically reluctant spy)....The elegant prose will appeal to those who don't usually read spy fiction...Superb.” —Publishers Weekly (starred) on A Foreign Country

“Brilliant...scene after scene crackles with excitement, tension, and suspense...almost impossible to put aside.” —Washington Post on The Trinity Six

“Silkily written and more cool than hot...might make le Carré proud.” —New York Times Book Review on A Foreign Country

“A smashing Cold War thriller for the 21st Century.” —People on The Trinity Six

“Cumming's masterful novel bears comparison to the works of Alan Furst and John le Carré.” —Washington Post on The Trinity Six, a Notable Book of 2011

About the Creators

A Colder War

A Colder War