Product Description

In exile. In danger. On the run. For six years Alec Milius has been trying to escape his past. But his past refuses to release him. Abandoned by MI6 after a disastrous operation with the CIA, Milius has slowly rebuilt his life in Madrid: he has a flat, a job – and a relationship with the wrong woman. Older and wiser that the young spy who first caught the eye of British Intelligence, Milius still has a talent for deception and a fatal weakness for secrets. So when a prominent politician disappears in suspicious circumstances he can’t resist tracking him down. But the rules have changed. Alec is now working alone outside the boundaries of any official agency. Paranoid and expendable, he soon becomes vulnerable to the ruthless duplicities of the secret world. He can trust no one. But as he comes face to face with the nightmare of modern terror, Alec is given one last chance for redemption.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87369 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

thelondonpaper
'Class ... He's dragging the spy novel into the era of Spooks,
Jack Bauer and Daniel Craig's James Bond.'

Daily Mail
'Cracking ... the serpentine twists and the unflaggingly realistic
suspense leave you breathless, but spellbound.'

Observer
'The best of a new generation of British spy writers taking over
where le Carre and Deighton left off.'

Customer Reviews

Top Drawer
Was delighted to find out that Alec Milius has returned. Charles Cumming has researched this book superbly and our hero returns a few years older but still paranoid and with the essence of his character still in tact which is refreshing in a sequel. Set in Madrid our hero takes on a foreign city with enthusiasm and too much trust in the wrong people. Alec is caught up with ETA and without giving too much away there are parts that really shake you to the core. This is not for the faint hearted as it has everything you want in a thriller. Intelligently written, well plotted and in true Cumming style a book you will want to tell all your friends about as it will keep you up most of the night. Welcome back Alec Milius.

Almost perfect
I think this is the strongest novel Charles Cumming has produced to date. He has matured quite a bit since his first novel, A Spy By Nature. It was a good decision to re-visit the main character from the first novel, Alec Milius, who is now in exile in Madrid, working for a British finance company. He fills his time having an affair with his boss's wife, and being paranoid that enemies from his previous life in Britain working for MI5 are still out to get him. His counter-surveillance measures he carries out partly out of necessity, but also partly because he enjoys the secret life, and hasn't been able to let go of it.

The setting in Madrid is good, a refreshing break from the previous two novels set in London. Alec Milius is asked to explore the possibility of his finance company investing in Basque country, and in the course of various meetings, he spends an evening with a former Basque activist and politician. They get on, and agree to meet up at a later date. But on his way to meet Alec, the politician disappears. Suspecting foul play, Alec cannot help himself but investigate, and in doing so, he gets drawn into Basque politics, ETA, and back into the murky world of espionage.

It's not a perfect thriller, but it's an improvement on his first two novels. The plotting is smoother and more effective. Unlike other reviewers, I would argue that ending is not that good - for me it was a contrivance too far. I couldn't fault anything up to that point. This is mostly because Alex Milius is such a convincing, fascinating creation. Charles Cumming makes a passing reference in the novel to The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, which is a fair comparison. Both Ripley and Milius have tremendous talents, but also the seeds of their own destruction within their character flaws. The espionage theme suggests more Le Carre than Highsmith, and again, I don't think it's an unfair comparison to Le Carre. Good espionage writers understand that the interest is not as much in the plot as in the characters - the kind of people who can carry out ethically dubious activities for a perceived higher cause are by their nature, flawed. This is what fascinates the reader, not which country is plotting against who, how and with what fancy gadgetry.

I can only hope that Alec Milius returns in a new novel, but I think that Charles Cumming was right to let him have a break between novels. Aside from the ending, this is a near perfect espionage thriller.

Powerful and gripping. Redefines the contemporary Spy Novel
I thought A Spy By Nature was good, and looked forward to a solid follow-up. In fact, The Spanish Game is even better. It will be seriously hard for anyone to beat this novel in 2006. Lots of subtlety in the plotting and characterisation. There's nothing predictable, but no bogus dead-ends, or cutesy contrivance.

It's a genuinely original read. Fast-paced without being obvious and packs a punch without being heavy handed.

The hero is a gem and a character that you'll want to see again and again. His literary personality is as identifiable and strong as a Stephen Maturin or a Flashman.

You'll find yourself reading this book sooner or later. My advice is read it sooner.