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  • A Foreign Country

  • By: Charles Cumming
  • Narrated by: Jot Davies
  • Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (525 ratings)

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A Foreign Country

By: Charles Cumming
Narrated by: Jot Davies
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Summary

Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 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 Carré, 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.

©2012 Charles Cumming (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Critic reviews

‘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

What listeners say about A Foreign Country

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A better quality of espionage romp

I enjoyed A Foreign Country, it offers a setting of the less travelled road of European espionage.

It is not a Smiley novel from le Carre, but it is a well structured and enjoyable thriller. Some may even prefer that.

The premise and some of the plot devices are perhaps far fetched, but if you can overlook that you have an enjoyable thriller on your hands.

The narration is good, although occasionally the voice of Kell didn't quite ring true for me. It is well edited with no issues around levelling or sound quality.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best spy novel for a long time

With logical twists and turns, this is perhaps the best novel I've listened to for quite some time. Well deserving of 5 stars.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!!

Bought this after reading a review in the Sunday Telegraph. The plot was excellent, characters well defined and believable, and narration very good. I will definitely look for more by this author/narrator, and would highly recommend.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Most engaging Spy thriller

It had many twists and turns - a real "page turner" Good narration performance.!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning story

Great book with the right degree of suspense and pace. Can't wait to read Cumming's next thriller!
J S K

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Beautifully crafted story. I can't wait to read more of me Cummings work. Welcome to a new Master of the world of espionage.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A foreign country.

Totally brilliant !

The author, the story, the reader, every thing about it so good, a real pleasure.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Gripping, Taut, Intelligent

Compelling characters, tight plot, superb intensification of tension combine to contrinute to a thoroughly enjoyable spy yarn.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Double-crosses all the way!

I couldn't really classify this book as a spy story, but it provides an interesting insight into the power struggles that go on behind the scenes. Apart from that, it is a simply excellent thriller, with enough twists and turns along the way to keep you wanting to carry on listening. I will certainly be back for more of Charles Cumming!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

slow burner that gets good

bit of a slow start but picks up well. sometimes guilty of purple prose but a decent romp none the less.

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6 people found this helpful