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A Spy by Nature

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A Spy by Nature

By: Charles Cumming
Narrated by: Charlie Anson
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About this listen

For all fans of TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY comes this masterclass in suspense about a spy caught up in his own web of deception…

Alec Milius is young, smart and ambitious – with a talent for deception. When a chance encounter opens the door to a career with MI6, he is desperate to make his mark.

But life as a spy begins to take a terrible toll on himself and those around him, and soon Alec is chasing not just success but survival. Forced to work alone, he spins a web of deceit that traps him centre stage in a game of global espionage.

In this new job, the difference between truth and a lie can be a matter of life and death. And for Alec, it’s getting harder to tell them apart…

A Spy By Nature is the bestselling novel with which Charles Cumming announced his arrival as heir apparent to masters like John le Carré and Len Deighton; compellingly told, utterly authentic and heart-racingly intense, it will grip you till the very last page.

A Spy by Nature is the bestselling novel with which Charles Cumming announced his arrival as heir apparent to masters like John le Carré and Len Deighton; compellingly told, utterly authentic and heart-racingly intense, it will grip you till the very last second.

©2011 Charles Cumming (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Espionage Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Literary Fiction Mystery Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

'Gripping, exciting and deftly plotted…A book one would be seriously annoyed to have put down' Sunday Telegraph

'Tautly written and believable… a complex tale of code words, betrayal of friendship, bluff and counterbluff… Cumming writes it like it is’ Mail on Sunday

'Eerily good… a strong and serious entertainment. Don't miss' Literary Review

Praise for Charles Cumming:

'From the first page to the last it has the ring of absolute authenticity. Tautly written, cleverly plotted…it reminded me strongly of the early books of John le Carré' Robert Harris, author of Fatherland and The Ghost

'The master of the modern spy thriller' Mail On Sunday

'A wholly compelling and sophisticated spy novel – vivid and disturbing – immaculately researched and full of harrowing contemporary relevance' William Boyd, author of Restless

‘Terrific…vividly realised…as strong on emotional literacy as it is on spycraft’ New Statesman
All stars
Most relevant  
I could not put down this splendid story. A young potential spy must act as bait for two CIA oppratives in this tale of industrial espionage.

Spy story with a gripping edge.

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Recently discovered Charles Cummings. Now hooked. The narrator who reads this is amazing and keeps you gripped to the end

Narrator and this book amazing

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Story Very slow to develop- at times painfully so - unlikely to read more by this author

A spy by nature

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Great story and excellent performance by narrator. i just hated the ending - maybe a sequel would be possibility.

👍

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Not up to previous books, too many obvious traits and fillings such as email addresses

spy

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Interesting tale, initially a bit slow but once it got in it's stride, quite enjoyable.

At first a bit slow stick with it.

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Like len Deighton and john le Carrie, it is good slow detailed stuff with that air of melancholy. No gadgets, fast cars and pretty girls. Just a twisting narrative with inner turmoil, deception, etc. I hope he writes more as he deserves to be well known. A great "how I became a spy" novel.

A new voice in a traditional spy story.

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A despicable and infuriating lead character who deserves all he gets! Otherwise an interesting yarn.

Not a classic read but fairly enjoyable

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The plot was interesting and credible, the intelligence knowledge seemed authentic but the book was rendered tedious by the protagonist. Normally when you have an anti-hero they need some redeeming features such as a sense of humour or an interesting strength or weakness. Milius has none of these which made this book a bit of a chore.

Tedious

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The amount of needless information, the ridiculous dialogues, the pointless details. I couldn't muster the courage to continue after slugging through the first third of it.

Tedious, pointless story

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