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The Spanish Game Paperback – 13 October 2009
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Introduced in A Spy by Nature, Alec Milius returns in The Spanish Game, a compelling, modern espionage novel from Charles Cumming, widely acclaimed as a modern master of the form.
"A worthy successor to masters of the spy novel like John le Carre and Len Deighton." --Chicago Sun-Times.
Six years ago, after working for the British Secret Intelligence Service, Alec Milius got out of the spy game after being drummed out by MI6. His retirement came at unbearably great personal cost. But just because he's walked away from the life, it doesn't mean that that life has walked away from him.
Now living in exile in Madrid, quietly and as far under the radar as possible, Milius keeps a constant eye out for the enemies he made, hoping to avoid any future involvement. Yet when a prominent Basque politician goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Milius soon finds himself embroiled in another international conspiracy.
- Print length338 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date13 October 2009
- ISBN-10031236640X
- ISBN-13978-0312366407
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- Language : English
- Paperback : 338 pages
- ISBN-10 : 031236640X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0312366407
- Customer reviews:
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The book is 378 pages split into 45 chapters - a comfortable format which should make it easy to read.
I'm not usually a fan of spy thrillers but enjoyed this book for it's simplicity - if I could follow it then anyone can! It's set in 2003 in Madrid which makes the use of technology interesting to read although I see that the book was published in 2006 which means the natural use of technology is understandable. Mobile technology is still new and it's capabilities are not being exploited (for example Alex still receives calls at home on a land line!).
Alec is a well formed character - I love his combination of innocence and suspicion. There are many references to the first book and it is best to have read that before this one but this novel could stand alone if not.
The book is full of detail about the street names and places in Madrid. I suspect that the author thought he would be giving the book authenticity but I found it very distracting. There is a map at the start but I didn't refer back to it at all (again, finding it distracted from the plot).
Conversely, I loved the detail around the actual spaying, particularly the surveillance, both watching and being watched. I also found the period really interesting. I know very little about Spanish terrorism so the book was a huge learning curve. It's clear the author has done his research and he used it in a clear way which supported the plot. Of course, I'm not sure where the line is between fact and fiction which makes the book even more exciting.
Put all the unnecessary distractions aside and this is a really interesting plot with a great ending. It's not an easy book to read but worth sticking with.
Having been an avid reader of Robert Ludlum and latterly, Daniel Silva, could be the reason I found the pace in the first book too sedate at first. Not perhaps fair to compare, as Charles Cumming writes a different type of spy story - at least thus far.
I'm half way through The Spanish Game now, and like the familiar character of Alec Milius from the first book. Again, this is better paced than the first (for me) so it seems Charles Cumming is getting even better with each new book.
I'm familiar with Madrid, so again (as with his descriptions of London in the other books), it's nice to visualise some of the places in central Madrid.
Good book, and hopefully more to come!