A Colder War

By: Charles Cumming

Narrated by: Jot Davies

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.

©2014 Charles Cumming (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Pretty good

As I love the spy genre, I'm always happy to find authors who explore it. I can't say I love the 2 Charles Cumming books I've read, but I am happy they were there and I'll read more. Thinking about A Colder War, there's something missing and I'm not sure what it is, but overall, I wanted to keep listening and some sections were exciting. The characters seem somewhat believable and the less-than-heroic lead character is no more annoying than many others.

So impressive, linked to story by every word!

Starting the story was took a bit time to find out the characters but then it started to speed up and impress with every chapter. Elsa was funny Italian. No holywood end, more realistic and tangible, I appreciate! I highly recommend!

Another great Kell story

Well written and we'll developed characters in this British MI-6 spy novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cummins has got it right -

Cummins skill as a writer improves with each book. Excellent twisting and turning plot with an terrific sense of pace and for detail.

Highly recommended.

Cutting needed

More style than substance, like eating fast food. He seems to fall in love with mood.