A Spy by Nature

A Novel

By: Charles Cumming

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Alec Milius is young, smart, and ambitious. He also has a talent for deception. He is working in a dead-end job when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, the elite British Secret Intelligence Service, handing him an opportunity to play center stage in a dangerous game of espionage.

In his new line of work, Alec finds that the difference between the truth and a lie can mean the difference between life and death - and he is having trouble telling them apart. Isolated and exposed, he must play a role in which the slightest glance or casual remark can seem heavy with unintended menace. Caught between British and American Intelligence, Alec finds himself threatened and alone, unable to confide in even his closest friend. His life as a spy begins to exact a terrible price, both on himself and on those around him.

Richly atmospheric and chillingly plausible, A Spy by Nature announces the arrival of British author Charles Cumming as heir apparent to masters like John le Carre and Len Deighton. A best-seller in England, it's the gripping story of a young man driven by ruthless ambition who finds himself chasing not just success but survival.

©2001 Charles Cumming (P)2007 Tantor

This gripping story provided an entirely different perspective of the world of espionage

This was a thoroughly gripping story, which provided an entirely different perspective of the world of espionage.
It presents the reader with the human dimension of spying and it's impact on those close to a member of that profession.
It was a compelling story.

Meh

I had just finished the Thomas Kell series and then listened to this. No comparison. I liked the Kell books so much more. This is ok but not a favorite. A matter of taste, I suppose.

In A Muddle

I put my faith in the positive reviews of this book, but after listening, I side with those who found it badly wanting. Yes, it is not just another implausible thriller shoot 'em up. But the character development was nothing to write home about, especially with the central character Milius. He is simply a cipher. We learn very little about him, and what we do learn is about as interesting as the cardboard he measures up to. The American Katherine is far more intriguing and more about her - and more interaction with Milius - is a missed opportunity . He has one friend - and that's a thin rendering - and one ex-girlfriend who we find out very little until the very end and that's too little too late. There is a protracted first attempt at becoming a spy that ends in a fizzle and then he becomes one but I can't figure out why. There's just not much there there and it all cries out for a good editor to challenge the writer to try an awful lot harder. I'm surprised this found a publisher, much less that it was a 'best seller'.

Best narcissistic narrator since American Psycho

...and not a bad treatment of the recruiting process, but overall, moderate results. The constant, thoroughly narcissistic, internal calculation in the narrator is expertly done, without a lot of fussy hand-wringing, and Vance is best at reading that material. The rest of Cumming's characters are significantly less developed, but with such a self-absorbed narrator, perhaps that fits. Vance's American accents aren't quite painful, but they could use some work. The ending is a bit much.

Very unlikable protagonist

A lot of unnecessary detail early bout the minutia of the main character’s thoughts. and then it just finishes in a predictable “cliffhanger”.