The Spanish Game

A Novel

By: Charles Cumming

Narrated by: Simon Vance

For six years, Alec Milius has been trying to escape his past, but his past refuses to release him. Abandoned by MI6 after a disastrous operation against the CIA, Milius has slowly rebuilt his life in Madrid. Older and wiser than the young spy who first caught the eye of British Intelligence, Milius still has a talent for deception - and a fatal weakness for secrets. So when a prominent politician disappears under suspicious circumstances, Milius can't resist tracking him down.

But the rules have changed. Alec is now working alone, outside the boundaries of any official agency. Paranoid and expendable, he soon becomes vulnerable to the ruthless duplicities of a secret world in which no one can be trusted. Yet as he comes face to face with the nightmare of modern terror, Alec is given one last chance for redemption.

©2008 Charles Cumming (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is spy fiction of the highest order; Cumming deserves to be ranked with the best of the genre's practitioners." ( Publishers Weekly Starred Review)
"Intricate and intelligent" ( Kirkus)

Great for spy buffs

This is a very convoluted story, as any spy story should be. The narrator has to switch to Spanish now and then. I am no judge, but it sounded convincing. I occasionally had to rewind to absorb the plot details. Overall the experience was very enjoyable and I can't wait for Cumming's next novel

Great story

Refreshing take on contemporary espionage, very likable character, loved the reader too, I am now a fan of this author, this was my first book by him and I found him by researching John Le Carre like authors

Not as good as trinity six but worth a listen

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not

Any additional comments?

The story itself drags in places, making it seem overly long.
Simon Vance is one of my favorite narrators. I especially liked his Scottish accent toward the end of the book...but his Spanish accent reminded me of Dracula

Takes forever to get going

Story took about 6 hours for author to set up. Main character not remotely likable. Did not enjoy this much.

Amazing - get Spy by Naturefirst on PLUS!

These two books are incredible. I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot, but one thing I really enjoy is the way Alec is always analyzing everything everybody else says; trying to gauge their motives; it's pretty cool. And I just loved the first one which was on PLUS but there was no way I'd not get the second one. I'm not done with it but it's about the same spy.

Super entertaining and very tense at times.

Highly recommended.