A Foreign Country: A Novel

by Charles Cumming Narrated by Jot Davies

Overview

From the internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Trinity Six, comes a compelling tale of deceit and betrayal, conspiracy and redemption.

On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris. Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. It is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade.

Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain's top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself — find Amelia Levene at any cost. The trail leads Kell to France and Tunisia, where he uncovers a shocking secret and a conspiracy that could have unimaginable repercussions for Britain and its allies. Only Kell stands in the way of personal and political catastrophe.

A Macmillan Audio production.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile

Even if you’ve never listened to Cumming’s other novels, you’ll settle into this beguiling spy story quickly. Often compared to the master of cerebral espionage fiction, John le Carre, Cumming plays to the listener who prefers a subtle and thoughtful approach. Jot Davies’s narration ushers you in; his voice is a steady presence through the disparate events from the beginning to the satisfying conclusion. He shifts between the numerous characters easily, although one character’s accent gets lost occasionally. Davies’s pacing fits the narrative, quickening as tension increases, mechanical as an extraction team pursues its deadly work, wistful or angry as the protagonist’s situation demands. You’ll find yourself wishing this story would continue just a while longer. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review

A Foreign Country is silkily written, and more cool than hot. Cumming…describes exotic locales with detail and affection, and is relatively sparing in his use of bang-bang…While this novel nods to the past, it's rooted firmly in the mess of our present. A Foreign Country describes today's wars and morally ambiguous tactics…with an acerbity that might make le Carré proud.
—John Schwartz

Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Cumming follows 2011’s The Trinity Six with another superb stand-alone, which opens in 1978 Tunisia, where Amelia Weldon, a 20-year-old British au pair, is having an affair with her expatriate French employer. Fast forward to the present, to the brutal, apparently random murder of a retired French couple on an Egyptian beach; the abduction of a target referred to as HOLST on the streets of Paris; and the disappearance of the much older Weldon on the eve of her becoming chief of the U.K.’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. The agency taps Thomas Kell, a former MI6 operative “turfed out in disgrace,” to find out what’s become of her. Starting out in Nice, Kell trails Weldon to Tunisia, where she turns up with a much younger man in tow. Cumming is particularly skilled at sketching his characters, most notably Kell (a classically reluctant spy) and Weldon, who’s haunted by personal demons central to the elaborate puzzle of a story. The elegant prose will appeal to those who don’t usually read spy fiction. 100,000 first printing. Agent: Luke Janklow, Janklow & Nesbit. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Audio

In this audio edition of Cumming’s thriller, narrator Jot Davies’s crisp, stiff-upper-lip performance perfectly captures Thomas Kell, a former British agent who was unceremoniously dismissed from MI6 after two decades of service for his involvement in a torture scandal. But to his surprise, Kell’s given a shot at reinstatement. All he has to do is find a missing person, the agency’s first female chief, Amelia Levene, who went missing in France prior to her official appointment. Davis’s characterizations are subtle but effective: a slightly softer delivery for females, an understated accent for French characters. His rendition of Amanda captures the character’s sophisticated haughtiness, as well as her self-doubt, while his Kell remains unflappably British in his quest for answers and redemption. A St. Martin’s hardcover. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

“A fast-paced and absorbing spy thriller.” —Wall Street Journal

“Charles Cumming makes his espionage novel feel fresh.” —The New York Times

“Simmers and crackles until the explosive finale.” —Library Journal

“Eat your heart out, Daniel Craig... Cumming vividly showcases meticulous research and insight into the undercover life of spies.” —GQ

“Superb.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A tale of European intrigue and conspiracy from a novelist who knows how the espionage game is played.” —Shelf Awareness

“Smart and intricate, with a large cast of cool characters and an authentic feel.” —Kirkus Reviews

“One of those very rare books that from its first page demonstrates that it's something out of the ordinary, one of those tales that the reader hopes will never end...” —Bookreporter

Library Journal

Amelia Levene is about to become the first woman to run the British intelligence agency MI6 when she mysteriously disappears. Disgraced former officer Thomas Kell is recruited to find her. He quickly learns that she has not been kidnapped; she's hiding on purpose. What would motivate someone at the height of their career to give it all up? What he uncovers, with Levene's help, unveils a dark conspiracy that goes back years. VERDICT Cumming's sixth thriller (after The Trinity Six) simmers and crackles until the explosive finale. Where in other novels Kell would need the entire narrative to find Levene, he discovers her whereabouts almost immediately. That plot twist along with the surprises that follow make this a worthwhile read that will appeal especially to readers who appreciate John le Carré, Olen Steinhauer, and David Ignatius. [See Prepub Alert, 2/12/12; 100,000-copy first printing.]

SEPTEMBER 2012 - AudioFile

Even if you’ve never listened to Cumming’s other novels, you’ll settle into this beguiling spy story quickly. Often compared to the master of cerebral espionage fiction, John le Carre, Cumming plays to the listener who prefers a subtle and thoughtful approach. Jot Davies’s narration ushers you in; his voice is a steady presence through the disparate events from the beginning to the satisfying conclusion. He shifts between the numerous characters easily, although one character’s accent gets lost occasionally. Davies’s pacing fits the narrative, quickening as tension increases, mechanical as an extraction team pursues its deadly work, wistful or angry as the protagonist’s situation demands. You’ll find yourself wishing this story would continue just a while longer. M.L.R. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

A deadly long-shot mission gives a disgraced secret agent a chance at redemption. Isolated pieces--the dissolution, in Tunisia a generation ago, of the marriage of Jean-Marc Daumal and wife Celine over his affair with nanny Amelia Weldon; the present-day murder of elderly Parisians Philippe and Jeannine Malot on a Cairo street; the kidnapping of a target nicknamed HOLST by one Akim Errachidi and his team--precede the introduction of dissolute Thomas Kell, waking up in a hotel room with another hangover eight months after his surgical dismissal, after two decades of service, from Britain's MI6. A call from his old pal, Jimmy Marquand, sobers Kell immediately. The new MI6 chief-designate, Amelia Levine, has gone missing before even assuming the job. Kell knew Amelia well, and he leaps at the chance to be back in the game. He checks files, Amelia's car and her room, noting that the signs indicate abduction. He questions veteran agents Bill and Barbara Knight, pictures of concern and cooperation with Kell...until he leaves, and their manner turns conspiratorial, and they hint at allegiances other than MI6. Using Amelia's Blackberry as a guide, Kell follows her movements over the previous two weeks. Cumming flashes back to Amelia for the same period; when she's found by Kell, it's just the beginning of a complicated cat-and-mouse game stretching back to the trio of prologue events and weaving together personal and political tangles. Cumming's sixth thriller (The Trinity Six, 2011, etc.) is smart and intricate, with a large cast of cool characters and an authentic feel.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169427264
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	08/07/2012
Series:	Thomas Kell Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

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