Identify Containing Books A Spy by Nature (Alec Milius #1)
Title | : | A Spy by Nature (Alec Milius #1) |
Author | : | Charles Cumming |
Book Format | : | Hardcover |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 368 pages |
Published | : | July 10th 2007 by St. Martin's Press (first published 2001) |
Categories | : | Fiction. Thriller. Spy Thriller. Espionage. Mystery. Suspense. Crime. Mystery Thriller |

Charles Cumming
Hardcover | Pages: 368 pages Rating: 3.52 | 2393 Users | 212 Reviews
Ilustration Concering Books A Spy by Nature (Alec Milius #1)
This is what they told me a long time ago.Only make contact in the event of an emergency.
Only telephone if you believe that your position has been fatally compromised.
Under no circumstances are you to approach us unless it is absolutely necessary in order to preserve the security of the operation.
This is the number.
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 Carré and Len Deighton. A bestseller in England, it's the gripping story of a young man driven by ruthless ambition who finds himself chasing not just success, but survival.
Mention Books Toward A Spy by Nature (Alec Milius #1)
Original Title: | A Spy by Nature |
ISBN: | 0312366353 (ISBN13: 9780312366353) |
Edition Language: | English |
Series: | Alec Milius #1 |
Rating Containing Books A Spy by Nature (Alec Milius #1)
Ratings: 3.52 From 2393 Users | 212 ReviewsComment On Containing Books A Spy by Nature (Alec Milius #1)
I can't say there was anything wrong with this book, it was just very slow. I didn't engauge with the main character, though I rather liked that he was of normal ability (not super talented), and clearly quite deluded about his own nature, not seeing himself as others do. I guess the slow plot development may be realistic, but it made it less than thrilling.Great spy book illustrating how espionage has moved in to the industrial sector since the cold war. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the clever story line, he flawed characters and the general setting in London all lent themselves to my imagination. Cummings really is the only author that has emulated Le Carre in the true sense of the word in recent years. Go out buy this book and settle down for a good read.

I actually picked up this book by mistake, originally thinking it was a Charles McCarry novel. If only. The main character is such a moronic and pathetic character, that several times, I almost gave up on the whole thing, but I held out unfounded hope that somehow the story would turn around. It's difficult to imagine that any espionage agency would ever let him serve. He's dishonest from the very beginning to the very end and doesn't seem to think or care what repercussions his actions might
Eh. This was an impulse library book and it didnt really do it for me. I read the first few chapters and then gave up on it. It wasn't that it was bad--it just wasn't great. I'd give it another try at some point but with so much else out there, I doubt I'll get the chance.
This was my third Charles Cumming book, but the first he wrote -- which is probably why I was disappointed with it. I'd read (ok, listened to) Typhoon, which was terrific. Then the Trinity 6, which was good, but not as good as Typhoon. So going back to his first book is like watching a great cyclist back when he was still using training wheels. The book is dull, frankly. It's very much a straight forward narrative with few twists and turns, and really, it's mostly a series of somewhat tedious
Loved the writing, but the story was just too draggy and ... it just left me cold.
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