Description

Book Synopsis
From the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author and winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year. Perfect for fans of John le Carré, Charles Cumming is the master of the modern spy thriller' (Mail on Sunday)Thomas Kell is a disgraced agent who longs to come in from the cold. When MI6's top spy in Turkey is killed in a mysterious plane crash, his chance arrives for Kell is the only man Service Chief Amelia Levene can trust to investigate the accident.In Istanbul, Kell soon discovers that there is a traitor inside Western Intelligence. Then he meets Rachel- the dead spy's daughter- and the stakes grow higher still.From London to Greece and into Eastern Europe, Kell tracks the mole. But a betrayal close to home transforms the operation into something more personal. Soon Kell will stop at nothing to see it through.

Trade Review

Praise for A Colder War:

‘The spy thriller has been on the ascendant in the past few years, breeding a bunch of talented writers, Cumming among the very best’ The Times (Saturday Review)

‘[A] cleverly plotted spy tale’ Sun

‘A Colder War is more than an excellent thriller: it is also a novel that forces us to look behind the headlines and question some of our own comfortable assumptions’ Spectator

‘An espionage maestro . . . The levels of psychological insight are married to genuine narrative acumen – but anyone who has read his earlier books will expect no less’ Independent

‘For those hungering for a new John le Carré, Charles Cumming has inherited the master’s mantle. His new book, A Colder War, features sinister goings-on in spook-infested Istanbul’ Sunday Times

‘There’s a sense that Kell is developing into a Smiley for our times’ Mail on Sunday

‘[Cumming] expertly recreates a world of waiting and watching where boredom is as much an enemy as other agents, and yet has still produced a page-turning thriller. . .If you thought true spy novels went out with the Berlin wall, think again’ Press Association

‘Edgily elegant … perfect for those wanting a contemporary spy thriller in the vein of Le Carré and even for those who don’t’ Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

Praise for A Foreign Country:

‘We are in Smiley country, but with extra 21st century nuance … Cumming has an exquisite touch and we should treasure him’ Daily Mail

‘A thriller that has everything you could ask for – a twisty, sexy plot, topical themes, memorable characters and plentiful spy lore’ Sunday Times

‘Refreshing, plausible and effective … Best of all is the sheer pace of the narrative’ Spectator

‘You are likely to be up for most of the night to find out how this novel ends. It grips from the first page … A fast-moving treat’ The Scotsman

A Colder War

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Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 19 Dec 2025.

A Paperback / softback by Charles Cumming

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    View other formats and editions of A Colder War by Charles Cumming

    Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
    Publication Date: 01/01/2015
    ISBN13: 9780007467501, 978-0007467501
    ISBN10: 0007467508

    Description

    Book Synopsis
    From the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author and winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year. Perfect for fans of John le Carré, Charles Cumming is the master of the modern spy thriller' (Mail on Sunday)Thomas Kell is a disgraced agent who longs to come in from the cold. When MI6's top spy in Turkey is killed in a mysterious plane crash, his chance arrives for Kell is the only man Service Chief Amelia Levene can trust to investigate the accident.In Istanbul, Kell soon discovers that there is a traitor inside Western Intelligence. Then he meets Rachel- the dead spy's daughter- and the stakes grow higher still.From London to Greece and into Eastern Europe, Kell tracks the mole. But a betrayal close to home transforms the operation into something more personal. Soon Kell will stop at nothing to see it through.

    Trade Review

    Praise for A Colder War:

    ‘The spy thriller has been on the ascendant in the past few years, breeding a bunch of talented writers, Cumming among the very best’ The Times (Saturday Review)

    ‘[A] cleverly plotted spy tale’ Sun

    ‘A Colder War is more than an excellent thriller: it is also a novel that forces us to look behind the headlines and question some of our own comfortable assumptions’ Spectator

    ‘An espionage maestro . . . The levels of psychological insight are married to genuine narrative acumen – but anyone who has read his earlier books will expect no less’ Independent

    ‘For those hungering for a new John le Carré, Charles Cumming has inherited the master’s mantle. His new book, A Colder War, features sinister goings-on in spook-infested Istanbul’ Sunday Times

    ‘There’s a sense that Kell is developing into a Smiley for our times’ Mail on Sunday

    ‘[Cumming] expertly recreates a world of waiting and watching where boredom is as much an enemy as other agents, and yet has still produced a page-turning thriller. . .If you thought true spy novels went out with the Berlin wall, think again’ Press Association

    ‘Edgily elegant … perfect for those wanting a contemporary spy thriller in the vein of Le Carré and even for those who don’t’ Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

    Praise for A Foreign Country:

    ‘We are in Smiley country, but with extra 21st century nuance … Cumming has an exquisite touch and we should treasure him’ Daily Mail

    ‘A thriller that has everything you could ask for – a twisty, sexy plot, topical themes, memorable characters and plentiful spy lore’ Sunday Times

    ‘Refreshing, plausible and effective … Best of all is the sheer pace of the narrative’ Spectator

    ‘You are likely to be up for most of the night to find out how this novel ends. It grips from the first page … A fast-moving treat’ The Scotsman

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