BOOK REVIEW: A Divided Spy by Charles Cumming

BOOK REVIEW: A Divided Spy by Charles Cumming

HarperCollins Australia
June 2016
Paperback, $29.99
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

Crime/Thriller

8/10

Taut as razor wire, Charles Cumming’s A Divided Spy takes us on a spiritual journey back to the years of Cold War spying, where espionage was more waiting and watching than the non-stop action tropes of your James Bonds. A novel which owes more to the gripping style of John le Carré than the flash of Ian Fleming, A Divided Spy never relaxes the energy of the chase.

Ex-MI6 agent Thomas Kell finds himself in the unexpected position to pursue revenge against Russian SPV man, Alexander Minasian – the man he holds responsible for the death of his lover. As Kell attempts to recruit Minasian and discover the key to stopping a terrifying terrorist attack on British soil, the lines are blurred: who is playing who in this cat and mouse game?

Cumming’s writing is evocative and gripping, burrowing into Kell’s mind as he tries to burrow into Minasian’s mind, all the while dealing with MI6 superiors and former colleagues who believe him burnt out, or motivated only by personal demons and mistaken in his quest.

Category: Book Reviews