The Spanish Game

A spy novel based in Europe could find no better friend than narrator Simon Vance. He deftly navigates the variety of accents and plot twists in this thriller, set in Spain and featuring Alec Milius, who becomes entangled in a dirty war between political factions. Tedious fact-finding in the first part of the novel gives way to a horrific sequence in which Milius is captured and tortured by terrorists. Vance shines here, portraying the pain, regret, and desperation Milius feels with an intensity that is frighteningly realistic. Let's hope that Cumming has more in store for Milius and that Simon Vance continues as narrator. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from September 22, 2008
Alec Milius, the protagonist of Cumming's well-received first novel, A Spy by Nature
(2007), has created a new life in Madrid working as a researcher for a British private bank in this sterling sequel. His former employer, MI6, dismissed him in disgrace after a plot against the CIA went wrong. Alec lives alone, constantly watching for agents from his past who he thinks are intent on hunting him down and exacting revenge. He's having an affair with his boss's wife, drinks too much and is consumed by regret and guilt. When his boss, Julian Church, sends him to Basque country on a project, he meets Mikel Arenaza, a former member of the ETA, the Basque separatist party, who quickly turns up dead. The plot is pleasingly convoluted, the twists unexpected, the characters flawed and interesting. This is spy fiction of the highest order; Cumming deserves to be ranked with the best of the genre's practitioners.

Starred review from March 2, 2009
Drawing upon his experiences working with the British Secret Service, Cumming returns with another spy thriller that is as thrilling as and more fully realized than previous works. Protagonist Alex Milius has learned a lot since his release from MI6 six years ago and is unable to stay away from the high-stakes game of international intrigue. The talented Simon Vance delivers a scintillating reading; his simple, underplayed English dialect captures the very essence of Milius. There are no frills or manufactured emotions; Vance is so good that he need only relate the prose with honesty and passion and listening becomes a compelling and memorable experience. A St. Martin’s hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 22).

When listening to a spy thriller, it's important to know who is talking. Unfortunately, that is not always clear in this narration by Gordon Griffin. He's reading a British spy procedural about Alec Milius, a paranoid ex-MI6 operative living undercover in Spain. When a politician disappears, Alec investigates, with potentially disastrous consequences. Griffin has a pleasant voice, and he paces the story well. In fact, he livens up the occasionally flat writing. But when we don't know which of the many male characters is saying what, and a life may hang in the balance--well, that's hard. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine