A Foreign Country: From the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author, a compelling spy action crime thriller you won’t want to put down: Book 1 (Thomas Kell Spy Thriller)

I have been struggling to finish books of late. Most of them read almost the same with half baked stale plots and jaded characters. This book managed to hold my attention till the end. So its top rating from me

Intelligent plot for a change in a book of this genre. Story full of unexpected twists and turns with a surprise at the end.

A very interesting read - suggested for espionage lovers.

It's always a pleasure to discover an author I enjoy. I had not previously read anything by Charles Cumming, but very much liked 'A Foreign Country', Cumming's first novel about recently disgraced MI6 agent Thomas Kell. Kell has been dismissed from a relatively senior position in the agency following a incident in Afghanistan, when a suspect's human rights were abused by CIA operatives. However, he is brought back on a temporary, freelance basis when the new head of MI6, Amelia Levene disappears whilst on holiday in France. 'A Foreign Country' is well-written and exciting. Although the plot is relatively straightforward, with few twists and turns, Cumming is excellent at maintaining a high pace throughout, and then accelerating the action towards the end. The main characters are well-drawn and the minor characters aren't stereotypes. Kell himself is an interesting character - he is clearly wedded to his job, which he is very good at, but also suffers doubts about the extent to which this requires deceit, and the effect of this on his personal relationships.I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent book and look forward to reading the next two in the Thomas Kell series.

A new author for me, a chance I took with a Kindle Daily Deal. I wasn't disappointed. Disgraced MI6 agent Thomas Kell is called back into the fold to investigate the disappearance of the new boss. It's great to have an agent who is damaged goods and isn't a James Bond or Jason Bourne. The plot builds slowly and moves between several main characters, although it concentrates mostly on Kell. Some reviewers have stated that the story is told by multiple first person point of view characters. This is incorrect, as it is told entirely in third person. Predictably, there is more to the case than meets the eye, and things get more and more tense as the story moves towards its climax. I liked the characters, the plot and Charles Cummings' writing. It's not a fast moving tale or full of action, but as a pot boiler of a spy novel it works perfectly.

" A Foreign Country" was an absolute treat. I had read a couple of Charles Cummings earlier books and whilst enjoyable, this was a major step up in quality.Great storyline that moves along, keeping you turning the pages whilst you are telling yourself "it's time to put the book down" and interesting characters with flaws and problems like the rest of us.I have a habit if I like a book, of picking my actors to play the parts and by half way through "A Foreign Country" I had my cast list.I will certainly be following Mr. Kell in his other books in the series and recommend anyone who likes a "spy" story without a superhuman hero, to also give Charles Cummings a try.

The first outing for ex-agent Thomas Kell uses the classic redemption story as it's central thesis. Kell left MI6 in disgraced, but when the newly chosen head, Amelia Levene, disappears shortly before she is due to take over, Kell is brought back by someone who trusts him to find the new boss without ruffling any feathers. The tasks takes Kell to France and North Africa as he not only attempts to find Levene, but contend with various foreign intelligence agents as well.A new secret agent for a new world perhaps. Kell is drawn in a bit of detail, and there is plenty of scope to expand on the character in future books. I have the second on my Kindle already.

Our hero is a disgraced spy, pulled back into service when the new boss of MI6 goes AWOL. He is packed off to France to find her and her mysterious companion.This is never less than admirably page-turny. The plot is twisty, the settings diverse (though the title doesn't signify much). It risks flagging about a third of the way in when the mystery appears solved, but picks up again, and ultimately unfolds an exciting climax.The author's afterword explores the events that inspired the protagonist's backstory: suspected MI6 collusion in third-party torture of detainees abroad. Whilst there can be strong feelings on all sides about those claims, I didn't find the hero's history elevated the story much. It was a compelling read, but it was over as soon as I closed the book.