A Spy by Nature: A Novel Audiobook

" Sifting through the dubious the ethics of modern espionage (it's industrial now), Cumming exposes the motivations of a young MI6 recruit and uncomfortably probes his blind spots. "

" Well written. Not an obvious 'thriller'. Usual e-book annoyances with errors but the distractions are relatively minor. "

" If you like anti-hero spy novels you'll like this one. Reminds me of early John Le Carre. "

" ok, so not all spies are James Bond! This we find out very soon where it concerns Alec Milius "The Spy" & the lead in via testing & processing is a grand way for the genre to evolve. The psychology of constant deceit, duplicitous & betrayal & it's oppressiveness on his somewhat flawed character makes for a decent read behind the evolving plot & for that side of it it's a 4 star read, however....... the last few chapters are somewhat of a disappointment as it all gets a tad ridiculous or perhaps that's a sign of Alec's immaturity & the fact he's hopelessly out of his depth after being manipulated from the get-go but there again thats the hub of this story so i'll go with a 3 star after hovering weather to jus finish it as a one off read, maybe I'll continue with Alec Milius as it's mostly a good read. "

" Interesting...in that it is one of the nearly total "Protagonist View" reads since Wm Faulkner's "The Sound and The Fury" or Hamlet's soliloquy even tho this was not uttered but done by thinking. I am not comparing quality of the writing only the style...what Augustine would have called one long, silent "Soliloquiorum". I guess the better use of soliloquy's less common definition, "(a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections) would be the best way to define this fairly long book. If it had been written by Ian Fleming it might have been called...not "For His Eyes Only" but "Thru His Eyes Only". "

" Read over half of book but main character was a real wimp and book seemingly had a very weak plot. "

" Set during the run up to Blair's election as Prime Minister this was a fairly tepid espionage thriller. The plot just did not do a lot for me and the main character annoyed. Listened to the audio version read by Simon Vance who was the best part of the whole endeavor. "

" Not nearly as good as "The Trinity Six." "

" A spy novel about very little. Just one long continuous never ending character study about a boring character. "

" a very well-done character study of a young man who gets in over his head. "

" It may deserve more than 3 stars...but Alec, the main character is so irritating, that at times it was painful to continue reading this book. I have to say that the ending makes the long tedious parts somewhat important, but overall not a good read. "

" Post cold war spy novel featuring somewhat hesitant spy Alec Milius "

" Fully forgettable book. "

" More realistic spying than most I've read, and that's saying something. Less flashy, more down-to-earth. "

" Just as with the other novel I've read by this author, this was an intelligent spy story, one that didn't follow a predictable mold. "

" Very tasty first-person narrative about a would-be spy whose gifts for deception and self-deception become his undoing. "

" The first half of the book -- in which our hero is recruited to work for MI5 -- was quite interesting and compelling. The second half -- when he is actually doing the spy work -- was far less so. "

" Awful. I do not understand why this book is rated high on the "must read" spy novels list. I tried to read "Spanish Game" after it to see if the author had improved, and I couldn't finish it. "

" A competent little spy thriller, marred by a few unlikely plot twists, but animated by the endearing ne'er-do-well and professional liar Alec Milius. I look forward to any follow-ups. "

" 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. "

" A spy novel about very little. Just one long continuous never ending character study about a boring character. "

" Suspenseful intrigue in a "sting"-themed story of industrial espionage. "

" a very well-done character study of a young man who gets in over his head. "

" Just as with the other novel I've read by this author, this was an intelligent spy story, one that didn't follow a predictable mold. "

" Very tasty first-person narrative about a would-be spy whose gifts for deception and self-deception become his undoing. "

" Cumming writes good spy books. This isn't one of his best. "

" Dry British narration. The monologue goes on and on as the main character rethinks the consecueces of his actions Its about a man who wanted to join MI6 and did not make the cut but was hired by a friend of the family as an industrial spy. "

" Read Before The Spanish Game. This is the first Milius book. Excellent. "

" If you like anti-hero spy novels you'll like this one. Reminds me of early John Le Carre. "

" Cool and elegant! All the comparision between this first novel by Charles Cumming and John Le Carre's earlier novels was not off the mark. "