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The Spanish Game: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.05) - 423 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
For six years, Alec Milius has been trying to escape his past, but his past refuses to release him. Abandoned by MI6 after a disastrous operation against the CIA, Milius has slowly rebuilt his life in Madrid. Older and wiser than the young spy who first caught the eye of British Intelligence, Milius still has a talent for deception—and a fatal weakness for secrets. So when a prominent politician disappears under suspicious circumstances, Milius can't resist tracking him down.
But the rules have changed. Alec is now working alone, outside the boundaries of any official agency. Paranoid and expendable, he soon becomes vulnerable to the ruthless duplicities of a secret world in which no one can be trusted. Yet as he comes face to face with the nightmare of modern terror, Alec is given one last chance for redemption.
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"This second book in the Alec Milius series finds our young ex-spy living in secret in Madrid, sleeping with his boss's wife and basically hiding out from both the British and the Americans. In the first book in this in series, Alec was involved in a bit of misdirection with the CIA, but has been on the run since it ended poorly and his girlfriend died under mysterious circumstances. Alec has three passports, using multiple fake names and practices his spy craft on everyone. Alec befriends a ex member of ETA when his boss sends him to Basque country to interview the guy as part of his job (the Basque terrorist/freedom fighters fighting for independence from Spain). They make a plan to meet in Madrid but the guy never shows and Alex fatefully decides to investigate the disappearance. From there Cummings weaves an interesting little tale of spies and spying with secret agendas and no person is who you think they are. Alec, I think acquits himself okay in the end but before then he is a recipient of a Jack Bauer beatdown from ETA members and several shrewd plots. As usual, no one comes out smelling good in this modern espionage story"
— Jeffrey (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Vance is so good that he need only relate the prose with honesty and passion and listening becomes a compelling and memorable experience.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Audio Review -
“The best of the new generation of British spy writers taking over where le Carre and Deighton left off.”
— Observer (London) -
“This is spy fiction of the highest order; Cumming deserves to be ranked with the best of the genre’s practitioners.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Vance is so good that he need only relate the prose with honesty and passion and listening becomes a compelling and memorable experience.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review) -
“Notable for its heightened psychological cat-and-mouse play, [The Spanish Game] will build Cumming’s reputation as a literary spymaster to reckon with.”
— Library Journal
The Spanish Game Listener Reviews
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Jean-Pierre Fournier, 6/13/2019
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" Cumming is a young Scot and this is his second book about Alec Milius --both "A Spy by Nature" (the first) and Spanish Game are worth reading, and in that order. He's somewhere between Le Carre and McCarry, with the focus on the individual spy, in the case of Alex Milius, a most vulnerable spy-in-training. "
— Bill, 1/27/2014 -
" I like that Cumming brought back anti-hero Alec. Lots of good plot twists and turns. "
— David, 1/22/2014 -
" Loved it for its name dropping- felt like I was walking around Madrid. Didn't like the ending. "
— Karen, 1/7/2014 -
" This is a sequel to A Spy By Nature, and I think it is a helpful glimpse into the character of Alec Milius if that book is read first. Now Alec is a bitter expat (he's British) living in Madrid. What follows is a complicated, twisty plot that I found hard to comprehend (I usuallly find the plots in spy novels hard to follow). This one is based heavily on the Basque Separatist Movement. But, sometimes the twists are enough for me without fully comprehending the "why's" (I have always found this to be so in James Bond movies). Cumming is a very good, accessible writer. Alec's first person narrative draws the reader in, and his spying game seems to be an intuitive one. Sometimes Alec's paranoia is wrong, and sometimes he is spot-on. This keeps the reader on edge...when is he correct to be suspicious and when is he mistaken? I like this writer and I will read more "
— Alecia, 1/3/2014 -
" Great ending. Kind of slow at the start, but definitely worth it at the end. "
— Kevin, 1/1/2014 -
" For a spy novel, there are too many holes in logic and not enough humour or suspense to keep us distracted to notice them. "
— Mkerogazov, 12/30/2013 -
" Fun, twisty, spy thriller is thoroughly enjoyable especially for anyone who knows Madrid, San Sebastian, and a bit of the Basque history. "
— Teresa, 12/25/2013 -
" This book portrayed a beautiful, lively picture of Spain and the conflict with the Basques. However, Cumming is no John Le Carre, and the protagonist's paranoia was distracting more than interesting. "
— Geni, 11/16/2013 -
" Listened to audiobook. Interesting concept for plot but a little complicated to follow all the outlying characters. May have been easier if I'd been reading the book instead. Abrupt ending. "
— Sarah, 11/14/2013 -
" Sequel to A Spy by Nature-must read the latter first. A great continuation of the story of Alec Milius. "
— Mary, 5/21/2013 -
" Charles Cumming has done it again with his sequel to A Spy of Nature. Alec Milnus returns in this epic book that keep me turning the page in anticipation of what would happen next. I highly recommend this book to those who read John Le Carre, and other simular authors. "
— Daniel, 5/19/2013 -
" Another great read from Charles Cumming. I hope he comes out with another Alec Milius book someday. I like these thrillers because they're more thinking than action-oriented. "
— Nanci, 7/31/2012 -
" Enjoyed the Madrid setting and it moved right along in good thriller fashion. "
— Featherbooks, 7/3/2012 -
" Could not really get into it - may have been the 1st person present tense. Or maybe too spoilt by Robert Wilson books. "
— Rob, 5/25/2012 -
" I'm ready for our trip...hopefully I don't get kidnapped by basque separatists! ;-) "
— Marjie, 3/4/2012 -
" Interesting spy novel - many twists and turns. "
— Paul, 1/29/2012 -
" Loved it. Excellent followup to "A Spy By Nature". "
— Anita, 12/26/2011 -
" I really liked this book until the end. I'm very interested in Spanish politics and Basque affairs and I loves how the author covered them but I felt the ending was bad. It was too abrupt and didn't tie up a lot of loose ends. Very disappointing. "
— Sam, 11/15/2011 -
" Absolutely brilliant. Even better than "A spy by nature". A real work-out for the brain. Would thoroughly recommend it. I only wish there was another book with Alec Milius. "
— Caroline, 8/28/2011 -
" A big disappointment. The plot is as unbelievable as the characters are unsympathetic. "
— Theresa, 7/14/2011 -
" It was a 2+. It had too much of everything:characters,locations,plots,etc.It was my third Charles Cumming book in the last month,so maybe I just got burnt out on British spy stories. "
— Dad, 6/18/2011 -
" Great ending. Kind of slow at the start, but definitely worth it at the end. "
— Kevin, 5/27/2011 -
" solid, thoughtful, character-based spy story; it's tough to like the main character but his predicaments and the choices he makes are intriguing and believable "
— Gus, 1/3/2011 -
" Listened to audiobook. Interesting concept for plot but a little complicated to follow all the outlying characters. May have been easier if I'd been reading the book instead. Abrupt ending. "
— Sarah, 10/29/2010 -
" A fast paced sequel to Cumming's 'A spy by Nature. The Madrid setting is well done, the action fast paced and Milius saves the day. "
— Lou, 9/28/2010 -
" I like that Cumming brought back anti-hero Alec. Lots of good plot twists and turns. "
— David, 2/18/2010 -
" This book portrayed a beautiful, lively picture of Spain and the conflict with the Basques. However, Cumming is no John Le Carre, and the protagonist's paranoia was distracting more than interesting. "
— Geni, 12/27/2009 -
" Fun, twisty, spy thriller is thoroughly enjoyable especially for anyone who knows Madrid, San Sebastian, and a bit of the Basque history. "
— Teresa, 8/18/2009 -
" Interesting spy novel - many twists and turns. "
— Paul, 8/11/2009 -
" I'm ready for our trip...hopefully I don't get kidnapped by basque separatists! ;-) <br/> "
— Marjie, 5/11/2009 -
" Loved it. Excellent followup to "A Spy By Nature". "
— Anita, 2/28/2009
About Charles Cumming
Charles Cumming is the author of numerous suspense thrillers and spy fiction novels, including the Alec Milius books, the Thomas Kell books, and six stand-alone novels. His Box 88 was longlisted for the 2021 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.