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The Trinity Six: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,189 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of the Year The most closely-guarded secret of the Cold War is about to be exposed – the identity of a SIXTH member of the infamous Cambridge spy ring. And people are killing for it, in Charles Cumming's bestselling thriller The Trinity Six. London, 1992. Late one night, Edward Crane, 76, is declared dead at a London hospital. An obituary describes him only as a 'resourceful career diplomat'. But Crane was much more than that – and the circumstances surrounding his death are far from what they seem. Fifteen years later, academic Sam Gaddis needs money. When a journalist friend asks for his help researching a possible sixth member of the notorious Trinity spy ring, Gaddis knows that she's onto a story that could turn his fortunes around. But within hours the journalist is dead, apparently from a heart attack. Taking over her investigation, Gaddis trails a man who claims to know the truth about Edward Crane. Europe still echoes with decades of deadly disinformation on both sides of the Iron Curtain. And as Gaddis follows a series of leads across the continent, he approaches a shocking revelation – one which will rock the foundations of politics from London to Moscow… "Cumming's novel is characterized by a gripping sense of realism. He displays a vast knowledge of spycraft and Cold War history, and the dense, three-dimensional world he crafts comes complete with seedy hotels and smoky nightclubs. The result is absolutely gripping. Taut, atmospheric and immersive—an instant classic." – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Trinity Six Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011 Thrillers.
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"Just wrote a capsule review of this excellent 2011 book by "the next le Carre" (which is how they are marketing him). It's a terrific story, well told--purely a genre book, but a reminder of how good a good genre book can be. I won't spoil the plot until it's published, but look for this one."
— Tim (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Scene after scene crackles with excitement, tension and suspense. The novel’s ingenious plot is almost as complicated as real life…The book is all but impossible to put aside. Cumming joins Alan Furst, David Ignatius, and Olen Steinhauer among the most skillful current spy novelists, and he bears comparison with masters such as John le Carré and Graham Greene…A sophisticated thriller.”
— Washington Post -
“A lively thriller…Astute…Inventive.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“With its mix of old-school espionage and present-day duplicities, The Trinity Six is a smashing Cold War thriller for the twenty-first century.”
— People -
“Intelligent and briskly paced…Comparisons to John le Carré and Len Deighton continue to gild [Cumming’s] reputation as a premier writer of espionage thrillers.”
— USA Today -
“An assured and richly enjoyable thriller.”
— Sunday Times (London) -
“Cumming seems to be channeling Ian Fleming in his ability to generate sheer excitement: it grips like Xenia Onatopp’s thighs in GoldenEye.”
— Daily Telegraph (London) -
“Cumming’s novel is characterized by a gripping sense of realism. He displays a vast knowledge of spycraft and Cold War history, and the dense, three-dimensional world he crafts comes complete with seedy hotels and smoky nightclubs. The result is absolutely gripping.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Cumming’s knowledge of the spy business, his well-crafted prose, and his intensely engaging plot make this a breakthrough novel.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Brilliant…scene after scene crackles with excitement, tension, and suspense. The novel's ingenious plot is almost as complicated as real life…the book is all but impossible to put aside. Cumming joins Alan Furst, David Ignatius, and Olen Steinhauer among the most skillful current spy novelists, and he bears comparison with masters such as John le Carré and Graham Greene.
— The Washington Post -
Intelligent and briskly paced…comparisons to John le Carré and Len Deighton continue to gild [Cumming's] reputation as a premier writer of espionage thrillers.
— USA Today -
With its mix of old-school espionage and present-day duplicities, The Trinity Six is a smashing Cold War thriller for the twenty-first century.
— People -
A lively thriller…astute…inventive.
— The New York Times Book Review -
Cumming's novel is characterized by a gripping sense of realism. He displays a vast knowledge of spycraft and Cold War history, and the dense, three-dimensional world he crafts comes complete with seedy hotels and smoky nightclubs. The result is absolutely gripping.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
Cumming's knowledge of the spy business, his well-crafted prose, and his intensely engaging plot make this a breakthrough novel.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
A fast-paced and absorbing spy thriller.
— Wall Street Journal on A Foreign Country -
Charles Cumming makes his espionage novel feel fresh.
— The New York Times on A Foreign Country -
Simmers and crackles until the explosive finale.
— Library Journal on A Foreign Country -
Eat your heart out, Daniel Craig...Cumming vividly showcases meticulous research and insight into the undercover life of spies.
— GQ on A Foreign Country -
Superb.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Foreign Country -
A tale of European intrigue and conspiracy from a novelist who knows how the espionage game is played.
— Shelf Awareness on A Foreign Country -
Smart and intricate, with a large cast of cool characters and an authentic feel.
— Kirkus Reviews on A Foreign Country -
One of those very rare books that from its first page demonstrates that it's something out of the ordinary, one of those tales that the reader hopes will never end...
— Bookreporter on A Foreign Country
Awards
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One of the 2011 Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books: Thrillers
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A 2011 Washington Post Notable Book for Fiction
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A New York Times bestseller
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Selected for the April 2011 Indie Next List
The Trinity Six Listener Reviews
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" Loved it! Sped through it and couldn't put it down. I like a good spy thriller and this one really is good. Highly recommended. "
— Rebecca, 2/18/2014 -
" Interesting story based, in part, on historical events surrounding a Soviet spy ring, started at Trinity College, that began in the 1930's and was quite a scandal later in British history. I liked it but wish that I could have listened to in on audiobook in that a good narrator could have spiced the story up a bit. "
— Caroline, 2/16/2014 -
" wow excellent novel. spy thriller take you to non stop reading experience. good work by author. "
— Jtkpon, 2/15/2014 -
" 3.5 stars. Very intelligently written and researched, but it didn't fully hold my interest until the last third of the book. "
— Kelly, 2/8/2014 -
" Exciting at times and I enjoyed the cold war history lesson but some of the writing was very average and I just couldn't like the main character or any of the other characters. "
— Alex, 1/25/2014 -
" slow beginning and then hurry-up and finish ending "
— Jolynne, 1/15/2014 -
" Relatively routine thriller - it rattles along quite nicely but is really quite lightweight. "
— Gareth, 1/3/2014 -
" Good British-tinged read, about the "Sixth Man," the alleged Soviet spy that sprung from radicalized Cambridge in the 1930's. A nice hypothesis, with intrigue and derring-do, bad guys, (somewhat) good guys, and guys/gals in the middle. Good summering. "
— Tom, 1/1/2014 -
" Generally pretty good, though I felt it wasn't as thrilling as it could be. For me it never really took off into a book I couldn't put down. "
— Elliot, 11/25/2013 -
" Meh. Read for RA purposes. Dude fans of spy stuff will enjoy. "
— Melissa, 9/27/2013 -
" Good old fashioned spy thriller. Good interesting characters, I enjoyed this book. "
— Paul, 6/30/2013 -
" A good summer beach reading with the usual Cold War suspects in a post-Cold War world: bad Russians and corrupt English intelligence chief "
— Richard, 11/10/2012 -
" Very good - not quite there with Robert Littell and Le Carre, but very good. "
— Alex, 7/28/2012 -
" Plot was kind of predictable, but it was fun to listen to as I commuted to and from work. Sometimes you need a break from NPR. "
— Ryan, 7/10/2012 -
" I liked it. It's a good quick read that kept me captivated. If I didn't have to stop reading for work and sleep, I wouldn't have put it down. "
— Nickki, 1/15/2012 -
" Very good a bit like an easier le carre "
— Davy, 12/20/2011 -
" I was so intrigued by the plot, but ended up somewhat disappointed. "
— Alec88, 11/11/2011 -
" I would have given this spy novel a 3 1/2 star rating if I could. I probably liked it more because of my longstanding fascination with the actual British spies who spied for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and this fictional story involved discovering a "Sixth Man." "
— Karen, 8/30/2011 -
" I've been craving a spy thriller, which means I may be biased in reviewing this book. I just can't properly appreciate a spy thriller novel where the protagonist is not the spy. It was good as an audiobook. "
— Steven, 3/20/2011
About the Authors
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.
John R. Bruning is the author or coauthor of more than a dozen nonfiction books, including the critically acclaimed Shadow of the Sword and House to House. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two children.
Michael Golembesky worked as a truck driver before enlisting into the Marine Corps shortly after the events of 9/11. While on his second deployment in Iraq, he was selected to become an aircraft controller with the newly formed Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Honorably discharged in 2010 after eight years of military service, Michael, along with his wife Sabrina and daughter Devlyn, returned home to Colorado where he works as a defense contractor and writer.
About the Narrators
Peter Berkrot, winner of Audie and Earphones Awards for narration, is a stage, screen, and television actor and acting coach. He has narrated over 450 works that span a range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, thriller, and children’s titles. His audiobook credits include works of Alan Glynn, Eric Van Lustbader, Nora Roberts and Dean Koontz. In film and television, he appeared in Caddyshack, America’s Most Wanted, and Unsolved Mysteries. He performs in regional and New York theaters and directs the New Voices acting school.
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.