A Divided Spy by Charles Cumming

A Divided Spy
By Charles Cumming
Published by HarperCollins (2 June 2016)
ISBN: 978-0007467518

Publisher's description

Thomas Kell thought he was done with spying. A former MI6 officer, he devoted his life to the Service, but it has left him with nothing but grief and a simmering anger against the Kremlin.

Then Kell is offered an unexpected chance at revenge. Taking the law into his own hands, he embarks on a mission to recruit a top Russian spy who is in possession of a terrifying secret. As Kell tracks his man from Moscow to London, he finds himself in a high stakes game of cat and mouse in which it becomes increasingly difficult to know who is playing whom.

As the mission reaches boiling point, the threat of a catastrophic terrorist attack looms over Britain. Kell is faced with an impossible choice. Loyalty to MI6 – or to his own conscience?

My verdict
A Divided Spy is the third Thomas Kell novel, but the first Charles Cumming book I have read. So I read it as a standalone. The fact that I hadn't read the two previous books didn't detract from the main plot at all, although I do feel that I now need to read them to understand more about Kell's personal and professional background.

Former MI6 agent Thomas Kell is torn between doing the right thing for his country and avenging the death of the woman he loved. Due to past events (I assume in previous books), he has no idea who to trust - even within his own circle. There are two main subplots within this book. The first focuses on Kell's mission to recruit a top Russian spy. The second focuses on a young Muslim man who has returned to the UK from Egypt. These two subplots are intricately woven together to culminate in a dramatic finale.

A Divided Spy provides a fascinating insight into the world of espionage. It's an intriguing blend of love/relationships, terrorism, spies and counter-terrorism. There were plenty of twists and turns all the way through to the end. I particularly loved the London scenes, with their familiar streets, locations and landmarks, and found the characterisation to be strong, well-rounded and believable. The writing is so succinct, gripping and tense that I couldn't put the book down, reading most of it in one sitting.

This book is ideal for fans of John le Carré and Ian Fleming and/or the TV series Spooks.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Lovereading.