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Charles Cumming was born in Scotland in 1971. He was educated at Eton and graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1994 with First Class Honours in English Literature. The Observer has described him as ""the best of the new generation of British spy writers who are taking over where John le Carré and Len Deighton left off"". In the summer of 1995, Charles was approached for recruitment by the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). A year later he moved to Montreal where he began working on a novel based on his experiences with MI6. A Spy By Nature was published in the UK in 2001.
'Tense and Topical' Waterstones Best Espionage Thrillers of 2023 ‘Cumming is perhaps matched only by Gerald Seymour now when it comes to recounting field operations; and in the Senegal set piece — with its vivid sense of place, its echoes of le Carré and Greene — he excels himself’ Sunday Times 'Cumming’s concern for his protagonist’s psychological development remains the most distinctive aspect of his writing, but he also deserves kudos for his bold choice of setting, which adds skilful dabs of colour to a tightly wrought tale' The Times ‘A compelling exploration of the consequences of realpolitik and the intermingling of the personal with the political’ Guardian ‘Cumming marshals his twin time frames expertly and illuminates an awful chapter in recent history. A first-rate spy thriller’ Mail on Sunday ‘Atmospheric and packed with threat, it thrills on every single page’ Daily Mail ‘An enthralling, haunting work…taking the spy thriller to a new level of storytelling, one that illuminates the darkest corners of our modern world’ Financial Times ‘The unusual setting gives it real heft’ Sun ‘Educational and infuriating, this is a compelling depiction of the various layers of infamy involved in an appalling blot on the history of humanity’ Literary review Praise for Charles Cumming ‘The storytelling is first-rate, with all the minutiae of spycraft, sense of place and memorable supporting characters you could wish for’ Sunday Times ‘Tense and topical, this has all you could want from an intelligent contemporary spy thriller’ The Times ‘Superbly constructed, it never hurries, but evokes the world of espionage in a way the late John le Carre would have much admired’ Daily Mail ‘Charles Cumming is up there with the very best espionage writers’ Ian Rankin ‘A wonderful spy novel; Charles Cumming’s most ambitious – and his best – yet’ Mick Herron ‘Atmospheric and full of sharply realised characters’ Sunday Times ‘Excellent’ Anthony Horowitz
