Skip to main content
Digital Audiobook
A Colder War by Charles Cumming

Listen to a sample

00:00
00:00

A Colder War

Thomas Kell Spy Thriller (Related to this series)

Narrator
Jot Davies
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Publish Date
24 April 2014
Run Time
12 hours 2 minutes
Format
Audiobook
Rating
5.0 (1 review)

Not available in your country

We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.

What to expect

From the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author and winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year.

Thomas Kell is a disgraced agent who longs to come in from the cold. When MI6’s top spy in Turkey is killed in a mysterious plane crash, his chance arrives… for Kell is the only man Service Chief Amelia Levene can trust to investigate the accident.

In Istanbul, Kell soon discovers that there is a traitor inside Western Intelligence. Then he meets Rachel- the dead spy’s daughter- and the stakes grow higher still.

From London to Greece and into Eastern Europe, Kell tracks the mole. But a betrayal close to home transforms the operation into something more personal. Soon Kell will stop at nothing to see it through.

Perfect for fans of John le Carré, Charles Cumming is ‘the master of the modern spy thriller’ (Mail on Sunday)

Critics Review

  • Praise for A Colder War:

    ‘A Colder War is more than an excellent thriller: it is also a novel that forces us to look behind the headlines and question some of our own comfortable assumptions’ Spectator

    ‘An espionage maestro . . . The levels of psychological insight are married to genuine narrative acumen – but anyone who has read his earlier books will expect no less’ Independent

    ‘For those hungering for a new John le Carré, Charles Cumming has inherited the master’s mantle. His new book, A Colder War, features sinister goings-on in spook-infested Istanbul’ Sunday Times

    ‘There’s a sense that Kell is developing into a Smiley for our times’ Mail on Sunday

    ‘[Cumming] expertly recreates a world of waiting and watching where boredom is as much an enemy as other agents, and yet has still produced a page-turning thriller. . .If you thought true spy novels went out with the Berlin wall, think again’ Press Association

    ‘Edgily elegant … perfect for those wanting a contemporary spy thriller in the vein of Le Carré and even for those who don’t’ Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

    Praise for A Foreign Country:

    ‘We are in Smiley country, but with extra 21st century nuance … Cumming has an exquisite touch and we should treasure him’ Daily Mail

    ‘A thriller that has everything you could ask for – a twisty, sexy plot, topical themes, memorable characters and plentiful spy lore’ Sunday Times, Books of the Year

    ‘Refreshing, plausible and effective … Best of all is the sheer pace of the narrative’ Spectator

    ‘You are likely to be up for most of the night to find out how this novel ends. It grips from the first page … A fast-moving treat’ The Scotsman

    Praise for Charles Cumming:

    ‘Charles Cumming is a man put on this earth to perpetuate the spy thriller’ Daily Telegraph

    ‘From the first page to the last it has the ring of absolute authenticity. Tautly written, cleverly plotted…it reminded me strongly of the early books of John le Carré’ Robert Harris

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 5.0

  • No written reviews yet.

Details

Author
Charles Cumming
Narrator
Jot Davies
Duration
12 hours 2 minutes
Release Date
24 April 2014
ISBN
9780007543601
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Genre
Espionage and spy thriller, Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Political / legal thriller, Thriller: terrorism, Adventure / action fiction, Historical fiction, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
Rating
5.0(1 review)
Narration
5.0(1 review)

Synopsis

From the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author and winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year. Thomas Kell is a disgraced agent who longs to come in from the cold. When MI6’s top spy in Turkey is killed in a mysterious plane crash, his chance arrives… for Kell is the only man Service Chief Amelia Levene can trust to investigate the accident. In Istanbul, Kell soon discovers that there is a traitor inside Western Intelligence. Then he meets Rachel- the dead spy’s daughter- and the stakes grow higher still. From London to Greece and into Eastern Europe, Kell tracks the mole. But a betrayal close to home transforms the operation into something more personal. Soon Kell will stop at nothing to see it through. Perfect for fans of John le Carré, Charles Cumming is ‘the master of the modern spy thriller’ (Mail on Sunday)

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.