My thanks to Charles Cumming, Harper Collins and Net Galley for the ARC of JUDAS 62
The second novel I have read by the author, and in the Lachlan Kite series. It is set in the present time and in 1993, documenting Kite's second foray into espionage as a 22-year-old, when he is sent to Soviet Russia to retrieve a Russian scientist. In the present time, Lachlan discovers he is on a list called the JUDAS list, which included the likes of Litvinenko and Skripal, which is linked to his past.
Gripping, perfectly paced, and choc-full of twists and turns. Brilliant.

First one I have read in the series but I loved it. The multi layered story between two time lines was excellent. The characters are human and flawed making you feel for them and wanting the best outcome.
I will be looking out for the next book as I want to find out how the lives of the characters develop and unfold.

This book is a thrilling story of espionage, spying, treachery and the silent games of covert warfare : the double dealing and double cross countries carry out with and on each other in the name of their countries safety. An under cover agency Box 88 find out a Russian scientist secretly extracted and given asylum three decades previously and brought to safety is now on a secret hit list. Moreover the secret agent responsible for the successful operation may also be on the hit list. With supreme skill the author takes us back in history to when the chief protagonist was a young man, unproven in the skills of spy craft, on his first mission to extradite the individual from post communist Russia. The story then moves to current day, in the throes of a pandemic, when as a senior officer in Box 88 he must once again protect the defector and clarify if he himself is a target. A cat and mouse operation ensues both complicated and thrilling with everyone involved risking their lives on the whim of circumstances and luck. This book, the second I have read by this author is comprehensive in detail and planning with locations expertly researched and characters exquisitely drawn . A five star read on every level and a book which cannot be recommended highly enough. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is the second in the Lachlan Kite series and in my opinion it's even better than the first. The novel is told in dual timelines; in 1993 student Lachlan Kite is sent to post Soviet Russia as a spy, in 2020 Kite is now director of Box88 in the UK, when he discovers that he is on a list of enemies of Russia his fight for survival takes him to Dubai. This is a gripping and well paced novel, the character of Kite is well developed in this second novel and he is a likeable and convincing character. I preferred the 2020 timeline and found this was better paced and more believable. Overall however, a great addition to the series and I'm looking forward to the next. Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Charles Cumming delivers a brilliant addition to the Box 88 series.

The first book was great, the second even better. We are treated to a story delivered in two timelines. 1993, during Lockie’s second ever operation, and present day where the actions that take place in 1993 culminate into a life or death mission. During both timelines we are treated to learning more about Lockie and what makes him tick. First in his impressionable, naïve early days and then in his later introspective and reflective leadership role.

Box 88’s world of Anglo-American espionage brilliance is really intriguing and enjoyable.
Likewise, Charles delivery of the story in our modern day, covid affected world is tangible and realistic. All in all the story is thoroughly enjoyable and I personally cannot wait for the next edition in the series.

“No man steps in the same river twice. He is not the same man and it is not the same river”

This book was so good that I stayed up all night to finish it but was still bereft (though exhausted) when I read the last page.

I really enjoyed the 1st book in this series, Box 88, but the sequel is even better - a sign of a great writer!

As usual, Cumming draws you in straight away with well drawn and interesting characters and a fast paced and thrilling plot line. He writes with deft touches making each character, place and event plausible. Kite is a very intriguing but immensely likeable character - his background, the development of his personality and his integrity make this book what it is.

Cumming has the flair to create characters that you really get to know and believe in against a thrilling backdrop of espionage and intrigue. It’s like reading a William Boyd mixed with John le Carre though the author is very unique in his style.

I thoroughly recommend this book and I can’t wait for the third in the series!

The second installment in the Box 88 series is a gripping, well-written spy thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Personally, I did not find it as much of a page turner as the first in the series but still a highly enjoyable - and recommended - read.

Cummings skillfully switches timelines in order to recall Lockie's previous experiences in Russia in 1993 which have led him to being included on the Russian's Judas watchlist, as well as the modern day mission in Dubai where the Box 88 team attempt to bring a conclusion to the events of 1993.

The plot feels believable, realistic and discusses Covid in an authentic way. The inclusion of unecessary details occasionally detracts from the pacing of the plot somewhat but still an entertaining read. I look forward to the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

Judas 62 is a brilliant spy novel and the second focusing on Lockie Kite, operative with Box 88 which is a clandestine organisation of UK and US intelligence.

We join Lockie in the present day, at the tail end of Covid, as the Russians are wreaking more havoc targeting enemies with fatal toxins. Lockie is a man with his own history with Russia, having helped a defector escape in 1993 and we are taken back to that hazardous mission. Rolling forward to the present day, the Box 88 team find themselves in Dubai to tie up some unexpected loose ends from the events of 1993.

Charles Cumming is an absolute master of modern spy fiction. This is a brilliant balance of the immediate historical significance of post Soviet Russia and their modern methodologies. Both stories are excellent and the characters are well executed with everyone being utterly believable. My only slight grumble is the amount of time given over to chatter about public schoolboys!

Judas 62 would make a fine stand alone. However, if you haven’t read Box 88, it is well worth starting at the beginning of Lockie’s journey. An absolute joy. 4.5*

Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the ARC.

Having read & loved BOX 88 earlier this summer, I was delighted to be granted access to an e-ARC of JUDAS 52, the second book in Charles Cumming's BOX 88 series starring Lachlan (Lockie) Kite.

Having only recently discovered Cumming's work, I have a full back catalogue to work my way through and have no doubt that I'll be doing that - Cumming writes an incredible spy thriller!

JUDAS 62 sees Lockie once again having to face his operational past. In 'real time' this novel is set during 2020 and, thus, the pandemic. Cumming's doesn't make much of this fact (something I was grateful for) except for face masks and tests mentioned where appropriate. We join Lockie a few months after the events of BOX 88. His family life has taken a hit after the events of BOX 88, but he's soon thrown back into the operational deep end again. The Russians are continuing to work through their 'kill list' that has seen them target Skripal, Litvinenko etc (I enjoyed this weave of fact and fiction). Lockie is alerted that one of his old aliases is on that kill list. So we travel back in time to post-Soviet Russia where we learn of young Lachlan Kite's second operation for BOX 88 and the impact it will have on his life in the years to come.

I devoured this book. I adored the breadth and depth of this story. I truly admire Cumming's ability to write such a rich, history-spanning tale of espionage. If you're looking for a well written, well rounded, addictive spy thriller then look no further than this series. I can't wait to read more of Lachlan Kite!

Charles Cumming gives us a thrilling sequel to Box 88, a covert Anglo-American intelligence agency, giving us a dual time narrative that allows us to compare and contrast the inexperienced naive, but confident and quick thinking Lachlan 'Lockie' Kite in 1993, an Edinburgh student in a relationship with Martha that runs into problems which has him wanting space, and the present day Lockie, now the Head of Box 88, operating in a world now where spycraft has changed considerably. He is estranged from wife, Isobel, after previous events, and missing seeing his daughter, Ingrid. In the summer of 1993, Lockie arrives in Voronezh in Russia as Peter Galvin, an English Language teacher, on a dangerous mission to extract a Russian chemical weapons scientist, Yuri Aranov, and drive him to freedom in the Ukraine.

In the present, a former Russian General is murdered with Novichok in a horrifying, manner in the Adirondacks in the U.S., assassinated by Putin's FSB (ex-KGB) agents as a traitor, one of many targets on their Judas List. A recent addition to the list is Lockie, he is Judas 62, under the name of Peter Galvin, he has no intention of taking this lying down, and proceeds to organise a mission to Dubai, to target an old enemy from 1993, the powerful, ruthless and brutal FSB agent, Mikhail Gromik, a Putin ally, who has been responsible for many of the killings of those on the Judas List. The plan is to use Aranov as bait, someone Gromik would not be able to resist going after. Lockie endangered the 1993 operation by getting involved with beautiful student, Oksana, critically it shapes Lockie, as he becomes more opportunistic and manipulative, he begins to understand the life of a spy can be unforgiving, and see the nightmare horrors of 'collateral damage'.

Cumming portrays an espionage world which comes across as authentic with its echoes of our contemporary realities, the Russians have shown no qualms in going after Russians in other countries, as we know to our cost, for example, with the Salisbury poisonings in the UK. I found both timelines equally fascinating, the younger Lockie and the differences in the more mature and reflective man in the present, and the many ways in which Toby Landau in Dubai exhibits similar qualities to the younger Lockie. This is a great spy thriller, entertaining, dark, and packed with plenty of suspense that makes for a gripping novel likely to appeal to a wide range of readers. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Another great spy thriller in the Box series. The team set out to rescue a scientist from Russia and then entrap a Russian spy in Dubai . Lots of tension and daring do. Some enjoyable characters and ono stop action. Very good series.

I enjoyed Box 88, the previous book in this series. Charles Cumming knows how to write a good old fashioned spy story, realistic and gritty with strong characters.
Judas 62 follows the same kind of theme and characters. Box 88 is a shadow global intelligence organisation sitting unseen alongside the traditional agencies. It is headed up by Lachlan Kite and much of the focus is on him. We start (mainly) in the early 1990’s and a young Kite has been recruited into the mysterious Box 88 and given his first mission. Go into Russia and help a scientist escape into the West. The first half of the book is set within that mission, with Kite almost alone in the claustrophobic atmosphere of Russia. Can he avoid the regime of surveillance and brutality to get his man out?
Then we switch to the modern day and his old mission becomes relevant again, and Kite and his team may have to sacrifice everything to resolve issues from the past.
This works on many levels, Kite as a young man in his 20s shown signs of the man he will become but also the inexperience and naivety of his youth. The atmosphere and attitudes of Russia pre the fall of the Berlin Wall are captured very well. The switch to modern times shows how things have changed with the use of technology and a different type of intelligence game.
A good series and I hope there is more. I do feel that Kite’s public school background has been fleshed out enough though and hope the next book deals entirely with the grown up Kite and his Box 88 team.

I loved the previous book in this series, Box 88 but I loved this one more. It's a real page-turner, but at times I had to take a break from reading it as the tension was almost too much to bear - I would make a terrible spy!
The characters are all excellent, and Lachlan Kite is a believable personality, even as a young man.
This book would make an excellent film and I can't wait for the next in the series.

JUDAS 62 is a very competent spy thriller. It spans two periods in Lachlan Kite's life of spying, one where he is young and tasked with his second mission and the other where he is a lot older but feeling the repercussions of that second mission. Certainly Lachlan's younger self got him into a bit of mischief but more worryingly his actions implicated the beautiful Oksana Sharikova who, whilst not being an innocent, was completely innocent of the charges brought against her, leading to her brutal torture and rape. Lachlan's girlfriend Martha catches up with him in Veronezh and almost causes mission failure but she grasps the nettle and assists him. It's the kill list on which Lachlan's alias now appears which causes him to remember that second mission when he was a young man. His guilt over Oksana and memories of Martha but more particularly his loathing of Gromik in sanctioning Oksana's torture and rape.
I don't know if I'm alone as a reader in hating the C word to be woven in to the plot of modern novels. Here I am talking about Covid. We are all so bored with it we don't really want to be reminded of it. Yes a Covid mask might be helpful in disguising someone in a spy novel but AI algo's in Russia's and China's CCTV networks are still supposed to be able to identify someone wearing a mask!
On another topic, steaming open a postcard? Learning how to change the oil in an exfil Lada? Really? I did rather like the two hose trick for syphoning petrol but doubt it would work. The seal would have to be perfect and the amount of breath required, nothing short of Olympian. I'm a bit of a sucker for the single hose, it's not pleasant but it is quick.
Altogether though, a brilliant spy novel and well deserving of five stars. I do hope we read of Lachlan again and maybe find out what happened to Martha?

I read the previous book, Box 88 and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one did not disappoint. The story is a development from happenings in the first book but could stand alone.
For me, this book was more complex with more detail, while maintaining the human side of the main characters.
I loved it, couldn't put it down and was desperate to pick it up again. While on the side of the good guys, there is a dreadful fear that the bad ones will win out at times! A brilliant spy thriller written in very modern times.
Thoroughly recommended

‘Judas 62’ is the second in Charles Cumming’s Box 88 series and this story takes place in two different places and times: post-Soviet Russia in 1993 and Dubai in 2020. The first half of the novel focuses on the central character Lachlan Kite’s early days as a spy. Still a student at Edinburgh University, he is tasked with posing as EFL teacher Peter Galvin before escorting chemical weapons scientist, Yuri Aranov, to the West via Ukraine. Closely tracked by FSB agent, Mikhail Gromik, this section of the novel is engrossing. Not only does Cumming give the reader all the cultural and geographical details to put us right there in the dingy classroom with the rest of Kite’s pupils; he also ensures an exciting escape with its fair share of nail-biting moments.
Fast forward to 2020 and Kite is on the Judas list – that which records enemies of Russia targeted for assassination - albeit under the pseudonym of Peter Galvin. Notwithstanding all of the Covid restrictions, there is an opportunity for Kite to lure his old enemy, Mikhail Gromik, to Dubai using Aranov as bait, so that he can enact revenge for the brutal way in which Gromik treated Oksana Sharikova, a young woman Kite had an affair with in 1993.
Those who enjoy intelligently written, authentic-sounding spy thrillers will love the latest story about Lachlan Kite and the Box 88 organisation. Whilst there is an occasional surfeit of detail, characterisation and plot are equally compelling. Peppered with references to real-life Russian poisonings and Covid 19 details, alongside wholly recognisable settings, such as the 5 star rooftop bars of Dubai or the Russian down-at-heel language school, Cumming makes his readers believe that this narrative could easily happen! An excellent read.
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I spent a very enjoyable weekend reading this excellent sequel to Charles Cumming’s compelling espionage thriller Box 88.
Featuring once again spy extraordinaire Lachlan Kite, Judas 62 follows on from the previous book and is an equally exciting read that had me gripped from the very first page. It is really two stories, set in two different time frames which are cleverly linked.
In the 1990s, 22 year old Lachlan is a student at Edinburgh University, still going out with Martha and still planning to work for the secret spy organisation Box 88 after graduation. When he is asked to perform a task for them over the Summer vacation he jumps at the chance and he is sent to Russia undercover to teach English and smuggle a defecting scientist across the border to the Ukraine. This part of the book was brilliant. As well as describing 1990s Russia in an authentic way, the author ensured that the plot was nail biting. I couldn’t put the book down.
The present day section starts with the assassination of an elderly Russian defector using Novichok poison. Lachlan is now head of Box 88, estranged from his family and fearing for their safety when he discovers who is behind the murder plot, he worries that he is also a target for the Russians. He hatches a scheme to bring the culprits to justice and this forms the second part of the novel.
It was almost like reading two different books but both were equally well written and exciting. It was interesting to see the development of Lachlan as a young spy whilst still a student to the present day chief of Box 88. The young “ Lockie” has the confidence of youth coupled with the ability to think quickly whereas older Lachlan has more to worry about and runs the operation as well as taking a major risk himself. The linking of the two sections was very cleverly done with some of the same characters appearing in both parts.
This was a great espionage thriller with some wonderful characters. It was completely up to date with references to other real life poison assassination plots perpetrated by the Russians as well as mention of the current pandemic.
I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about the life of Lachlan Kite and his colleagues and highly recommend both books to all you espionage thriller fans out there.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

In the aftermath of the recent assassination of a retired Russian exile in the US, Lachlan Kite, head of spy organisation Box 88, finds his own name, in the form of an alias he used in 1993, on the up-to-date Judas List at position 62. This is a list of people the Russians feel betrayed by and who are therefore likely targets for elimination.
Kite’s alias in 1993, was for his operation to spring a young Russian scientist Yuri Aranov to the West. Aranov is number 61 on the list and it gives Kite an idea. He uses Aranov as bait to compromise Mikhail Gromik, the Russian intelligence officer who caused Kite problems in 1993 and who is also at the centre of the Judas List terminations.
The first part of the book, and perhaps the most enjoyable part of it, is a flashback to 1993. Where freshly recruited Kite abandons his summer plans to carry out the Aranov operation at short notice. Cast in the role of an English language teacher, staying in a rundown apartment block in hot, airless Voronezh, the lonely Kite succumbs to the charms of Oksana, one of his adult pupils. This section of narrative is atmospheric, chilling at times but also with the underlying feel that everything will turn out well in the end.
Onwards then to the present day in Dubai where the sting is planned. There is a good feel here too for the heat and the pressure, and this operation is short, over a few days, rather than some weeks as in the earlier one. There was more sophistication in this plot line, some double bluffs, but despite the blips, I remained confident. I prefer the present-day Kite to the 22-year-old one but I’m still not his biggest fan. This is the first book I have read where Covid plays an integral part in the arrangements, and it feels authentic.
This series aims to please all types of reader and I’m not sure if that really works. After Box 88 I noted I would read the next, after Judas 62, I’m not just as sure.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - there are always plenty of reviews like that out there!

Having read the first book in the "Box 88" series, I was delighted to be invited to read this latest novel.

This book has dark plots at the heart, involving the assassination of people on a Russian "Judas" list - people who are held to have betrayed the mother country. There's a blend of fact - relating to known murders of this kind (eg Litvinenko) - and fiction, and it makes for a very believable and gripping plot!

I like the way the author switches between timelines to fill in the history behind the current day situation - it makes the book more three-dimensional. The settings range from the UK, USA, Russia, and Dubai, and the timeline includes modern day references to Covid, so the whole thing feels believable.

An enjoyable, tense, and gripping read that kept me up late to finish it! Looking forward to future episodes in this series!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Lockie Kite #2

Box 88 is an Anglo-American deeply covert spy agency with Lachlan (Lockie) Kite being recruited whilst still a young man at Alford School. The Judas List comprises of Russian enemies and traitors who are targeted by the FSB for revenge kills usually using nerve agents such as Novichok. Judas 61 is Yuri Aranov a Russian scientist spirited out of Russia by student Lockie in 1993 when he uses the identity of ‘Peter Galvin’ and ‘Galvin’ is Judas 62. This political thriller tells the story of Aranov’s escape from Russia in the 90’s and the Judas story in the present day which takes place principally in Dubai.

I really enjoyed Box 88 but this one has a very slow start, it’s convoluted, gets bogged down in unnecessary background and it makes my head spin!! However, once it gets going (about 15%) it’s a darn good thriller. The Judas list has such a ring of authenticity as we all know of revenge stories such as Alexei Navalny and Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury. The 1993 storyline is really good with exciting events keeping you on the edge of your seat. There’s unease, the claustrophobic sense of the watching FSK (former KGB and now FSB) and the uncertainty of evading them, there’s danger at every turn, who is trustworthy and who can be bribed and there are moments of high tension. It’s firmly set in the context of political upheaval following the fall of Gorbachev and the onset of the presidency of Yeltsin. The present day action with the background of Covid is also good with an excellent setting in Dubai which adds an extra layer to the plot. Here are the classic components of a clever political thriller, with spies, double agents, plot stings and revenge. It’s well written with such a large sense of realism and it’s very obvious the author has done his homework. The characters are good, Lockie is very likeable, he’s intelligent with personal life which is a bit messed up but which of course makes him even more interesting! The rest of the Box 88 team are good characters too. with a range of diversity and skills. The Russian characters are done well as we witness the brutal ruthlessness of men like Mikhail Gromik who is in Putin’s inner circle and will stop at nothing.

On the negative side, including the start, there are a LOT of characters in this and it gets a bit mind boggling and the author has a tendency to supply unnecessary details which just get in the way of the fast paced storyline.

Overall though, the positives vastly outweigh the negatives as this is a solid and exciting political thriller with very good central characters and an all too believable plot. I look forward to reading what happens to Lockie in the next instalment.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.