The Man Between

The gripping new spy thriller you need to read in 2018

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 5 Jun 2018 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2022

Description

‘Recommended. I read it one breathless sitting’ Ian Rankin

A gripping new standalone spy thriller, recalling the classic film Casablanca, from the winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year and ‘the master of the modern spy thriller’ (Mail on Sunday).

A SIMPLE TASK
Successful novelist Kit Carradine has grown restless. So when British Intelligence invites him to enter the secret world of espionage, he willingly takes a leap into the unknown.

A GLOBAL THREAT
Kit finds himself in Morocco on the trail of Lara Bartok – a leading figure in Resurrection, a revolutionary movement whose brutal attacks on right-wing politicians have spread violence throughout the West.

A DANGEROUS TARGET
Drawn to Lara, but caught between competing intelligence services who want her dead, Kit faces an awful choice: abandon her to her fate or risk everything trying to save her.

‘An instant classic of the genre’ Mick Herron ‘The Man Between is up there with the best – full of thrills, wit and fine writing’ Peter Robinson
‘Recommended. I read it one breathless sitting’ Ian Rankin

A gripping new standalone spy thriller, recalling the classic film Casablanca, from the winner of the CWA Ian Fleming...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9780008200336
PRICE £5.99 (GBP)
PAGES 400

Available on NetGalley

Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)

Average rating from 36 members


Featured Reviews

Charles Cumming has developed into one of the finest spy thriller writers around and “The Man Between”will on,y add to his burgeoning reputation.

It is a stand-alone book which has a brilliantly original premise. What if a writer of spy thrillers actually had the chance to become a spy?

Kit Carradine is given this opportunity but nothing and nobody is what it seems to be and he is floundering out of his depth but somehow come through by means of his intuition, common sense and sense of what is right.

I won’t provide any spoilers but the action is breathless and the quality of plotting and writing exceptional.

Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

This spy story is a gripping read. It intrigues from page one and goes on from strength to strength. The characters are well drawn and the story is full of surprises. The use of a spy novelist becoming a professional spy is a nice touch. The context is well created too with the reader feeling drawn in to the atmosphere of the countries visited. I strongly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

Charles Cumming's spy thrillers are getting better and better.

It is hard to say very much about this well-paced, well-crafted novel without spoiling the fun for a potential reader. It is very good. It is extremely difficult to put down. It would be a great holiday read and would make an excellent film. Read it!

Was this review helpful?

This is an excellent addition to Charles Cumming's collection of spy novels. It's a standalone novel rather than part of a series, and begins when a writer of spy thrillers, Kit Carradine, encounters a stranger who draws him into the murky world of international espionage. Using his cover as a author, Carradine is soon on his way to Morocco to complete the relatively straightforward tasks of making a delivery and meeting with a contact as well as keeping his eye open for a mysterious woman who has disappeared. However, things don't quite go according to plan, and Carradine is soon drawn into a complex web of events, about which I won't say more, but it does feel very topical for the current political climate.
It's a really gripping story that is told well; the suspense builds gradually, and there are several genuinely surprising moments which make you pause to catch your breath before turning the next page. There is a good sense of place too with both London and Morocco (the main scenes for the action) being evoked in a realistic way.
This is thoroughly recommended if you enjoy a high class spy thriller. A really good read.

Was this review helpful?

We seem to be living in a golden age of spy thrillers. Mick Herron’s bunch of cynical misfits, Adam Brookes’ superb Mangan trilogy and now a new book from Charles Cumming. These authors have all been compared to John Le Carre which is both unfair and unjustified as they have each developed their own style which is very different from Le Carre.

Cumming’s latest novel is just as good as its predecessors and is based on the premise that an author of spy novels is approached to work for the security services. If this seems far-fetched, it apparently happened to Cumming himself as well as a number of other well-known authors.

It’s difficult to describe the plot without giving away spoilers and I’m definitely not going to let on whether a follow-up is possible. Suffice to say that it’s a heady mix of Service agents from the USA, Britain and Russia who may or may not be working together to demolish a revolutionary movement who have been targeting far-right individuals (look out Katie Hopkins) and organisations in an increasingly violent manner. A couple of years ago, such a plot might have been seen as outlandish but with the way that global politics seem to be going, it’s frighteningly realistic.

Because he is such a good writer, Cumming builds the tension not through the use of gung-ho “bang bang, you’re dead” antics, but via great storytelling and sparse prose. When the occasional burst of violence does occur, it’s therefore genuinely shocking rather than just another gory set-piece.

I have one small caveat on what I thought was another excellent novel by this author and that is the bout of philosophising towards the end seemed unnecessary and detracted slightly from a tremendously powerful and nail-biting conclusion. However, I really enjoyed this book and thoroughly recommend it.

I am very grateful to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in return for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Very much enjoyed the book. My first book by Charles Cumming but definitely not the last.
Not really in the Le Carre mould not enough atmosphere but where is lacked in its characters it gained with the pace and excitement.
You can feel frustrated with the amateur naivety of the main character "Kit" Carrandine which appeared too much for any reality.
Overall a good read .

Was this review helpful?

5*****!

I DEVOURED this book. It is a top-notch spy thriller.

".....His novels occupied a literary space equidistant between Ludlum's kiss-kiss-bang-bang and the slow-burn chess game of Le Carré."

So says Kit Carradine, Cumming's lead character, a writer, who in this book is describing his own work. The same statement couldn't be more accurate of Cumming's own work, which appears to be at least semi-autobiographical - it does feel like a truly contemporary Le Carré - less action than a Ludlum and more cerebral.

I also loved the direct mention of The Man Who Knew Too Much, as it came strongly to mind with the setting and circumstances and similarly Highsmith's thriller writing was also evoked.

I found myself muttering "No!" at Carradine when he made a poor decision (regularly) and was utterly gripped in the pursuit sequences. The characters were believable, the places felt authentic and the writing was solid. It is an incredibly fast-paced read and I flew through it, only to be disappointed that I had no more of it left to read at the finish. The exciting thing is that Cumming has written more books and I'm grateful to have been introduced to his oeuvre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and Charles Cumming for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: