‘A wonderfully assured first novel. From the first page to the last it has the ring of absolute authenticity. Tautly written, cleverly plotted and with a real sense of moral anger at the cruelties and duplicities of modern espionage it reminded me strongly of the early books of John le Carre’ Robert Harris

‘A gripping debut novel, which shows there is still life in spy fiction despite the end of the Cold War… Cumming memorably captures the loneliness and constant anxiety of a man who has chosen to lie for a living… one finds oneself totally caught up in his story… The book is well researched and deftly plotted and though there is a clear debt to Deighton and le Carre, Cumming never seems like a mere imitator… In its exciting closing stages, it is a book one would be seriously annoyed to have to put down’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Eerily good (where did this brand-new writer develop such style, authority and muscle?)… plotting both plausible and persuasive, with horrors which mount stealthily behind a veneer of seemingly straightforward cloak-and-dagger games… Strong and serious entertainment; don’t miss’ Literary Review

‘Subtle, evocative and haunting. Cumming writes beautifully, equally at home with the broad brushstrokes of international geopolitics as he is with the finer dabs of nuance and subtlety. His plotting is assured, but where he really excels is with his characterization… Even the most fleeting of characters are given distinctive voices and identities - something that only Thomas Harris among modern thriller writers does better’ Boris Starling

‘A fine debut to what will doubtless be an impressive literary career… Accurate in every detail… Anyone wishing to join the Secret Intelligence Service should certainly buy this book… Tautly written… Cumming writes it like it is’ Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday

‘An intense study of the world of espionage… Cumming ventures calmly and collectedly into the spy’s psyche’ Daily Mirror

‘An extraordinary confident debut: an espionage thriller that has the classic touch of early le Carre’ Bookseller

‘Clever… Taut and well plotted, it’s a strong first novel that shows off Cumming’s abilities’ Punch

‘Mixes the tight, involved plot of a thriller with a literary feeling for language… Buy it’ Limb by Limb

‘The contemporary spy novel was said to have died with the Cold War but Charles Cumming has brought to life a story of modern spying… a good read and a good spy novel. It has been some time since a writer took on the MI5/SIS mantle with any tone of authenticity and this novel certainly succeeds in its descriptions of tradecraft and the like… a writer who will be well worth reading for some time to come’ Peter Miller

‘Don’t miss out on this brilliant, atmospheric thriller. Gripping and authentic, it shows Cumming is the real thing’ Chris Ryan