The Spanish Game

by Charles Cumming

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Alec Milius (2)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
310	10	85,236	(3.27)	5
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. For six years, Alec Milius has been trying to escape his past, but his past refuses to release him. Abandoned by MI6 after a disastrous operation against the CIA, Milius has slowly rebuilt his life in Madrid. Older and wiser than the young spy who first caught the eye of British Intelligence, Milius still has a talent for deception-and a fatal weakness for secrets. So when a prominent politician disappears under suspicious circumstances, Milius can't resist tracking him down. But the rules have changed. Alec is now working alone, outside the boundaries of any official agency. Paranoid and expendable, he soon becomes vulnerable to the ruthless duplicities of a secret world in which no one can be trusted. Yet as he comes face to face with the nightmare of modern terror, Alec is given one last chance for redemption.… (more)

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Enjoyed the Madrid setting and it moved right along in good thriller fashion. (

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featherbooks | May 7, 2024 |

I'm so glad that I went back and re-read "A Spy By Nature" before I started this sequel. You need to understand the reasons for his paranoia to be able to get into this story. As another reviewer commented, I wouldn't want to know Alec Milius, but in this book, I did have some sympathy for him.
It is, I think, better written than its predecessor, particularly in terms of sustaining the pace, despite a lot of interesting exposition about the Basque struggle. It twists and turns and, like Alec, you begin to suspect everyone, and you are right to!
I have already picked up the rest of Cummings' oeuvre and look forward to reading them over the coming weeks with pleasureable expectation (

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johnwbeha | Nov 18, 2015 |

Set in Spain in 2003, this taut, fast-paced second novel featuring Alec Milius, who has been trying for five years to keep out of the sight of MI6 and the CIA after an operation in which he was involved went wrong. But Alec finds life tame after working for MI6 and longs to return. In a plot that twists and turns and keeps you glued to the page, Alec who is living in Madrid becomes involved with the terrorist group, ETA, whose goal is Basque independence. Initially, starting his own investigation into the disappearance of a Basque councillor and ETA supporter, Alec is reunited with the intelligence services. But as he digs deeper, nothing is quite as it seems.

camharlow2 | Apr 29, 2014 |

Really loved Trinity Six. Maybe I should have read the book that introduces the MC (Spy by Nature). Learned a whole lot about Spanish politics and "dirty wars". (

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librarian1204 | Apr 26, 2013 |

A fast paced sequel to Cumming's 'A spy by Nature. The Madrid setting is well done, the action fast paced and Milius saves the day. (

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EctopicBrain | Dec 4, 2012 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Cumming, Charles	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Hel Guedj, Johan-Frederik	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Vance, Simon	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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Alec Milius (2)

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Canonical title

The Spanish Game

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2008-11-25

People/Characters

Alec Milius

Important places

Madrid, Spain

Important events

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Disambiguation notice

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Charles Cumming

▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Thriller. For six years, Alec Milius has been trying to escape his past, but his past refuses to release him. Abandoned by MI6 after a disastrous operation against the CIA, Milius has slowly rebuilt his life in Madrid. Older and wiser than the young spy who first caught the eye of British Intelligence, Milius still has a talent for deception-and a fatal weakness for secrets. So when a prominent politician disappears under suspicious circumstances, Milius can't resist tracking him down. But the rules have changed. Alec is now working alone, outside the boundaries of any official agency. Paranoid and expendable, he soon becomes vulnerable to the ruthless duplicities of a secret world in which no one can be trusted. Yet as he comes face to face with the nightmare of modern terror, Alec is given one last chance for redemption.

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