BOX 88

Box 88 is a fantastic love letter to old-school John le Carré styled espionage thrillers that shine with a slow-burn narrative involving two different timelines that intersect beautifully for bombshell revelations.

Charles Cummings introduces the world to Lachlan Kite, an operative for a super clandestine organization born of an alliance between American and British intelligence agencies. When Kite is abducted by Iranian mercenaries who believe him to hold a vault full of secrets pertaining to the Lockerbie incident, he must walk the delicate line of giving out misinformation without getting caught in the lies, for he and his pregnant wife face imminent danger. The answers lie in the past, where readers get to experience the origins of Kite as a young man in the early 90’s plucked from a strict boarding school for his first ever intelligence mission to infiltrate a family with ties to terrorist financiers. It’s a race against time for Kite to figure out a way to escape his predicament before he has to divulge the secret his captors are looking for.

The narrative constantly jumps back and forth between present and past to propel the story in harmony, giving keen insights into what made Lachlan Kite the man he is today. However, the back-and-forth does not detract from the fulfilling experience of reading a fleshed-out story that’s as riveting as it is emotional in establishing the events and characters as thoroughly believable. Box 88 peeks behind the curtains to emphasize the personal consequences of secretive lives and constant deception.

Along with a strong emotional epicenter, Box 88 is filled with realistic tradecraft for espionage operatives utilizing creative intelligence-gathering apparatuses to further their investigations, placing a premium on subtlety and discretion, perfect for fans of nitty gritty espionage thrillers.
Box 88’s strength lies in the superb creation and sustained development of a brand-new spy icon with the cerebral charm of the golden-era spies, dramatic flair for rich expressions, and strong stomach for inflicting violence in a world where cutthroat politics has given birth to extreme measures. You will feel compelled to get your hands on the sequel.

Review with blurb image posted at: https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain/box-88-by-charles-cumming

Geez, Charles Cumming sure can write. This guy writes smart, character and plot-driven espionage stories that don’t skimp on action and suspense, but still remain a step above your average thrillers.

“Box 88” is his latest, starting a new series with a new protagonist, Lachlan (“Lockie”) Kite. He is a member of Box 88, a joint US-UK black ops group founded during the height of the Cold War that does the work that other intelligence agencies can’t or won’t. Their very existence is a secret, which leads to MI-6 spying on Lockie to find out whether Box 88 actually exists. When Lockie attends the funeral of a childhood friend, he is kidnapped under their noses by an Iranian splinter group that is looking for information.

But not just any information about any current situations – Lockie’s captives want to know what happened 30 years ago, when he was first recruited right out of school to spy on his best friend’s family and their (Iranian) guest in the south of France. And so begins the cat-and-mouse game as the clock starts ticking. Lockie is handing out information bit-by-bit, mixing the truth with lies in small doses hoping that his team will find him before it’s too late. His pregnant wife is being held hostage, but Box 88 is there (along with an MI-6 agent) – will they rescue her before it’s too late? And will MI-6 find Lockie and learn the truth about Box 88?

All of this drama takes place as Lockie takes us back to the south of France in summer of 1989. A brand new summer love, a friend turning into an alcoholic, angry conversations behind closed doors, family drama between father and son, Iranian protestors, a taciturn bodyguard with secrets of his own. And Lockie trying to negotiate it all while doing his duty for country.

A fascinating mix of traditional cold war espionage, modern politics, and a coming-of-age story. Mr. Cumming vividly paints his scenes and then populates them with wonderful, 3-dimentional characters. A wonderful start to a promising new series.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Mysterious Press via NetGalley. Thank you!