After reading so many Scandinavian mysteries this year, the book by Cumming makes a welcome relief, even though the hero - former MI6 officer Thomas Kell - continues the latest trend of being a fallen hero desperately trying to make his way back into the service that abandoned him after a particular nasty incident.
The book starts with the sudden disappearance of the first female head of MI6, Amelia Levene, just six weeks before she is due to take up her position.
MI6 wants to find out what she is up to but do not want the operation on the books.
Cue Thomas Kell, who is a former colleague of Levene, and one who remains loyal to a cause. Kell also wants to ingratiate himself with his former bosses and believes he has an easy way.
Suspicious that Levene is having an affair with a much younger man, Kell starts to dig.
He travels to France and North Africa, where he uncovers a plot by Germany to discredit the incoming head of MI6 by revealing a personal secret she hid many years ago.
The plot is fast-paced, the characters are just good and evil enough to keep the pages turning. No-one really knows what each character is doing until near the end, and the ending, while predictable, has an unexpected twist.
Cumming has a reputation as one of Britain's leading spy thriller writers. This book justifies that reputation.
• Dene Mackenzie is a Dunedin journalist.
