The first half of the book is set within that mission, with Kite almost alone in the claustrophobic atmosphere of Russia. The novel flashes back 1993 when Kite used the Peter Galvin identity in an operation in Russia, to bring out Yuri Aranov a leading biological warfare scientist. It may be replete with expensive bars and restaurants, but even the most supposedly respectable are haunted by trafficked women: Dubai’s rulers seem almost to encourage expat debauchery while professing to maintain Islamic standards for those born in the Emirates.

Cumming evokes a detailed and multi layered world of espionage, draws powerful characters and a dense atmosphere.Cumming has become an expert in immediately placing the reader in the heart of the often unbearably suspenseful espionage activity featuring Box 88’s favorite spy Lachlan Kite. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. Sergei Skripal, the former GRU officer poisoned with Novichok in Salisbury, was designated JUDAS 54. It becomes clear that he had been a victim of a retaliatory attack commissioned and organised by the Russians, following on from similar outrages against Alexander Litvinencko, Sergei Skripal and Alexei Navalny.

In the first book in the series, our protagonist Lachlan (“Lockie”) Kite was recruited straight out of his English boarding school in 1989 to spy on the father of a school friend. I’m not sure if I’ll continue this series because of the swearing, the widespread lust and sexual content, the length (including a lot of information or parts that seemed unnecessary), the confusion. His characters are always well drawn, and his plots soundly constructed, and the book resonates with plausibility. The latter part follows a protracted follow-up job in the present day, set in UAE, but it’s all rather dull and over-explained. Comparisons to Le Carre are way off-beam though I think as Cumming is less cerebral and more “obvious” in his plots and character motivations.The story is an absorbing mix of action and theory with an exciting cast of characters that makes this an addictive read. But Kite's mission soon goes wrong and he is left stranded in a hostile city with a former KGB officer on his trail. And that could be four or five books down the line at the rate the overall story arc is progressing. That said, it’s what you sign up for in a story such as this and I’m sure many readers will breeze through this element.

The Spanish Game was described by The Times as one of the six finest spy novels of all time, alongside Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Funeral in Berlin and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Filled with intricate detail, great characters, and interesting twists and turns, Judas 62 is not to be missed by any thriller lover and especially espionage fiends like myself. When Evgeny Palatnik, a Soviet defector to the West is murdered in America with Novichok, Kite sets out to avenge him. The mission was also extremely dangerous as Kite knew if his cover was blown he would be ‘burnt’ by Box 88 and have to face Russian prison on his own.The past— Kite’s exfiltration of a valuable scientist from Russia— meets the present— a mission to frame a Russian FSB officer who has put out a bounty on Kite’s head for the past grievances.

I don't usually have anything but praise for Charles Cumming, but I did think this was a bit too long. Now, thirty years on, Kite's pseudonym and the name of the scientist have been added to the Judas List. Lachlan Kite is a “spy” and in the first book he was sent to Russia to extricate a chemical weapons scientist who.It seems to me that there may be an interesting novel buried in here somewhere but Cumming needs a much stronger editor to tell him to cut out most of the irrelevant waffling and endless repetition. A strangely stilted book, partly down to the new (slightly wooden) narrator but also through the storytelling. We all know about how, in real life, Putin has sent agents to attack his perceived enemies with nerve agents and radioactive materials. He is informed by Mocking Bird, a high level informant in Moscow, that Palatnik had been on the JUDAS list; a list of Russian scientists and intelligence officers who were living in the West and who had been singled out for assassination by Moscow.