Typhoon

by Charles Cumming

Book Overview

Typhoon, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a Top Ten Thriller of the Year (London Times), further confirms what all the critics have been saying: Charles Cumming is a modern master of the classic espionage thriller, heir to le Carre and Deighton.

In 1997, a few months before the British government is scheduled to return Hong Kong to Chinese rule, Joe Lennox, a brilliant young operative for SIS (MI6),...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312654200
• ISBN13: 9780312654207
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Knows his stuff

What a relief to read about educated Englishmen who speak fluent Mandarin and have intellects as sharp as razor blades. What was so charming about Ian Fleming's James Bond was the fact that he was 'an upper class thug' and not a Sun reader with half a GCSE who can barely do up his shoe laces, let alone a bow tie. It seems the thriller genre was taken over by the sergeants mess in the last ten years. Bring back the sophisticated, clever people who can quote Baudelaire and Balzac while they interrogate an enemy operative by clamping his balls to a car battery. But seriously now: Cumming's view of the Chinese threat is very real and very clear despite his message being couched in the confines of the re-invented spy genre.

All is Fair in Love, War and Espionage ...

This is an astonishing novel about espionage, counter espionage and global political realities where ethical behavior often clashes in the ever expanding world market place where business goes on as usual regardless of the cost in lives lost - all in the pursuit of economic expansion. The black and white realities of right and wrong are lost in a murky surreal gray zone. It is not unsual for opposing factions to aid, abet and foment political unrest in unstable regions of the world regardless of the unexpected consequences. Human rights issues and abuses are part of the reason for the development of an underground movement which engages in terrorist activities to help free the Turkic people known as the Uighurs from the yoke of oppression imposed by the Communist China. Joe Lennox, a handsome, intelligent Secret Agent in his mid-to late twenties is working for the British side, specifically MI6. He is asked to interrogate a presumed Chinese defector who claims to be a disgruntled professor possessing secret information he is willing to share only with the right people and for the right reasons - so long as he gets what he wants from the exchange. Unknown to Joe, the C.I.A is keeping close tabs on the situation and clandestinely swoops into the investigation turning Professor Wang Kaixuan into one of their own agents. The author ties together many realities of the modern spy game and includes a fascinating love/hate relationship among the allies who play a deadly game of cat and mouse with terrorist factions in an attempt to manipulate and control outcomes, all the while complicating an already chaotic world gone wild. Included in the novel is a romantic game played out by two of the main secret agents - both of whom love the same woman and each of whom has won a piece of her heart. However, all is fair in games of love, war, and espionage and there is only one real winner. This is a dynamic, engaging, masterfully written modern spy thriller filled with believable scenarios and well developed characters who engage in the deadly game of espionage. The book will satisfy most readers who love this genre. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

As good as it gets..

I really enjoyed this book. I have been reading it every chance I got for the last week and find it hard to put down. If you love spy stories, get this book. The story is based on many historical facts and described China so vividly and that added another level of enjoyment for me. For spy story, this is as good as it gets.

Fantastic! Just as his previous novels.

It all feels very real. Just as in his previous novels, the setting, the characters, the detail, flow smoothly but ever unpredictably. Twist after twist, the story is ever well written. Difficult to put down once you start reading it. Charles Cummings is the Tiger Woods of the Spy Thriller. I was left with two burning questions after reading this superb novel: when is the next one coming out and when is Hollywood putting one of his novels on the silver screen? Buy it, read it. You will not regret it.

Amazing Thriller

With each novel, Charles Cumming keeps getting better. Comparisons to Le Carre and Graham Greene are accurate- can't wait for his next book. His characters are real, warts and all. This is my favourite book by him to date, though the others are excellent. In Typhoon, you can feel the texture of China and its people. If you are looking for a good summer "read"- this is it.