KENNEDY 35: The gripping new spy action thriller from the master of the 21st century espionage novel (BOX 88, Book 3)
£7.60
The third book in Charles Cumming’s gripping new thriller series surrounding BOX 88 – a covert intelligence organization that operates below the radar.
*SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH*
*FINANCIAL TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR*
*WATERSTONES BEST ESPIONAGE THRILLERS OF 2023*
1995: In the wake of the Rwandan genocide, 24-year-old spy Lachlan Kite and his girlfriend, Martha Raine, are sent to Senegal on the trail of a hunted war criminal. The mission threatens to spiral out of control, forcing Kite to make choices that will have devastating consequences not only for his career at top-secret intelligence agency BOX 88, but also for his relationship with Martha.
2023: Eric Appiah, an old friend from Kite’s days at school and an off-the-record BOX 88 asset, makes contact with explosive information about what happened all those years ago in West Africa. When tragedy strikes, Kite must use all his resources to bring down a criminal network with links to international terror … and protect Martha from possible assassination.
Praise for KENNEDY 35
‘A bold choice of setting, which adds skilful dabs of colour to a tightly wrought tale’ The Times
‘A compelling exploration of the consequences of realpolitik and the intermingling of the personal with the political’ Guardian
‘Cumming marshals his twin time frames expertly and illuminates an awful chapter in recent history. A first-rate spy thriller’ Mail on Sunday
‘Atmospheric and packed with threat, it thrills on every single page’ Daily Mail
‘An enthralling, haunting work…taking the spy thriller to a new level of storytelling’ Financial Times
‘A compelling depiction of the various layers of infamy involved in an appalling blot on the history of humanity’ Literary Review
What Readers are saying about KENNEDY 35
‘I couldn’t put this down… a cracking read!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Fast-paced and tightly plotted. If you love Ian Fleming you will adore this series’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Charles Cumming has a fantastic way of bringing espionage thrillers to life’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Gripping, intricate, smart and suspenseful story’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Plenty of action and a terrific plot, well told’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Additional information
| Publisher | HarperCollins (26 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 1489 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 332 pages |
by Gary S.
Recently discovered the Box88 series after reading the Kell series. I have not been disappointed. They are brilliant.
by Sarah D
‘Kennedy 35’ is the third tale in the Lachlan Kite spy series and Charles Cumming takes us back to the aftermath of the Rwandan massacre of the Tutsi population. On one of his first spying missions back in 1995, ‘Lockie’ is sent out to Senegal, with his girlfriend Martha, to pose as a backpacker whilst helping to track down the Butcher of Kigali, Augustine Bagaza, and his girlfriend Grace Mavinga, commonly known as Lady Macbeth – for obvious reasons. She is just as culpable as her ruthless partner. The operation is not quite the success predicted and, decades later, Kite is still keen to track down some of the criminals masterminding the bloodshed.
In the intervening years, life has changed for Lachlan Kite. At the age of fifty he is father to baby Ingrid and is determined to enjoy a more settled domestic life. However, when an old schoolfriend who was briefly involved in the Senegal 90s debacle leaves him a message about Lady Macbeth’s current movements, he cannot ignore the chance to bring her to justice.
Cumming seamlessly blends the 90s with the current day and, as ever, there is plenty of drama and tension as well as political intrigue. Those readers who have enjoyed the series so far will find plenty to enjoy in ‘Kennedy 35’. The cliffhanger which concludes the novel ensures that they will be keen to grab a copy of the next in the series. Let’s hope the wait’s not long!
by sevenpin
This is the latest in Charles Cumming’s brilliant Box 88 espionage series, a US-British agency, featuring Lachlan ‘Lockie’ Kite and a number of what have by now become established characters. This begins with details of the harrowing horror that was the genocide 1994 Rwandan Civil War, in which Hutu militias wiped out so many Tutsis, whilst the world watched from a distance. We see what followed and the repercussions in this complex, multilayered story in which the French government and the DGSE do not come out well, set primarily in Senegal, whilst we learn more of Lockie and his past. As a young man, he had been part of an effort to gain a modicum of justice in Senegal in 1995, where the butcher of Kigali, Bagaza, had been sighted.
Posing as tourists as cover, Lockie is accompanied by his girlfriend, Martha Raine, who suffered serious health complications, but unhappily the operation ended in failure. In the intervening years, Bagaza and ‘Lady Macbeth’ have prospered through their nefarious activities, their ill-gotten gains making them powerful, and in the present, Box 88 and its agents are facing the possibility of being exposed, a consequence of which is that Lockie reconnects with Martha once more, a woman he still has feelings for. Lockie is in Sweden when he is contacted, with his wife and young daughter, he gains greater clarity over what happened in 1995 and receives information that has implications for Box 88 and those with links to it.
Lockie grasps the opportunity to redress what happened in 1995, despite the dangers, of finally securing some measure of justice, but at what price? As always, Cummings writes a thoughtful, tense, well plotted, nail biting espionage thriller that keeps the reader frantically turning the pages, right up to end. He provides a wonderful sense of the Senegalese location, making it come alive with his vibrant descriptions. I am left looking forward to the next book in this wonderful series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
by M
Brilliant..one of his best and one of The Best!
by ceecee
4+
Box 88#3 – Lachlan (Lockie) Kite
Box 88 is a deeply covert U.K./USA espionage group that operates well below the radar.
In 1995, 24-year-old Lockie and his girlfriend Martha Raine are sent to Senegal ostensibly on a backpacking holiday. They are there to track a genocidaire of the Rwandan slaughter of the Tutsi population, the Butcher of Kigali – Augustine Bagaza and bring him to justice. However, the mission goes badly wrong with Lockie caught between a rock and a hard place. In 2022, Lockie’s old friend Eric Appiah,from school days and from Senegal, makes contact with potentially explosive information about the events of 1995, that could threaten Box 88 and those connected with it.
Charles Cumming always delivers a complex, thought-provoking and clever political thriller with conspiracies lurking at their heart. This latest in the Box 88 series feels authentic as much of the plot centres around fact, and is therefore all too believable. The setting in Senegal is vivid, and colourful with some great descriptions of the country which contrasts sharply with Lockie’s sense of foreboding and pessimism. As ever, Lockie encounters many nefarious character, who are well portrayed – it’s all too easy to picture Bagaza and his girlfriend Grace Mavinga, a.k.a. Lady Macbeth. The Rwandan genocide angle of the storytelling is a heartbreaker with unimaginable cruelty, and you are as keen as Lockie for the apprehension of the perpetrators.
As always, I thoroughly enjoy the espionage angle, and there’s tangible tension and suspense with much thinking on feet which makes for exciting reading. The doodah hits the proverbial fan in both timelines with the two connecting well, deepening the problems. It’s a never a dull moment thriller with plenty of action, some violence and tragedy to keep you reading on with your fingers crossed for a good outcome. It builds in tempo, the ending is explosive, and what a cliffhanger to finish on. I guess that’s me reading number four – sign me up now!
by Lexicon
Not as engaging as his previous efforts, enjoyable enough, but not worth £9.99.