'Nobody writes more enjoyable spy thrillers than Charles Cumming’ ANTHONY HOROWITZ ‘Cumming has breathed new life into the spy novel’ BEN MACINTYRE 'The rightful inheritor of John le Carré's crown' OBSERVER

A new thriller set in the ingenious world of Box 88, the covert intelligence service operating without government oversight.

A YOUNG COUPLE ON THE RUN

Max Radinsky thought he was living the perfect life in Athens. But when his girlfriend, Yasmine, is forced to flee the city, Max joins her on a desperate journey across Greece.

What begins as an escape becomes a fight for survival as the young couple become the targets of an international manhunt. Untrained and living off their wits, they know their luck won’t last forever…

THE SPY HUNTING THEM DOWN

Lachlan Kite, head of covert intelligence service BOX 88, hasn’t seen his former lover, Martha Raine, for more than twenty years. But when Martha begs his help in finding her missing son, Kite has no choice but to act.

What they uncover is worse than either could have imagined. Yasmine is carrying a secret which could destabilise the Middle East for a generation – and a team of merciless Israeli intelligence agents have been given orders to kill her on sight.

To save Max – and stop a global crisis – Kite and Martha must reach the young couple before their pursuers close in.

'If there was any question as to who is the rightful inheritor of John le Carré’s crown as the king of elegant spy fiction, this proves that it’s Cumming beyond any doubt' Observer

Early praise for ICARUS 17

'The fourth in his Box 88 series – and the best yet. If there was any question as to who is the rightful inheritor of John le Carré’s crown as the king of elegant spy fiction, this proves that it’s Cumming beyond any doubt' Observer, Fiction to Look out for in 2026

Praise for the BOX 88 series

‘Charles Cumming has delivered an enthralling and sprawling espionage epic for the ages. In his BOX 88 series, Cumming paints a deeply realistic picture of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal across a canvas of twisty, white-knuckle action and spycraft. A terrific achievement’ David McCloskey, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Persian

‘A vivid sense of place…echoes of le Carré and Greene’ Sunday Times, Thriller of the Month

‘The Rwandan genocide still casts a long shadow in this haunting, masterful work, which also asks tough questions about international justice’ Financial Times, Thriller of the Year

'Tense and topical' Waterstones Best Espionage Thrillers of 2023

‘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

‘A first-rate spy thriller’ Mail on Sunday

‘Atmospheric and packed with threat, it thrills on every single page’ Daily Mail

‘Compulsively readable’ Daily Telegraph

‘The unusual setting gives it real heft’ Sun

‘Charles Cumming is up there with the very best espionage writers’ Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus books

‘A wonderful spy novel’ Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses

‘Excellent’ Anthony Horowitz, author of Magpie Murders

‘A layered and seamlessly constructed story’ Charlotte Philby, author of Edith and Kim

‘Utterly gripping. A great new spy hero is born’ Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule

Charles Cumming was born in Scotland in 1971. Shortly after university, he was approached for recruitment by the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), an experience that inspired his first novel, A Spy by Nature. He has written several bestselling thrillers, including A Foreign Country which won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller and the Bloody Scotland Crime Book of the Year. He lives in London.