ICARUS 17 (BOX 88, Book 4) Charles Cumming 9780008696337

In Stockholm, BOX 88 intelligence chief Lachlan Kite has barely finished dealing with the lone gunman shot dead on the doorstep when his former girlfriend, Martha Raine, comes knocking. Her 24-year-old son, Max, has disappeared and Martha is desperate to track him down.

Together with the BOX 88 team, Lachlan discovers Max is in a relationship with a woman operating under a false identity, and the young couple have a team of Balkan mercenaries on their tail.

As the mission hurtles toward a collision between rival spy networks, Lachlan finds himself at the intersection of his past and his present. To save Max and prevent a geopolitical catastrophe, he must navigate a world where loyalty is fluid, danger is constant, and even BOX 88's unparalleled reach may not be enough.

The very best of modern, edge-of-seat espionage, Charles Cumming's ICARUS 17 is a masterclass in tension and suspense.

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.

Praise for the BOX 88 series

'A vivid sense of place...echoes of le Carre 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

'An enviably sharp-eyed and satisfying read' Henry Porter, author of Firefly

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

'Charles Cumming writes with intelligence, grace, and stunning verisimilitude' Gregg Hurwitz, author of the Orphan X series

'A multi-layered plotline and an engaging hero' James Swallow, author of Nomad