JUDAS 62: From the Top 10 Sunday Times best selling author comes a new spy action crime thriller
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- Create Date：2021-09-22 00:16:04
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Charles Cumming
- ISBN：B08YY1SZM5
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Summary
The second book in Charles Cumming’s gripping new thriller series surrounding BOX 88 – a covert intelligence organization that operates beneath the radar。
A young spy in one of the most dangerous places on Earth…
1993: Student Lachlan Kite is sent to post-Soviet Russia in the guise of a language teacher。 In reality， he is there as a spy。 Top secret intelligence agency BOX 88 has ordered Kite to extract a chemical weapons scientist before his groundbreaking research falls into the wrong hands。 But Kite’s mission soon goes wrong and he is left stranded in a hostile city with a former KGB officer on his trail。
An old enemy looking for revenge…
2020: Now the director of BOX 88 operations in the UK， Kite discovers he has been placed on the ‘JUDAS’ list – a record of enemies of Russia who have been targeted for assassination。 Kite’s fight for survival takes him to Dubai， where he must confront the Russian secret state head on…
A young spy in one of the most dangerous places on Earth…
1993: Student Lachlan Kite is sent to post-Soviet Russia in the guise of a language teacher。 In reality， he is there as a spy。 Top secret intelligence agency BOX 88 has ordered Kite to extract a chemical weapons scientist before his groundbreaking research falls into the wrong hands。 But Kite’s mission soon goes wrong and he is left stranded in a hostile city with a former KGB officer on his trail。
An old enemy looking for revenge…
2020: Now the director of BOX 88 operations in the UK， Kite discovers he has been placed on the ‘JUDAS’ list – a record of enemies of Russia who have been targeted for assassination。 Kite’s fight for survival takes him to Dubai， where he must confront the Russian secret state head on…
Reviews
Andrew Smith
，
This is the second book featuring Lachlan Kite， who works a secret group of British and American ‘spooks’ called Box 88。 In fact， in this episode Lachlan heads up the British end and discovers to his horror that he’s on a list of people the Russians are planning to assassinate。 But it’s not as straight forward as that: the name that appears on the list is actually an alias he used nearly thirty years ago when he was a rookie recruit sent into Russia to exfiltrate a chemical weapons scientist。 So This is the second book featuring Lachlan Kite， who works a secret group of British and American ‘spooks’ called Box 88。 In fact， in this episode Lachlan heads up the British end and discovers to his horror that he’s on a list of people the Russians are planning to assassinate。 But it’s not as straight forward as that: the name that appears on the list is actually an alias he used nearly thirty years ago when he was a rookie recruit sent into Russia to exfiltrate a chemical weapons scientist。 So why is the alias listed and not his real name？ Do they actually know his real identity？ This and other questions will be answered in a complex but satisfying tale of derring-do。We follow both stories， both the present day threat （where the Coronavirus pandemic looms large in the background） and also， in flashback， Kite’s early trip to Russia during which he runs into an unfriendly KGB officer who is to feature in both tales。 I found that the story of Kite’s visit to and escape from Russia had echoes of Ben Macintyre’s true life book The Spy and the Traitor and in this respect， though the methods were somewhat different， it rang true and therefore had all the more impact。 The contemporary element is more complex and involves an veritable army of characters， this I found slightly less satisfying。 Nonetheless， I was never less than fully engaged in Kite’s plight。There are some carry over characters from the first book in this series but it’s definitely a story that can be read as a stand-alone piece。 Cumming maintains both pace and suspense well throughout and the only real grumble I have – and it’s a personal thing – is that I find any book with so many active participants （there’s an index listing more than thirty at the beginning of the book） to be hard work in tracking who is who as the tale plays out。 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。My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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I have enjoyed Charles Cumming's spy novels so much to date that I was a bit apprehensive when I began reading "JUDAS 62" in case it didn't live up to my expectations。 But I needn't have worried。 If anything， this book is even better than the first in Cumming's BOX 88 series which was published last year。The backstory， which takes up nearly half the novel， is set in Russia， nearly two years after the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991。 A pacy plot involving a young British s I have enjoyed Charles Cumming's spy novels so much to date that I was a bit apprehensive when I began reading "JUDAS 62" in case it didn't live up to my expectations。 But I needn't have worried。 If anything， this book is even better than the first in Cumming's BOX 88 series which was published last year。The backstory， which takes up nearly half the novel， is set in Russia， nearly two years after the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991。 A pacy plot involving a young British spy operating undercover as a language teacher and very credible members of the former KGB leaves both sides seeking revenge。 Fast-forward to COVID-ridden 2020， and the main players confront each other in Dubai in an exciting and satisfying conclusion。 Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the ebook in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more
Nicholas Masters
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Charles Cumming delivers a brilliant addition to the Box 88 series。The first book was great， the second even better。 We are treated to a story delivered in two timelines。 1993， during Lockie’s second ever operation， and present day where the actions that take place in 1993 culminate into a life or death mission。 During both timelines we are treated to learning more about Lockie and what makes him tick。 First in his impressionable， naïve early days and then in his later introspective and reflecti Charles Cumming delivers a brilliant addition to the Box 88 series。The first book was great， the second even better。 We are treated to a story delivered in two timelines。 1993， during Lockie’s second ever operation， and present day where the actions that take place in 1993 culminate into a life or death mission。 During both timelines we are treated to learning more about Lockie and what makes him tick。 First in his impressionable， naïve early days and then in his later introspective and reflective leadership role。Box 88’s world of Anglo-American espionage brilliance is really intriguing and enjoyable。 Likewise， Charles delivery of the story in our modern day， covid affected world is tangible and realistic。 All in all the story is thoroughly enjoyable and I personally cannot wait for the next edition in the series。“No man steps in the same river twice。 He is not the same man and it is not the same river” 。。。more
Victoria
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The second installment in the Box 88 series is a gripping， well-written spy thriller with plenty of twists and turns。 Personally， I did not find it as much of a page turner as the first in the series but still a highly enjoyable - and recommended - read。Cummings skillfully switches timelines in order to recall Lockie's previous experiences in Russia in 1993 which have led him to being included on the Russian's Judas watchlist， as well as the modern day mission in Dubai where the Box 88 team atte The second installment in the Box 88 series is a gripping， well-written spy thriller with plenty of twists and turns。 Personally， I did not find it as much of a page turner as the first in the series but still a highly enjoyable - and recommended - read。Cummings skillfully switches timelines in order to recall Lockie's previous experiences in Russia in 1993 which have led him to being included on the Russian's Judas watchlist， as well as the modern day mission in Dubai where the Box 88 team attempt to bring a conclusion to the events of 1993。The plot feels believable， realistic and discusses Covid in an authentic way。 The inclusion of unecessary details occasionally detracts from the pacing of the plot somewhat but still an entertaining read。 I look forward to the next in the series。Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC。 。。。more
Nic
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Judas 62 is a brilliant spy novel and the second focusing on Lockie Kite， operative with Box 88 which is a clandestine organisation of UK and US intelligence。 We join Lockie in the present day， at the tail end of Covid， as the Russians are wreaking more havoc targeting enemies with fatal toxins。 Lockie is a man with his own history with Russia， having helped a defector escape in 1993 and we are taken back to that hazardous mission。 Rolling forward to the present day， the Box 88 team find themsel Judas 62 is a brilliant spy novel and the second focusing on Lockie Kite， operative with Box 88 which is a clandestine organisation of UK and US intelligence。 We join Lockie in the present day， at the tail end of Covid， as the Russians are wreaking more havoc targeting enemies with fatal toxins。 Lockie is a man with his own history with Russia， having helped a defector escape in 1993 and we are taken back to that hazardous mission。 Rolling forward to the present day， the Box 88 team find themselves in Dubai to tie up some unexpected loose ends from the events of 1993。 Charles Cumming is an absolute master of modern spy fiction。 This is a brilliant balance of the immediate historical significance of post Soviet Russia and their modern methodologies。 Both stories are excellent and the characters are well executed with everyone being utterly believable。 My only slight grumble is the amount of time given over to chatter about public schoolboys！ Judas 62 would make a fine stand alone。 However， if you haven’t read Box 88， it is well worth starting at the beginning of Lockie’s journey。 An absolute joy。 4。5*Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the ARC。 。。。more
Paromjit
，
Charles Cumming gives us a thrilling sequel to Box 88， a covert Anglo-American intelligence agency， giving us a dual time narrative that allows us to compare and contrast the inexperienced naive， but confident and quick thinking Lachlan 'Lockie' Kite in 1993， an Edinburgh student in a relationship with Martha that runs into problems which has him wanting space， and the present day Lockie， now the Head of Box 88， operating in a world now where spycraft has changed considerably。 He is estranged fr Charles Cumming gives us a thrilling sequel to Box 88， a covert Anglo-American intelligence agency， giving us a dual time narrative that allows us to compare and contrast the inexperienced naive， but confident and quick thinking Lachlan 'Lockie' Kite in 1993， an Edinburgh student in a relationship with Martha that runs into problems which has him wanting space， and the present day Lockie， now the Head of Box 88， operating in a world now where spycraft has changed considerably。 He is estranged from wife， Isobel， after previous events， and missing seeing his daughter， Ingrid。 In the summer of 1993， Lockie arrives in Voronezh in Russia as Peter Galvin， an English Language teacher， on a dangerous mission to extract a Russian chemical weapons scientist， Yuri Aranov， and drive him to freedom in the Ukraine。In the present， a former Russian General is murdered with Novichok in a horrifying， manner in the Adirondacks in the U。S。， assassinated by Putin's FSB （ex-KGB） agents as a traitor， one of many targets on their Judas List。 A recent addition to the list is Lockie， he is Judas 62， under the name of Peter Galvin， he has no intention of taking this lying down， and proceeds to organise a mission to Dubai， to target an old enemy from 1993， the powerful， ruthless and brutal FSB agent， Mikhail Gromik， a Putin ally， who has been responsible for many of the killings of those on the Judas List。 The plan is to use Aranov as bait， someone Gromik would not be able to resist going after。 Lockie endangered the 1993 operation by getting involved with beautiful student， Oksana， critically it shapes Lockie， as he becomes more opportunistic and manipulative， he begins to understand the life of a spy can be unforgiving， and see the nightmare horrors of 'collateral damage'。Cumming portrays an espionage world which comes across as authentic with its echoes of our contemporary realities， the Russians have shown no qualms in going after Russians in other countries， as we know to our cost， for example， with the Salisbury poisonings in the UK。 I found both timelines equally fascinating， the younger Lockie and the differences in the more mature and reflective man in the present， and the many ways in which Toby Landau in Dubai exhibits similar qualities to the younger Lockie。 This is a great spy thriller， entertaining， dark， and packed with plenty of suspense that makes for a gripping novel likely to appeal to a wide range of readers。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more
Patricia Moren
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Another great spy thriller in the Box series。 The team set out to rescue a scientist from Russia and then entrap a Russian spy in Dubai 。 Lots of tension and daring do。 Some enjoyable characters and non stop action。 Very good series。
Nick Brett
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I enjoyed Box 88， the previous book in this series。 Charles Cumming knows how to write a good old fashioned spy story， realistic and gritty with strong characters。Judas 62 follows the same kind of theme and characters。 Box 88 is a shadow global intelligence organisation sitting unseen alongside the traditional agencies。 It is headed up by Lachlan Kite and much of the focus is on him。 We start （mainly） in the early 1990’s and a young Kite has been recruited into the mysterious Box 88 and given hi I enjoyed Box 88， the previous book in this series。 Charles Cumming knows how to write a good old fashioned spy story， realistic and gritty with strong characters。Judas 62 follows the same kind of theme and characters。 Box 88 is a shadow global intelligence organisation sitting unseen alongside the traditional agencies。 It is headed up by Lachlan Kite and much of the focus is on him。 We start （mainly） in the early 1990’s and a young Kite has been recruited into the mysterious Box 88 and given his first mission。 Go into Russia and help a scientist escape into the West。 The first half of the book is set within that mission， with Kite almost alone in the claustrophobic atmosphere of Russia。 Can he avoid the regime of surveillance and brutality to get his man out？Then we switch to the modern day and his old mission becomes relevant again， and Kite and his team may have to sacrifice everything to resolve issues from the past。This works on many levels， Kite as a young man in his 20s shown signs of the man he will become but also the inexperience and naivety of his youth。 The atmosphere and attitudes of Russia pre the fall of the Berlin Wall are captured very well。 The switch to modern times shows how things have changed with the use of technology and a different type of intelligence game。A good series and I hope there is more。 I do feel that Kite’s public school background has been fleshed out enough though and hope the next book deals entirely with the grown up Kite and his Box 88 team。 。。。more
Annette
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I spent a very enjoyable weekend reading this excellent sequel to Charles Cumming’s compelling espionage thriller Box 88。Featuring once again spy extraordinaire Lachlan Kite， Judas 62 follows on from the previous book and is an equally exciting read that had me gripped from the very first page。 It is really two stories， set in two different time frames which are cleverly linked。In the 1990s， 22 year old Lachlan is a student at Edinburgh University， still going out with Martha and still planning I spent a very enjoyable weekend reading this excellent sequel to Charles Cumming’s compelling espionage thriller Box 88。Featuring once again spy extraordinaire Lachlan Kite， Judas 62 follows on from the previous book and is an equally exciting read that had me gripped from the very first page。 It is really two stories， set in two different time frames which are cleverly linked。In the 1990s， 22 year old Lachlan is a student at Edinburgh University， still going out with Martha and still planning to work for the secret spy organisation Box 88 after graduation。 When he is asked to perform a task for them over the Summer vacation he jumps at the chance and he is sent to Russia undercover to teach English and smuggle a defecting scientist across the border to the Ukraine。 This part of the book was brilliant。 As well as describing 1990s Russia in an authentic way， the author ensured that the plot was nail biting。 I couldn’t put the book down。The present day section starts with the assassination of an elderly Russian defector using Novichok poison。 Lachlan is now head of Box 88， estranged from his family and fearing for their safety when he discovers who is behind the murder plot， he worries that he is also a target for the Russians。 He hatches a scheme to bring the culprits to justice and this forms the second part of the novel。It was almost like reading two different books but both were equally well written and exciting。 It was interesting to see the development of Lachlan as a young spy whilst still a student to the present day chief of Box 88。 The young “ Lockie” has the confidence of youth coupled with the ability to think quickly whereas older Lachlan has more to worry about and runs the operation as well as taking a major risk himself。 The linking of the two sections was very cleverly done with some of the same characters appearing in both parts。This was a great espionage thriller with some wonderful characters。 It was completely up to date with references to other real life poison assassination plots perpetrated by the Russians as well as mention of the current pandemic。I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about the life of Lachlan Kite and his colleagues and highly recommend both books to all you espionage thriller fans out there。Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary Lou
，
In the aftermath of the recent assassination of a retired Russian exile in the US， Lachlan Kite， head of spy organisation Box 88， finds his own name， in the form of an alias he used in 1993， on the up-to-date Judas List at position 62。 This is a list of people the Russians feel betrayed by and who are therefore likely targets for elimination。Kite’s alias in 1993， was for his operation to spring a young Russian scientist Yuri Aranov to the West。 Aranov is number 61 on the list and it gives Kite a In the aftermath of the recent assassination of a retired Russian exile in the US， Lachlan Kite， head of spy organisation Box 88， finds his own name， in the form of an alias he used in 1993， on the up-to-date Judas List at position 62。 This is a list of people the Russians feel betrayed by and who are therefore likely targets for elimination。Kite’s alias in 1993， was for his operation to spring a young Russian scientist Yuri Aranov to the West。 Aranov is number 61 on the list and it gives Kite an idea。 He uses Aranov as bait to compromise Mikhail Gromik， the Russian intelligence officer who caused Kite problems in 1993 and who is also at the centre of the Judas List terminations。 The first part of the book， and perhaps the most enjoyable part of it， is a flashback to 1993。 Where freshly recruited Kite abandons his summer plans to carry out the Aranov operation at short notice。 Cast in the role of an English language teacher， staying in a rundown apartment block in hot， airless Voronezh， the lonely Kite succumbs to the charms of Oksana， one of his adult pupils。 This section of narrative is atmospheric， chilling at times but also with the underlying feel that everything will turn out well in the end。Onwards then to the present day in Dubai where the sting is planned。 There is a good feel here too for the heat and the pressure， and this operation is short， over a few days， rather than some weeks as in the earlier one。 There was more sophistication in this plot line， some double bluffs， but despite the blips， I remained confident。 I prefer the present-day Kite to the 22-year-old one but I’m still not his biggest fan。 This is the first book I have read where Covid plays an integral part in the arrangements， and it feels authentic。This series aims to please all types of reader and I’m not sure if that really works。 After Box 88 I noted I would read the next， after Judas 62， I’m not just as sure。With thanks to Netgalley UK and HarperCollins UK for the invitation to read 。。。more
Jewels
，
As usual in my reviews， I will not rehash the plot - there are always plenty of reviews like that out there！Having read the first book in the "Box 88" series， I was delighted to be invited to read this latest novel。This book has dark plots at the heart， involving the assassination of people on a Russian "Judas" list - people who are held to have betrayed the mother country。 There's a blend of fact - relating to known murders of this kind （eg Litvinenko） - and fiction， and it makes for a very bel As usual in my reviews， I will not rehash the plot - there are always plenty of reviews like that out there！Having read the first book in the "Box 88" series， I was delighted to be invited to read this latest novel。This book has dark plots at the heart， involving the assassination of people on a Russian "Judas" list - people who are held to have betrayed the mother country。 There's a blend of fact - relating to known murders of this kind （eg Litvinenko） - and fiction， and it makes for a very believable and gripping plot！I like the way the author switches between timelines to fill in the history behind the current day situation - it makes the book more three-dimensional。 The settings range from the UK， USA， Russia， and Dubai， and the timeline includes modern day references to Covid， so the whole thing feels believable。An enjoyable， tense， and gripping read that kept me up late to finish it！ Looking forward to future episodes in this series！My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC。 All opinions my own。 。。。more
Ceecee
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