Thriller

BOX 88

BOX 88

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-20 08:51:03
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Charles Cumming
  • ISBN：0008200394
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

An organisation that doesn’t exist。

A spy that can’t be caught。

1989: The fall of the Berlin Wall is imminent and the Cold War will soon be over。 But for BOX 88， a top secret spying agency known only to an inner circle of MI6 and CIA operatives， the espionage game is heating up。

Lachlan Kite， recruited straight from an elite boarding school， is sent to France – the frontline of a new secret war。 Kite is tasked with gathering intelligence on a mysterious Iranian businessman implicated in the tragic Lockerbie bombing。 But what he uncovers is even more deadly…

2020: MI5 hear rumours of BOX 88’s existence and go after Kite – only for Iranian intelligence to get to him first。 Taken captive and subjected to torture， Kite is presented with a simple choice: reveal the truth about what happened in France thirty years earlier – or watch his family die。

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Reviews

PattyMacDotComma ，

4。5★“‘That’s exactly what we do。 We go behind the backs of presidents and prime ministers， of secretaries of state， heads of the Foreign Office and so forth。 BOX 88 does the things they don’t want us to do， that they don’t ask us to do， which they don’t realise need to be done。’”This would be a straight-forward spy thriller except that it is hardly straightforward。 There are so many secret groups that the author kindly added a cast of characters at the front。 Fortunately， I never lost sight of t 4。5★“‘That’s exactly what we do。 We go behind the backs of presidents and prime ministers， of secretaries of state， heads of the Foreign Office and so forth。 BOX 88 does the things they don’t want us to do， that they don’t ask us to do， which they don’t realise need to be done。’”This would be a straight-forward spy thriller except that it is hardly straightforward。 There are so many secret groups that the author kindly added a cast of characters at the front。 Fortunately， I never lost sight of the main game， which was for Lachlan ‘Lockie’ Kite to spy on behalf of the good guys。 Mind you， it was hard to tell which good guys were which and who might be a double agent。After Kite’s father died （a drunk）， his mother arranged to get him into a rich boys’ boarding school through an old beau。 Alford College is awfully posh for a boy whose widowed mother is struggling to run a Scottish pub on her own， but he’s bright and clever。 Later he reflects。“At Alford， to survive was to remain concealed; to thrive was to put on a mask， projecting nothing but confidence and strength to the outside world。 It had occurred to Kite that， in many ways， the school was the perfect breeding ground for a career in intelligence。”There’s the usual run of teachers （‘beaks’） who run admiring eyes （and more） over their vulnerable young charges， but young Kite manages to stave them off。 Instead， he makes friends with the very popular history teacher， William Peele。“In a school which seemed to positively discriminate towards the recruitment of closeted middle-aged homosexuals， Peele was that rare thing: a bachelor beak who didn’t want to fondle teenage boys。 Physically fit and a crack shot。 。 。”The rumours about ‘Sex-a-Peele’ revolve around women he has reportedly been seen with， so Kite is safe to enjoy his company。 Peele can see this young boy is hungry to learn， so he assumes responsibility for his education。Kite’s best friend all through school is Xavier Bonnard who definitely is posh and wealthy， but they team up。 At the end of their final year， Xavier invites Kite to spend the summer with his family at their summer home in the south of France。 This summer of 1989 is where the main action in the past takes place， when Xavier and his sister and guests laze around the pool， drink too much， smoke too much， and generally overindulge themselves。But on another level， a lot is going on， and it involves Iranians and Iran’s intelligence service， MOIS。 （I did say I found it tricky to keep up。）“Personnel from the United States had been secretly meeting senior government ministers from Tehran at a hotel in Dubai without the knowledge or approval of the White House。”The story goes back and forth from Kite’s past and the present， thirty years after that summer in France。 Kite receives a phone call that Xavier has suicided， and he feels compelled to go to the funeral。 Kite’s pregnant wife does not know details of his past， but she is aware of the kinds of secrets her husband keeps。 When they are both threatened with reprisals from – well， from one of the groups of bad guys （if I may be so glib）， we are not surprised， although we want to be hopeful。“There was no precedent for hostile states harming the spouses of targeted MI6 and CIA officers， but in the age of Trump and Putin， of Xi and Assad， all bets were off。”I was surprised how often I was on the edge of my seat during Kite’s youthful introduction to spying that summer in France。 It was obvious he survived， but I was just as nervous for him as if I didn’t know。 That’s the sign of a good writer！ I was hoping his luck would hold and he’d survive the current ordeal。“‘Ask the prisoner if he works for MI6，’ he said。 ‘If he denies it again， break one of the fingers on his right hand。’”I really enjoyed this， confusing though it is to keep the factions and alliances and double-crossing straight。 In the end， it didn’t matter if I missed some of the politics （and there’s plenty of that for those who are interested）， Cummings does a good job of keeping a cracking story moving along。Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted。 。。。more

Officer ，

Just couldn’t care about the characters from about half way through。 The backstory of Kite eventually bored me。 I think that the fault lies with me rather than the author or writing。 It’s an intelligently plotted and written spy thriller， but there was a point where all the goings on at the summer villa lost my interest。 Strangely， given the origin story for Kite， the more I read about him the more opaque he became。 I’m sure the author knows far more of the murky intelligence works than I do （sp Just couldn’t care about the characters from about half way through。 The backstory of Kite eventually bored me。 I think that the fault lies with me rather than the author or writing。 It’s an intelligently plotted and written spy thriller， but there was a point where all the goings on at the summer villa lost my interest。 Strangely， given the origin story for Kite， the more I read about him the more opaque he became。 I’m sure the author knows far more of the murky intelligence works than I do （spoiler， he does！）， but the operations of Box 88 in France didn’t seem convincing， and even the name for the organisation， ‘Box 88’， is rather weird， with no explanation for its oddity。 Overwhelmingly the reviews for the book are positive， so I’m sorry that I couldn’t get on with it。 。。。more

Jon ，

4。5

mick r ，

This is an absolute cracker of a story。 It gallops along with characters to cheer for。 It flits easily between past and present with suspense to keep one on edge。

Martin ，

6 Stars ⭐️

Nick Barber ，

Superb！ A different， less predictable spy novel that we have come to expect from Cumming。 Cannot wait for October for the follow up and to learn more of Kite！ My only slight gripe， and one I cannot recall from his previous books， is that his political views certainly permeate。

Evelyn ，

To be fair， probably a 4。75。 But hey， that's just a quibble。I'll say this up front: I've never met a Charles Cumming book I didn't like。 And I think I've read just about all of them。 Each of his espionage thrillers is sharp， crisply written， filled with surprises and perhaps most importantly， ring true。。。at least to an armchair spy fiction 'conoisseur' such as myself。Box 88 is the name of a secret， US/UK intelligence organization that doesn't exist。 Its run by Lachlan Kite， a Scotsman who starte To be fair， probably a 4。75。 But hey， that's just a quibble。I'll say this up front: I've never met a Charles Cumming book I didn't like。 And I think I've read just about all of them。 Each of his espionage thrillers is sharp， crisply written， filled with surprises and perhaps most importantly， ring true。。。at least to an armchair spy fiction 'conoisseur' such as myself。Box 88 is the name of a secret， US/UK intelligence organization that doesn't exist。 Its run by Lachlan Kite， a Scotsman who started working for this shadow unit directly out of high school。 The circumstances of his recruitment in 1989 are juxtaposed against his kidnapping and torture in 2020 by Iranian intelligence。 The intertwined narratives are tightly woven， but so well done that the back and forth in time moves the contemporary storyline along nicely。 So nicely in fact that I couldn't predict how this would end or why the contemporary events were occurring。 Nor could I stop reading。 Best of all， the loss of sleep on the nights when I stayed up way too late reading were well worth it。 Gotta love when that happens since it doesn't occur often enough。 。。。more

Mr D ，

Decent page turner and ideal for a holiday read。 Enjoyed the references to Eton， as the author is an OE。 Beyond that， forgettable。

R Davies ，

It's a spy thriller， ticks all sorts of expected boxes， but by the time I got over the cliches early on， it was a perfectly fine， if slightly absurd， and sufficiently compelling read in the final stages。 It's a spy thriller， ticks all sorts of expected boxes， but by the time I got over the cliches early on， it was a perfectly fine， if slightly absurd， and sufficiently compelling read in the final stages。 。。。more

Trevor ，

Probably a good 3 3/4 but rounded up to a 4。 A thoroughly enjoyable summer read - not， unfortunately， around a Mediterranean hotel swimming pool。 The story takes place over two periods of time: 1989 when school leaver Lachlan Kite is invited to spend a summer holiday with a friend’s family at their home in France and 2020 when Lachlan and his wife are separately taken captive by an apparent Middle Eastern terrorist group。What links the two stories is the mysterious ‘Box 88’， for which Kite is re Probably a good 3 3/4 but rounded up to a 4。 A thoroughly enjoyable summer read - not， unfortunately， around a Mediterranean hotel swimming pool。 The story takes place over two periods of time: 1989 when school leaver Lachlan Kite is invited to spend a summer holiday with a friend’s family at their home in France and 2020 when Lachlan and his wife are separately taken captive by an apparent Middle Eastern terrorist group。What links the two stories is the mysterious ‘Box 88’， for which Kite is recruited to work by a schoolmaster。 The events of 1989 - which are well told with good moments of suspense and action and a well drawn cast of characters， have consequences for events many years later。 A very good spy novel which holds the pace nicely over its almost 500 pages。 I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by its author Charles Cumming。 。。。more

Branko Jeličić ，

Enjoyable。 Good pace， excellent style， attention to detail。 Not quite THE story， but very human on the other hand。 A tad too much upper class British。 Would read other books from Charles Cumming

Jonny ，

This is a fun read…but suffers from a split timeline and a feeling that the author hasn’t decided which decade he wants to set his core story in。 I assume that it’s setting up a sequel as it ends very suddenly - but the story that it *does* end up telling is pleasingly mad （a super-secret spy organisation that’s got no real reason to be this secret， Iranians killing people on boats in Canary Wharf， a loose fictionalisation of Eton， etc）。

Joanne Dobson ，

An unlikely but enjoyable spy story。

Nathan Gaskin ，

Nice and suspensful with a good story line。 A reel page turner。

Hannah ，

Hard work。 No fault in the writing， I thought that was very good but it was the plot that I thought lacked any substance until the last 100 pages or so。

Rach ，

I DNF this book。 I picked it up but couldn't quite get into at the time。 I might pick it up again in the future。 I received a ARC from Netgalley and HarperCollins UK， HarperFiction for an objection review。 I DNF this book。 I picked it up but couldn't quite get into at the time。 I might pick it up again in the future。 I received a ARC from Netgalley and HarperCollins UK， HarperFiction for an objection review。 。。。more

Karen Ross ，

So there was a time when Charles Cumming was heralded as the heir to John Le Carre， but then he seemed to lose his way， （I've read his entire output） and Mick Herron replaced him as pretender to the - now-vacant - throne。But Cumming is back， big time， by what is probably his best book since his debut， a A SPY BY NATURE。Hero Lockie Kite is a character who is well capable of carrying a series of novels。 Other characters were equally interesting and three dimensional， and I hope to meet them again， So there was a time when Charles Cumming was heralded as the heir to John Le Carre， but then he seemed to lose his way， （I've read his entire output） and Mick Herron replaced him as pretender to the - now-vacant - throne。But Cumming is back， big time， by what is probably his best book since his debut， a A SPY BY NATURE。Hero Lockie Kite is a character who is well capable of carrying a series of novels。 Other characters were equally interesting and three dimensional， and I hope to meet them again， too。Cumming seems at his best when he is writing his vaguely autobiographical stories of a young man entering the mysterious world of the secret service。 Far less so when his characters are a decade or so older。Stay young， Lockie Kite， and I look forward to your next adventure。Recommended。 。。。more

Rhoda ，

4。5*

Jo Bunting ，

I'm not sure why， but I spent the first part of this novel thinking that at any moment the whole idea of Box 88 would turn out to be a red herring and that the protaganist was being set up for some other reason altogether。 Anyway， that twist was not to be， which is good because it would probably have been a bit rubbish。 I've enjoyed all of Charles Cumming's books and this one perhaps most of all。 It is a great holiday read， partly because quite a lot of time is spent at an idyllic French villa， I'm not sure why， but I spent the first part of this novel thinking that at any moment the whole idea of Box 88 would turn out to be a red herring and that the protaganist was being set up for some other reason altogether。 Anyway， that twist was not to be， which is good because it would probably have been a bit rubbish。 I've enjoyed all of Charles Cumming's books and this one perhaps most of all。 It is a great holiday read， partly because quite a lot of time is spent at an idyllic French villa， but also because it's intelligently written and genuinely very tense and exciting。 For some reason describing a book as "holiday reading" sounds dismissive - implying that it's quite lightweight and something you would happily leave in that sad little bookcase in the hotel foyer for other guests to pick up。 But holiday reading for me sets an extremely high bar - those are the books that really need to deliver。 Especially if you cart actual books to your destination rather than a more sensible， but let's face it slightly depressing， kindle， how annoying it is when that book fails to deliver。 But Box 88 delivers in abundance。 This is highly intelligent， gripping stuff， giving a convincing insight into the mental toll it takes to deceive。 I'm very much looking forward to the sequel in the autumn。 。。。more

Michael Martz ，

Any day I get to crack a new novel by a favorite author is a good day。 I anxiously awaited receipt of Charles Cumming's latest， Box 88， and it did not disappoint。 It wasn't exactly what I expected， but it may mark an auspicious debut of an exciting new series， so that's a good sign。Lachlan "Lockie" Kite is at different parts of Box 88 either: a very young Scot recruited by a new ultra-secret multinational （US and GB） spy organization known as Box 88， to gather intelligence on Torabi， the Iranian Any day I get to crack a new novel by a favorite author is a good day。 I anxiously awaited receipt of Charles Cumming's latest， Box 88， and it did not disappoint。 It wasn't exactly what I expected， but it may mark an auspicious debut of an exciting new series， so that's a good sign。Lachlan "Lockie" Kite is at different parts of Box 88 either: a very young Scot recruited by a new ultra-secret multinational （US and GB） spy organization known as Box 88， to gather intelligence on Torabi， the Iranian friend of the father of his friend during a holiday trip to France; or a relatively grizzled and highly experienced master spy for the same organization。 The novel begins with present-day Lockie being kidnapped by a group of Arab radicals， the leader of which wants information about the time the young Lockie spend gathering intelligence on the Iranian at the beginning of his spy career。 Torture seems to be in Lockie's future， but his interrogation proceeds in a somewhat gentlemanly fashion。 The story bounces back and forth between his initial foray into the spy world as a youngster and his current predicament， with an additional complication that Britain's MI5 was also spying on the spies of Box 88 and had Lockie under surveillance prior to his kidnapping。 The leaders of Box 88 are pulling out all the stops to discover where he's being held， while Lockie is determined to only provide enough information to his interrogators to sound somewhat truthful and to extend his time under their control so he can be rescued。 All is eventually settled， but not before incredible tension， rather shocking discoveries， and a bit of violent action。This wasn't what I'd consider a typical Cumming spy novel， though his trademark great writing， solid dialogue， and expert tradecraft descriptions are certainly present。 The back and forth between the period at the earliest time of Lockie's career and his current situation was fascinating。 It was riveting to follow the juxtaposition between the truth of his actual activities and his process of deciding just how much he can disclose and what could be lied about。 I hope the author builds a new series around Box 88， as it seems to be a potential gold mine for some great spy fiction。 。。。more

Geevee ，

Enjoyable spy thriller introducing a new lead character for Charles Cumming。Box 88 is a secret organisation on the fringes of official intelligence agencies。 It is tasked with activities and investigations that have limited and specific high-level sponsorship away from mainstream secret service operations。Among its small number of personnel is Lachlan Kite。 He is captured and tortured because of his involvement in an intelligence gathering operation as a fresh-faced young man some 30 years previ Enjoyable spy thriller introducing a new lead character for Charles Cumming。Box 88 is a secret organisation on the fringes of official intelligence agencies。 It is tasked with activities and investigations that have limited and specific high-level sponsorship away from mainstream secret service operations。Among its small number of personnel is Lachlan Kite。 He is captured and tortured because of his involvement in an intelligence gathering operation as a fresh-faced young man some 30 years previously。 The captors want answers and Lachlan （Lockie） must hold his own by recounting events that happened in France。 Can he do this to save his life and that of others close to him and understand why the captors now want this information。Moving between 1989 and 2020 the events and characters build fairly well with key moments in Lachlan's early life and growth from school to spy all covered。I enjoyed the 1989 portions more and felt that the 2020 aspects were the weaker parts of the book。 Overall， a solid and interesting read but not for me Mr Cummings' best book。 。。。more

Ian Mapp ，

Extraordinarily good thriller。 Its a spy book。 And I normally hate spy books。What sets this aside is the three way / split time line narrative and the characterisation。We start with a prologue that details the Lockerbie bombing。 Interesting fact， not mentioned in the book， but Johnny Rotten had tickets for this flight but didn't make it on time。In the present - Lachlan Kite is being spied on by the British and also being taken prisoner by Libyans。 We have Lachlan's plight and the actions of the Extraordinarily good thriller。 Its a spy book。 And I normally hate spy books。What sets this aside is the three way / split time line narrative and the characterisation。We start with a prologue that details the Lockerbie bombing。 Interesting fact， not mentioned in the book， but Johnny Rotten had tickets for this flight but didn't make it on time。In the present - Lachlan Kite is being spied on by the British and also being taken prisoner by Libyans。 We have Lachlan's plight and the actions of the spy team of new recruits detailed in alternating chapters。On top of this， we have Lachlans back story - taking us back to his public school education and a summer of love， where he was 18 and recruited as a spy - mainly due to where he was spending a long hot summer in the South of France。 He is off with a school friend and his parents， and they are to be joined by an Iranian person of interest。 This is what his kidnappers are interested in。What transpires is a wonderful coming of age tale - as Lachlan passes the tests presented to him but also has the temptations of youth going against him。 He often has torn loyalities to his new employers， his country but his friends。There's an additional back story to Lachlan that I am sure will be developed in future books。 His father - a potential IRA Supporter - drank himself to death - in a larger than life， friend of everyone capacity running pubs。 His mother - beautiful， but cold and aloof - had little time for him。 Will these traits/loyaties come into play in future books。Its breathlessly done， with just the right about of action， intrigue and heart in your mouth set pieces。 All characters in the book are well rounded， sympathtic。 Its not a "goodies vs。 baddies" book。I look forward to the sequel， due for release in October '21。 。。。more

David Gee ，

BOX 88 is an ultra-secret Anglo-American spy agency that operates beyond the remit of MI6 and the CIA。 In 1989 at the age of 18 Lachlan Kite was recruited because his best friend’s father was hosting an Iranian power-broker suspected of links to those behind the Lockerbie bombing。 Kite and his pal were guests at the villa in France where the Iranian would be staying。 BOX 88 gave the teenager a crash course in espionage tradecraft: dead-letter boxes and hidden microphones。In 2020 Kite is kidnappe BOX 88 is an ultra-secret Anglo-American spy agency that operates beyond the remit of MI6 and the CIA。 In 1989 at the age of 18 Lachlan Kite was recruited because his best friend’s father was hosting an Iranian power-broker suspected of links to those behind the Lockerbie bombing。 Kite and his pal were guests at the villa in France where the Iranian would be staying。 BOX 88 gave the teenager a crash course in espionage tradecraft: dead-letter boxes and hidden microphones。In 2020 Kite is kidnapped and his pregnant wife taken hostage by another group of Iranians who want to know the truth about the events of that summer in France。 Kite and Isobel’s lives will depend on his ability to dissimulate。Not for the first time Charles Cumming sets his sights on John Le Carré territory: the “nitty-gritty” of intelligence work that relies on deception more than on Jason Bourne heroics。 The bulk of this 480-page novel consists of conversations in which Kite pretends to be just a horny schoolboy （1989） and an outraged ordinary citizen （2020）。 Only towards the end do a few bullets fly。This is surely much closer to the real secret world than a James Bond caper or a Mission Impossible。 BOX 88 is a tense read， very well crafted。 Mr Cumming is definitely going places！ 。。。more

Saul Warren-Howles ，

A cracking book， have bought several more of his books as a result of this。 Waiting now for Jude 62 in September 2021。

Alex Taylor ，

Really enjoyed this one。 Engaging and exciting。 Will definitely read the follow-up。

Behrooz ，

Excellent。 Right up my street。 A John Le Carre style exciting page turner。 Really enjoyed it。

Tracy Avery ，

Just no。

Dave ，

Living in Canada I had to wait a very long time to obtain this novel。 It is simply the best novel I have read this year。 The story is amazing， the characters rich and the writing style beautiful！

John ，

Whilst I enjoyed this book， I felt slightly disappointed in that it did not live up to its hype。 It is not Cumming’s best book。 It is a too long and detailed origin story for what is going to be a new series （as revealed in the added extract to the next book）。 Cumming is an excellent writer and I always look forward to his new books， but I hope his editor exerts a stronger influence next time。

Lewis ，

3/5 Overall the book was okay。 An espionage tale told from present and past。 You follow the life of BOX 88 spy Lachlan Kite， under his own investigation from MI5， as well as capture from mysterious “MOIS” agents， and his very first job at BOX 88。 And even the MI5 as they tail “Lockie”。Not a bad book， but just a massive case of too little too late。 Set in several different time periods and a few different character perspectives， we follow multiple stories all more or less surrounding the mysterio 3/5 Overall the book was okay。 An espionage tale told from present and past。 You follow the life of BOX 88 spy Lachlan Kite， under his own investigation from MI5， as well as capture from mysterious “MOIS” agents， and his very first job at BOX 88。 And even the MI5 as they tail “Lockie”。Not a bad book， but just a massive case of too little too late。 Set in several different time periods and a few different character perspectives， we follow multiple stories all more or less surrounding the mysterious BOX 88。BOX 88 was what the whole focus of what the book was about， being the focal point of most of the beginning stages of the book。 However it took 200 plus pages to be told what it was， and even then it was slightly underwhelming。 The several time frames and perspectives really didn’t add a whole lot。 I found myself favouring specific storylines and was just hoping that the next chapter wasn’t going to be another from the less engaging tales in the book。 I found myself bored for large parts of the middle and just wanted to skip to the end to find out what was really going on。Despite the flat beginning and middle， the book did end well， but it unfortunately didn’t amend the lacklustre buildup。 It all made more sense after the fact， but was still slightly disjointed。 I felt certain information wasn’t told， and too much unnecessary information was told。 The book did however tie up most loose ends， only leaving slight questions。Having part of the book set in 1988/89 was slightly intriguing even focusing and referencing real life occurrences such as the Lockerbie Bombing， and the relationship with Iran from multiple intelligence organisations。I’d recommend this book if you like a spy thriller， I’d guess not as conventional as others it definitely has it’s pros and cons as stated above。 Being my first spy book my view of it might be slightly warped and many might disagree。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=BOX 88

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=BOX 88&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,BOX 88&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0