JUDAS 62
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- Create Date：2022-04-20 08:51:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Charles Cumming
- ISBN：0008363501
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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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
Beth
，
I couldn't wait for the US publication of this book so I imported a copy from the UK。 It was well worth the effort。 So well written and interesting。 I couldn't wait for the US publication of this book so I imported a copy from the UK。 It was well worth the effort。 So well written and interesting。 。。。more
Helen
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Page-turning espionage thriller。Gotta be filmed， no ？！？❤📚❤📚❤
David Boddy
，
A new Smiley/Circus for our times。
Mark Lloyd
，
Love the characters pacing plot everything about it
Bill McFadyen
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Maybe the best spy novel I have read since I discovered John Le Carre all theses years ago。The story is bang up to date - and the author does not hold back on his messages of world greed and corruption。 He does not pussy foot around the Russian regime and the people who dominate the government。Charlie Cumming’s is really good and I look forward to more missions forBOX 88。
picoas picoas
，
If you're into stuff like this， you can read the full review。Epicurean Focus : "Judas 62" by Charles CummingWhen there is more time， I plan on getting back to my old favourites， especially the really longer reads - 500 pages or more for preference: “War and Peace”， “Canterbury Tales” in the original language， “The Bible” - some astonishingly good stuff in that， “Kalevala”， the Finnish epic， if only in translation， “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” - eight volumes， but getting there， “Beowul If you're into stuff like this， you can read the full review。Epicurean Focus : "Judas 62" by Charles CummingWhen there is more time， I plan on getting back to my old favourites， especially the really longer reads - 500 pages or more for preference: “War and Peace”， “Canterbury Tales” in the original language， “The Bible” - some astonishingly good stuff in that， “Kalevala”， the Finnish epic， if only in translation， “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” - eight volumes， but getting there， “Beowulf” in Old English - now that really sends a shiver up the back （’Under misthleothum， Grendel gongan。’） 。。。more
Dave Allan
，
I really enjoyed this novel， the first Box Series book was good but this was very good。 I read it five weeks into Putin's invasion of Ukraine so it felt particularly of it's time talking of potential exfiltrations through Ukraine in the 90s then bringing it back to current times and spying during the pandemic。 It didn't disappoint at any stage， even the ending felt totally believable。 I'd recommend reading Box 88 first just to have background as this one definitely follows on with Lockies career I really enjoyed this novel， the first Box Series book was good but this was very good。 I read it five weeks into Putin's invasion of Ukraine so it felt particularly of it's time talking of potential exfiltrations through Ukraine in the 90s then bringing it back to current times and spying during the pandemic。 It didn't disappoint at any stage， even the ending felt totally believable。 I'd recommend reading Box 88 first just to have background as this one definitely follows on with Lockies career。 。。。more
Steven Burt
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Judas 62 is a continuing story about young Lachlan Kite， present-day member of Box 88 who was recruited into the secret service in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing。 In this second book （following Cumming's Box 88） Kite's 2020 persona becomes aware that his operational alias from the 1990s， Peter Galvin， has been identified as part of an active "hit list" put together by former KGB agents and referred to as the Judas list。 Tense memories of an escapade in the early 90s， wherein Kite helped Judas 62 is a continuing story about young Lachlan Kite， present-day member of Box 88 who was recruited into the secret service in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing。 In this second book （following Cumming's Box 88） Kite's 2020 persona becomes aware that his operational alias from the 1990s， Peter Galvin， has been identified as part of an active "hit list" put together by former KGB agents and referred to as the Judas list。 Tense memories of an escapade in the early 90s， wherein Kite helped a Russian scientist named Aaronov escape to the West， round out a large part of the middle story。 Former KGB agent Mikhal Gromik， embarrassed by Aaronov and Galvin/Kite in the long-past episode， is believed to now be steadily finding and killing those on the Judas list。 When he finds out that Aaronov will be in Dubai， Gromik sees an opportunity he can't resist。 。。。more
Mark
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The second in the Box 88 series a great new writer in the field of spy fiction superb book
Keshav Nair
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Judas 62 is a gripping sequel to Box 88， about espionage and an Intelligence spy who conducts one of the most daring exfiltration operations from Russia in 1993。 The Judas list is a record of Russian enemies that are on the hit list of FSB for revenge killings。 In 1993 Lochlan （Lockie） Kite， under an alias of Peter Galvin arrives in Voronezh， Russia and helps a Russian chemical weapons scientist Yuri Aranov to escape into Ukraine and into the West， where they intend to use his knowledge and expe Judas 62 is a gripping sequel to Box 88， about espionage and an Intelligence spy who conducts one of the most daring exfiltration operations from Russia in 1993。 The Judas list is a record of Russian enemies that are on the hit list of FSB for revenge killings。 In 1993 Lochlan （Lockie） Kite， under an alias of Peter Galvin arrives in Voronezh， Russia and helps a Russian chemical weapons scientist Yuri Aranov to escape into Ukraine and into the West， where they intend to use his knowledge and experience to counter Russian chemical warfare。 Present-day in 2020， Lockie Kite， now head of Box 88， UK unit discovers that Judas 62 is the code name given to the assassination of Peter Galvin and Judas 61 is Yuri Aranov。 He is baffled as to why his alias name is listed on Judas， thirty years after the operation， and not his real identity？ Do they even know his true identity？ Would it lead them to the clandestine operations of Box 88 and expose their existence？The young team at Box 88 does not know the identity of Peter Galvin。 The first part of this thriller is all about how Lockie Kite comes to Russia under the alias of Peter Galvin as an English language teacher， establishes contact with Yuri， prepares a masterplan of escape， and meticulously executes the exfiltration under the nose of a brutal Putin Ally and FSB agent， Mikhail Gromik。 Yuri is also on the list of Chinese and Libyan forces， who craves his chemical warfare expertise to develop their own arsenal。 During Lockie's operations in Voronezh， he gets involved with a beautiful student， Oksana who not only becomes a threat to their escape plan but ultimately becomes a victim of collateral damage。 Present-day， Lockie Kite decides to take FSB head-on， and the whole operations shift to Dubai， where Gromik is lying low waiting for a suitable opportunity to assassinate next on the Judas List。 To lure him out in the open， Lockie uses Yuri Aranov as bait， as he knows Gromik would not be able to resist having two on the Judas list at the same location， making it easier for him to execute his plans and prove his loyalties to the Kremlin。 This operation forms the second part of the anecdote。 Both operations in this story are gripping with spies， double agents， and revenge。 What makes it even more nail-biting and an edge-of-the-seat entertainer is meticulous planning and flawless execution masterminded by Lockie。 There are perilous rollercoaster moments in the plot and you realize that you have skipped a heartbeat， as Lockie has to competently execute his plan without giving a whiff to the Intelligence and local authorities in Dubai about the existence of Box 88 and their involvement in the operation。 On the flip side， the storyline has many characters and aliases， making it difficult at times to comprehend the authentic individuality and therefore confusing， especially when it come to Russian names。 However， the positives outweigh vastly making this book a solid espionage thriller and therefore comes with a strong recommendation to read for all spy enthusiasts。 This was my second book by Charles Cumming and I have already become a fan of his writings。 Eagerly glaring forward to the next installment in the Lockie series and wonder what cliffhanger the author has in store for his fans。 。。。more
Leah
，
I'm abandoning books at an alarming rate at the moment， so I'm willing to accept that my mood may be at least partly to blame。 However， I stuck this one out to page 150 （of over 500） and it is painfully slow and a bit like a YA novel - it's more about the protagonist's juvenile girlfriend troubles， sexual desires and student parties than about espionage。 It seems to me that there may be an interesting novel buried in here somewhere but Cumming needs a much stronger editor to tell him to cut out I'm abandoning books at an alarming rate at the moment， so I'm willing to accept that my mood may be at least partly to blame。 However， I stuck this one out to page 150 （of over 500） and it is painfully slow and a bit like a YA novel - it's more about the protagonist's juvenile girlfriend troubles， sexual desires and student parties than about espionage。 It seems to me that there may be an interesting novel buried in here somewhere but Cumming needs a much stronger editor to tell him to cut out most of the irrelevant waffling and endless repetition。 I said it before in an update， but it's far too slow to be a thriller and the story is mundane - getting a scientist out of Russia to the West， so he can make his horrible weapons for "us" instead of "them"。 Throw in some Novichok， mysterious beautiful women who are attracted to our hero like magnets， and lots and lots of Ladas， and it all feels stale and unoriginal。 Why authors and publishers think that length is necessarily a good thing beats me。 The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is less than half as long as this and many times better。 Graham Greene managed to write espionage classics at around 200-250 pages。 The Day of the Jackal - 350。 Etc。 Call me picky but thrillers should thrill， and to thrill they need to be fast-paced。 If the story is a simple one like this， then it's hard to justify stretching it to over 500 pages。 And it's not original or interesting enough to justify me spending any more hours reading it。 。。。more
Afterwards
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Great sequel to the first in this series and a very timely read given the horribleness of Putin and his actions in Ukraine。 Particularly loved the character of Martha。 Looking forward to the next one。
Michael J
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Excellent。 A riveting read。
John Urquhart
，
Good， but not as good as Box88
Jem Wilton
，
Not quite as good as the Box 88 which was cracking， this was a little too disjointed; the Russian section at the start and the continuation didn't really meld together well。 Still a cracking read though， love Cumming's references to modern sports etc。。。 Not quite as good as the Box 88 which was cracking， this was a little too disjointed; the Russian section at the start and the continuation didn't really meld together well。 Still a cracking read though， love Cumming's references to modern sports etc。。。 。。。more
Julie Birkett
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Have learned quote a bit about how spys operate
Nick Barber
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Excellent！ Great to dive back into Lockie's past and see him mature in life， and in his stagecraft。 Eagerly awaiting the next installment。 My only critisicm would be that there could have been a littlw more suspense or a hiccup in the final operation。 Excellent！ Great to dive back into Lockie's past and see him mature in life， and in his stagecraft。 Eagerly awaiting the next installment。 My only critisicm would be that there could have been a littlw more suspense or a hiccup in the final operation。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
I don't usually have anything but praise for Charles Cumming， but I did think this was a bit too long。 The second Box 88 novel concerns Lachlan Kite's second job for the organisation， back in 1993 when he was a student， given the task of extracting a Russian scientist who wants to defect， and then later during the pandemic， when the Russians have put not only the defector on an assassination list， but also the alias that Kite was going under back in the 90s。 This second part， set mostly in Dubai I don't usually have anything but praise for Charles Cumming， but I did think this was a bit too long。 The second Box 88 novel concerns Lachlan Kite's second job for the organisation， back in 1993 when he was a student， given the task of extracting a Russian scientist who wants to defect， and then later during the pandemic， when the Russians have put not only the defector on an assassination list， but also the alias that Kite was going under back in the 90s。 This second part， set mostly in Dubai， was much more effective， and it was the earlier segment that felt too convoluted and detailed。 Given the pacey ending though， this was a great read， and everything looks set for the next in the series。 。。。more
Nanci
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I love all of Charles Cummings' works， and hope that he will continue with the BOX series， though I thoroughly enjoy his other series as well。 These are meaty， intricately plotted， and intelligent thrillers - just what I love！ I love all of Charles Cummings' works， and hope that he will continue with the BOX series， though I thoroughly enjoy his other series as well。 These are meaty， intricately plotted， and intelligent thrillers - just what I love！ 。。。more
Mark Smith
，
A really good sequel to the Box 88 book that I read just prior to this。A good plot and an addictive storyline。I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for number 3！ A really good sequel to the Box 88 book that I read just prior to this。A good plot and an addictive storyline。I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for number 3！ 。。。more
Trevor Vick
，
Sequel to Box 88。 Gripping Cold War shenanigans 。
Dave
，
Fantastic read！！
Stefan Bjelosevic
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4。5/5。
Tom Lindsay
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Enjoyed this book， although where the money comes from to finance Kite's acquisitions is a bit of a grey area。 Having lived in Russia， the bad guys are pretty much like real bad guys and it's no stretch of the imagination to understand that those with power pre-Yeltsin have just as much power now and play very rough when it suits them。 Taking revenge is the essence of the plot and it's wholly believable。 Enjoyed this book， although where the money comes from to finance Kite's acquisitions is a bit of a grey area。 Having lived in Russia， the bad guys are pretty much like real bad guys and it's no stretch of the imagination to understand that those with power pre-Yeltsin have just as much power now and play very rough when it suits them。 Taking revenge is the essence of the plot and it's wholly believable。 。。。more
Mancman
，
I had to wait for this to be available in my library， and it was worth the wait。Spies， and whilst it’s set in Dubai， in part， it’s not all glamour and gadgets。This is intrigue， subterfuge and psychology at play。Enjoyable characters， well paced and sparkling with references for everyone to pick up on。
gary fuller
，
GrippingThis was a perfect sequel to box 88。 An excellent story line with added relevance to real world events。Can't wait for the next instalment。 GrippingThis was a perfect sequel to box 88。 An excellent story line with added relevance to real world events。Can't wait for the next instalment。 。。。more
Nadine
，
Book 2 combines a Soviet & Dubai story。 Not much mysterious or that thrilling
Vinoy Dalal
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 well crafted book。 detailed description of Dubai。 loved it。but wanna know， why did Kite not marry Martha？ whats thats story。 is there a book 3？
Stewart Cotterill
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Actually more of a 12 out of 5 it’s that good。If you enjoy a well constructed spy novel with more twists and turns than you can shake a Putin shaped stick at， this is for you。Brilliant。
Adam Jones
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An enjoyable read， with some great spy thrills。If I'm being honest， when I started reading this I got slightly confused with it starting in the modern day， then all of a sudden we're back in time to retell a relevant backstory to the overall plot。 The reason this confused me， was that there was no warning or indication of the switch in years。That aside， some good research for the early years section of the book to give some cultural references， with global news being a big part of the modern day An enjoyable read， with some great spy thrills。If I'm being honest， when I started reading this I got slightly confused with it starting in the modern day， then all of a sudden we're back in time to retell a relevant backstory to the overall plot。 The reason this confused me， was that there was no warning or indication of the switch in years。That aside， some good research for the early years section of the book to give some cultural references， with global news being a big part of the modern day setting。If you like a good spy thriller， then give this a go。I was provided a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=JUDAS 62
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=JUDAS 62&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,JUDAS 62&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0