A Spy by Nature: A Novel (Alec Milius) Review

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A Spy by Nature: A Novel (Alec Milius) ReviewGeorge Bernard Shaw's famous observation that "The British and the Americans are two people separated by a common language" serves also to explain some important distinctions that American readers will find in the British mystery novel A SPY BY NATURE. In addition to the common language that separates the two nations, Charles Cumming's book reminds us of differences in philosophy and plot between the writing styles of many American and English authors. In the mystery field, American writers tend toward the physical and the violent. Their English counterparts seem a little more understated and less likely to resort to fisticuffs and mayhem. Although lacking almost any violence, A SPY BY NATURE nevertheless is an absorbing novel of the modern world of espionage. Its plot twists and double-dealing characters will have readers shaking their heads in wonder.
The story is semi-autobiographical as Cumming himself served for a period of time in England's MI6, a branch of their intelligence service. Indeed, the first 100 pages of the book serve as a primer for how one is recruited, interviewed and considered for service with British Intelligence. This description is detailed, tedious and sadly quite boring. However, these pages do introduce us to Alec Milius, the unsuccessful MI6 candidate whose rejection serves as the stepping-off point for the final two-thirds of the novel, which easily compensates for the tedium of the first third.
Alec Milius is certainly no James Bond. It's hard to characterize Milius as a hero in this novel. He is a pathological liar who apparently would lie even when the truth would better serve his purpose. Although deemed unqualified for MI6, he is recruited for industrial espionage. In the course of that action, the reader is introduced to many deftly portrayed characters, including the American couple who Milius must befriend in order to ultimately betray. The story is both understated and complex, and the conclusion will leave audiences with just enough unanswered questions to await Milius's return.
Reading A SPY BY NATURE requires effort by the reader, similar to a John le Carre or Graham Greene mystery. This is not meant to compare Cumming to either of these great writers. But this is not the kind of thriller in which harrowing escape and violent confrontation stimulate the reader from chapter to chapter, and the confrontation is not simply between good and evil. Instead, there are moral shades that make distinguishing between those two extremes much more difficult. Still, A SPY BY NATURE is a thoughtful and well-written mystery that many will find a refreshing change of pace from traditional spy thrillers.
--- Reviewed by Stuart ShiffmanA Spy by Nature: A Novel (Alec Milius) Overview

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