BOX 88: A Novel

One of Parade's Most Anticipated Books of 2022, a thriller by New York Times-bestseller Charles Cumming, "the best of the new generation of British spy writers" (The Observer), tells the story of Lachlan Kite, a member of BOX 88, an elite transatlantic black ops outfit so covert that not even MI6 and the CIA are certain of its existence.

At the funeral of his childhood best friend, Lachlan falls into a trap that drops him into the hands of a potentially deadly interrogation, with his pregnant wife, also abducted, being held as collateral for the information he's sworn on his own life to protect. Thirty years earlier, Lachlan, then just out of the upper class boarding school where he was reared, was BOX 88's newest recruit. In the haze of a gap year summer, in which the study of spycraft was intertwined with a journey of self-discovery, he cut his teeth on a special assignment on the coast of France, where a friendship allowed him special access to one of Iran's most dangerous men.

Today, Lachlan's nostalgia for the trip is corrupted by recollection of the deceit that accompanied it, but in order to save his family, he'll be forced to revisit those painful memories one last time. A pulse-pounding narrative that straddles two eras – 1989 and 2020 – BOX 88 is a "wonderfully taut, exciting and up-to-date spy thriller" that introduces a compelling new character and a captivating international storyline (Spectator, Books of the Year).

Even the best spy can't anticipate every potential threat in a world where dangerous actors lurk around every corner. Lachlan Kite, a member of the elite and covert BOX 88 outfit, finds himself caught in a trap that puts his pregnant wife's life at risk, forcing him to confront the deceit of his past in order to save his family.

The narrative moves between 1989 and 2020, as Lachlan, then a young recruit, navigates a special assignment in France that grants him access to one of Iran's most dangerous men. This formative experience shapes Lachlan's career, but also leaves him with painful memories that he must now revisit in order to protect his loved ones.

Charles Cumming, hailed as "the best of the new generation of British spy writers," has crafted a thrilling, taut, and timely tale that introduces a compelling new protagonist and an intricate international storyline. BOX 88 is one of Parade's Most Anticipated Books of 2022, a must-read for fans of espionage fiction and those who appreciate a gripping, character-driven narrative that spans decades.

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