"Tautly written, cleverly plotted...it reminded me strongly of the early books of John le Carré" — Robert Harris, author of The Ghost and Fatherland "Charles Cumming  is a man put on earth to perpetuate the spy thriller."  --The Daily Telegraph    "...supremely intelligent and utterly readable...Smartly paced and intricately plotted, Cumming's decidedly unglamorous look at industrial espionage provides plenty of elaborate deceits, double crosses and other trappings of a first-class spy thriller." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 Alec Milius, a recent graduate of the London School of Economics, is young, smart,  and a bit of a slacker, stuck in a shady job and suffering from a lack of direction.  So, when an old family friend offers to put him up for a job in British Intelligence, Alec begins the rigorous selection process for SIS or MI6.  Though he doesn't officially make the cut, he is funneled into a prime position at a British oil company with interests in the Caspian Sea.  He is directed to befriend Fortner Grice and Katharine Simms, two charismatic employees of Andromeda, a rival American oil firm.  Lured into the murky world of industrial espionage, Millius finds himself trapped in a life of secrets and lies, manipulated by MI6 and the CIA, and confronted by the reality of a ruthless business environment in which priceless information can come at the cost of human life. Compellingly told, utterly authentic, and heart-racingly tense, A Spy By Nature will grip you until the very last page.  

A bestseller in England, this debut novel by Cumming introduces Alec Milius, a smart and ambitious economics graduate. When he lands a prime job for a British oil company, Alec finds himself trapped in a world of secrets and lies that could cost him his life.

This is what they told me a long time ago.

Only make contact in the event of an emergency.

Only telephone if you believe that your position has been fatally compromised.

Under no circumstances are you to approach us unless it is absolutely necessary in order to preserve the security of the operation.

This is the number.

Alec Milius is young, smart, and ambitious. He also has a talent for deception. He is working in a dead-end job when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, the elite British Secret Intelligence Service, handing him an opportunity to play center-stage in a dangerous game of espionage.

In his new line of work, Alec finds that the difference between the truth and a lie can mean the difference between life and death--and he is having trouble telling them apart. Isolated and exposed, he must play a role in which the slightest glance or casual remark can seem heavy with unintended menace. Caught between British and American Intelligence, Alec finds himself threatened and alone, unable to confide in even his closest friend. His life as a spy begins to exact a terrible price, both on himself and on those around him.

Richly atmospheric and chillingly plausible, A Spy By Nature announces the arrival of British author Charles Cumming as heir apparent to masters like John le Carre and Len Deighton. A bestseller in England, it's the gripping storyof a young man driven by ruthless ambition who finds himself chasing not just success, but survival.

Charles Cumming is a journalist and contributing editor to The Week magazine.  Approached in 1995 for recruitment by the SIS, Cumming has weaved his personal experiences with SIS (MI6) into his fiction. He lives in London with his family.