The Spanish Game by Charles Cumming
Alec Milius is a 33-year-old British man living in Madrid in a constant state of paranoia and heightened alert. Once a British spy, he fell afoul of the CIA in an operation that left his girlfriend dead and him on the run.
He now works for an investment bank, sleeps with his boss's wife, and
dreams of getting back in the Intel game. But he's scared of what is sure to be his terrible reputation in spy circles in London, and he's convinced that the “cousins” across the pond are still gunning for him.
The story really gets moving when his boss sends him into the semi-autonomous Basque country and connects him
with Michael Avenaza, a spokesman for a radical Basque separatist group. After an alcohol-infused meal, they agree to meet again in Madrid in a few weeks when Avenaza is coming to visit his mistress.
But instead of hosting Alec to another dinner, Avenaza disappears.
The once-and-future-spy in Alec comes to the fore, and he investigates Avenaza's disappearance on his own, using details about the man's mistress no one else knows.
This leads to the discovery of
a Spanish dirty war in which unofficially, Madrid is using outside assassins to kill off radical Basque leadership.
It's a wild ride that all but runs Alec into the ground. He's kidnapped and tortured by Basque radicals, recruited by an undercover British team, seduces a woman working for a crooked Spanish official, and
ultimately finds out he's been tricked by the enemy he always feared.
This is a big, dense read, but the writing is superb. There is so much going on and the sense of place is tremendous as the author uses both street-level descriptions as well as food and cultural events to showcase the Spanish city. Alec narrates, and
the deep point of view keeps us by his side throughout (although skip the torture scene if you are squeamish).
It's part of a series but works equally well as a standalone.
Highly recommended.
