The 3rd ‘Box 88’ book starring Lochlan Kite is another fine read from master spy storyteller Charles Cummings.

Whilst I feel it falls slightly short of the first 2 stellar reads, it is still very good and reads through fast and action packed full of adrenaline inducing moments.

The story takes Kite back to younger days in a hot, humid and dusty Dakar, and I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and the dastardly African criminals and dark government agencies.

Cummings is a fantastic author who knows how to entertain and keep his reader enthralled.

A fast paced, explosive ride through Africa and London, it’s sharp, confident and just really very good and Cummings leaves a very mischievous ending to make readers await book 4 with baited breath.

It was wonderful to be reunited with Lachlan Kite and his team. The Box 88 series has been hugely enjoyable and entertaining so far. Cumming writes with style and panache and creates feelings of sympathy for his central characters who are three dimensional and well drawn
This book is visually vivid, thrilling and well paced. I was sad when it ended but completely enjoyed every aspect of the story. It is evident that Cumming researches well, Lachlan’s experiences and thoughtful insight draw the reader into the plot with skilled finesse.
I have enjoyed all of Charles Cumming’s books but this series is definitely his best and I hope we get many more books in this superb series!

It’s hard to believe it’s two years since I read JUDAS 62, the second in Charles Cumming’s series about a supersecret intelligence unit. The central character Lockie Kite is memorable so it was easy to pick up where we’d left off. This time, resurfacing from his past are a schoolfriend, a lover and a war criminal.
Cumming is also a successful screenwriter and he carries those skills onto the page. There are some real moments of tension, some in scenes from the earlier timeline involving people we know survive to the present day. That’s when you know you’re immersed in a story. Impressive stuff.
I sometimes find dual-timeline stories a bit tiresome but that’s not the case here. As a spy might deal with dramatic (and traumatic) events, it makes sense that they will linger long in the mind. And the type of problems they encounter don’t just disappear if they’re not dealt with definitively first time. I wonder too whether, given the ease of communications and surveillance nowadays, it’s just much more exciting to read about the jeopardy of missing a rendezvous or someone desperate to find a phone. Old-school, pre-internet/smartphone espionage is just a bit more sexy.

This book by Charles Cumming is apparently the third in a series of spy thrillers featuring the central character of Lachlan Kite.
It has a dual timeline, beginning in Senegal and relating to the Rwanda genocide in the mid 1990's. The latter day story relates to people who along with Kite had been involved in the earlier operation.
Initially a slow burner the book became more gripping as it moved forward. A satisfying and enjoyable read.

A continuing insight into Box 88 and the making of the central character, a then young Lachlan Kite in the 90’s, through to the present time. Events back then (Rwanda) impact way into the future threatening Lachlan, those closest to him and exposing the very existence of Box 88.
This book lived up to all expectations and the ending promises more of the same.

I’ve read the two previous books in this excellent espionage series which follows the escapades of Lachlan Kite, an officer for Box 88, a top secret spy organisation.
As in the previous books, this is a dual time line thriller with action taking place in the 1990s and the present day.
The past plot line is about a plan to capture a man complicit in the Rwandan genocide and how it goes disastrously wrong.
The present day part of the book concerns some people who took part in the past operation along with Kite. It looks like someone is out to get them including Kite’s ex girlfriend, Martha.
Box 88 have a race against time to catch the supposed perpetrator, a nasty criminal business woman and former girlfriend of the war criminal.
I liked getting to know all the characters again and once I’d got my head around the extremely complicated plot, I was well away in the secret world of Lockie and his colleagues.
The storyline about the genocide was a period of recent history which I knew very little about so it was interesting and rather sad to read about what had happened. This author had obviously done a lot of meticulous research.
As an espionage writer I would say that Charles Cumming is a worthy successor to Le Carre or Deighton. I really like his writing style and character development as he creates the secret world. Each book of his that I have read makes me eager to read the next, particularly so in the case of Kennedy 35.
Definitely a highly recommended spy thriller.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hyde publishers for my advance copy.

The continuing story of Box 88 and of those trying to penetrate and expose it. The author writes in an informative and entertaining way explaining the dark arts of the secret services across the world. An excellent continuation of the saga, highly recommended.

I love this series so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Kennedy 35.
I did feel that the novel had a slow start and I preferred the present day timeline which I found more believable, However this is still an excellent addition to the series; Cumming writes so well with skilful plotting and superb characterisation with believable characters. I was completely caught up in the world of Lachlan Kyte again and found this to be a well paced and enjoyable read. If you haven't read the other books in the series I'd definitely recommend starting at the beginning.
3.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

5* Kennedy 35 is the 3rd in Charles Cumming’s Box 88 series, each of which would make a great stand-alone, but read in order are an absolute treat. Brilliant writers such as Robert Harris tout CC as the new Le Carre. So far all of his books have been excellent but this is fantastic on another level. I absolutely loved it and have been eeking it out to make it last.

Modern day London. Lockie Kite, part of the secret Box 88 group which is a collaboration between MI6 and the CIA, is contacted by an old school friend using a highly unorthodox methodology. The last time the two were in touch was a disastrous mission in Senegal to snatch central protagonists in the massacres of Rwanda and it seems that either the past has come back to haunt or there is the opportunity to make things right.

A superb mix of high octane action and slow burn tension, bringing together many of the characters from the previous Box 88 books. It feels like this series has absolutely hit it’s sweet spot.

Kennedy 35 hits the perfect balance of well paced plot, the weaving in of real events without overwhelming the reader with detail, intrigue, complexity and smart characters. I’ve read just about all of the author’s books (he’s a pre-order author for me) and this is by far and away the one I have enjoyed the most. Hugely looking forward to the return of Lockie and Box 88 in book 4.

Thanks to Harper Collins for inviting me to read and ARC and Netgalley for making it happen.

It’s 1995 and 24 year old British spy Lockie, and his girlfriend Martha have been sent to Senegal acting as backpackers, but their objective is to track down and bring to justice, the Butcher of Kigali, responsible for the shocking slaughter of the Tutsi population.

As the mission spirals ever more out of control, Lockie has to protect his career at top-secret intelligence agency BOX 88, but also his relationship with Martha.

The storyline moves on to 2023, and Lockie’s school friend and off the record Box 88 asset Eric Appiah, makes contact after many years with information about what really happened all those years ago, which leads to another exciting but dangerous mission.

The dual timelines worked well (though I’m not normally a fan), the storyline itself was extremely gripping, and all in all a terrific read.

I understand that author Robert Harris has named author Charles Cumming as the heir-apparent to le Carré’s throne in spy fiction. Who I am I to argue with that? Highly recommended!

Kennedy 35 started off as a bit of a slow burner for me but by the time the story took off, I was unable to put it down!

Much like the previous installments in this series, Kennedy 35 is fast paced, thrilling and wonderfully written with plenty of tension and suspense. The characters are well developed and I appreciate that the reader learns a little more about Lockie and Box 88's backstory in each book, making their motivations and choices all the more understandable. The dual storylines worked perfectly together and formed a satisfying conclusion.

The only reason I'm deducting one star is due to the cliffhanger and abrupt ending which had me checking to make sure I hadn't missed a page. How am I meant to wait a year to find out what happens?!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK for the ARC.

Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming brought me back to the characters of Box 88 and reminded me of the fast paced spy work with Lockie and his team. The start of the book was a bit slow for me and I persevered because I’d enjoyed Box 88 so much. I’m glad I did. The book delivered on plot, characterisation, pacing and back stories really well. Political intrigue and moral turpitude seem to be pretty rife in current life and it’s sobering to get an insight behind the scenes like this. What makes the books work for me is the thread of genuine relationships between the characters, both their colleagues and partners. The ending paves the way perfectly for Charles’ next book, with Kite clearly about to make some dramatic moves. Three and a half stars rounded to four

Lachlan Kite returns in Kennedy 35 which is the latest spy thriller by Charles Cumming and it is another highly absorbing book which kept this reader hooked from the first to last pages.

Split between 1995 and 2023 the author weaves a great narrative with just the right amount of action and twists & turns.

Another excellent addition to the “Box” series.

I read the first in this series and thoroughly enjoyed it. This second book was harder to get into but as I progressed through the story I became more involved..The second half is gripping and exciting following the lives of the central characters from the first book.
A story of the spy world working across the globe and different time zones.
Recommended

Charles Cumming is an elite writer of wonderful spy thrillers and this, the third in the Lachlan Kite series is well up to standard.

Well written with a plot that ranges from Africa, New York to London, with well drawn characters and an ending wrapped in doubt and uncertainty, it really ticks all the boxes.

There is much about Kite's personal and familial circumstances which helps to make the story better balanced and even more credible.

I loo forward to the next instalment!

Another excellent page-turner from Charles Cumming. The book is well-written, with a gripping (and unpredictable) story. It's good to meet Lachlan Kite again, and I look forward to the nest book in this brilliant series.

This is the third book in Cummings’ Lachlan Kite series and a worthy addition. It is an unusual landscape for spy fiction, focusing on the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide as Kite is drawn into tracking down a key player.

The first half of the book is largely set in the past. It has an unusual setting in Senegal and the descriptions of Dakar are memorable. Really good to find a spy story set in Africa and based on an important event in African history. This is the first successful example I have read since Le Carre.

As always with Cummings, the story is beautifully constructed with a balance of intrigue and action. The second half returns to the present as Kite is drawn back to this operation of the 1990s in the present day.

Characterisation is one of Cummings’ strengths and the key players remain very credible as the scene moves between London, New York and Africa. Lachlan Kite remains a very human hero and the story with his girlfriend, Martha, is developed as part of the plot.

Overall, a superb read.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot! Instead I recommend you read this for yourself if you're a fan of tense, undercover spy novels!

This is the third book featuring the exploits of "Lockie" and co, and I enjoyed it just as much as the previous novels in the series.

This time the action is set in present-day London (also NYC and Sweden), and in Africa in the past (at the time of the dreadful Tutsi/Hutu massacres). The atmosphere is tense, with unexpected developments and twists and turns at every step. Some gruesome sections but they fit with the timeline...

I couldn't put this down, and stayed up late to finish it - always the sign of a cracking read for me!

I can't wait to read the next instalment - this book ended on a total cliffhanger!!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

‘Kennedy 35’ is the third tale in the Lachlan Kite spy series and Charles Cumming takes us back to the aftermath of the Rwandan massacre of the Tutsi population. On one of his first spying missions back in 1995, ‘Lockie’ is sent out to Senegal, with his girlfriend Martha, to pose as a backpacker whilst helping to track down the Butcher of Kigali, Augustine Bagaza, and his girlfriend Grace Mavinga, commonly known as Lady Macbeth – for obvious reasons. She is just as culpable as her ruthless partner. The operation is not quite the success predicted and, decades later, Kite is still keen to track down some of the criminals masterminding the bloodshed.
In the intervening years, life has changed for Lachlan Kite. At the age of fifty he is father to baby Ingrid and is determined to enjoy a more settled domestic life. However, when an old schoolfriend who was briefly involved in the Senegal 90s debacle leaves him a message about Lady Macbeth’s current movements, he cannot ignore the chance to bring her to justice.
Cumming seamlessly blends the 90s with the current day and, as ever, there is plenty of drama and tension as well as political intrigue. Those readers who have enjoyed the series so far will find plenty to enjoy in ‘Kennedy 35’. The cliffhanger which concludes the novel ensures that they will be keen to grab a copy of the next in the series. Let’s hope the wait’s not long!
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This series just gets better and better.

Some time after the events of "JUDAS 62" Kite is in Sweden, trying to rebuild a life of domesticity with his wife and daughter. However his sabbatical is brought to an abrupt end when he learns that someone from his past has used a cut-out contact to reach out to him. Once again events from his early days with BOX 88 are coming back to haunt him. Before we know what's happening, we are returned to west Africa in 1995 where a fledgling agent, Lockie, and his girlfriend Martha Raine, find themselves caught up in the aftermath of the Rwandan massacre of the Tutsi population, and an operation to bring the Butcher of Kigali to justice.

Once again author Charles Cumming skilfully weaves together events in Kite's past and their repercussions in the present. I'm not a fan of dual-timeline novels, but in these books, it works well. We slowly learn more about what motivates Kite, the sacrifices he has made, and given the back story is based on true and horrific events, we see what he has lost. His Peter Galvin persona is around, as is Martha and this latest story offers more insight into both their lives. We see a young Kite, inexperienced and out-of-his depth, dealing with circumstances over which he has no control, yet also seeing hints of the agent he will become.

The events of 1995 are skilfully drawn and war-torn Africa, and the complexities of the genocide are portrayed in detail. We meet some truly dreadful and some heroic people (and so fascinating) characters who have carved out their own place in Kite's world. This book is also bang up to date, with references to the COVID pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine. The research is first-class.

"Kennedy 35" has a similar structure to the previous two books, which is fine - each story has revealed slightly more about Kite and those in his world, and there's more to come, if the ending is any indication.

Fans of the series will not be disappointed with this latest episode, and new fans can be reassured, it's not entirely necessary to have read the previous books.