Charles Cumming is a British writer of spy fiction. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh. In 1995, Charles Cumming was approached for recruitment by the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) but did not go on to work for them. A Spy By Nature, a novel inspired by his experience with MI6, was first published in the UK in June 2001. In August 2001, Charles moved to Madrid. His second novel, The Hidden Man (2003), tells the story of two brothers investigating the murder of their father, a former SIS officer, at the hands of the Russian mafia. Charle’s third novel, The Spanish Game (2006), marks the return of anti-hero Alec Milius, who becomes involved in a plot by the paramilitary Basque nationalist organization ETA to bring down the Spanish government. The Spanish Game was described by The Times as one of the six finest spy novels of all time, alongside Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Funeral in Berlin and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Typhoon, published in the UK in 2008, is a political thriller about a CIA plot to destabilise China on the eve of the Beijing Olympics. The story spans the decade from the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997 to present-day Shanghai. Charles Cumming’s fifth novel, The Trinity Six, a thriller about the discovery of a sixth member of the Cambridge spies ring, was published in 2011. The Washington Post named The Trinity Six as one of the Notable Books of 2011. A Foreign Country, Cumming’s sixth novel, concerning the disappearance of the first female Chief of MI6, was published in 2012.It is the first in a planned series of novels about disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Film rights to the novel have been acquired by Colin Firth. Critics think Charles Cumming is one of the best contemporary writers of spy fiction.