A Peach of a Spy Story.

The Spanish Game by Charles Cumming

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the first Alec Milius novel, A Spy by Nature. I decided to go for the second novel of Milius because the first was very good. Well, the second is equally as compelling. Alec Milius is living in Madrid and it is five years after his traumatic brush with espionage, working for the British Secret Service. He has gone to ground and has been using his espionage training to stay off of the radar. Especially the American CIA, who he has caused problems for.

He has a well-paid job for a British company based in Madrid and is having an affair with a beautiful Married Spanish lady. He is a little paranoid and is always careful to cover his tracks from the British and American secret service organisations. It is second nature to him.

His company send him North on some important ground laying work for his company to do a business venture in the Basque region of Spain. While here, he meets with an ex-ETA man who Alec rather likes as a person. I can’t say much more without spoiling the story. All this leads to Alec opening up a Pandora’s Box. He can’t get the unwelcome Genie back into the bottle.

There are plans within plans. Diabolical scheming with the Spanish government and Alec finds himself as a free-lance pawn caught up in all of this. The whole saga is mind blowing right up until the end. The surprises come fast and furious. If you love a good spy thriller then I would strongly recommend this second Alec Milius novel. An absolute peach of a read.

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The Old Port Town of Cadiz in Spain

The first thing I noticed as the ship docked in the port of Cadiz, was the rain. 

"Oh, blast! It's raining," we said.

But we went ashore and walked the quaint narrow streets anyway. We found a coffee shop and killed some time watching the drizzle. It soon stopped and the sun came out as we began to explore the wonderful narrow lanes of the old city. It was a beautiful day and the shopping area was grand. Soon the wet morning had become bright and sunny.

It was a very old world place in many ways and was a great way to pass the time of day before setting off for Lisbon in Portugal. As the afternoon wore on the temperature climbed to the upper seventies. It was hard to believe this was winter December 5th.

Spain is a wonderful country where the pace of life seems a little less hectic then we Brits are used to. Perhaps this is a good thing. The Spanish people seem a lot more laid back as they go through the day. I think their weather is so much more agreeable than Britain's.

Looking Forward to Another Cruise

Carole and I spent yesterday morning packing the luggage for our holiday cruise. We are going to the island of Madeira first and then onto the Canary Islands. It's a two-week cruise and we've been looking forward to this since we booked up in the summer. It also breaks the winter up for us.  

The last time we did this cruise was three years ago and we saw a man dressed as Father Christmas sweating in the warmth. This was December. God knows how hot it can get in the summer months.

I'm hoping to see the man in the Funchal, Madeira with his eagle again. This time, I'll hopefully get a good photo with me holding the wonderful raptor. 

We'll also visit the Spanish mainland at Cadiz and Seville. Then Portugal's capital city of Lisbon. All in all, it should be a fun winter break. :D