<DIV><DIV><DIV><DIV><DIV>"Tautly written, cleverly plotted...it reminded me strongly of the early books of John le Carré" -- Robert Harris, author of <I>The Ghost</I> and <I>Fatherland</I></DIV></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>"Charles Cumming  is a man put on earth to perpetuate the spy thriller."  <I>--The Daily Telegraph</I>  </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> "...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." --<I>Publishers Weekly </I>(starred review)<BR></DIV></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>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, <I>A Spy By Nature </I>will grip you until the very last page.  </DIV></DIV></DIV>