My Review (4 stars out of 5)
The Spy Across the Water is book three in a series of spy stories, and the first I’ve read by this author. The book opens with a funeral, and we soon learn that the dead man is Ambassador Will Flemyng’s brother. Flemyng’s usual working life in the Washington embassy is thrown into further turmoil when another family tragedy forces him to consider his past, his friendships, and the future. As you’d expect from James Naughtie, the writing is precise and clever, though I found the pace a little slow at times, and some of the scenes a tad dialogue heavy. The hero also seemed to relish going off on tangents, taking the long way round to tell what could have been a simpler story. The Scottish scenes were more dramatic and drew me in, with vivid descriptions of the landscape. Further on, I must admit I did get a bit lost in the plot and had to re-read some sections to work out what was happening. As spy stories go, I’d put this in with the likes of Le Carre, who also tended to make things more complicated than they needed to me. But otherwise, an interesting and thought-provoking read.
Author Bio
James Naughtie is a special correspondent for BBC News, for which he has reported from around the world. He presented Today on BBC Radio 4 for 21 years. This his third novel, and his most recent book is an account of five decades of travel and work in the United States – On the Road: American Adventures from Nixon to Trump. He lives in Edinburgh and London.
Social Media Links
NB This post first appeared as part of the Blog Tour for The Spy Across the Water, via Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources.
Colin Garrow 
Hi Colin, I like the sound of this. You have similar taste with thrillers, espionage, and murder mysteries to my mother. I pass a lot of your recommendations on to her because she never stops reading and is always looking for books.
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If she likes spy stories, I’d recommend Mick Herron’s books.
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Thank you 🙏 😀
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