Box 88

The story revolves around Lachlan (Lockie) Kite, a poor kid from Scotland who somehow gets accepted at an expensive and prestigious boarding school, Alford.  He is recruited into Box 88, a covert US/UK espionage group while in school.  The book alternates between Lockie in school and his current middle aged version which starts at the funeral of his best friend from Alford. I found this technique very effective in holding my interest.  I also liked the way the story weaved in real life events like the downing of the plane in Lockerbie Scotland and fatwa against Salomon Rushdie in Iran.  The character development is outstanding.  The author clearly gets across how Lockie grows from a naive boy in school to a skilled spy.  I highly recommend this book.  Lots of suspense and it keeps you hanging for the next novel in the series.