A Reluctant Spy: the award-winning spy thriller 'perfect for fans of Mick Herron' (THE SUN)

A gripping spy thriller perfect for fans of Charles Cumming, David McCloskey and Mick Herron.

RIGHT PLACE. RIGHT TIME. WRONG MAN.

''Engrossing...ingenious...Goodman combines traditional elements - the nods to Buchan, Fleming and le Carré - with the topicality of 2020s technology and the threat from Russia'' SUNDAY TIMES, THRILLERS OF THE MONTH
''A propulsive, intelligent, ripped-from-the-headlines spy novel that''s guaranteed to cost you hours of sleep. Highly recommended'' DAVID McCLOSKEY
''A twisty storyline and convincing action scenes make this a very promising debut'' FINANCIAL TIMES
''A gripping debut, perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David McCloskey'' THE SUN

Jamie Tulloch is a successful exec at a top tech company, a long way from the tough upbringing that drove him to rise so far and so quickly.

But he has a secret...since the age of 23, he''s had a helping hand from the Legend Programme, a secret intelligence effort to prepare impenetrable backstories for undercover agents. Real people, living real lives, willing to hand over their identities for a few weeks in return for a helping hand with plum jobs, influence and access.

When his tap on the shoulder finally comes, it''s swiftly followed by the thud of a body. Arriving at a French airport ready to hand over his identity, Jamie finds his primary contact dead, the agent who''s supposed to step into his life AWOL and his options for escape non-existent.

Pitched into a deadly mission on hostile territory, Jamie must contend with a rogue Russian general, arms dealers, elite hackers, CIA tac-ops and the discovery of a brewing plan for war. Dangerously out of his depth, he must convince his sceptical mission handler he can do the job of a trained field agent while using his own life story as convincing cover.

Can Jamie play himself well enough to avoid being killed - and to avert a lethal global conflict?

''In the very top tier of espionage fiction'' M. W. CRAVEN
''An excellent debut with terrific pace...will grip you to the end'' JAMES SWALLOW
''A twisting, edge-of-your-seat tale of mercenaries, greed, corruption, and espionage'' I.S. BERRY
''I was on the edge of my seat the whole time'' ANTONY JOHNSTON
''A rip-roaring page-turning keep-you-up-all-night thriller'' NICHOLAS BINGE, author of ASCENSION
''Smart, riveting, and eerily prescient'' SUNYI DEAN, Sunday Times Bestselling author of THE BOOK EATERS
''A pulse-pounding, twisting thrill-a-minute read that Slow Horses fans are going to absolutely love'' ADAM SIMCOX

• | Author: David Goodman
• | Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• | Publication Date: Jun 05, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781035416028
• | ISBN-10: 1035416026