A Reluctant Spy by David GoodmanSynopsis: “RIGHT PLACE. RIGHT TIME. WRONG MAN.

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?“

My Review

I  enjoyed this spy thriller, the first book in a new series featuring Jamie Tulloch, a Scottish tech exec, which I could definitely see as a Netflix series.

As the synopsis mentions above, Jamie finds himself in a very dangerous situation at Charles De Gaulle Airport, and decides to go to Tanzania, hoping he can get help on the ground. He’s never been a field agent before, so really is going in blind. What follows is a really good espionage thriller full of all the twists and turns I’ve come to expect from this genre. 

It’s told from multiple points of view, but not too many, which I can find quite hard sometimes. Jamie’s story is the main part, and then there two other important characters, Jeremy and Nicola.

It’s a very good start to the series, and I’ll definitely read the next one as I liked Jamie, Jeremy and Nicola, and I want to find out what happens to them. 

Recommended if you enjoy contemporary espionage thrillers.