An extraordinary edge of your seat thriller. Goodman's debut A Reluctant Spy is simply astonishing. It is action packed and full of suspense. It was hard to put down. This was my first foray into espionage/spy thrillers and it won't be my last. Goodman has something special here and he's definitely an author to watch. Highly recommend for fans of spy thrillers and crime fiction. This was worth every single second. Do not miss this one.

Also, thank you to Headline for providing me with a review copy.

David Goodman's A Reluctant Spy is a captivating spy thriller that pulls you in from the start. The story follows an ordinary man thrown into the dangerous world of espionage. Jamie is refreshingly real.

The plot is full of twists, action, and tension, keeping you hooked with each page. Goodman’s attention to detail, from the spy tactics to the international settings, makes the world feel authentic and immersive. The final third of the novel will have you asking if Goodman has ever worked in this arena.

Unfortunately the downloaded book has numbers at the beginning of each line making it difficult to read. If you have a different version for Mr to download I will gladly review it

Spy thrillers are an interesting breed. The best ones these days will remind the reader of the classics – Fleming, Le Carré, Greene – while taking cues from those reinventing the genre, the Mick Herrons etc. Goodman is firmly in this mold, and his tale has the feel of the old masters but with the innovative fresh breath of the new.

In particular, he has three tricks up his sleeve, and like a more hapless Q giving Bond the lowdown on his kit, I’ll take you through each one now.

The first is a hell of an elevator pitch. Enter the Legends Programme, one of the crown jewels of the modern British spy service, which essentially provides perfect backstories for cover agents. It does so by recruiting normal people who live their life – with a little career boost – then, when the time comes, a spy steps into their life for a time. The spy gets the perfect cover for their mission (as is made brutally clear early on, simple fake papers aren’t enough for a spy impersonating someone in the age of the internet anymore). Meanwhile the recruit gets a nice holiday. Of course, it doesn’t quite work for our protagonist and soon the ordinary bloke meant to swap lives with the spy is forced to complete the mission himself in Zanzibar and get a crash course in spycraft while up against Russian mercenaries, arms dealers, and a greater conspiracy.

It's such a great idea you spend the first quarter of the book admiring it, but luckily this is not a one-trick pony as the second of Goodman’s tricks is his combination of whiplash pace and intelligence, a sort of pleasingly addictive melding of a Bond film with the cerebral, twist-filled layering of a Le Carré. This does not suffer from the surfeit of stupidity you often get with a thriller this breakneck fast; Goodman has considered his spycraft and his tech and it all feels convincingly real. I loved the flicking between the London spy headquarters and the action on the ground; there is also a strong sense of the role of the spy in the modern era that gives this another interesting layer. And when it all kicks off at the end, it’s a rapid fire attack of twists, action and violence that makes the hurricane gale pace of the rest of the book feel positively tortoise-like by comparison.

As for Goodman’s third gadget in his spy thriller roster? It’s the prose, stupid. This is one of those rare books where the prose itself is a character, because it’s so taut, sleek, and efficient. Clinical prose in a spy thriller is hardly unusual, but this is next level. It reminds me of the principles of a formula one car: strip everything non-essential from a normal car, and what you get is a sleek road monster doing what other cars can’t. It’s a terrifyingly disciplined approach to writing – I’m not sure I could do it myself – and it gave me an extra layer of pleasure reading it; studying the absences of words just as much as the words itself.

Overall, this is an intelligent, modern, sleek machine of a spy thriller stripped to the core and programmed to entertain. A new thriller talent is born.

The format on my kindle app is showing numbers after every line throughout and so apologies but am unable to read this book in the format it has been sent out in…..I deleted it and re added to see if a new version had been added but was exactly the same,if a new update is sent of course will be happy to read it,thanks

David Goodman makes an impressive entry to the world of spy fiction with his debut espionage novel, A Reluctant Spy.

The story revolves around the central conceit of the Legends Program, a secret British intelligence effort to prepare impenetrable backstories for undercover agents. It uses real people, living low-key real lives, who are willing to hand over their identities, so that an agent can become them for a few weeks in order to go undercover. In return, the real ‘legends’ are given a helping hand with plum jobs, influence and access, and a stress free holiday while someone else is using their identity.

Jamie Tulloch is a successful executive at a top tech company, a long way from the tough upbringing that drove him to rise so far and so quickly. He has also been a member of the Legends Program since he was 23, getting a nice kick along in his career in the process.

After years of waiting, he is finally activated by British Intelligence. Arriving at a French airport ready to hand over his identity, Jamie finds his primary contact murdered in a toilet, the agent who’s supposed to step into his life AWOL, and his options for escape non-existent. In desperation, he uses the ticket meant for the fake Jamie Tulloch, and steps onto the plane as himself, and heads to Zanzibar. Once there he becomes caught up in a dangerous operation involving Russian mercenaries, a rogue general, and an infamous arms trader. Meanwhile British Intelligence is playing catch-up, with the controller on the ground in Zanzibar only gradually coming to realise what has happened. While back in London, the bosses of the Legends Program have to deal with a major IT and physical attack on the program.

The twin storylines work really well, with the political and inter-service maneuverings of the Intelligence mandarins in London, nicely contrasted with the on-the-ground action of the scenes in Zanzibar. The pace is brisk throughout, with just the occasional pause for descriptive passages of the sights and smells of Zanzibar and Tulloch’s internal angst over his situation.

Some suspensions of disbelief are required, especially around Tulloch’s actions, but this is well offset and grounded by convincing details around spycraft, and credible descriptions of intelligence operations. The multiple viewpoints are well handled, and each of the characters are interesting in their own rights, particularly the agent on the ground in Tanzania, Nicola Ellis, and Adil Komba from the Tanzanian Intelligence and Security Service.

After some good build-up, the ending delivers with a violent maelstrom of action and killing, and the requisite twists and turns. The identity of the ‘mole’ at the centre of the operation is not overly surprising, but the steps to their unveiling are well worked out.

In all, a very impressive debut that reminded me at times of the recent novels by Charles Cumming. I suspect that it is the start of what will be a successful series.

David Goodman certainly knows how write gripping enthralling spy fiction.
This was a classic read and I hope that David Goodman goes on to write so much more.

Am not normally one for spy fiction but was most intrigued by the premise of A Reluctant Spy. Having grown up in prime-Bond and Bourne years, most of my exposure has mainly been via the golden age of spy warfare with its super cool gadgetry and cold war conflicts, so I was very interested in the idea of what happens when tech evolution and advancements level the playing field of friend and foe? How do you gain the edge?

And David Goodman delivers. When nothing goes to plan, the shit hits the fan, enemies are closing in on all sides and you don't know who to trust, whatchya gonna do?

%^*&$!!! that was such a tense crazy whirlwind of a ride. You can't help but root for the bumbling non-spy trying to survive in this high stakes world of espionage, with unsettling evil masterminds, baseball cap wearing henchmen, pompous buffooning politicians you want to punch in the face and a stalwart home team trying to make sure everyone gets out alive. It was very slick. It is a fast-paced story you won't want to put down. It has great characters and supporting cast and more plot twists than a twisty-turny thing.

The only negative was that I started reading before going to bed. Seriously, don't be an idiot like me if you need to be up at 8am and able to function throughout the day - unless you're able to survive on no sleep or schedule a nap. You'll find yourself running a gamut of emotions from anxious to excited to despair to cackling like a loon, which are way too many things to be feeling at 4am.

well that doesn't seem good
what?
Noo! Don't do that you idiot.
Why would you do that?!
Argh!!
"That sounds like a shite plan", oh aye, totally agree Jamie.
NOOOO!!!
What?!?
WHAT?!?!?

For regular readers of this genre this might be a well-trodden path with common plots and themes, but for me it was original and thrilling. Would I read any more books Goodman might write in this Legends Universe? Absolutely. I'm hooked now. Will also be keeping an eye out for Goodman's past and future short fiction as I really enjoyed the story and writing style. It was a lot of fun. Oh and that dissertation outline of "treatment of paranoia and fear in spy fiction" mentioned in the acknowledgments sounds absolutely fascinating. Hope that made it into some kind of publicly available reading format. Sounds like another good one to read before bedtime.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Books for the ARC.

cannot read this book - the kindle .mobi format I was sent shows a row number on every row, please try to fix it so reading can be coherent. You can reach me at ydital (at) gmail com for a screenshot and better feedback of the issue. Thanks

In spy terminology, a legend is a false identity, usually backed up by a history that will withstand a rudimentary Google search. In A Reluctant Spy, the author takes the ‘legend’ one step further. Jamie Tulloch, a Scottish tech salesman, has been selected as a legend. A spook will become Jamie, the real life version can enjoy a holiday in the tropics, all courtesy of HM Government. But when Culloch turns up to the rendezvous, he finds his handler dead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s no sign of the doppelgänger, the man who will be Tulloch. Jamie could back out, but that’s not his style. He’s come this far. After all, he can bluff it with the best of them.

Follow Jamie as he fronts it out in exotic locations and reinvents the rules for black ops. Some wonderful dialogue and a touch of the Barney Thomson cynicism as Jamie grows into pretending to be someone pretending to be himself.

A Reluctant Spy is a fresh and vibrant read, delivering a welcome shot in the arm to the spy fiction genre.

I read an advance copy of The Reluctant Spy through NetGalley. My thanks to the publisher.

A Reluctant Spy follows Jamie Tulloch, a civilian participant in the fictional Legends Programme, in which he and other volunteers like him agree to live personally unattached, low-online-footprint lives and receive helping nudges from the UK government in terms of career and life opportunities; in exchange for this fairly lonely life of professional and financial security, Jamie and the other volunteers have agreed to briefly give up their identity when called upon by the Programme, which allows government agents studied in their civilian counterparts to insert themselves into undercover situations with flawless background personas that would pass even rigorous background checks by the bad guys.
When Jamie’s time comes, he’s told to accept a sudden business trip and given instructions to switch over with his counterpart, agent GARNET, mid-travel—GARNET would assume Jamie’s identity and travel plans and fulfill his undercover mission, and Jamie would travel under a fake identity and have a nice, long vacation.
That was the plan. But Jamie shows up at the appointed meeting place to find that things have gone very wrong, very fast. Without his fake identity and new plane tickets, without his contacts in the Legends Programme, Jamie is stuck going along to the destination meant for his spy counterpart, and he gets swept into the action.
From there, this book is a romp. It is so fun.
Goodman’s descriptive writing is on point. He does an excellent job of making the scenery, the people, and the atmosphere feel real. I think this is an aspect of good writing that sometimes gets overlooked in favor of the more obvious elements—pacing, plot, characters (all of which Goodman is also great at, and we’ll get to that in a moment)—but nailing the vibes in a way that makes the reader want to believe in the fabric of the story itself is a subtler skill that A Reluctant Spy is a great example of.
This book was well-thought out; there were no scenes or plot elements that felt out of place or hurried or poorly-planned. I don’t know enough about international espionage (obviously) to say for sure whether it felt realistic, but it certainly all felt plausible. On top of all that, it was a fun story. I also really enjoyed that this book kept me guessing. The plot was so well-constructed and tightly-woven, all the threads coming together in a series of reveals that didn’t leave any unanswered questions or holes and that all fit so neatly with each other. It’s a book I will almost certainly re-read specifically so that I can go, “Aha! I didn’t catch that before, but it makes sense now that I know this.” I tend to pride myself on being good at figuring out how a story will go, and by the end of this book there were major points I hadn’t guessed and particular character reveals I had more than one suspect for.
The pacing was spot-on, too. Sometimes in a book with multiple POVs I find myself dreading one or more, wishing I could get back to what I feel is the “main one.” Goodman avoids this so well. Each POV character is interesting in their own right and also propels the story in their own ways. And the way the pacing ramps up to an action-packed ending works so well.
Where Goodman really shines is in his character writing. The people feel fleshed-out and real in a way that is so impressive. Character motivations, personalities, tics, habits, appearances, Goodman nails it. I’d love to spend more time on this part of my recommendation, because the character writing deserves it, but I find I’m struggling to do so without giving spoilers (I bet professional reviewers who read and discuss spy thrillers often are better at getting around this, haha).
Overall, I really dig this book. It’s a fast, fun, propulsive read!

Not my usual genre but sounded intriguing and I'm glad I downloaded.
Found it really exciting from the start with plenty to get stuck into. A really clever and totally unique take on a spy thriller that starts at the dawn of the internet age (1980s).
High stakes, engaging characters, neat plotting and a genuinely unexpected twist.

A fine new entry into the spy genre.

"A Reluctant Spy" opens in 2003, where an undercover agent finds himself in deep water when, during an interrogation, his cover is blown wide open by someone simply carrying out an internet search.

Fast forward to the present, and said agent is responsible for a department whose sole job is to create "legends" - totally authentic cover stories for agents going undercover. They're authentic because they belong to real people, living real lives, but who occasionally allow someone to "borrow" their life while they enjoy a holiday somewhere secret. What cover story could be more unbreakable? That's what Jamie Tulloch thought - his instructions are to make contact in Paris, where an agent will adopt his persona, while he Jamie, heads off to the sun to a few months. Except when he gets there, the contact is dead.

And so the reader, and Jamie, are drawn into an increasingly dangerous and complex drama, as he takes it upon himself to step into the agent's shoes. He travels to Zanzibar where he gets involved with the Russian mafia and arms traders, and it's only when his handlers discover what's happened that they realise he has a knack for the job. He agrees to continue, with the help of Nicola, his handler. The repartee between them is very good, and I'd like to read more of them.

The book takes place in London, where the intelligence service is trying to determine who has hacked their network, and Zanzibar. The events in London as wonderfully described, as departments seek to apportion blame or garner credit for saving the day. Like the works of LeCarre and Deighton, "A Reluctant Spy" places an amateur firmly in an in-over-his-head situation, where events drag him along at a pace. In fact the whole book moves along at a fair old page-turning pace, stopping occasionally to examine the scenery (Zanzibar with all its sights and smells) or lingering on Jamie as he struggles to maintain his cover. If he sometimes appears a bit too able to cope, it just adds to the drama. Jamie is a Scot, and fellow Scots will enjoy his occasional lapse into colloquial speech when he's under pressure.

Fans of spy / espionage stories are going to lap this book up - it's a perfect blend of old-school spying and new-school technology. The author is a fellow Scot, already the author of several SF novels, but this move into spy territory is inspired. If you're a fan of Charles Beaumont and Matthew Richardson, it's right up your street. Heartily recommended.

How on earth is this a debut novel? Takes everything I love about military fiction and distils it down into a tightly-plotted, fast-paced, complex espionage tale with a very human element.
The twin storylines in London and Zanzibar were seamlessly interwoven so that I was fully invested in both, and the stakes were real enough and high enough to have me regularly yelling at the page (mostly along the lines of "Jamie, you bloody idiot, do not go in there!").
Highly recommended to anyone who loves thrillers, espionage tales, or military fiction.
I can't wait to see what this author does next.

A spy story for the Google age. This thriller by David Goodman begins with British spy Jeremy Althrop having been captured in Kyrgyzstan finding his flimsy cover story collapsing with a few clicks as his interrogator tests his persona and expertise using the internet. Back in England Jeremy sets up a programme when real people "legends" temporarily lend out their identities to the secret service.
Jamie Tulloch, a legend, finds himself in Zanzibar acting as an actual spy.
This book gives a thin veneer of technology and multiculturalism to a very classic spy thriller with stock characters and plot lines. Moles, double agents, megalomaniac Russian leader, oligarchs, technological whizz, entitled public school establishment figures, chippy working class hero "Born to a single mother and an absent father, raised on a pebble-dashed estate of four-in-a-block social housing" attending Cambridge, CIA with their own agenda, mercenaries, light torture, SAS blowing in the doors tick tick tick.
I love spy stories and don't even mind classic tropes but I found these plot twists very obvious and sign-posted. This book although fast paced was very much let down by reliance on clichés, poor writing and description "You pair, this Jeremy, from SIS. He’s going to be on the sharp end for what you’ve found. Anjali?’ ‘Yep, two ticks, let me put it on the monitors,’ the young brown- skinned woman said, in an East London accent if Jeremy was any judge."
I will keep searching for new thrillers and spy stories to recommend. Thanks to NetGallery and the publishers for providing a review

Wow. A Reluctant Spy is worth the hype! A fantastic written thriller from a debut. Punchy and tense, I can see this on the big screen. Fantastic for spy/espionage fans

Incredibly written, a plot that gripped me and wouldn’t let me go, character study that made me love our hero a bit. Clever, relentless and a wild ride.

I cannot recommend this enough for anyone who enjoys espionage novels and wants a pretty new take on it.

Brilliant.

A Reluctant Spy has two big things going for it.

First, the concept is fresh and interesting: the Legend programme is a unique idea I've not seen done anywhere else in spy-thriller land, and it makes for a fantastic set-up. Normal people who give their identities over to spies for a short time in exchange for a smooth and easy life makes sense in today's digital age; you need that footprint for a believable cover story. We all love a fish-out-of-water moment, and with this set-up we have a perfect reason for Jamie to get sucked into a high-stakes situation with all plausible deniability. Goodman does a fantastic job of making every step of this feel natural and logical; though from the outside it sounds wild, while you're reading it makes perfect sense and you are rooting for Jamie to make it through undiscovered every step of the way.

This leads onto the second highlight: the propulsive, catchy writing that keeps you turning each page, hungry for more. Scenes and settings are described with evocative clarity, action sequences are quick and exciting, and characters are well-drawn and root-for-able (Sally Lime!!). A Reluctant Spy is a joy to read, showcasing both the best qualities of spy thrillers with a unique premise all its own. Highly recommended!

Jamie is in the Legend programme, where he lives a low-profile life in return for help with his finances and career. At some point, he will lend his identity to a spy on a mission so create a true backstory. When he goes to meet the agent in Paris to do the exchange of passports and go their separate ways, Jamie finds his handler has been killed and no sign of Garnet, the agent. In the meantime, there has been a breach of security in London and the Legends programme is compromised. Jeremy and the fabulous Sally Lime are racing against time to protect their agents and find the traitors.
Jamie flies to Zanzibar instead of Garnet and gets mixed up with Russian gangsters and in all sorts of trouble. He gets help from Nicola and the local team, and the Tanzanian secret service, who would rather this wasn't happening there.
I really enjoyed this, Jamie is very understated, but humourous, and thrives on the challenges that he meets. Lots of plot twists and a nail biting finale. Recommended.