"You're not exactly James Bond, are you?" Truer words were never spoken.

Spy at War follows former British Intelligence Officer, Simon, into war torn Ukraine, right after the Russian invasion in the Spring of 2022, as he is trying to track down the Chechen Assassin, Chovka, who apparently killed his partner, Evie, in the previous installment. As Simon follows leads to track him down, back home in England, the new National Security Advisor is peddling Russian Disinformation about corruption in the Ukrainian government in order to discourage England, and more importantly MAGA Republicans in the US susceptible to such BS, from supporting the war effort.

As intrigued as I was by the descriptions of a Spy in the middle of the conflict in Ukraine, this was the most boring "Spy Thriller" i have ever read. The most exciting parts involved reading about a Ukrainian Oligarch owning a villa in Crans-Montana Switzerland where I was lucky enough to go to camp for 2 summers in the 70's. The rest of the book dealt with the most uninteresting spy on the planet. I couldnt understand why everyone thought Simon had to be involved, or thanked god Simon was there. For all the excitement he brought to the story, it might as well have been about an accountant caught up in an international scandal during wartime.

Maybe real MI6 operatives are boring like Simon, but if true, then Beaumont needs to use more imagination next time to get me, or anyone else to read another one of his books.

A Spy at War picks up where A Spy Alone left off. Simon has arrived in Ukraine to track down a Chechen assassin and avenge his colleague. The novel is also interspersed with multiple perspectives on the war in Ukraine and political turmoil surrounding the West's–in particular the UK's–position.

I will admit I was a bit wary of picking up a war story at first, but I had really enjoyed Mr Beaumont's writing style in A Spy Alone, so I decided to give it a try. I will say it's not a fluffy read, but, as a person who doesn't keep up much with the news, it's a read that offers perspective. Mr Beaumont highlights that what we see today in Ukraine is the result of simmering political–and, in some cases, ethnical–tensions of decades. Mr Beaumont does a phenomenal job of explaining geopolitical stakes in a way that also ties in the stakes for the characters. As a result, the book reads more than a human story rather than a dry geopolitics lesson. Another thing that I want to applaud is the care given to highlighting the human cost of war. In that sense, the book reminded me of the film Blood Diamond.

I want to talk a little bit about the technical aspects of the writing as well. The prose was sharp and to the point. I especially appreciated that Mr Beaumont retained a mostly simple style with appropriate focus on the human stories behind the war, keeping the technical terms to a minimum. In that way, A Spy at War reminded me of McCloskey novels. Speaking of McCloskey novel hallmarks this book seems to share, the third person limited POV kept the story in motion and heightened suspense. I liked that any necessary exposition was inserted in the narration organically and, as a result, ensured that the story flowed forward. I liked that Simon's relationship with Evie was fleshed out more. The female intelligence officers introduced in A Spy Alone featured more prominently here, which was exciting. The romance subplot between Simon and Sarah continued, taking a bit of an unexpected direction towards the end. As for the end itself, some loose threads remained for a potential third book in the series.

Lastly–trigger warnings. It's a book about war–and a particularly gruesome one at that. There are some upsetting and potentially triggering scenes, but I felt their inclusion was justified and they didn't drag out too long. I'm fairly easily triggered, but I managed to read these graphic scenes. If other readers choose to skip those scenes, I believe that's doable. The only exception is a scene towards the end that features an interrogation, which contains details important to the plot.

4.5* A Spy at War - Charles Beaumont. A brilliant spy thriller which is eerily prescient to what is happening in the world in real time.

Simon Sharman, formerly of the British security services but now on the run from unknown actors, finds himself in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Not quite sure of his objective, he loosely wants to locate a brutal assassin who was responsible for the death of his colleague but Simon doesn't know if he has the wherewithal or the courage to see through his plan.

As world politics morph and shape around how to support Ukraine and the US / Europe allegiance becomes fragile, Simon finds that his former colleagues need his help as part of an undercover mission in the region. The action is tense and the underlying world order is spookily close to the reality that is playing out as the book is published. The plotting is tight and the story hugely enjoyable. It was a treat to return to this cast of characters and I am looking forward to more books from Charles Beaumont.

A fantastic second book in this scintillating spy series. While this would work well as a standalone, it is likely a much more satisfying read if you have read the first and therefore know the characters and the backstory.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Charles Beaumont drops the ball with A Spy At War. the novel is hard to follow and often tedious. It seems to have so many different characters and angles that it is hard to keep them straight. Beaumont's previous titles were better.
Thanks NetGallley for the ARC.

This book follows on from the previous book, A Spy Alone, featuring Simon Sharman. Simon is now in Ukraine, working undercover. Set in 2023, against the backdrop of the war with Russia, this is a gritty read that brings home the horrors faced by the Ukrainian people.
I found the first half of the book slow going and the cast of characters rather confusing. However, the second half of the book really took off and was an exciting, tense read. The book is well-written and I appreciated the insight it gave me into the Ukrainian situation.

A SPY AT WAR was a major disappointment to me. I've read Charles Beaumont before and always enjoyed the experience, but this book was simply a mess.

There is a huge cast of characters that is difficult to keep straight. Worse, there is no single overarching protagonist around which the narrative coalesces to help a reader keep track of point of view. I guess this is the novelist's version of what movie people call 'an ensemble cast.' To add to the confusion, the narrative staggers through constant time and location jumps, which jumbles the point of view issue even more.

To be sure, there are flashes of fine writing here, but the narrative is so chaotic and the reader has to work so hard just to figure out what is happening that most of that fine writing is wasted.

The world of espionage laid bare in a bang up to date story.

"A Spy at War" picks up shortly after the events of "A Spy Alone". Having uncovered the Oxford spy ring, but unable to move on the culprits, Simon Sharman, former intelligence agent, has pushed forwards to track and uncover the man who killed Evie. He finds himself in Ukraine, just before the Russian invasion. Kyiv is alive and humming, but he is unable to uncover any trace of the assassin. Until a face from his past appears and offers help and advice.

After some lengthy scene-setting and catch-up recaps, the story picks up, and several plot strands start to emerge as it becomes clear that the members of the Oxford spy ring are still in play, and that the war in Ukraine is providing them and many others, with lucrative opportunities. To his surprise, Simon gains the support of some former colleagues, although each has their own agenda. There is a full cast of heroes and villains, most from the previous book, and who are now depicted in more detail, but the main backdrop, that of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, is the star of the show. The author presents scenarios which depict just how complex the situation is - who profits from the war, who is actually directing it, and where it may yet end up. It's up to the reader to decide whether or not several key players resemble real-life people.

The standout feature of this book is just how prescient it is. Given that the author must have started writing it many months ago, the themes and issues raised are of this very moment. The US' involvement in the war, a certain president's attitude to Europe, Russia's reasons for the invasion, and their hidden motives, are all laid out plain to see. Clearly the author's background has enabled him to see clearly where certain events will lead, and his understanding of the various world players is first class. The final few chapters certainly leave plenty of scope for book three.

Fans of the previous book will lap this up, and while I enjoyed the story, when I read a novel, I like to be taken out of the day-to-day problems that surround us - not to have them presented fully-formed on the page. So for me, there was less enjoyment than previously. But I suspect most will find the story riveting.

Heartily recommended.

Beaumont's previous book, A Spy Alone, ended with a shocking event that is the mainspring of this one. This second installment of the "Oxford Spy Ring" series features the same protagonists and some of the same antagonists. And like the earlier work, this one is written with chapters presenting narratives from different timelines and places.

Simon Sharman is undercover in Kyiv during the early months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hoping to find a Chechen assassin with whom he has unfinished business. He is informally supported by his previous employer, the Joint Intelligence Directorate, and one of their officers, his Oxford classmate and sometime love interest Sarah du Cane, who in turn are pursuing their own interest in the assassin. Things proceed somewhat slowly and deliberately for the first 70% of the book, then suddenly turn frantic heading toward the climax and resolution. The very end opens up exciting possibilities for the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this espionage thriller slightly more than the previous one, which really needs to be read prior to this; otherwise the main source of conflict will be somewhat obscure. The characters are better developed and the author's technical disquisitions are more convincingly integrated with the plot. Patience and care are required to follow the story as it unfolds and to keep all the players and organizations sharply identified. Beaumont does play fair with the reader in supplying information and clues, and the denouement is satisfying.

Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for an ARC.

A Spy at War is an excellent spy novel that is highly topical being set in Ukraine.

The tension is kept high throughout by the author which keeps the pages turning from the first to the last page.

Definitely recommended.

Charles. Beaumont is rapidly establishing himself as an elite writer of spy thrillers as this is a worthy addition to his first book.

Having read and enjoyed books focusing on the IRA and Islamic terrorists it is good to read a book that is so topical, dealing as it does with the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s attempts to conduct war also through social media and the efforts of useful idiots ostensibly working for the opposition.

The scene setting is accurate and the action frenetic. This is a book that has been published at exactly the right time and deserves to become a best seller.

A worthy sequel to A SPY ALONE, Beaumont continues to move toward the pole position as a worthy successor to Le Carre. The book -- a spy thriller set in Ukraine in 2022 -- takes a while laying its groundwork before racing into some truly thrilling moments; that groundwork is riveting and exudes the authority of an author who has lived in the world he writes about.

What is unsettling is how the book -- dealing with Russian efforts to poison support for Ukraine through political stooges in the UK -- manages to be prescient, topical, and behind the times as of this very week. As the President of the United States asserts himself to be the weak kneed supplicant of Kremlin manipulation that the book anticipates, the book offers a slender hope of sanity and moral rectitude in a time where reality gives us a lot less cause for optimism. It is a cry for justice tucked inside a very satisfying potboiler... the most persuasive kind of statement possible.