A Reluctant Spy: the award-winning spy thriller 'perfect for fans of Mick Herron' (THE SUN)
David Goodman
Sep 2024 · Headline · Narrated by Norman Bowman
star
1 review
headphones
Audiobook
10 hr 59 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 1 hr 6 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
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 gripping debut, perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David McCloskey' THE SUN
'A twisty storyline and convincing action scenes make this a very promising debut' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A twisting, edge-of-your-seat tale of mercenaries, greed, corruption, and espionage' I.S. BERRY
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
'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
'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 gripping debut, perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David McCloskey' THE SUN
'A twisty storyline and convincing action scenes make this a very promising debut' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A twisting, edge-of-your-seat tale of mercenaries, greed, corruption, and espionage' I.S. BERRY
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
'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
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-he...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
About the author
David Goodman is an award-winning, multi-genre Scottish author. His debut novel A RELUCTANT SPY won the 2025 McDermid Debut Award and Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and was optioned for television by Carnival Films. The sequel SOLITARY AGENTS was longlisted for the 2026 McIlvanney Prize. David was born and brought up in Edinburgh and East Lothian, before living and working in Aberdeen and London. He now lives in East Lothian with his wife Valerie.
David Goodman is an award-winning, multi-genre Scottish author. His debut novel A RELUCTANT SPY won the 2025 McDermid Debut Award and Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and was optioned for television by Carnival Films. The sequel SOLITARY AGENTS was longlisted for the 2026 McIlvanney Prize. David was b...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
