author of Galveston and creator and writer of HBO& Nic Pizzolatto
The Frenchman is one of the finest examples of the spy genre in recent memory. Suspenseful, masterfully plotted, and completely riveting. But what truly sets it apart from others in the field is its matchless authenticity, and the book’s keen interest in its characters and the human cost of the worlds they inhabit.”
The Blurb
The Frenchman is, in the way of many thrillers, a disturbing reminder of how fragile our modern world is and how easy it might be [to] upend the world order. It is a spy thriller that only an insider could have written.”
former CIA analyst and author of Damascus Station David McCloskey
The Frenchman is a twisty and riveting thriller that seamlessly blends insider tradecraft and a doomsday plot with the realities of love, family, and friendship in the secret world. A propulsive, rip-your-guts-out adrenaline ride, The Frenchman also explores the weighty, unseen sacrifices made by intelligence officers and their families the world over. This one will leave a mark.”
critically acclaimed author of The Perfume Thief Timothy Schaffert
With fascinating insights into the razor-sharp instincts of an international spy, The Frenchman is an intense and stylish thriller. Jack Beaumont offers a vivid portrait of Paris full of sly intrigue and covert activity. And the risks and tensions are ratcheted-up with every chapter.”
author of the award-winning spy thriller The Waywa Susan Ouellette
The Frenchman is a must-read for every spy-thriller fan. Authentic, tense, and compelling, The Frenchman takes the reader deep into the heart of France’s clandestine intelligence operations. Jack Beaumont’s insider knowledge and masterful storytelling skills put him in league with the genre’s best writers.”
Kirkus Reviews
2022-12-14
Beaumont reveals a world of international espionage that’s at once exhilarating, morally repugnant, and deadly.
A lengthy prologue introduces earnest Pakistani missile engineer Amin Sharwaz, who’s making daily reports to his supervisor, an imperious figure called the Colonel, from a convention in Singapore. Secretly anxious to finish his project and move his family to Europe, Amin makes the fatal mistake of oversharing with someone he knows as Marcus Aubrac, who works for the French government and has offered to create a new life for him in France if he can share classified information on Pakistani missile development. This Frenchman is actually intelligence operative Alec de Payns. When Alec learns that Amin was tortured and murdered—along with his family—on his return to Pakistan, he’s shaken but by necessity compartmentalizes his disquiet. Two years later, a botched assignment in Palermo once more brings the life-and-death realities of his dangerous career into clear focus and leads to a meeting with his boss, Christophe Sturt, at which he lies to protect himself. In the missions that follow, Alec and his team pose as filmmakers and hunt a ruthless terrorist. Beaumont, a former operative with the French foreign secret service, has produced a debut novel long on the procedural nuts and bolts of espionage: There are acronyms, agents with multiple pseudonyms (one wryly known as Shrek), complex professional relationships, and a plot that crisscrosses Europe and Asia with dizzying twists and turns. His savvy focus adds timeliness and a stimulating sense of verisimilitude, rewarding readers who can follow his intricate plot. Simmering beneath it all is Alec’s growing desire to leave his dangerous work and lead a normal life with his wife, Romy, and their children.
An action-packed spy thriller with an authentic feel.
