A Reluctant Spy

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 Legends 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?

A Reluctant Spy

A Reluctant Spy is a contemporary spy novel about a young man who agrees to lend his identity to SIS (aka MI6) in return for a helping hand through life, but gets far more than he bargained for when he ends up carrying out the mission himself.

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Quick order links for A Reluctant Spy

• Order from your local independent bookshop via Bookshop.org (affiliate link)
• Bookshop.org eBook (affiliate link)
• Order from Waterstones (affiliate link)
• Order from Blackwell's (free international shipping)
• Order from Amazon UK - hardback (affiliate link)
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• Signed, special Crime Collective edition from Goldsboro Books

Praise for 'A Reluctant Spy'

• Won the McDermid Debut Award at the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival and the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, both in 2025.
• The judging panel of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize said “Everything about this feels authentic. In fact, the only thing that’s not believable is that this could be a debut novel. A global story with a Scottish spirit running all the way through it. An arresting premise, layers of tension and a protagonist you find yourself rooting for. It’s a curtain raiser for an excellent series.”
• Celebrated Scottish crime author Val McDermid, in her role as judge of the McDermid Debut Award, said “If you think you’ve read every twist in every area of the genre, think again. Our winner has found a new take and delivers it with pace and propulsive storytelling. David Goodman’s A Reluctant Spy is a sparkling new entry in the canon, with a vivid and unfamiliar setting as well as a gripping cast of characters. Don’t start it last thing at night, or you might miss breakfast.”
• The CIA's 'Studies In Intelligence' Journal - "An elegant solution for a thorny problem. Maybe we should adopt it... Goodman moves the story along at a breathless pace and without a wasted word."
• Financial Times - "A very promising debut."
• Sunday Times - "Innocents have been caught up in espionage ever since The Thirty-Nine Steps. David Goodman's engrossing thriller offers an ingenious variation on the trope"
• The Sun - "A gripping debut, perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David McCloskey"
• Crimetime FM - "An impressive debut... a strong new voice in spy fiction."
• Crimetime UK - "An outstanding espionage thriller debut... A breathless and ultrarealistic thriller torn from today’s headlines, with a palette of strongly-etched characters and much originality. Impressive."

Book club questions

If you're reading my book as part of your book club, thank you! Here's a downloadable PDF of some starter questions. If your book club is within driving distance of Edinburgh, Scotland (or you'd like me to attend via Zoom) please get in touch using the subject line 'Book club visit'.