Alec de Payns is an operative in the secretive Y Division of the DGSE, France’s famed foreign intelligence service.
He’s the agent at the sharp end of clandestine missions, responsible for eliminating terror threats and disrupting illegal nuclear and biological weapons programs.
The element the missions have in common is danger – danger to de Payns, to his team and to those who stand in his way. But increasingly it’s not just the enemies of France that are being damaged by de Payns’ actions.
His marriage is under strain, and at the back of his mind lurks the fear that haunts every operative with a family – what if they come after my children?
When a routine mission in Palermo to disrupt a terrorist organisation goes fatally wrong, Alec is forced to confront the possibility that they may have been betrayed by a fellow operative.
And now he’s been tasked to investigate a secretive biological weapons facility in Pakistan. Alec must find out how they’re producing a weaponised bacteria capable of killing millions, and what they plan to do with it. But with a traitor in the ranks, it’s not just Alec in the firing line. Soon he’ll be forced to confront his worst fear – and the potential destruction of Paris itself.
This is fiction, but based on the experiences of a real French spy. The knowledge and tradecraft that lie behind Jack Beaumont’s taut plotting and brilliant eye for detail enliven every page, making The Frenchman all the more plausible, and all the more frightening.
“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.” – Nic Pizzolatto, author of Galveston and creator and writer of HBO’s True Detective
“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.” – David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and author of Damascus Station
“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.” – Susan Ouellette, author of the award-winning spy thriller The Wayward Spy
“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.” – The Blurb
“Beaumont reveals a world of international espionage that’s at once exhilarating, morally repugnant, and deadly…An action-packed spy thriller with an authentic feel.” – Kirkus Reviews
“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.” – Timothy Schaffert, critically acclaimed author of The Perfume Thief