Hello everyone
In the twentieth century, spying and war was the domain of the nation state and spy/espionage fiction was (rightly) dominated by John le Carré.
In the last two decades, spying and fighting has often been (implicitly and explicitly) outsourced by governments and is now often undertaken by corporate intelligence services and private armies (private armies who refuse to call themselves mercenaries). These changes are now being reflected in modern fiction.
Last month I talked about Damascus Station by David McCloskey which gives a take on the modern realities of espionage. I said I’d have a few more suggestions this month.
A Shadow Intelligence
A Shadow Intelligence by Oliver Harris is a sharp, modern thriller which feels grounded in reality.
MI6 agent Elliot Kane is a resourceful individual who spends much of his time on work where he must be effective but deniable. When the woman he loves disappears in Kazakhstan, Kane follows on her trail.
The story is dense, and I mean that in a good way—there’s a lot going on with a level of complexity that makes this book worth reading. It’s not simply a matter of good vs bad, but rather there’s a murky tale with a confluence of many facets.
Harris blends into A Shadow Intelligence realpolitik, cyber, and influence campaigns, all the while focusing on the intersection between geopolitics and business in the world of the contemporary Great Game. With the rise of corporate interests and a reduced influence of the nation state, it’s less clear who can be trusted and there’s no obvious loyalty to anyone, apart from those you love.
it’s not just outsourcing of government functions to private contractors, but businesses are acting much like the East India company with private armies
If David McCloskey’s Damascus Station reads like a modern le Carré, to my mind, Harris’s A Shadow Intelligence reads more like a modern Frederick Forsyth. And to be clear, that’s a good thing.
A Spy Alone
A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont begins with ex-spy Simon Sharman scratching a living in the private sector when he is hired to look into the finances of a Russian oligarch.
As Sharman investigates, he finds patterns…patterns that suggest to him that there is a group of Russian spies embedded in the UK establishment.
We know about the Cambridge spy ring…is it that hard to believe there was—maybe still is—a similar danger at Oxford?
Sharman investigates, trying to prove his suspicions. His former colleagues are skeptical, seeing another paranoid former spy looking for a way back in.
Other Mentions
I can’t leave an email about espionage fiction without (very briefly) mentioning two other authors.
Mick Heron
Mick Heron is the author of the Slough House series of novels which has been adapted as the TV series Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman.
Slough House is the (fictional) purgatory where an MI5 agent is sent if they have failed at their job and cannot be fired. The work they are assigned is routinely dull…and yet somehow the residents of Slough House always seem to get entangled with missions where the security of the nation is at stake.
While there are strong comedic elements, I suspect these novels provide one of the most accurate reflections of the chaos and the pettiness in the British civil service.
If you’re not sure where to begin, then start with Slow Horses, the first book in the series.
Charles Cumming
I can’t finish without mentioning Charles Cumming.
It’s been too long since I read one of his books and I’ve still got several of his on my on my TBR (to be read) pile, so I won’t recommend a specific book, but do check him out when you’re next in a bookstore.
Until June
That should be enough reading for the next month (or several months).
I’ll be back again in June, when I will definitely not be talking about espionage novels.
Until then.
All the best
Simon