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The Oxford Spy Ring #2
A Spy at War
Russia is struggling to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield. But can it win the war for influence?
August 2022. Simon Sharman is out for revenge, pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. Back in London, a Russian spy ring at the heart of the British Establishment remains active, attempting to sabotage the West’s support for Ukraine.
In the fiercely contested Donbas region, Simon finds himself sucked into a terrifying shadow conflict between Russia and the West. Can a lone spy make a difference to the course of a conflict?
From the ruins of Bakhmut to the corridors of Whitehall, A Spy at War reveals the secret struggle for Ukraine, on the frontlines and in the arena of global public opinion.
August 2022. Simon Sharman is out for revenge, pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. Back in London, a Russian spy ring at the heart of the British Establishment remains active, attempting to sabotage the West’s support for Ukraine.
In the fiercely contested Donbas region, Simon finds himself sucked into a terrifying shadow conflict between Russia and the West. Can a lone spy make a difference to the course of a conflict?
From the ruins of Bakhmut to the corridors of Whitehall, A Spy at War reveals the secret struggle for Ukraine, on the frontlines and in the arena of global public opinion.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2025
538 people are currently reading
1020 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
May 12, 2025
3.5 stars.
Spy and espionage readers will love this! It was clever, well written with an interesting plot. The author has amazing knowledge, so this adds an excellent layer - fans will definitely be impressed. The author is a former British intelligence officer who I haven't read till now so jumping in at number two was fine, but probably more worthwhile to start at the beginning.
Simon is a spy set on revenge, I loved his take on the British pen pushers who were all bravado and show, no substance. There was a scene reminiscent of Notting Hill when one of the useless bureaucrats opened with door with bed head, and his 'bloody hell' remark of course being translated into a meme, thus swiftly ending his career.
This book covers all things Ukraine, corruption, and Western hypocrisy, and the building tension between fiction and reality is palpable. I admit a lot of it was lost on me, but I will say it's an excellent book - passing it on to my father who will appreciate it much more than I.
Thank you to Ultimo Press for my review copy.
Spy and espionage readers will love this! It was clever, well written with an interesting plot. The author has amazing knowledge, so this adds an excellent layer - fans will definitely be impressed. The author is a former British intelligence officer who I haven't read till now so jumping in at number two was fine, but probably more worthwhile to start at the beginning.
Simon is a spy set on revenge, I loved his take on the British pen pushers who were all bravado and show, no substance. There was a scene reminiscent of Notting Hill when one of the useless bureaucrats opened with door with bed head, and his 'bloody hell' remark of course being translated into a meme, thus swiftly ending his career.
This book covers all things Ukraine, corruption, and Western hypocrisy, and the building tension between fiction and reality is palpable. I admit a lot of it was lost on me, but I will say it's an excellent book - passing it on to my father who will appreciate it much more than I.
Thank you to Ultimo Press for my review copy.
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June 13, 2025Другий том шпигунського трилера про те, як росіяни інфільтрували британський політичний, економічний і безпековий істеблішмент, дія якого розгортається вже під час нашої повномасштабки (відгук на першу частину тут). Якщо вам завжди хотілося почитати книжку, де головним злом виявляються не moustache-twirling eccentrics, вигадливі у своєму садизмі, а чистенькі мальчікі з think tanks під гаслами кост-ефективності і вільнодумства, то look no further, це книжка для вас. З плюсів: автор дуже в курсі української специфіки, скажімо, тут буде багато про українських бізнесменів з російськими зв'язками як опор корупції, і про інструменталізацію боротьби з корупцією серед опонентів України, етц., коротше, читайте сміливо, автор нас розуміє і не ображає. З мінусів: інтригу автор не дуже вміє вибудовувати, a page-turner it ain't, але цілком симпатичне читво.
(тільки аудіокнигу не беріть, по-перше, там є трохи тортур, які я хотіла би промотати, по-друге, я абсолютно певна, що головного антагоніста НЕ звуть Шавка Бухая, але виконавець зачитує це саме так.)
(тільки аудіокнигу не беріть, по-перше, там є трохи тортур, які я хотіла би промотати, по-друге, я абсолютно певна, що головного антагоніста НЕ звуть Шавка Бухая, але виконавець зачитує це саме так.)
April 6, 2025
I don't usually read spy novels, but I thought I'd give this one a try. I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed it! Now to read the first one in the series 😄
A Spy at War is an action packed, compelling and entertaining read. Set over multiple timelines it is thrilling and tense. I enjoyed the storyline, and the witticisms throughout the book were great. And that ending!
While this can easily be read as a standalone, I feel it would be better reading A Spy Alone first for maximum enjoyment.
A Spy at War is an action packed, compelling and entertaining read. Set over multiple timelines it is thrilling and tense. I enjoyed the storyline, and the witticisms throughout the book were great. And that ending!
While this can easily be read as a standalone, I feel it would be better reading A Spy Alone first for maximum enjoyment.
March 21, 2025
4.5* A Spy at War - Charles Beaumont. A brilliant spy thriller which is eerily prescient to what is happening in the world in real time.
Simon Sharman, formerly of the British security services but now on the run from unknown actors, finds himself in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Not quite sure of his objective, he loosely wants to locate a brutal assassin who was responsible for the death of his colleague but Simon doesn't know if he has the wherewithal or the courage to see through his plan.
As world politics morph and shape around how to support Ukraine and the US / Europe allegiance becomes fragile, Simon finds that his former colleagues need his help as part of an undercover mission in the region. The action is tense and the underlying world order is spookily close to the reality that is playing out as the book is published. The plotting is tight and the story hugely enjoyable. It was a treat to return to this cast of characters and I am looking forward to more books from Charles Beaumont.
A fantastic second book in this scintillating spy series. While this would work well as a standalone, it is likely a much more satisfying read if you have read the first and therefore know the characters and the backstory.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.
Simon Sharman, formerly of the British security services but now on the run from unknown actors, finds himself in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Not quite sure of his objective, he loosely wants to locate a brutal assassin who was responsible for the death of his colleague but Simon doesn't know if he has the wherewithal or the courage to see through his plan.
As world politics morph and shape around how to support Ukraine and the US / Europe allegiance becomes fragile, Simon finds that his former colleagues need his help as part of an undercover mission in the region. The action is tense and the underlying world order is spookily close to the reality that is playing out as the book is published. The plotting is tight and the story hugely enjoyable. It was a treat to return to this cast of characters and I am looking forward to more books from Charles Beaumont.
A fantastic second book in this scintillating spy series. While this would work well as a standalone, it is likely a much more satisfying read if you have read the first and therefore know the characters and the backstory.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.
April 25, 2025
Tired and cliched
I will admit I am only halfway through this book but since I doubt I will get to the finish line I am posting my review now. This book has an obvious and hackneyed plot, undeveloped one dimensional characters and a sad need to try and be witty. My breaking point came when the author wrote about an old sanitarium where enemas were carried out, pointing out that shitty things still happen there.
I am not sure how the story ends and have stopped caring. The author really needs to work on his craft before putting anything else out and should probably not write about something as topical next time.
I will admit I am only halfway through this book but since I doubt I will get to the finish line I am posting my review now. This book has an obvious and hackneyed plot, undeveloped one dimensional characters and a sad need to try and be witty. My breaking point came when the author wrote about an old sanitarium where enemas were carried out, pointing out that shitty things still happen there.
I am not sure how the story ends and have stopped caring. The author really needs to work on his craft before putting anything else out and should probably not write about something as topical next time.
May 10, 2025
3.5 lost my flow in the middle and didn’t read for about ten days. An interesting story and well told but still it feels like there is 1.5 books in this two book series. The expansion in POVs at times is great but overall I missed the focus on Simon. The series moved away from London and didn’t hit as hard for me. This story is set up to continue and I will probably be back.
April 19, 2025
Great sequel, well researched, and an enjoyable read
September 19, 2025
A couple of years ago many folk might've been hard-pressed to pinpoint exactly the whereabouts of Ukraine on the World map, despite the country being the combined size of France and Germany.
But in the second of his 'Oxford Ring' series, 'A Spy at War', former MI6 operative Charles Beaumont takes readers and his protagonist Simon Sharman deep into Russia's war with Ukraine: from Kiev to Bakhmut in the heavily contested and defended Donbas region of Ukraine (there's a useful map).
'A Spy Alone' introduced (the spy alone), Simon Sharman, a former operative whose intel about Russia's planned annexation of Crimea had been ignored by the Service. Out in the cold, a seemingly small-time piece of work had ballooned into his (and Evie's) expose ('a partial success') of a shadowy ring of former Oxford graduates - Russian sympathisers - who had penetrated and continue to exert influence in the corridors of power of the British establishment: political, financial, commercial etc. Unlike Philby, theirs is not an ideological position but one that sees Britain as a has-been nation which could best be made great again by a clandestine hand-in-glove relationship with Russia - a pragmatic stance fuelled by the heady propellants of shonky libertarianism, power, influence and greedy self-interest.
While it's possible to read 'A Spy at War' without having read the first in the series, this theme is fundamental to the complex, byzantine plot, relationships and relativity of truth and motivations to be found in this, the second book in the series.
The action in 'A Spy at War' centres on the now-exiled Sharman's plan to avenge the murder of his business partner, Evie (see 'A Spy Alone') by rooting out and dispatching her killer: Chovka Buchayev, according to a former GRU officer whom - in another life - Sharman had recruited as an intelligence source for MI6. Sharman is now in Kiev and Chovka is......somewhere in Ukraine. In a fortuitous (and plot-convenient) encounter with a war-weary marine in a Kyiv bar Sharman learns that Chovka is currently heading a unit of other Chechens fighting (dirty) for the Russians in the Donbas.
The plot also revolves on the British government's attempt - aided and abetted by the country's National Security Advisor and Oxford ring spy, Kamran Patel - to officially undermine Ukraine's cause by questioning 'the value for money' of British support for Ukraine, claiming that money from the internationally funded Ukraine Relief, Recovery and Reform fund (R3) was being siphoned off by corrupt Ukrainians and, unofficially, by disseminating disinformation about the Ukraine situation via usual social media networks and co-operation with Russia in cyber warfare (sabotage, propaganda and system disruption).
But Sharman's way is clear. Bakhmut, it is. But it's not, of course, that simple. This is a spy novel with dark forces, bad actors, relative truths and betrayal at play.......Sharman's a pawn in a bigger, labyrinthine game. Who can Sharman really trust? He's a spy at war but often still a spy alone.
Strong female characters from 'A Spy Alone' who worked with Sharman to unveil the Oxford ring and its connection to its Russian masters make a welcome reappearance, notably the beautiful and savvy Sarah du Cane, Professor of Contemporary Slavonic Studies at Oxford (where she and Sharman had met) and strategic adviser to the British government on Russian affairs as well as a covert intelligence analyst and Kemi Williams a smart intelligence analyst on Sarah's team.
Adept both at depicting the andrenalinised brutality of war and drawing darkly Herronesque humour from an unsmiling, self-regarding politician (Patel), Beaumont can also turn a phrase beautifully:
* 'He [the marine} didn't seem like a talker, but he wanted someone to talk to'
* 'He {Jonty, elderly spy} plonked himself on the bench...with one of those little sighs that older men make whenever they move in the vertical axis'
* At Patel's meeting Greg, a 'self-described futurist', is late prompting Patel to retort, 'I know there's a Tube strike, but all these people seem to have got here.' The reply: 'Yes, but Greg predicted the union would call it off. He's probably waiting for a train somewhere.'
* du Cane's successful parry against Patel is met with 'eyes...fixed 0n the table excruciated with awkwardness.'
An espionage novel necessarily demands to be opaque and the plot mazelike but I found the loyalties of certain important characters hard to pin down. Perhaps that was Beaumont's intention. Perhaps that's an echo of our current world - a world at war with itself, where a value is something to be counted not a belief to live by, where truth is relative not an absolute, where capitalism is floundering, where might is right. Perhaps a second reading would clarify. Despite this reservation 'A Spy at War' with its up-to-the-minute portrayal of the fast moving face of contemporary warfare and the paranoid world of espionage where truth, loyalties and trust can shape-shift in the blink of an eye is still a gripping follow-up to 'A Spy Alone'. 5 stars.
But in the second of his 'Oxford Ring' series, 'A Spy at War', former MI6 operative Charles Beaumont takes readers and his protagonist Simon Sharman deep into Russia's war with Ukraine: from Kiev to Bakhmut in the heavily contested and defended Donbas region of Ukraine (there's a useful map).
'A Spy Alone' introduced (the spy alone), Simon Sharman, a former operative whose intel about Russia's planned annexation of Crimea had been ignored by the Service. Out in the cold, a seemingly small-time piece of work had ballooned into his (and Evie's) expose ('a partial success') of a shadowy ring of former Oxford graduates - Russian sympathisers - who had penetrated and continue to exert influence in the corridors of power of the British establishment: political, financial, commercial etc. Unlike Philby, theirs is not an ideological position but one that sees Britain as a has-been nation which could best be made great again by a clandestine hand-in-glove relationship with Russia - a pragmatic stance fuelled by the heady propellants of shonky libertarianism, power, influence and greedy self-interest.
While it's possible to read 'A Spy at War' without having read the first in the series, this theme is fundamental to the complex, byzantine plot, relationships and relativity of truth and motivations to be found in this, the second book in the series.
The action in 'A Spy at War' centres on the now-exiled Sharman's plan to avenge the murder of his business partner, Evie (see 'A Spy Alone') by rooting out and dispatching her killer: Chovka Buchayev, according to a former GRU officer whom - in another life - Sharman had recruited as an intelligence source for MI6. Sharman is now in Kiev and Chovka is......somewhere in Ukraine. In a fortuitous (and plot-convenient) encounter with a war-weary marine in a Kyiv bar Sharman learns that Chovka is currently heading a unit of other Chechens fighting (dirty) for the Russians in the Donbas.
The plot also revolves on the British government's attempt - aided and abetted by the country's National Security Advisor and Oxford ring spy, Kamran Patel - to officially undermine Ukraine's cause by questioning 'the value for money' of British support for Ukraine, claiming that money from the internationally funded Ukraine Relief, Recovery and Reform fund (R3) was being siphoned off by corrupt Ukrainians and, unofficially, by disseminating disinformation about the Ukraine situation via usual social media networks and co-operation with Russia in cyber warfare (sabotage, propaganda and system disruption).
But Sharman's way is clear. Bakhmut, it is. But it's not, of course, that simple. This is a spy novel with dark forces, bad actors, relative truths and betrayal at play.......Sharman's a pawn in a bigger, labyrinthine game. Who can Sharman really trust? He's a spy at war but often still a spy alone.
Strong female characters from 'A Spy Alone' who worked with Sharman to unveil the Oxford ring and its connection to its Russian masters make a welcome reappearance, notably the beautiful and savvy Sarah du Cane, Professor of Contemporary Slavonic Studies at Oxford (where she and Sharman had met) and strategic adviser to the British government on Russian affairs as well as a covert intelligence analyst and Kemi Williams a smart intelligence analyst on Sarah's team.
Adept both at depicting the andrenalinised brutality of war and drawing darkly Herronesque humour from an unsmiling, self-regarding politician (Patel), Beaumont can also turn a phrase beautifully:
* 'He [the marine} didn't seem like a talker, but he wanted someone to talk to'
* 'He {Jonty, elderly spy} plonked himself on the bench...with one of those little sighs that older men make whenever they move in the vertical axis'
* At Patel's meeting Greg, a 'self-described futurist', is late prompting Patel to retort, 'I know there's a Tube strike, but all these people seem to have got here.' The reply: 'Yes, but Greg predicted the union would call it off. He's probably waiting for a train somewhere.'
* du Cane's successful parry against Patel is met with 'eyes...fixed 0n the table excruciated with awkwardness.'
An espionage novel necessarily demands to be opaque and the plot mazelike but I found the loyalties of certain important characters hard to pin down. Perhaps that was Beaumont's intention. Perhaps that's an echo of our current world - a world at war with itself, where a value is something to be counted not a belief to live by, where truth is relative not an absolute, where capitalism is floundering, where might is right. Perhaps a second reading would clarify. Despite this reservation 'A Spy at War' with its up-to-the-minute portrayal of the fast moving face of contemporary warfare and the paranoid world of espionage where truth, loyalties and trust can shape-shift in the blink of an eye is still a gripping follow-up to 'A Spy Alone'. 5 stars.
November 6, 2025
Gripping plot, good characters, and interesting insights
Having enjoyed Beaumont’s previous book, A Spy Alone, I had high hopes for this book. I was not disappointed!
The book opens with a sentence that COMPELLS the reader to continue, “Since Stoly knew he was likely to die later that day, he woke early.” The story takes off from that point and never slows down. The last sentence was equally compelling, but I will not spoil your fun by revealing that one.
The characters are interesting and well drawn. Simon Sharman, aka Stoly, is a former spy now working independently for the British government trying to help them track down a Russian spy ring while also looking to find who killed his former colleague. He has a mother living under Russian occupation in Donetsk, which makes it especially difficult to make choices of what steps to take in the conflicts.
In a book about espionage, it is no surprise that many of the characters have multiple roles and multiple names, in addition to simply varying ways to address them, e.g., first name, last name, nickname, cover name. As a result it was sometimes difficult to keep them straight. Or to decide which side they were on. And often, that was just what they wanted!
I picked up interesting and thought-provoking insights from the book. Author Charles Beaumont has used his experience and knowledge from his career in the UK’s foreign intelligence agency MI6 to craft a book that is as intriguingly informative as it is gripping. It was interesting to see some of the actions taken. The book also made me brood a bit about Ukraine and the plight of the people who live there.. As an American, I also enjoyed that the primary focus of this book is on Britain. I could relate to their perspective, but it was not Americacentric. It was interesting to see my country from a British perspective (including our current national administration) and also to see a British perspective on international situations.
Given the ending of A Spy at War, it is not possible to determine what direction Beaumont’s next book, will take; I just hope it will be soon!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Canelo Action.
Having enjoyed Beaumont’s previous book, A Spy Alone, I had high hopes for this book. I was not disappointed!
The book opens with a sentence that COMPELLS the reader to continue, “Since Stoly knew he was likely to die later that day, he woke early.” The story takes off from that point and never slows down. The last sentence was equally compelling, but I will not spoil your fun by revealing that one.
The characters are interesting and well drawn. Simon Sharman, aka Stoly, is a former spy now working independently for the British government trying to help them track down a Russian spy ring while also looking to find who killed his former colleague. He has a mother living under Russian occupation in Donetsk, which makes it especially difficult to make choices of what steps to take in the conflicts.
In a book about espionage, it is no surprise that many of the characters have multiple roles and multiple names, in addition to simply varying ways to address them, e.g., first name, last name, nickname, cover name. As a result it was sometimes difficult to keep them straight. Or to decide which side they were on. And often, that was just what they wanted!
I picked up interesting and thought-provoking insights from the book. Author Charles Beaumont has used his experience and knowledge from his career in the UK’s foreign intelligence agency MI6 to craft a book that is as intriguingly informative as it is gripping. It was interesting to see some of the actions taken. The book also made me brood a bit about Ukraine and the plight of the people who live there.. As an American, I also enjoyed that the primary focus of this book is on Britain. I could relate to their perspective, but it was not Americacentric. It was interesting to see my country from a British perspective (including our current national administration) and also to see a British perspective on international situations.
Given the ending of A Spy at War, it is not possible to determine what direction Beaumont’s next book, will take; I just hope it will be soon!
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Canelo Action.
December 30, 2025
This gripping spy story is set in Ukraine during the war
When we first met Simon Sharman in Charles Beaumont’s explosive debut, A Spy Alone, he was a former MI6 officer employed at a private British intelligence service. Working in tandem with an Oxford academic named Sarah du Cane, who was influential at 10 Downing Street, he exposed a high-level network of Russian influencers in the corridors of Whitehall. But his and Sarah’s efforts led to little change, with the two most powerful of the agents they unmasked remaining in place, beneficiaries of the old boys’ network’s corruption and abhorrence of scandal. Now, in the sequel, A Spy at War, Simon is on his own early in 2022, traveling in Ukraine with false papers. He’s in search of the GRU hitman who murdered his partner in Prague weeks earlier. And that quest will soon thrust him into the carnage of the Russian invasion. This is spy fiction at its best.
This intelligence veteran writes with authority
Charles Beaumont is a veteran of the intelligence game. His writing reeks of authenticity, filled with descriptions of contemporary spycraft and an insider’s knowledge of world affairs. In A Spy at War, he writes with authority about corruption in Ukraine, the fragmentation and inefficiency of the Russian army, and the operation of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. You’re unlikely to find a more compelling account of the run-up to the Russian invasion and its early months in the titanic struggle for control of the town of Bakhmut.
The principal characters show this novel’s scope
A Spy at War takes place during the first half-year of the war in Ukraine. As the scene shifts from Prague to Kyiv to London and to Bakhmut, Beaumont’s story brings to light a diverse cast of characters. The most prominent of these are the following:
** Simon Sharman, still reeling from the mixed results of his investigation back home. He has ventured to Kyiv on the trail of a GRU assassin. There, his quest will take him to the front line of the Ukraine-Russia war in Bakhmut.
** Professor Sarah du Cane, an Oxford don who is Britain’s supreme authority on Russia. She advises the Prime Minister.
** Evie Howard, an able young woman who briefly worked in Prague with Simon.
** Chovka Buchayev, a Chechen fighter-turned-assassin for the GRU. He is in Ukraine working for the Russian operative who is organizing a fifth column within UKraine’s government to seize power on the eve of the invasion.
** Rudi von Pannwitz, a well-connected German nobleman. He is Simon’s source of information about Russian operations in Ukraine.
** Kamran Patel and Rory Gough, the two ultra-right-wing Russian influencers exposed by Simon and Sarah’s investigation. Professor Patel now serves as Britain’s National Security Adviser. Gough is a billionaire businessman with powerful friends in Whitehall.
** Jonathan Vosper (Lord Pelham), known to friends and colleagues as Jonty, who is one of the most influential behind-the-scenes figures in British politics.
Summary of the story
Once again I’ve turned to Claude-AI for a summary of the novel, which is far better done than anything I could write. It follows verbatim, altered only in that I’ve deleted the links to Claude’s sources and inserted subheads to break up the text.
The second book in a trilogy
A Spy at War is the second novel in Charles Beaumont’s Oxford Spy Ring series, following his acclaimed debut A Spy Alone. Published in March 2025, this espionage thriller draws on Beaumont’s experience as a former MI6 operative who worked undercover in war zones to create an authentic portrait of modern intelligence work.
Set in August 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the novel follows Simon Sharman pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. Simon, a former British intelligence officer now working in the private sector, has fled the UK after suspicious events involving a hedge fund manager (detailed in the first book). Operating under false identities—an Italian passport and Polish press credentials—Simon ventures into the conflict zone with a loosely defined mission to locate a brutal assassin responsible for his colleague’s death.
From the battlefield to the meeting rooms of Whitehall
The story unfolds across multiple settings, from the rubble-strewn streets of Bakhmut to the meeting rooms of Whitehall. In London, a Russian spy ring embedded within the British Establishment actively works to undermine Western support for Ukraine. The novel explores how Russian propaganda manipulates public and political opinion about Ukraine, depicting disinformation campaigns that spread through social media until lies become mistaken for reality.
The antagonist, Chovka, receives substantial characterization as a survivor rather than a hero who makes himself useful to those in power. The plot builds toward a tense confrontation forcing Simon to choose between extracting intelligence value from Chovka or surrendering to vengeance—a moral dilemma that distinguishes the novel from typical American thrillers.
Exploring the shadow war between Russia and the West
Beaumont incorporates dry British humor in his depictions of bureaucratic meetings where key figures like Sarah du Cane, an Oxford professor advising the British government, work to counter Russian manipulation. The narrative questions whether a lone intelligence operative can influence the outcome of a major conflict, exploring the shadow war between Russia and the West fought not just on battlefields but in the arena of global public opinion.
Written by someone with insider knowledge of intelligence operations, the novel has been praised for its authentic tradecraft, geopolitical insight, and unflinching portrayal of modern warfare’s complexities. The story ends on a cliffhanger, setting up the trilogy’s final installment while addressing Russia’s ongoing efforts to win through influence what it cannot achieve militarily.
About the author
Charles Beaumont is the pen name of a former MI6 officer. He may have studied history at Oxford in the mid-1990s. (At least someone who knows him says he did.) He served for “two decades across four continents in the pay of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but eventually it ended and then came COVID. ” During his time in lockdown he wrote A Spy Alone, his debut in espionage fiction. There’s no photo of him available online.
When we first met Simon Sharman in Charles Beaumont’s explosive debut, A Spy Alone, he was a former MI6 officer employed at a private British intelligence service. Working in tandem with an Oxford academic named Sarah du Cane, who was influential at 10 Downing Street, he exposed a high-level network of Russian influencers in the corridors of Whitehall. But his and Sarah’s efforts led to little change, with the two most powerful of the agents they unmasked remaining in place, beneficiaries of the old boys’ network’s corruption and abhorrence of scandal. Now, in the sequel, A Spy at War, Simon is on his own early in 2022, traveling in Ukraine with false papers. He’s in search of the GRU hitman who murdered his partner in Prague weeks earlier. And that quest will soon thrust him into the carnage of the Russian invasion. This is spy fiction at its best.
This intelligence veteran writes with authority
Charles Beaumont is a veteran of the intelligence game. His writing reeks of authenticity, filled with descriptions of contemporary spycraft and an insider’s knowledge of world affairs. In A Spy at War, he writes with authority about corruption in Ukraine, the fragmentation and inefficiency of the Russian army, and the operation of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. You’re unlikely to find a more compelling account of the run-up to the Russian invasion and its early months in the titanic struggle for control of the town of Bakhmut.
The principal characters show this novel’s scope
A Spy at War takes place during the first half-year of the war in Ukraine. As the scene shifts from Prague to Kyiv to London and to Bakhmut, Beaumont’s story brings to light a diverse cast of characters. The most prominent of these are the following:
** Simon Sharman, still reeling from the mixed results of his investigation back home. He has ventured to Kyiv on the trail of a GRU assassin. There, his quest will take him to the front line of the Ukraine-Russia war in Bakhmut.
** Professor Sarah du Cane, an Oxford don who is Britain’s supreme authority on Russia. She advises the Prime Minister.
** Evie Howard, an able young woman who briefly worked in Prague with Simon.
** Chovka Buchayev, a Chechen fighter-turned-assassin for the GRU. He is in Ukraine working for the Russian operative who is organizing a fifth column within UKraine’s government to seize power on the eve of the invasion.
** Rudi von Pannwitz, a well-connected German nobleman. He is Simon’s source of information about Russian operations in Ukraine.
** Kamran Patel and Rory Gough, the two ultra-right-wing Russian influencers exposed by Simon and Sarah’s investigation. Professor Patel now serves as Britain’s National Security Adviser. Gough is a billionaire businessman with powerful friends in Whitehall.
** Jonathan Vosper (Lord Pelham), known to friends and colleagues as Jonty, who is one of the most influential behind-the-scenes figures in British politics.
Summary of the story
Once again I’ve turned to Claude-AI for a summary of the novel, which is far better done than anything I could write. It follows verbatim, altered only in that I’ve deleted the links to Claude’s sources and inserted subheads to break up the text.
The second book in a trilogy
A Spy at War is the second novel in Charles Beaumont’s Oxford Spy Ring series, following his acclaimed debut A Spy Alone. Published in March 2025, this espionage thriller draws on Beaumont’s experience as a former MI6 operative who worked undercover in war zones to create an authentic portrait of modern intelligence work.
Set in August 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the novel follows Simon Sharman pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. Simon, a former British intelligence officer now working in the private sector, has fled the UK after suspicious events involving a hedge fund manager (detailed in the first book). Operating under false identities—an Italian passport and Polish press credentials—Simon ventures into the conflict zone with a loosely defined mission to locate a brutal assassin responsible for his colleague’s death.
From the battlefield to the meeting rooms of Whitehall
The story unfolds across multiple settings, from the rubble-strewn streets of Bakhmut to the meeting rooms of Whitehall. In London, a Russian spy ring embedded within the British Establishment actively works to undermine Western support for Ukraine. The novel explores how Russian propaganda manipulates public and political opinion about Ukraine, depicting disinformation campaigns that spread through social media until lies become mistaken for reality.
The antagonist, Chovka, receives substantial characterization as a survivor rather than a hero who makes himself useful to those in power. The plot builds toward a tense confrontation forcing Simon to choose between extracting intelligence value from Chovka or surrendering to vengeance—a moral dilemma that distinguishes the novel from typical American thrillers.
Exploring the shadow war between Russia and the West
Beaumont incorporates dry British humor in his depictions of bureaucratic meetings where key figures like Sarah du Cane, an Oxford professor advising the British government, work to counter Russian manipulation. The narrative questions whether a lone intelligence operative can influence the outcome of a major conflict, exploring the shadow war between Russia and the West fought not just on battlefields but in the arena of global public opinion.
Written by someone with insider knowledge of intelligence operations, the novel has been praised for its authentic tradecraft, geopolitical insight, and unflinching portrayal of modern warfare’s complexities. The story ends on a cliffhanger, setting up the trilogy’s final installment while addressing Russia’s ongoing efforts to win through influence what it cannot achieve militarily.
About the author
Charles Beaumont is the pen name of a former MI6 officer. He may have studied history at Oxford in the mid-1990s. (At least someone who knows him says he did.) He served for “two decades across four continents in the pay of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but eventually it ended and then came COVID. ” During his time in lockdown he wrote A Spy Alone, his debut in espionage fiction. There’s no photo of him available online.
April 12, 2025
Just too boring.
March 25, 2025
The world of espionage laid bare in a bang up to date story.
"A Spy at War" picks up shortly after the events of "A Spy Alone". Having uncovered the Oxford spy ring, but unable to move on the culprits, Simon Sharman, former intelligence agent, has pushed forwards to track and uncover the man who killed Evie. He finds himself in Ukraine, just before the Russian invasion. Kyiv is alive and humming, but he is unable to uncover any trace of the assassin. Until a face from his past appears and offers help and advice.
After some lengthy scene-setting and catch-up recaps, the story picks up, and several plot strands start to emerge as it becomes clear that the members of the Oxford spy ring are still in play, and that the war in Ukraine is providing them and many others, with lucrative opportunities. To his surprise, Simon gains the support of some former colleagues, although each has their own agenda. There is a full cast of heroes and villains, most from the previous book, and who are now depicted in more detail, but the main backdrop, that of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, is the star of the show. The author presents scenarios which depict just how complex the situation is - who profits from the war, who is actually directing it, and where it may yet end up. It's up to the reader to decide whether or not several key players resemble real-life people.
The standout feature of this book is just how prescient it is. Given that the author must have started writing it many months ago, the themes and issues raised are of this very moment. The US' involvement in the war, a certain president's attitude to Europe, Russia's reasons for the invasion, and their hidden motives, are all laid out plain to see. Clearly the author's background has enabled him to see clearly where certain events will lead, and his understanding of the various world players is first class. The final few chapters certainly leave plenty of scope for book three.
Fans of the previous book will lap this up, and while I enjoyed the story, when I read a novel, I like to be taken out of the day-to-day problems that surround us - not to have them presented fully-formed on the page. So for me, there was less enjoyment than previously. But I suspect most will find the story riveting.
Heartily recommended.
"A Spy at War" picks up shortly after the events of "A Spy Alone". Having uncovered the Oxford spy ring, but unable to move on the culprits, Simon Sharman, former intelligence agent, has pushed forwards to track and uncover the man who killed Evie. He finds himself in Ukraine, just before the Russian invasion. Kyiv is alive and humming, but he is unable to uncover any trace of the assassin. Until a face from his past appears and offers help and advice.
After some lengthy scene-setting and catch-up recaps, the story picks up, and several plot strands start to emerge as it becomes clear that the members of the Oxford spy ring are still in play, and that the war in Ukraine is providing them and many others, with lucrative opportunities. To his surprise, Simon gains the support of some former colleagues, although each has their own agenda. There is a full cast of heroes and villains, most from the previous book, and who are now depicted in more detail, but the main backdrop, that of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, is the star of the show. The author presents scenarios which depict just how complex the situation is - who profits from the war, who is actually directing it, and where it may yet end up. It's up to the reader to decide whether or not several key players resemble real-life people.
The standout feature of this book is just how prescient it is. Given that the author must have started writing it many months ago, the themes and issues raised are of this very moment. The US' involvement in the war, a certain president's attitude to Europe, Russia's reasons for the invasion, and their hidden motives, are all laid out plain to see. Clearly the author's background has enabled him to see clearly where certain events will lead, and his understanding of the various world players is first class. The final few chapters certainly leave plenty of scope for book three.
Fans of the previous book will lap this up, and while I enjoyed the story, when I read a novel, I like to be taken out of the day-to-day problems that surround us - not to have them presented fully-formed on the page. So for me, there was less enjoyment than previously. But I suspect most will find the story riveting.
Heartily recommended.
April 7, 2025
This is stream of consciousness because I am still processing it as I write. First, it’s a very good idea to read A Spy Alone before beginning this novel. Then you can jump in to A Spy at War.
It’s a complicated tale requiring the reader to pay close attention with references that track back to Beaumont’s first novel.
A story of Simon, a spy on the run who hopes to avenge the death of his friend by tracking down her killer in Ukraine… then it becomes convoluted with people turning out to be not quite what they seemed when the truth, like the dirt of a grave, gets churned up and overturned.
While Simon is having a hard time determining exactly what he is doing in a war zone, his partner back home does yeoman’s work ferreting out the details that will set the course of play.
Overwhelmingly, I found Simon’s problem to be true to life. As a former intel officer like Beaumont, I fought often with the feeling of not accomplishing anything because the target was too hard, getting access too difficult, the instructions ambiguous, and background too vague…. Think about going after the North Koreans in Beijing and you begin to comprehend the difficulty.
Slowly, however, with persistence and good background from his comrade’s work back home (and closer to the front), Simon begins to make headway, which is, of course, when things begin to go sideways.
The author paints a grim picture of the geo-political background of Ukraine and the major powers who support the Ukrainians or try to deflect that support through disinformation. Unfortunately, here too, Beaumont succeeds in painting another grim picture of the political machinations that are happening before our eyes today. It’s depressing when reality mimics fiction, but nonetheless makes good reading.
In the end, Charle Beaumont has given us a tale well worth the read. In my library, A Spy at War has found its place among my favorites. That said, I look forward to learning what exactly are in those files Simon has neglected to tell anyone about…
It’s a complicated tale requiring the reader to pay close attention with references that track back to Beaumont’s first novel.
A story of Simon, a spy on the run who hopes to avenge the death of his friend by tracking down her killer in Ukraine… then it becomes convoluted with people turning out to be not quite what they seemed when the truth, like the dirt of a grave, gets churned up and overturned.
While Simon is having a hard time determining exactly what he is doing in a war zone, his partner back home does yeoman’s work ferreting out the details that will set the course of play.
Overwhelmingly, I found Simon’s problem to be true to life. As a former intel officer like Beaumont, I fought often with the feeling of not accomplishing anything because the target was too hard, getting access too difficult, the instructions ambiguous, and background too vague…. Think about going after the North Koreans in Beijing and you begin to comprehend the difficulty.
Slowly, however, with persistence and good background from his comrade’s work back home (and closer to the front), Simon begins to make headway, which is, of course, when things begin to go sideways.
The author paints a grim picture of the geo-political background of Ukraine and the major powers who support the Ukrainians or try to deflect that support through disinformation. Unfortunately, here too, Beaumont succeeds in painting another grim picture of the political machinations that are happening before our eyes today. It’s depressing when reality mimics fiction, but nonetheless makes good reading.
In the end, Charle Beaumont has given us a tale well worth the read. In my library, A Spy at War has found its place among my favorites. That said, I look forward to learning what exactly are in those files Simon has neglected to tell anyone about…
April 29, 2025
Charles Beaumont’s A Spy Alone was an outstanding piece of credible espionage fiction that held attention from beginning to end. His new book, A Spy At War, is just as good, and possibly more darker, as it once more follows former British Intelligence agent Simon Sharman down a very dangerous path.
After the events in A Spy Alone, Sharman is out for revenge, pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. While back in London, a Russian spy ring at the heart of the British Establishment remains hidden and actively trying to sabotage the West’s support for Ukraine. Meanwhile on the battlefields of the Donbas, Simon may have a chance to locate the assassin, but larger forces are at work and he finds himself sucked into a terrifying shadow conflict between Russia and the West.
A Spy At War is an impressively researched and incredibly prescient book in the way that it scarily foreshadowed some of the recent noise around the Ukrainian conflict following the election of Trump. The descriptions of the war in the Ukraine are grimly convincing and Beaumont uses them to good effect to build the danger for Sharman and the book’s suspense. Some early scene setting and recapping of previous events slows the pace a little in the beginning, but once underway it is a very gripping read that builds to a superb and bloody conclusion.
The war in Ukraine is at the centre of the book and as Beaumont says in the Author’s Note, he hopes that A Spy At War reminds the world of the “heroism of the Ukrainian people … and the importance of their fight for freedom”. It certainly does that, but it is also a very good spy novel that excites, engages attention, and delivers the twists and turns and surprises that readers expect. It also has a credible cast of characters and touches of mild humour.
An outstanding piece of espionage.
4.5 rounded up.
See my full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/s...
After the events in A Spy Alone, Sharman is out for revenge, pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. While back in London, a Russian spy ring at the heart of the British Establishment remains hidden and actively trying to sabotage the West’s support for Ukraine. Meanwhile on the battlefields of the Donbas, Simon may have a chance to locate the assassin, but larger forces are at work and he finds himself sucked into a terrifying shadow conflict between Russia and the West.
A Spy At War is an impressively researched and incredibly prescient book in the way that it scarily foreshadowed some of the recent noise around the Ukrainian conflict following the election of Trump. The descriptions of the war in the Ukraine are grimly convincing and Beaumont uses them to good effect to build the danger for Sharman and the book’s suspense. Some early scene setting and recapping of previous events slows the pace a little in the beginning, but once underway it is a very gripping read that builds to a superb and bloody conclusion.
The war in Ukraine is at the centre of the book and as Beaumont says in the Author’s Note, he hopes that A Spy At War reminds the world of the “heroism of the Ukrainian people … and the importance of their fight for freedom”. It certainly does that, but it is also a very good spy novel that excites, engages attention, and delivers the twists and turns and surprises that readers expect. It also has a credible cast of characters and touches of mild humour.
An outstanding piece of espionage.
4.5 rounded up.
See my full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/s...
November 30, 2025
I read a free advance digital review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
This is a sequel to the outstanding A Spy Alone, and I strongly recommend you read that book before this one. Former British intelligence operative Simon Sharman is on the run after the events of the first book, and he has gone undercover as a journalist to Kyiv in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He’s on the hunt for a man named Chovka, a Chechen mercenary working as an assassin and spy for the Russians. Chovka, Simon has learned, is the man responsible for the attack in Prague that almost killed him and did kill his young associate before his eyes.
This is not a cat-and-mouse revenge tale, though. It’s a tale of Russian infiltration into British society and its years-in-the-making campaign of disinformation and bribery to weaken western support for Ukraine. The Russians’ sophistication in the intelligence and opinion war is at odds with its actual fighting forces. They are a mishmash of cannon fodder largely culled from ethnic minorities, a few regular military forces, various mercenary outfits, and local Russian-aligned troops, such as in Lukhansk. These fighters are usually ill-trained and using antiquated weaponry.
Simon is in the middle of it all. While he wants to find Chovka and exact revenge, it becomes clear that the man is part of a much larger plot that may implicate some powerful people in Britain. All of a sudden, Simon’s simple mission is wrapped up in a complex web of espionage being conducted while a hot war explodes all around.
I’m a big fan of classic Cold War espionage, and I’ve not often found modern espionage novels as engaging. But Charles Beaumont, a former MI6 agent, gives his books all the on-the-ground excitement of classic espionage tales, while grounding them in a modern conflict between worldviews. A Spy Alone and A Spy At War are thrilling and thought-provoking.
This is a sequel to the outstanding A Spy Alone, and I strongly recommend you read that book before this one. Former British intelligence operative Simon Sharman is on the run after the events of the first book, and he has gone undercover as a journalist to Kyiv in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He’s on the hunt for a man named Chovka, a Chechen mercenary working as an assassin and spy for the Russians. Chovka, Simon has learned, is the man responsible for the attack in Prague that almost killed him and did kill his young associate before his eyes.
This is not a cat-and-mouse revenge tale, though. It’s a tale of Russian infiltration into British society and its years-in-the-making campaign of disinformation and bribery to weaken western support for Ukraine. The Russians’ sophistication in the intelligence and opinion war is at odds with its actual fighting forces. They are a mishmash of cannon fodder largely culled from ethnic minorities, a few regular military forces, various mercenary outfits, and local Russian-aligned troops, such as in Lukhansk. These fighters are usually ill-trained and using antiquated weaponry.
Simon is in the middle of it all. While he wants to find Chovka and exact revenge, it becomes clear that the man is part of a much larger plot that may implicate some powerful people in Britain. All of a sudden, Simon’s simple mission is wrapped up in a complex web of espionage being conducted while a hot war explodes all around.
I’m a big fan of classic Cold War espionage, and I’ve not often found modern espionage novels as engaging. But Charles Beaumont, a former MI6 agent, gives his books all the on-the-ground excitement of classic espionage tales, while grounding them in a modern conflict between worldviews. A Spy Alone and A Spy At War are thrilling and thought-provoking.
March 7, 2025
Beaumont's previous book, A Spy Alone, ended with a shocking event that is the mainspring of this one. This second installment of the "Oxford Spy Ring" series features the same protagonists and some of the same antagonists. And like the earlier work, this one is written with chapters presenting narratives from different timelines and places.
Simon Sharman is undercover in Kyiv during the early months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hoping to find a Chechen assassin with whom he has unfinished business. He is informally supported by his previous employer, the Joint Intelligence Directorate, and one of their officers, his Oxford classmate and sometime love interest Sarah du Cane, who in turn are pursuing their own interest in the assassin. Things proceed somewhat slowly and deliberately for the first 70% of the book, then suddenly turn frantic heading toward the climax and resolution. The very end opens up exciting possibilities for the next book in the series.
I enjoyed this espionage thriller slightly more than the previous one, which really needs to be read prior to this; otherwise the main source of conflict will be somewhat obscure. The characters are better developed and the author's technical disquisitions are more convincingly integrated with the plot. Patience and care are required to follow the story as it unfolds and to keep all the players and organizations sharply identified. Beaumont does play fair with the reader in supplying information and clues, and the denouement is satisfying.
Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for an ARC.
Simon Sharman is undercover in Kyiv during the early months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hoping to find a Chechen assassin with whom he has unfinished business. He is informally supported by his previous employer, the Joint Intelligence Directorate, and one of their officers, his Oxford classmate and sometime love interest Sarah du Cane, who in turn are pursuing their own interest in the assassin. Things proceed somewhat slowly and deliberately for the first 70% of the book, then suddenly turn frantic heading toward the climax and resolution. The very end opens up exciting possibilities for the next book in the series.
I enjoyed this espionage thriller slightly more than the previous one, which really needs to be read prior to this; otherwise the main source of conflict will be somewhat obscure. The characters are better developed and the author's technical disquisitions are more convincingly integrated with the plot. Patience and care are required to follow the story as it unfolds and to keep all the players and organizations sharply identified. Beaumont does play fair with the reader in supplying information and clues, and the denouement is satisfying.
Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for an ARC.
March 26, 2025
"You're not exactly James Bond, are you?" Truer words were never spoken.
Spy at War follows former British Intelligence Officer, Simon, into war torn Ukraine, right after the Russian invasion in the Spring of 2022, as he is trying to track down the Chechen Assassin, Chovka, who apparently killed his partner, Evie, in the previous installment. As Simon follows leads to track him down, back home in England, the new National Security Advisor is peddling Russian Disinformation about corruption in the Ukrainian government in order to discourage England, and more importantly MAGA Republicans in the US susceptible to such BS, from supporting the war effort.
As intrigued as I was by the descriptions of a Spy in the middle of the conflict in Ukraine, this was the most boring "Spy Thriller" i have ever read. The most exciting parts involved reading about a Ukrainian Oligarch owning a villa in Crans-Montana Switzerland where I was lucky enough to go to camp for 2 summers in the 70's. The rest of the book dealt with the most uninteresting spy on the planet. I couldnt understand why everyone thought Simon had to be involved, or thanked god Simon was there. For all the excitement he brought to the story, it might as well have been about an accountant caught up in an international scandal during wartime.
Maybe real MI6 operatives are boring like Simon, but if true, then Beaumont needs to use more imagination next time to get me, or anyone else to read another one of his books.
Spy at War follows former British Intelligence Officer, Simon, into war torn Ukraine, right after the Russian invasion in the Spring of 2022, as he is trying to track down the Chechen Assassin, Chovka, who apparently killed his partner, Evie, in the previous installment. As Simon follows leads to track him down, back home in England, the new National Security Advisor is peddling Russian Disinformation about corruption in the Ukrainian government in order to discourage England, and more importantly MAGA Republicans in the US susceptible to such BS, from supporting the war effort.
As intrigued as I was by the descriptions of a Spy in the middle of the conflict in Ukraine, this was the most boring "Spy Thriller" i have ever read. The most exciting parts involved reading about a Ukrainian Oligarch owning a villa in Crans-Montana Switzerland where I was lucky enough to go to camp for 2 summers in the 70's. The rest of the book dealt with the most uninteresting spy on the planet. I couldnt understand why everyone thought Simon had to be involved, or thanked god Simon was there. For all the excitement he brought to the story, it might as well have been about an accountant caught up in an international scandal during wartime.
Maybe real MI6 operatives are boring like Simon, but if true, then Beaumont needs to use more imagination next time to get me, or anyone else to read another one of his books.
December 16, 2025
This novel by Charles Beaumont is the second in a modern espionage series featuring a down on his luck ex-MI6 agent, Simon Sharman. In the first novel, A Spy Alone, Simon uncovers a deep cover Russian spy ring in Oxford while a private sector investigator. In A Spy at War, Simon is out for revenge pursuing an assassin of one of his colleges across war-torn Ukraine. British Intelligence, Russian spies, and Ukrainian warriors are all battling for credibility on the front lines. Simon is fighting to understand who to trust, just as the reader is.
The story opens in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Simon is in Kiev only vaguely motivated to find the assassin but finding himself with knowledge about a Russian information war in London which seeks to prevent aid coming toward the Ukraine. Information and money are primary factors in current war zones, and Beaumont does an excellent job of explaining the connections.
Before he was an author, Beaumont worked undercover as an MI6 operative in war zones, on diplomatic missions and in international business. Now we are the beneficiaries of his knowledge of world current events, as well as his professional intelligence experience. This insider view of what is really unfolding in the Ukraine gives the reader much to contemplate. It is in fact a warning to us all about the times we live in.
Recommended for those who love real-life espionage thrillers.
My rating: 4 of 5
This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. A Spy at War was published on December 2, 2025.
The story opens in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Simon is in Kiev only vaguely motivated to find the assassin but finding himself with knowledge about a Russian information war in London which seeks to prevent aid coming toward the Ukraine. Information and money are primary factors in current war zones, and Beaumont does an excellent job of explaining the connections.
Before he was an author, Beaumont worked undercover as an MI6 operative in war zones, on diplomatic missions and in international business. Now we are the beneficiaries of his knowledge of world current events, as well as his professional intelligence experience. This insider view of what is really unfolding in the Ukraine gives the reader much to contemplate. It is in fact a warning to us all about the times we live in.
Recommended for those who love real-life espionage thrillers.
My rating: 4 of 5
This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. A Spy at War was published on December 2, 2025.
May 22, 2025
This is a sequel to Beaumont’s A Spy Alone and follows on directly from that novel. I was taken aback to find out how contemporary it was, actually set in Ukraine and featuring that war, which doesn’t appear likely to end any time soon. In his note at the end of the novel Beaumont replies to my concerns:
“It is reasonable to ask whether it is appropriate, in 2025, to be setting a work of entertainment in a devastating war that has exacted a terrible price in terms of casualties. My answer is that I hope that this book serves as a reminder to a war-weary world that the heroism of the Ukrainian people is undimmed, the importance of their fight for freedom never greater, their need for our support unchanged.”
I did not need the reminder but Beaumont’s vivid descriptions of conflict at the front and the arbitrariness of loss of life do bring home the suffering of individuals perhaps more than the hours of video on the TV.
Apart from the setting and some interest in Simon’s fate after he flees the UK, the plot of this novel is rather thin and new characters, such as Jonty, Liz, Chovka and Vasya rather summarily presented. I somehow get the feeling that this is an interim step as Beaumont felt he needed to make a statement about Ukraine before pursuing further, better elaborated, spying intrigues.
“It is reasonable to ask whether it is appropriate, in 2025, to be setting a work of entertainment in a devastating war that has exacted a terrible price in terms of casualties. My answer is that I hope that this book serves as a reminder to a war-weary world that the heroism of the Ukrainian people is undimmed, the importance of their fight for freedom never greater, their need for our support unchanged.”
I did not need the reminder but Beaumont’s vivid descriptions of conflict at the front and the arbitrariness of loss of life do bring home the suffering of individuals perhaps more than the hours of video on the TV.
Apart from the setting and some interest in Simon’s fate after he flees the UK, the plot of this novel is rather thin and new characters, such as Jonty, Liz, Chovka and Vasya rather summarily presented. I somehow get the feeling that this is an interim step as Beaumont felt he needed to make a statement about Ukraine before pursuing further, better elaborated, spying intrigues.
June 26, 2025
Beaumont scored a hit with his contemporary spy thriller A Spy Alone and so his publisher undoubtedly wanted to cash in. So here quite quickly afterwards is A Spy At War.
It follows on only few weeks after the previous book ended. You could read this separately but it does help to have read the first.
Former British spy Simon Sharman is in Ukraine looking for a Chechen assassin who murdered his partner.
Some of the same cast of characters of lobbyists, politicians, Russian mafia and the boundless profits of organised crime run through this.
Beaumont, also an ex-spy, is explicit in his political messaging. The contempt for the current political class is clear. This is like Slough House without the laughs. Or indeed the empathy.
I never really rooted for Simon as I’m not sure what he is supposed to be. He seems a failure and yet he regularly goes all James Bond to paper over plot holes. And Sarah, the detached Oxford Don and spook masterminding things m, now seems less well painted and just pushes the plot forward.
It’s a good beach read and well put together. Clearly there is a lot of disgust in some quarters for how Russian money has corrupted the UK.
After the difficult second novel I’d be interested to see what Beaumont tackles next because while there are gaps in character there seems to be plenty of authenticity in place and action.
It follows on only few weeks after the previous book ended. You could read this separately but it does help to have read the first.
Former British spy Simon Sharman is in Ukraine looking for a Chechen assassin who murdered his partner.
Some of the same cast of characters of lobbyists, politicians, Russian mafia and the boundless profits of organised crime run through this.
Beaumont, also an ex-spy, is explicit in his political messaging. The contempt for the current political class is clear. This is like Slough House without the laughs. Or indeed the empathy.
I never really rooted for Simon as I’m not sure what he is supposed to be. He seems a failure and yet he regularly goes all James Bond to paper over plot holes. And Sarah, the detached Oxford Don and spook masterminding things m, now seems less well painted and just pushes the plot forward.
It’s a good beach read and well put together. Clearly there is a lot of disgust in some quarters for how Russian money has corrupted the UK.
After the difficult second novel I’d be interested to see what Beaumont tackles next because while there are gaps in character there seems to be plenty of authenticity in place and action.
May 21, 2025
This book is a sequel to Spy Alone.
As in the previous novel, the author displays a strong grasp of current affairs—this time focusing on the first year of the war in Ukraine. This adds a great deal of authenticity and relevance to the story.
I particularly appreciated the attention to detail—for example, the depiction of a cabinet meeting and the nuanced relationships between the protagonist and the Ukrainian characters.
The shift in strategy from "eliminating a target" to "attempting to recruit one" is an unexpected and clever twist, reminiscent of classic espionage literature.
That said, as with the first book, I felt that too much material was packed into a single volume.
The ambiguous ending—particularly the unresolved relationship between the main character and his lady friend—strongly suggests that a continuation is planned.
A final note that applies to both books: the cover highlights that the author is a former MI6 member. While this undoubtedly lends credibility to the story and likely boosts sales, I can’t help but wonder what the reaction would have been if this detail had been withheld. Imagine the intrigue if, after publication and widespread reading, people started asking: Who is this author who seems to know so much?
As in the previous novel, the author displays a strong grasp of current affairs—this time focusing on the first year of the war in Ukraine. This adds a great deal of authenticity and relevance to the story.
I particularly appreciated the attention to detail—for example, the depiction of a cabinet meeting and the nuanced relationships between the protagonist and the Ukrainian characters.
The shift in strategy from "eliminating a target" to "attempting to recruit one" is an unexpected and clever twist, reminiscent of classic espionage literature.
That said, as with the first book, I felt that too much material was packed into a single volume.
The ambiguous ending—particularly the unresolved relationship between the main character and his lady friend—strongly suggests that a continuation is planned.
A final note that applies to both books: the cover highlights that the author is a former MI6 member. While this undoubtedly lends credibility to the story and likely boosts sales, I can’t help but wonder what the reaction would have been if this detail had been withheld. Imagine the intrigue if, after publication and widespread reading, people started asking: Who is this author who seems to know so much?
April 29, 2025
3.5 stars
Clever with good action but whew, a lot of characters with intricate backgrounds! Also, references back to the first book are perplexing and I even read the first book! I had no idea it would lead to the war in Ukraine. CB’s geopolitical knowledge and MI6 background give the book great credibility but it’s kind of like being at a party with a group of experts talking shop. Why did they want Simon there anyway?
I must do a bit more whining: A lot of information dumping that one must absorb, even though I appreciate the up-to-the-minute facts and analysis. The drama inside Parliament and the secret services, the drama inside Chovka’s world, the drama with Simon and Sarah and then the ancillary drama with the various young women from various Ukrainian organizations and even the drama with Evie back before she was dead: it sometimes felt as if there were four books preceding this one. Perhaps one or two could have been downsized.
I did enjoy the government minister who would drop everything when the Indian cricket team was playing. It did make him easy to find.
I would pick the first book over the second but I am willing to read a third.
Clever with good action but whew, a lot of characters with intricate backgrounds! Also, references back to the first book are perplexing and I even read the first book! I had no idea it would lead to the war in Ukraine. CB’s geopolitical knowledge and MI6 background give the book great credibility but it’s kind of like being at a party with a group of experts talking shop. Why did they want Simon there anyway?
I must do a bit more whining: A lot of information dumping that one must absorb, even though I appreciate the up-to-the-minute facts and analysis. The drama inside Parliament and the secret services, the drama inside Chovka’s world, the drama with Simon and Sarah and then the ancillary drama with the various young women from various Ukrainian organizations and even the drama with Evie back before she was dead: it sometimes felt as if there were four books preceding this one. Perhaps one or two could have been downsized.
I did enjoy the government minister who would drop everything when the Indian cricket team was playing. It did make him easy to find.
I would pick the first book over the second but I am willing to read a third.
May 25, 2025
Truths masquerading as fiction
Astonishingly good yarn from a former British spook, so gripping that you will read on into the early hours.
This is the second episode of the adventures of Beaumont’s MMC, the ‘Spy Alone’ Simon Sharman, in which he is in war-torn Ukraine, on a personal revenge mission as the country battles both Russia’s military invasion and its parallel misinformation campaign.
Simon find himself caught in a web of deception and double-cross leaving little room for decency. Major characters’ loyalty (or disloyalty) sold to the highest bidder. Britain’s dishonourably-earned reputation as a safe haven for oligarchs and their laundered stolen billions writ large.
And here disguised as fiction are some well-documented realities: the links between rhe Kremlin and the ultra right (e.g. MAGA, the Brexiteers). The long-term machinations of Putin’s Russian Mafia, partially already in the public domain. And everything that points to Putin’s useful idiots taking over Western governments (not least a louche and amoral former UK PM) to undermine liberal democracy from within.
A perfect read for these troubled times.
Astonishingly good yarn from a former British spook, so gripping that you will read on into the early hours.
This is the second episode of the adventures of Beaumont’s MMC, the ‘Spy Alone’ Simon Sharman, in which he is in war-torn Ukraine, on a personal revenge mission as the country battles both Russia’s military invasion and its parallel misinformation campaign.
Simon find himself caught in a web of deception and double-cross leaving little room for decency. Major characters’ loyalty (or disloyalty) sold to the highest bidder. Britain’s dishonourably-earned reputation as a safe haven for oligarchs and their laundered stolen billions writ large.
And here disguised as fiction are some well-documented realities: the links between rhe Kremlin and the ultra right (e.g. MAGA, the Brexiteers). The long-term machinations of Putin’s Russian Mafia, partially already in the public domain. And everything that points to Putin’s useful idiots taking over Western governments (not least a louche and amoral former UK PM) to undermine liberal democracy from within.
A perfect read for these troubled times.
June 7, 2025
It was fine.
Beaumont does seem to have a great deal of knowledge about the ins and outs of espionage, politics, and how the two interact in ways that the general public can really never see. That, to me, makes for interesting reading. That said, I was not anticipating this book to be as closely tied to A Spy Alone as it was…it’s a true sequel with repeated, ongoing callbacks. And I’m not sure whether that was the best way to tell the next Simon Sharman story, especially when you’re working with a story as potentially rich in material as Russia-Ukraine. (And, given the ending, there will most likely be another book that, again, builds directly off A Spy Alone and A Spy at War.) The story also seemed to get needlessly complicated right up to the end, though maybe that’s just me. Finally, I do think the book, like A Spy Alone, suffers from Beaumont’s, ahem, rather clear political point of view. Subtle he ain’t.
Beaumont does seem to have a great deal of knowledge about the ins and outs of espionage, politics, and how the two interact in ways that the general public can really never see. That, to me, makes for interesting reading. That said, I was not anticipating this book to be as closely tied to A Spy Alone as it was…it’s a true sequel with repeated, ongoing callbacks. And I’m not sure whether that was the best way to tell the next Simon Sharman story, especially when you’re working with a story as potentially rich in material as Russia-Ukraine. (And, given the ending, there will most likely be another book that, again, builds directly off A Spy Alone and A Spy at War.) The story also seemed to get needlessly complicated right up to the end, though maybe that’s just me. Finally, I do think the book, like A Spy Alone, suffers from Beaumont’s, ahem, rather clear political point of view. Subtle he ain’t.
June 12, 2025
*** Possible Spoilers ***
This was one of the best books I've read in some time but it's definitely not for everyone. It's for the approximately 40% of the population who prefer plot to character develo9pment. It's a story of wheels within wheels, characters being manipulated like pieces on a chessboard with danger and betrayal lurking everywhere. On the other hand, it is far from James Bond so if you're looking for frenetic action you won't find it here. In this world of espionage, no one can be trusted, relationships are fragile and the slightest misstep can play into the hands of one's enemies. There's plenty of excitement and the only sure thing is there are no sure things. I loved it. I have to admit, however, the ending is decidedly vague. Evidently the author wanted to keep his options open should he decide to add to the series so while the story seems to end, perhaps it didn't.
This was one of the best books I've read in some time but it's definitely not for everyone. It's for the approximately 40% of the population who prefer plot to character develo9pment. It's a story of wheels within wheels, characters being manipulated like pieces on a chessboard with danger and betrayal lurking everywhere. On the other hand, it is far from James Bond so if you're looking for frenetic action you won't find it here. In this world of espionage, no one can be trusted, relationships are fragile and the slightest misstep can play into the hands of one's enemies. There's plenty of excitement and the only sure thing is there are no sure things. I loved it. I have to admit, however, the ending is decidedly vague. Evidently the author wanted to keep his options open should he decide to add to the series so while the story seems to end, perhaps it didn't.
August 21, 2025
While this is book 2 in the series and continues the story from A Spy Alone, the author provides enough background to enjoy it without having read A Spy Alone. But why would you want to miss out on reading A Spy Alone first?
There's a bit of backwards and forwards in the timeline that I had to pay careful attention to, but the effort was worth it. As a novel it is exciting, very readable and difficult to put down. There are some nice references to other spy fiction too.
Like A Spy Alone, the story seems too real. It is set in events taken from real life and some characters in the background, such as political leaders, are easily recognisable. Again, this book has changed my view of current events. After reading the Author's Note and Acknowledgements at the end, I feel numb.
There's a bit of backwards and forwards in the timeline that I had to pay careful attention to, but the effort was worth it. As a novel it is exciting, very readable and difficult to put down. There are some nice references to other spy fiction too.
Like A Spy Alone, the story seems too real. It is set in events taken from real life and some characters in the background, such as political leaders, are easily recognisable. Again, this book has changed my view of current events. After reading the Author's Note and Acknowledgements at the end, I feel numb.
March 6, 2025
Charles. Beaumont is rapidly establishing himself as an elite writer of spy thrillers as this is a worthy addition to his first book.
Having read and enjoyed books focusing on the IRA and Islamic terrorists it is good to read a book that is so topical, dealing as it does with the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s attempts to conduct war also through social media and the efforts of useful idiots ostensibly working for the opposition.
The scene setting is accurate and the action frenetic. This is a book that has been published at exactly the right time and deserves to become a best seller.
Having read and enjoyed books focusing on the IRA and Islamic terrorists it is good to read a book that is so topical, dealing as it does with the invasion of Ukraine and Russia’s attempts to conduct war also through social media and the efforts of useful idiots ostensibly working for the opposition.
The scene setting is accurate and the action frenetic. This is a book that has been published at exactly the right time and deserves to become a best seller.
March 12, 2025
This book follows on from the previous book, A Spy Alone, featuring Simon Sharman. Simon is now in Ukraine, working undercover. Set in 2023, against the backdrop of the war with Russia, this is a gritty read that brings home the horrors faced by the Ukrainian people.
I found the first half of the book slow going and the cast of characters rather confusing. However, the second half of the book really took off and was an exciting, tense read. The book is well-written and I appreciated the insight it gave me into the Ukrainian situation.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
I found the first half of the book slow going and the cast of characters rather confusing. However, the second half of the book really took off and was an exciting, tense read. The book is well-written and I appreciated the insight it gave me into the Ukrainian situation.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
April 30, 2025
A second book in the series and IMHO better than the first part. Mainly because of the Ukraine war background and the implications for, what was then, the future American policy towards allies and Ukraine.
This lost a star and seemed contrived to remove characters
Would be difficult to read without reading Part One - A Spy Alone. Lots of references.
Still good and gritty
This lost a star and seemed contrived to remove characters
Would be difficult to read without reading Part One - A Spy Alone. Lots of references.
Still good and gritty
July 28, 2025
Excruciatingly Accurate Portrayals of Numerous Aspects.
Life, War and Society are all heady, severely complex and multi-faceted matters. It takes an awesome amount of knowledge, experience and ability to craft them into a brilliant novel, such as this is.
At nearly every stage of this story tendrils of immense anger, frustration and hopelessness seep into the readers awareness: consistently. Real life very much seems to reflect the complexities laid out here.
The author has listed a top quality story to deliver the realities. I’d like to have seen S.Sh & S.dC fare better, ‘together’, but who knows, maybe they will, some other time.
Life, War and Society are all heady, severely complex and multi-faceted matters. It takes an awesome amount of knowledge, experience and ability to craft them into a brilliant novel, such as this is.
At nearly every stage of this story tendrils of immense anger, frustration and hopelessness seep into the readers awareness: consistently. Real life very much seems to reflect the complexities laid out here.
The author has listed a top quality story to deliver the realities. I’d like to have seen S.Sh & S.dC fare better, ‘together’, but who knows, maybe they will, some other time.
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