Spies in Stokenchurch

You may remember that two years ago I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Spy Alone, debut espionage novel of Charles Beaumont. An important portion of the novel is set in England and I already mentioned that I enjoyed reading about places I was familiar with, but within the context of a spy thriller. Well, I was surprised to see that the village of Stokenchurch is featured in the plot. One chapter is even named after it. I have been to Stokenchurch a few times as it's not very far from here. I have not visited it in a while. Anyway, that's what is said about it: "They pull off the M40 at Stokenchurch, a village high in the Chiltern ridge. It's a strangely charmless place: in spite of a village green and a few pubs it feels cold and empty. The sort of place you don't stop at unless you really have to." It's a pretty fair assessment of the place, and when we stopped there, it was indeed because we had to. Nevertheless, if I visit it again, I will look out for spies. Because you never know.

A Spy at War

Back in 2024, I read A Spy Alone, debut novel of Charles Beaumont. He is a former MI6 operative, so he knows what he is talking about. I had decided to rediscover spy thrillers and read more of them. I quite enjoyed it, it was a neat suspense, set in our time and Beaumont's professional background gave the book authenticity and believability. I discovered recently that he wrote a sequel A Spy at War. I have a lot on my TBR list, so I might wait a bit to buy this one, but I am tempted to get my hands on it all the same. Besides, as I am blogging more and more about the world of espionage, it might be good to have this novel as a reference.

Spies for hire

Oh the algorithms of the internet really make me discover things. So I recently stumbled upon this article on Politico, saying that London now is booming with private security firms, with former secret agents (and ex military, and former police officers) now working in the private sector. In other words, there are now such things as spy companies. This is not entirely surprising to me, I kinda knew it existed since I read this novel. Still, I didn't suspect there were so many of them. Apparently, the aura London has thanks to a certain fictitious British spy did play a role in the developement of this new intelligence industry. I'm not sure I like it: I find it worrying that former secret agents switch their loyalty from a nation and a country to a company, or their own bank account. Eespecially since the industry is at the moment irregulated. That does not bode well for democracy. Nevertheless, I can see the dramatic potential for the witing of spy thrillers. Because sometimes I think like a writer.

Knowing places in books

 I am currently reading A Spy Alone, which I am enjoying quite a lot. I started it not expecting much, just a half decent thriller, but it really caught my attention. Anyway, in the very first pages, it mentions and features two cities, Oxford and Reading. The former is more prominent than the latter, and the latter is truly a large town, not a city, but I digress. I have been to both is what I wanted to say. And it is one of the little bit of literary joys I have when I read: that first-hand knowledge of a place you are reading about. Am I the only one who feels like this? What about you?

Spy Thriller in the Bookshop

As this is Independent Bookshop Week, we went to the local bookshop recently. I love to support local businesses, especially local bookshops. I love our local bookshop for another reason: I always find some book I did not know existed, but worth checking. So yes, I found A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont. I have no idea if it is going to be good or not, but I have been in the mood for a spy thriller. And Beaumont being a former MI6 operative, it should be well documented if nothing else.