Oxford Spy Ring Series

A Financial Times Best Book of the Summer 2025

‘Top marks’ The Times Book of the Month (March)

‘Brilliant… Beaumont is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Mick Herron’ James O’Brien, author of How They Broke Britain

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.

Praise for A Spy at War

‘Beaumont must surely be the most plugged in spy writer of the day, almost ahead of the curve… He pens thrillers you can’t let go of, page turners full of power and intelligence. Indispensable’ Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time

‘Beaumont is a skilled guide to the murky interface between the corridors of power and the human consequences of the decisions made there’ Adam LeBor, Financial Times

‘Beaumont strikes back… A Spy At War is the best sort of espionage novel, shimmering with authentic tradecraft, geopolitical intrigue and a gritty exploration of betrayal and revenge’ David McCloskey, author of The Seventh Floor and co-host of The Rest is Classified podcast

‘Charles Beaumont is that rare combination in spy fiction: a genuine former intelligence officer who is also a first-class writer’ Charles Cumming, author of Kennedy 35

‘With his second novel, Beaumont has cemented himself as an author who both fearlessly tackles hard subjects and spins masterful tales. A Spy at War is daring and unflinching, a must-read’ I.S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow

‘This second espionage thriller from former MI6 operative Charles Beaumont underlines his quality’ Daily Mail

‘Retired spy Charles Beaumont brings to life the terror, violence and confusion of the war in Ukraine… in this well-informed and revealing novel. Excellent’ Literary Review

‘An unadorned take on the brutal realities of the Ukrainian war, told with literary flair and an insider’s insights’ Paul Vidich, author of Beirut Station

‘Angry, propulsive and very, very timely. If A Spy Alone was Beaumont’s cry of rage as a citizen, A Spy at War is his cry of rage as a spook… Topping A Spy Alone was a tough ask. Beaumont has managed it’ Dominick Donald, author of Breathe

‘Many works of fiction will be inspired by the war in Ukraine. Charles Beaumont literally blasts out ahead of the field with an effort that is both cinematic and compassionate… A worthy sequel to his debut masterpiece’ Dr Fiona Hill, CMG, former US National Intelligence Officer for Russia

‘Beaumont has done it again: a gripping spy thriller, this time set in war-torn Ukraine, which is so true to life you feel you are there. It’s also about Britain, now, and how so many in the Establishment have sold their souls for Russian gold’ John Sweeney, author of Killer in the Kremlin

‘Five stars. One of the best books I’ve read in a very, very long time’ James O’Brien, LBC

‘This is first class’ The Times | ‘Excellent’ Spectator

‘Exceptional’ David McCloskey, author of The Seventh Floor

‘Everything a John le Carr fan could ever wish for’ Private Eye #1615

Everyone knows about the Cambridge Spies from the Fifties, identified and broken up after passing national secrets to the Soviets for years. But no spy ring was ever unearthed at Oxford. Because one never existed? Or because it was never found?

2022: Former spy Simon Sharman is eking out a living in the private sector. When a commission to delve into the financial dealings of a mysterious Russian oligarch comes across his desk, he jumps at the chance.

But as Simon investigates, worrying patterns begin to emerge. His subject made regular trips to Oxford, but for no apparent reason. There are payments from offshore accounts that suddenly just stop.

Has he found what none of his former colleagues believed possible, a Russian spy ring now nestled at the heart of the British Establishment? Or is he just another paranoid ex-spook left out in the cold, obsessed with redemption?

From Oxford’s hallowed quadrangles to brush contacts on Hampstead Heath, agent-running in Vienna and mysterious meetings in Prague, A Spy Alone is a gripping international thriller and a searing portrait of modern Britain in the age of cynical populism. Perfect for readers of Charles Cumming, Mick Herron and John le Carr.

Praise for A Spy Alone

‘A highly accomplished novel from a new writer of great promise’ Financial Times

‘A cracker of a debut novel which really does make clear what’s been going on’ Bill Nighy via The Rake

‘A marvellously confident debut, sharply observed and exceptionally well written’ Charles Cumming, author of Box 88

‘Beaumont is at the forefront of the espionage genre, capturing the changing nature of intelligence: soft influence and business deals are overtaking stolen secrets; long-term insinuation is replacing Cold-War tradecraft. Brilliant’ I. S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow

‘The best spy novel I’ve read for years… An astonishing debut… and a brilliant portrait of how Britain allowed Russia to game our recent politics, including with Brexit’ Luke Harding, author of Invasion: Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival

‘Wonderful. Beaumont finds a very moving place in the meditation between older ideas of patriotism and the new world. There are also eerie echoes of the Musk and Vance worldview in the villains, which give it a power and prescience’ Rory Stewart, co-host of The Rest is Politics podcast

‘Beaumont … catches the zeitgeist of (le Carr) …. He conveys all the world of espionage with relish, in its murky motives and surveillance techniques and the book races along and makes for a stunning debut’ Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time

‘A clever, thrilling spy story that brings the feel of Eric Ambler’s shadowy political intrigues right into today’s world’ Jeremy Duns, author of Free Agent

‘Tense, compelling and remarkably timely… Shades of some of the greats of spy fiction it might even be better than Charles Cumming’ Dominick Donald, author of Breathe