Book of the day: Liar's Game by Jack Beaumont

NZ Herald

6 hours ago

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Beijing airport: Scene of the crime in a twisty tale featuring the Chinese secret service. Photo / Getty Images
Jack Beaumont is the pseudonym of an ex-operative for the DGSE, the French equivalent of the CIA.
Liar's Game is the third thriller featuring spy Alec de Payns, which has seen Beaumont become a surefire bestseller in Australia, where he now lives with his wife and children.
When an apparent North Korean defector is killed at Beijing airport while de Payns is attempting an extraction, questions begin to be asked: is there a traitor in the service, or is this an elaborate power play by a faction in the government to wrest back power over the agency?
Will the blame for the botched operation be laid at our protagonist's feet?
There's also an ongoing case of a wealthy Russian businessman who is buying up South-East Asian cybersecurity technology, and a French tech executive who is unwittingly in the cross hairs of the Chinese secret service.
If that's not enough, de Payns is trying to salvage his relationship with his wife, an OECD economist, who is becoming increasingly resentful of his job and the effect it has on him. He's day drinking and mentally brittle after decades of service – a job where most burn out in five years.
Beaumont's intelligence background means there are plenty of authentic trade craft and real-world operational details, as well as vivid descriptions of the challenges of working clandestinely in cities across Europe and Asia.
De Payn's day-to-day life – clearly based on Beaumont's experience – involves living under various aliases as required by the job, one day a man 'working in computers', the next a post-grad tech student, the next a European tourist.
There's also – inevitably – a beautiful Russian woman, who de Payns must befriend, a process helped by his good looks and quick wit. But will she be the first to challenge his rule of not having sex with a target and remain true to his wife?
While Beaumont's not the prose master John Le Carré was, his writing is clear, concise and engaging and shines in action set pieces, which are never overplayed. A daring, airborne escape from Vietnam after another botched operation is a highlight.
And, like Le Carré, Beaumont writes of the unending bureaucracy of the service, budget constraints and inter-departmental rivalries (Beaumont provides a handy diagram of the complex French intelligence agencies as an afternote).
That leads to some levity in what is otherwise a pretty dense narrative, as our protagonist laments the strict service allowance for DGSE meals while on the job and contends that '… if you wanted to find the French spy on a plane, just ask all the passengers to empty their pockets; the one with a small pile of €10 receipts was probably from the DGSE.'
Much of the novel's plot focuses on AI, cybersecurity and quantum computing, and the competition between powers to gain advantage in the escalating tech race ‒ all timely subjects.
Beaumont is excellent at describing the mental toll that clandestine work can take while also relaying the sense of camaraderie built between team members whose lives depend on each other, because, as de Payns will find out, sometimes those you work for will turn their backs as soon as things go wrong.
Liar's Game is another excellent addition to the series and a must-read for spy-fiction aficionados.