Who is the Frenchman? A guide to Jack Beaumont's spy thrillers.

Allen & Unwin
Jul 17
2 min read

Updated: Jul 18

Your guide to Jack Beaumont's The Frenchman series.

Trio of books by Jack Beaumont lying flat. From left to right they are The Frenchman, Dark Arena, and Liar's Game.

New to the world of The Frenchman? Fear not! Though each book in the series can be read standalone here’s a little recap to bring you up to speed on the world of French spy Alec de Payns. But before we tell you about Alec– perhaps we need to introduce you to the other Frenchman – author Jack Beaumont.

A former French intelligence officer, Jack Beaumont (not his real name) spent years operating undercover before turning his experiences into gripping fiction. His novels don’t just tell spy stories — they expose the human cost, ethical ambiguities, and high stakes of modern intelligence work – coupled with a level of insider detail unlike any other spy thriller.

This level of detail has not gone unnoticed by those in the spy game. Duncan Lewis, former director of ASIO, has said Jack Beaumont’s novels give ‘a rare and on occasion frighteningly accurate window into the workings of modern intelligence agencies.’

Beaumont’s debut novel, The Frenchman, introduced readers to Alec de Payns, a French agent who works for the DGSE, France’s equivalent of the CIA or MI6.

When a routine mission to disrupt a terrorist organisation goes fatally wrong, Alec is suspects he may have been betrayed by a fellow operative. When he’s sent to investigate a secretive biological weapons facility in Pakistan he uncovers a deadly plot – one he cannot stop until he discovers the traitor within.

Alec de Payns is no James Bond style fantasy – through him Beaumont exposes the gritty reality of the modern spy – from the loneliness of undercover assignments, the constant paranoia of surveillance, the moral compromises demanded by the job and the strain it puts on his marriage.

The Frenchman returns in Dark Arena – with Alec investigating deadly conspiracy aligning the West against Russia. Published in January 2024 the book felt eerily prophetic with its exploration of the machinations behind the upcoming Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ant Middleton, former UK special Forces said of Dark Arena:

'If it wasn't for my background, I would have said that this was fiction, but knowing what I know, Dark Arena is as real and as deeply disturbing as a world I once knew.' 

And this August will see the return of Alec in Liar’s Game – this time he’s dealing with even bigger problems. Alec is tasked with withdrawing a North Korean walk-in who claims to know details of a massive cyberattack that could destroy the world's economy – but when the defector dies Alec is framed for his murder and cut loose from the Company. On the run and wanted for murder, Alec must survive alone, untangle a deadly conspiracy and protect his family. But in a world of deception, who can he trust?

Once again readers are plunged into a world where nothing is as it seems, a world of informants, handlers, false identities, and shifting loyalties — all infused with a level of detail that could only come from someone who has lived it.

Whether it’s the real-world events, the sharp twists, or the behind-the-scenes trick of the trade that draw you to spy fiction - the Frenchman books have you covered.

Start reading today!