David (W) Goodman

@davegoodman.bsky.social

3065 Followers 937 Following

Multi-genre writer Spies: @headlinebooks.bsky.social Spaceships: @solarisbooks.bsky.social McDermid Award , Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2025 winner, McIlvanney Prize 2026 longlist Rep: @harryillingworth.bsky.social More: https://www.davidgoodman.net/links/

Me and Doug Johnstone on stage at Fringe By The Sea
A proof copy of London Station by David McCloskey
Waterstones 25% off books coming soon, pre-order with code SUMMER 26, 21st to 24th July only
SOLITARY AGENTS DAVID GOODMAN SOLITARY AGENTS BY DAVID GOODMAN, HARDBACK, E20 Accidental secret agent Jamie Tulloch discovered a taste for espionage in Goodman's multi-award-winning debut, A Reluctant Spy. Now the former disillusioned tech executive is back and facing his final hurdle in going full-time for MI6. Exercise Red Poacher pits the foreign intelligence service against its local rivals MI5 in a high-stakes training exercise to weed out the unworthy. But unbeknownst to Jamie, a foreign power has infiltrated the operation with murderous results and he's in the crosshairs of British intelligence. Now his MI5 opposite, burnt-out corporate lawyer Sam Li, must decide if Jamie has gone rogue. The killing of a fellow trainee ups the ante, placing Jamie and Sam on a collision course that promises explosive results. The ever-inventive Goodman is one of our finest new spy writers and Solitary Agents is perfect for fans of Mick Herron, David McCloskey and Alex Gerlis.
A promo image of a Kindle with my book on it and a 99p sticker
A promo image for the McIlvanney longlist, including my book
A stack of four copies of Solitary Agents at Night Owl Books in East Linton
Best-selling author David Goodman will be in store to chat about his new spy thriller "Solitary Agents' Jamie Tulloch and Sam Li never intended to be spies. When both are plunged into covert training, they find themselves pitted against each other for their final evaluation - Exercise Red Poacher To book your free place, contact the store 01592 263755 kirkcaldy@waterstones.com
Solitary Agents by David Goodman (Headline £20, 432pp) Disillusioned tech executive, Jamie Tulloch, who found himself entangled in the world of espionage in Goodman's award-winning debut A Reluctant Spy in 2024, returns in this sequel. He found he had a taste for the shadowy world and agrees to undergo training for MI6. Meanwhile, burnt-out corporate lawyer Sam Li is quietly asked if she would consider joining MI5. Their two lives come together at their separate training in Exercise Red Poacher - where the MI6 team have to infiltrate targets and report back, while their MI5 counterparts have to stop them. Then one of the recruits seems be murdered. Is it part of the exercise or more sinister? This is the most exciting new spy series since Slow Horses: catch it now.
Me signing books
The sun between buildings in central London, highlighting the dome of St Paul’s
Promo image for the panel above
Two baby fawns in long grass
A close up of a fawn hiding in grass
A shot of the Sunday Times culture section with a review of my book
Rogue Agents: Kim Sherwood, David Goodman, Paul Warner, CJ Merritt
I'm appearing at Bloody Scotland - 18th - 20th September 2026
In A Reluctant Spy, David Goodman launched his series with a smart idea: civilians lending their identities (“legends”) to spooks. And for his follow-up he’s had another: a selection process in which MI6 candidates are given tasks and hunted by their MI5 counterparts, which goes horribly wrong when unknown gunmen infiltrate the exercise. Jamie, previously seen as a Richard Hannay-like gutsy amateur caught up in a real op, reappears as a would-be recruit in an equally impressive second outing that gains freshness from showing Brits breaking into British sites (from Rosyth docks to Gibraltar) rather than foreign bunkers and villains’ lairs. Goodman again adroitly orchestrates a multistranded narrative, recalling Gerald Seymour’s portrayals of MI6 operations as the work of sizeable ensembles. This approach may take some getting used to if you prefer spy yarns to be as linear and herocentric as Ian Fleming’s; but it makes for an exhilarating blend of psychological probing — exploring where spook begins and civilian stops, in trainees and seasoned pros alike — and terrific action scenes. Headline £20 pp419
A brief clip about travel in spy fiction
In My Good Books podcast, Episode 104, David Goodman
Me, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Fonda Lee and Claire North on stage at Cymera
Lynsey May, Frances White and Megan Bontrager on stage at Cymera
Dr Jenni Coutts lecturing at Cymera
My book on the shelves at Cymera
Stephen Graham Jones in conversation with Erin Hardee, on stage at Cymera
Rebecca, Rhiannon, Benedict and India-Rose on stage at Cymera
Myself, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Fonda Lee and Claire North on stage at Cymera. Photo by Sunyi Dean
Ian Green, Nick Binge and Caitlin Rozakis on stage at Cymera
EM Faulds, Sunyi Dean and Lyndsey Croal on stage at Cymera
Lorraine Wilson and EJ Swift on stage at Cymera
A Cymera banner on a 19th century building
The exterior of Waterstones Stirling
David Goodman in conversation with Nicholas Binge, Waterstones Edinburgh West End, 7pm tonight
Out now, David Goodman, Solitary Agents, Every traitor was once trusted
1 day left, David Goodman, Solitary Agents
Solitary Agents, David Goodman, 2 days to go
3 days left, David Goodman, Solitary Agents, Thursday June 4th 2026
My book on the shelf
Book cover, four days remaining, Thursday 4th June 2026
Promo image for launch event
5 days to go, Solitary Agents, David Goodman, Thursday 4th June 2026
T-minus 6 days, Solitary Agents by David Goodman, Thursday June 4th 2026
One Week Left! David Goodman, Solitary Agents, Thursday June 4th 2026
Promo image for the above linked event, 7pm, Thursday June 4th, Waterstones West End
Two weeks left, Solitary Agents, launching June 4th 2026
THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER McDermid Debut Award BAD BAD PLACE - FRANCES CRAWFORD THE QUIET - BARNABY MARTIN THE EXES - LEODORA DARLINGTON INNOCENT GUILT- REMI KONE A Murder for Miss Hortense - Mel Pennant HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER - REBECCA PHILIPSON
THE FIFTEENTH MAN WILLIAM COOK
The cover of Abyss by Nicholas Binge
A promo image for my release event, Thursday 4th June, 7pm at Waterstones West End in Edinburgh.
The cover of Solitary Agents, featuring two shadowy figures on a bridge
The cover of The Bone Door
Fresh, fierce, and more tense than serving James Bond a stirred martini, David Goodman's Solitary Agents have infiltrated the old boy's spy network and are tearing it down from the inside. Callum McSorley, Award-winning author of Squeaky Clean, Paperboy and Rat Race
DECEPTION | ALAN PARKS A SPY BEHIND ENEMY LINES A TRAITOR IN PLAIN SIGHT
David Goodman in conversation with Nicholas Binge at Waterstones Edinburgh West End, Thursday 4th June, 7pm, image of book cover for Solitary Agents, image of me.
Spies, lies, traitors, and tradecraft - David Goodman delivers the goods in Solitary Agents! Pick it up today, but be warned - clear your calendar, as once you start turning pages you will not stop until the final shot. Jack Carr New York Times bestselling author of The Fourth Option, Cry Havoc and many more
Promo image for ebook edition of A Reluctant Spy
A promo image for the event described above, 7pm on Thursday 4th June, Waterstones West End
A sunlit stairway in Edinburgh’s Old Town