The melancholy spy

Conversations

When a devastating injury ended Jack Beaumont's life as a jet fighter pilot in the air force, a new chapter began — as a spy in the French Secret Service.

Jack Beaumont (not his real name) is a former intelligence operative and the author of several spy thrillers.

Jack grew up in a turbulent family in Paris and when he got older he decided to train as a jet fighter pilot with the French Air Force.

During a dogfight at supersonic speed, Jack suffered a devastating injury that meant he could no longer fly jets, but he still wanted a job steeped in adventure and danger.

So he began piloting covert spy missions, and eventually became a spy with France's secret intelligence service: the DGSE.

Jack worked as a spy for two decades, maintaining up to five secret identities as a time.

While he now lives in a beautiful part of Australia with his wife and family, Jack has struggled to leave behind the extreme hyper vigilance of his early working life.

This conversation discusses family dynamics, adventure, history, global politics, spies, military life and spycraft.