Meet Nicollette Beverley, A Female British Intelligence Officer.
Strategic Overview
A Nasty Business Book Cover
Mission Brief
A Dangerous Business Book Cover
Mission Brief

Two Missions. One Woman. Secrets, betrayal & survival during the Cold War.

Beneath the stiff upper lip, a storm brews—an explosive new franchise of 1970s British espionage with a strong female lead.

Declassify the Missions
A Nasty Business A Dangerous Business
Franchise Series
Publishes

Book 1: 09/30/2025

Publishes

Book 2: 09/30/2025

Language

English

Available Formats

Softcover & Kindle

The Making of an Operative: The N. Beverley Files

Cold War Spy Thriller

The Cold War is evolving—and Britain needs a new kind of operative. In A Nasty Business, Nicollette Beverley is a gifted young woman from rural England quietly recruited into the nation’s first training program for female intelligence officers. There she must navigate a world where loyalty is never simple, and survival is never guaranteed.

In A Dangerous Business, years have passed. Beverley is no longer a recruit. From jungles in Southeast Asia to an isolated Atlantic outpost, she carries out missions that blur the line between duty and betrayal. When she’s accused of turning on her country, she must defend herself—and complete her deadliest assignment yet.

From village recruit to international operative, Nicollette Beverley navigates the brutal world of Cold War espionage.

In A Nasty Business, she enters the first-ever female spy unit. In A Dangerous Business, she’s sent deep into danger—and deeper into herself.

Read A Nasty Business Read A Dangerous Business
“Few novels from any era bring us a heroine like Nasty Business's Nicollette Beverley. In this fast-paced story, Andy Goldsmith leads the reader on a rollercoaster ride—time-traveling expertly back to 1970s England and into the Cold War as British Intelligence begins to train young women.” – Victoria Bruce, Author of No Apparent Danger

"Fire the Damn Gun, Miss Beverley!"

A lieutenant down. Enemies closing in. A spy is born.

From A Nasty Business
Nazrine

The lights were coming even closer now, maybe 100 meters or so. It seemed everyone was yelling. Then she heard a sound that brought her reality home. Pop, pop, pop! Like the sound of popcorn popping in a pot. Automatic weapons fire! Pop, pop, pop, again!

She turned and started to crawl back to the relative safety of a group of trees about twenty meters behind her. Must get out of this clearing! The lights from the torches shone above her. The bullets whizzed and pinged as they bounced off the rocks around her.

She was sweating profusely. The ground was hard, and her body seemed to feel every stone and rock she crawled over. Pop, pop, pop! The lights were still following her. Stay down, girl! Must keep moving!

The burqa was being torn apart by the jagged edges of the stones. Blood rolled down her right leg. A tree branch fell in front of her, a victim of the automatic weapons fire.

She crawled another few meters. Pop, pop, pop! Tracer bullets flew in the air. Using all her strength, she continued to crawl, the adrenaline kicking in full stop. Every ounce of energy she had was being expended as fast as her body could find it!

“Miss Beverley, over here!”

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Author Image

About the Author

CASE FILE:A.R.(ANDY) GOLDSMITH

Author of A Nasty Business & A Dangerous Business

A.R. (Andy) Goldsmith is a native Washingtonian, growing up in Montgomery County, Md. and graduating from the University of Maryland. He lives in Ellicott City, Md with his wife, Pauline. He has 2 children and 5 grandchildren.

Nicollette Beverley: The Evolution of a Series

In 1983, while visiting England, I was talking with a family member about politics and current events. Normally, socially, these are topics to avoid, but I was curious about how our friends ‘across the pond’ viewed Americans. I’ve always had an interest in world events and foreign politics, so this was a great opportunity to interact. Our conversation was very interesting—until I asked about the Falklands War. I questioned the expense in both men and treasure to regain control of the Islands. I pointed out the limited value economically to England. His response was simple and straightforward:“Because it is ours and the people there want to be British.” And that was it. End of discussion. That answer still resonates with me.

As time went by, something inside me kept insisting that that answer was too easy and that there had to be more to it than, “Because it is ours.”

In 1979, I had read a small article in the International Section of The Washington Post, about ‘The Vela Incident’—the flash of a nuclear bomb test off the coast of South Africa picked up by satellite. The incident was attributed to an Israeli test of a nuclear device. Israel denied involvement. Maybe, or maybe not. However, if I could somehow tie the Falklands War to this nuclear test, I would have a story.

I knew I needed a leading character, and I wanted the story to be primarily about women, so I started to formulate ideas from the people I met in England and came up with Nicollette Beverley, a young woman from a small Cotswolds’ village.

My original thoughts about Nicollette’s role were to highlight the support people behind the scenes—the mission planners, communicators, and logistics specialists—all needed to get the assignment accomplished. But as I was writing, I decided to make Nicollette the focal point: the agent in the field. The vast majority of special agents I knew about, mostly through books and media, were men; James Bond and the like. Why not have a woman be an Agent in the field?

So there it is. Come share Nicollette’s journey from 1976 on, as she encounters obstacles—both internal and external—all the while growing and gaining more responsibility each step of the way. I hope you enjoy Nicollette’s trip into the world of secrets as she develops into the role of ‘Special Agent in Her Majesty’s Secret Service’.

Connect with the Author

Author Name Author Inspiration

What They’re Saying

Extracted from confidential files, intercepted reviews, and overheard praise.

"

Few novels from any era bring us a heroine like Nasty Business's Nicolette Beverly. In this fast-paced story, Andy Goldsmith leads the reader on a rollercoaster ride-time-traveling expertly back to 1970s England and into the Cold War as the British Intelligence begins to train young women, sorely needed, into its espionage program."

Victoria Bruce

Author of No Apparent Danger, Hostage Nation, and Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society
"

"In Goldsmith's suspense novel, a young woman is recruited to be a spy. She weathers an extensive orientation process, training to join an all-female group of spies. She is ultimately pulled into a Cold War plot involving a plan to overthrow the Communist government in Bulgaria. Nicollette is an intriguing protagonist....A slow spy novel with a capable lead."

Kirkus
"

"Nicollette's transformation from a self-conscious student to a trained spy is fascinating....endearingly, she wants to prove herself to herself, more so than to her superiors and fellow recruits. Setting up a potential spy series, A Nasty Business is a hefty thriller in which a young woman comes of age, growing into a talented spy."

Foreward Magazine
"

"Great intro book for what ( I hope ) will be continued as a series. The development of all characters, especially the primary one, keeps a sense of reality."

Amazon.com Reviewer
"

Wonderful book. Unfortunately, I haven't read it yet since my wife stole it from the counter and can't put it down.

Amazon.com Reviewer
"

Wonderful story that I could not put down!

Amazon.com Reviewer

Secure Your Copy

Both novels in the Nicollette Beverley espionage series are available now.

A Nasty Business

Bookshop

$24.99
  • Paperback / softback
  • Publishes September 30, 2025
Preorder on Bookshop

Amazon Paperback

$21.95
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Amazon Kindle

$9.99
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A Dangerous Business

Bookshop

$24.99
  • Paperback / softback
  • Publishes September 30, 2025
Preorder on Bookshop

Amazon Paperback

$21.95
  • Publishes September 30, 2025
  • Fulfilled by Amazon
Preorder on Amazon

Amazon Kindle

$9.99
  • Instant delivery to Kindle app or device
  • Highlight & search features
  • No shipping needed
Preorder on Kindle

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Nicollette Beverley