Longtime Wellesley resident Michael Stedman has published his first novel, a spy thriller called “A for Argonaut” that takes readers from Fort Bragg in Texas to Antwerp to the Congo. A massive diamond scam and terrorist threats are among the novel’s story lines.

Stedman is no stranger to writing, having carved out a career as a reporter and editor for publications such as the Boston Herald and Lowell Sun. He later became an intelligence consultant. His background also includes having served as a U.S. Army Reserve Soldier, and an inspiring meeting with beat writer Jack Kerouac.

Don’t look for references to Wellesley in Stedman’s book even though he has lived here since 1976 (South Boston and the MFA are as close as he gets). But who knows, maybe he’ll find inspiration in Wellesley for one of his next two “Mack Maran” books, dubbed “B for Bacchus” and “C for Cupid”.

Stedman says he plans to speak at Wellesley Books in September about his book, and possibly at Wellesley Free Library. You can pick up a copy of the book, now available on the Kindle too, here.