The Memory Room by Christopher Koch

An espionage story that traces the process of the making of a spy!  Two friends from Uni, Vincent and Derek, having graduated, aim to join Foreign Affairs.  But Vincent is recruited by the secret intelligence service.  Meanwhile, a childhood friend and journalist, Erika Lange enters the scene.  She has varied involvement with the 2 men and is a most captivating and ensnaring character who uses her power seemingly for her own gain.  Flashback is used to unfold the plot, when Derek inherits Vincent's diaries and returns to where he once lived in Australia.