After graduating in 1982, Betts undertook various jobs, including with the
East End News, before joining the
civil service in 1984. During his tenure, Betts played a major role in the
Paris Agreement negotiations, addressing complex issues such as precise wording and legal interpretations, which were critical to the agreement's success. The book was praised, with
Fiona Harvey writing in
The Guardian: “Part memoir and part penetrating analysis, with lessons for the future as well as revelations from the past, in some of its best passages this book reads like a briskly paced thriller.” ==Personal life==