Spybrary Spy Podcast (Shane Whaley)

Listen in to our first ever live episode of Spybrary. A panel to discuss Tim Shipman's list of the best 125 spy writers. Tim reveals more about his method and criteria for selecting this monster list of spy authors. Joining us are Professor Penny Fielding, author and critic Jeremy Duns, spy blogger Matthew Bradford, and John le Carre book collector Steven Ritterman to run the rule over Tim's pick of the best spy writers.

You can find the list and watch the live stream at www.spybrary.com/timslist

We are joined today by spy author C P Bennison, author of Parallel Shadows which reveals how, in 1930s London, two young secretaries became spies for opposing sides. Against the backdrop of the Second World War, and subsequently the Cold War, the novel fictionalizes the true stories of Olga Grey, who became an MI5 double agent, and Letty Norwood, who was a major spy for the Soviet Union.

This is the Spybrary Tea Break - short interviews with spy authors.

And now for something completely different. A spy story that is not set in Berlin, DC, London or Moscow but in Ottawa, Canada of all places. On Episode 38 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast author Joyce Wayne reveals more about her novel 'Last Night of the World'.

'On a hot Ottawa night in August 1945, Soviet agent Freda Linton’s world is about to fall apart. She’s spent the war infiltrating the highest levels of the Canadian government as an undercover operative for the fledging Canadian Communist Party and for Moscow’s military police. As the global conflict nears its conclusion, her Soviet embassy handler and darling of the diplomatic scene Nikolai Zabotin sends her to retrieve atomic secrets from the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories. When Freda discovers that Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko plans to turn over top secret files to the RCMP that will expose Freda and the others in her spy ring, she is faced with an impossible decision and must determine who is on her side. Should she risk everything to smuggle out nuclear secrets that will kick off the Cold War? Joyce Wayne’s Last Night of the World brings a high-energy creativeness and emotional tension to a story that is rooted in a generation’s defining incident."

New York Times Bestselling Author Mark Greaney joins us today to share more about his latest Gray Man novel 'Relentless.' Mark tells us that Spybrary listeners can read Relentless as the first foray into the Court Gentry series.

Mark Greaney also shares more about the upcoming Gray Man movie, his writing process and his future writing plans. This interview is hosted by Spybrary listener and fan of the Gray Man series, Kashif Hussein.

The year is 1957 and our guests share their thoughts on the latest James Bond novel From Russia With Love written by Ian Fleming.

Henry Hemming tells us more about the astonishing story of the British spies who set out to draw America into World War II.

As World War II raged into its second year, Britain sought a powerful ally to join its cause-but the American public was sharply divided on the subject. Canadian-born MI6 officer William Stephenson, with his knowledge and influence in North America, was chosen to change their minds by any means necessary.

In this extraordinary tale of foreign influence on American shores, Henry Hemming shows how Stephenson came to New York--hiring Canadian staffers to keep his operations secret--and flooded the American market with propaganda supporting Franklin Roosevelt and decrying Nazism.

His chief opponent was Charles Lindbergh, an insurgent populist who campaigned under the slogan "America First" and had no interest in the war. This set up a shadow duel between Lindbergh and Stephenson, each trying to turn public opinion his way, with the lives of millions potentially on the line.

Join Spies and Books, Spybrary host Shane Whaley as he finds outs more about the traitor Robert Hanssen in this interview with author Lis Wiehl

New York Times bestselling author and former federal prosecutor Lis Wiehl delivers a behind-the-scenes account of how FBI agent Robert Hanssen, a church-going father of five, sold national security secrets to Russia for more than two decades--and how America's current political climate makes it still possible today. Three years into his career as an FBI agent, Robert Hanssen made the shocking decision to volunteer as a spy for the Soviet Union, beginning two decades of espionage that the Department of Justice considers "possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history."

Drawing upon deep archival research and exclusive personal interviews--including unique access to FBI and CIA agents and Hanssen's friends and family--former federal prosecutor and Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl has written a propulsive, page-turning thriller detailing how this unassuming father of five, a devout Catholic and member of Opus Dei, got away with sharing highly classified information with Russia, including the names of FBI operatives within the KGB and details about America's military weapons operations.

When FBI agents--with help from an ex-KGB officer--arrested Hanssen in 2001, the resulting investigations laid bare the weaknesses in the FBI's internal security. In her careful analysis, Wiehl uncovers surprising reasons behind Hanssen's devastating acts of betrayal and sheds light on the very real possibility of another mole in operation today, particularly given our current social and political climate.

Are you ready for our second installment of DEAD DROP 5?

Today’s guest is no stranger to East Germany. He is deep under cover, embedded in Communist East Berlin, he has asked his SIS handler to leave him 5 of his favorite spy books in their dead drop location in the Friedrichshain park.

Ian Sanders of the Manchester Military History Society has been reading spy books for many years and has written almost 400 reviews on military,cold war and espionage books on goodreads.  Today he is going to whittle those 400 books down to just a handful ….this is DEAD DROP FIVE on the Spybrary Spy Podcast.

Ian's Dead Drop 5 picks are:

Author and Spy Book fan, Andy Onyx gives us his brush pass spy book review of The Human Factor by Graham Greene.

On Episode 66 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, our panel discusses the writing of Helen MacInnes once dubbed the 'Queen of Spy Writers.' Join author Merle Nygate, Spy fan Alice Dryden and host Shane Whaley as they discuss the spy novels of Helen MacInnes, also features a submission from Mike Ripley.

On this weeks Spybrary, author Jeffrey Westhoff talks to host Shane Whaley about his spy book 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' and shares with us his thoughts on the spy genre and how he interviewed 5 of the actors who played James Bond 007

Welcome to Spybrary, the podcast for spy book enthusiasts! In today's episode, we are diving into the world of WW2 spy books with author Alex Gerlis.

In this episode of Spybrary we talked about the inspiration behind each book in Alex Gerlis most recent Wolf Pack series. From the events of Pearl Harbor to the Allied bombing of the Ruhr, to the butcher of Lyon, and even to German football, Alex's novels delve into significant historical events yet still offer readers a thrilling World War Two spy thriller.

Alex's thorough research and commitment to historical accuracy make his novels a must-read for anyone interested in this era.

Got a question for Alex? He is a member of our Spybrary Online Community and is always open to answering readers questions.

About Alex Gerlis

Alex Gerlis was a BBC journalist for nearly thirty years and is the author of eleven Second World War spy books, these espionage books are all published by Canelo.

His first four novels are in the acclaimed Spy Masters series, including the best-selling The Best of Our Spies.  Prince of Spies was published in March 2020 and was followed by three more in the Prince series. His latest series is the Wolf Pack novels, with Agent in Berlin the first of which was published in November 2021

On today's Spybrary Spy Podcast, we turn our attention to Spy TV and the British spy tv series The Sandbaggers starring Roy Marsden and created by Ian Mackintosh.

Hi everybody it's Jeff Gelb I'm trying my hand at the brush pass to introduce you guys and gals to the wonderful world of Clyde Allison and his amazing character 0008  or Trevor Anderson who is Our Man From Sadisto.

Believe it or not these books came out in the 1960s when I was a teenager and they were not sold at regular newsstands they were sold at adult bookstores! They were from a company San Diego based called Amber Library who also went through several other names. Clyde Allison was a house name as well. However it was really all the work of one brilliant writer named William Knowles who toiled in soft core porn obscurity. Throughout the 1960s and almost made it big time with some Lancer books in the late 60s but never quite broke through to a mainstream audience sadly even more sadly. He committed suicide in the late 1960s. It's quite a sad story. However his work in this series of books and there were 20 of them within four years. Think about that was brilliant and hilarious. The Our Man Sadisto series were spy fi sci fi sexy satires all incorporating science fiction elements and a heavy dollop of sexual innuendo.

Now when I say that obviously you have to remember the times in the mid 1960s were not the early 2000's. You really could not get away with saying very much at all. So all of it was done by innuendo and all of it was hilariously done. Allison was actually a very brilliant writer who unfortunately just was never discovered by the mainstream press and I don't know why. But he obviously knew where he spoke in terms of spy novels he was well versed in what was going on around him at the time and he used characters and situations from other people's spy novels as satirical jumping off points. As I said there were 20 books in this series starting with our man from Sadisto in 1965 and ending with the Desert Damsels in 1968, nineteen out of twenty of these books have absolutely brilliant cover art paintings by an artist named Robert Bonfils who just died fairly recently.

He painted dozens if not hundreds of paperback covers for these sleaze publishers in the 1960s and he was really quite brilliant himself. If you don't believe me please look up Our Man From Sadisto by Clyde Allison on the Internet and you will find all of his amazing covers. One of the things that was just great about these books for me as a teenager and still great re-reading them today is that they all included references to then current spy movies or book characters.

There were frequent mentions of Our Man from Uncle, the James Bond character himself. Modesty Blaise and even more obscure characters like The Man From Orgy which by the way was a series that was nowhere near as funny or clever as the Man from Sadisto books were. The most famous real world so to speak character that Clyde Allison used in several of his books was a reference to the Our Man Flint movie because for some reason the Our Man Flint movie had flint reading a spy novel featuring 0008. It was of course a complete coincidence.

I am quite certain that the writer of the Our Man Flynt movie had no idea there was a character called 0008. Because again these were never sold on the mainstream newsstands. However in the movie. Our Man Flint meets the triple 0 8 character and they have a scuffle in a French restaurant. If you want to go back and check the movie out you will see that scene.  It's very very funny. The books were hilarious.

They were full of science fiction elements like machines that made people want to have sex nonstop stuff like that.

There were maniacal super-villains who wanted to take over the world. There were constant references to all of the other spy characters of the time and they were brilliantly written.

Now in 160 pages which is all that Clyde Allison had to work with for each book I would say a good hundred pages out of 160 were usually sexually oriented material. However again we're talking about sex as defined in the mid 60s. And so what he had to do was to continually reinvent the wheel in terms of how he described his characters having sex and that in itself is hilarious.

I loved these books as a teenager and have recollected them. As a person in my mid 60s and I still find them hilarious and well worth reading and collecting. They're very rare. They're very hard to find. If you can find any on the Internet. Grab one and have the experience of a lifetime. Be prepared to laugh out loud. And don't be drinking anything while you're reading the book because you might spit it out when you start laughing.

Seriously.

Clyde Allison was an amazing talent. These are all very funny books. They are of course very much of their time. But that was a really crazy time. These are really crazy books and they're really worth trying to find. I don't believe any of these are currently available. I believe they're tied up the rights for these are tied up somewhere so that they cannot be legally reprinted although I noticed that a couple of them have been reprinted anyway and you can pick them up on various Internet websites for under fifteen dollars. Again these may or may not be legitimate reprints but if you want to if I have whet your appetite whetted your appetite at all to listen to. Sorry to read the adventures or the misadventures of the greatest spy lover of all time Trevor Anderson of Sadisto better known as triple 0 8 then please do yourself a very big favor and pick one of those up.

And I am almost positive you'll agree with me that these are some of the funniest books you will ever read.

Intelligence Historian and Author Nigel West joins Spybrary Spy Podcast host Shane Whaley to share more about his latest book Spies Who Changed History plus, he answers your questions on the Wilson Coup, the Steele Dossier on Trump, meeting Anthony Blunt, Ian Fleming and many more!

Today's episode of Spybrary is all about collecting spy books.

This episode is also available on YouTube.  We talk James Bond book trivia and see some of Tim’s amazing Fleming novels. There are some beautiful association copies of Adam Hall books, Matthew shares details on how to collect an elusive Clancy first edition and a signed copy of one of Jimmy Sangster’s spy novels with a great back story. All that plus tips and tricks from three folks who can’t stop collecting books.

In this episode, host Shane Whaley and guests David Craggs, Andy Onyx and Ian Douglas dive deep into Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only as if they are in the year of publication.

They provide fascinating analysis and insight into this iconic book's plot, characters, and writing style. You'll hear their thoughts on how Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only compares to other James Bond novels and get a glimpse into the success of Ian Fleming's writing. Whether you're a die-hard James Bond fan or just love a good book club style discussion, this episode offers a detailed and engaging look at For Your Eyes Only and all its elements. Tune in now to join the conversation!

Join us as we discuss the latest Ian Fleming James Bond book of short stories For Your Eyes Only. We discuss the artwork, the plot, the villains, the locations, the femme fatales, the allies, and the glamour.

All that and much more on the latest edition of the James Bond Book Club, available on all good podcast apps and at the link in the first comment. Will you join us in 1960?

Today’s guest finds himself embedded deep in Communist-controlled East Berlin, and has asked his handler to leave him 5 of his favorite spy books at their Dead Drop location in Friedrichshain Park. What will he choose to help him cope with life undercover?

Author, Spy Fan and Political Editor of the Sunday Times, Tim Shipman, joins Shane for an epic edition of Dead Drop 5. Tim has been a national newspaper journalist since 1997, and in that time has covered two wars, an historic presidential election, and was the Sunday Telegraph’s Washington, DC correspondent. Shortlisted three years in a row (2015-2017) for Political Journalist of the Year at the National Press Awards (UK), Tim Shipman has covered movers and shakers all over the globe.

Now Shane gets to turn the tables and interview this veteran journalist. Tim’s 2000-book library in his London home is dominated by spy books.

But a spy must travel light: how will he carve it down to just 5?

…this is DEAD DROP FIVE on the Spybrary Spy Podcast.

Jeff takes you through the top 10 in descending order, Shane and Jeff also talk about what is on their Christmas wish list as well as what new books they intend to read over the holiday period.

Today, we bring you another spy author interview on the Spybrary Podcast. We are chatting with author James Stejskal who has just penned his first-ever spy fiction novel titled A Question of Time.

Some of you may know James from his non-fiction books, especially an absolute cracker - Special Forces Berlin. James draws on his time serving in Cold War Berlin and even weaves the head of the Stasi Erich Mielke and East Germany spymaster Markus Wolf into the story in a credible fashion.

And I know what you're thinking, Spybrarian.... Shane, you don't do special forces stuff. Don't be fooled the book Special Forces Berlin is based on James Stejskal's time serving in a covert unit. A Question of Time is a gripping spy thriller that I recommend to Spybrarians.

James Stejskal served for 23 years with US Special Forces, including two tours in Berlin. Special Forces Berlin was a small detachment of 100 highly trained soldiers who, should hostilities break out, were to wreak havoc behind Warsaw Pact lines. You can hear a fascianting conversation with James about his time in the military in Berlin over on Cold War Conversations. (Do check it out once you have listened to today's episode.)

Let me share a little bit about the book with you.

Berlin, 1979.

When the CIA's most valuable spy, MERLIN, is compromised, the Agency realizes it does not have the capability to bring him to safety. If he cannot evade the dreaded East German security service, the result will be chaos and a cascade of failures throughout the Agency's worldwide operations.

Master Sergeant Kim Becker lived through the hell of Vietnam as a member of the elite Studies and Operations Group. When he lost one of his best men in a pointless operation, he began to question his mission. Now, he is serving with an even more secretive Army Special Forces unit based in Berlin on the front line of the Cold War.

The CIA turns to Becker's team of unconventional warfare specialists to pull their bacon out of the fire. Becker and his men must devise a plan to get him out by whatever means possible. It's a race against time to prepare and execute the plan while, alone in East Berlin, MERLIN must avoid his nemesis and play for time inside the hostile secret service headquarters he has betrayed.

One question remains -- is the man worth the risk?

Welcome to Episode 54 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast!

Recently we received some intelligence suggesting that two well known Spybrarians and Spy Book bloggers Matthew Bradford and Jeff Quest were  planning a meetup in Los Angeles. So we sent some of our agents to tail them for the day, thankfully they did what every self-respecting Spybrarian would do. They met up and hit some book stores, picking up a stack of first editions and signed copies. Mind you Quest has the knack of discovering signed copies everywhere he goes!!!

Then they retired several pubs, to drink some beer and chat spy books. Quest and Bradford are two extremely well read guys when it comes to spy literature, can you imagine being a fly on the wall of that conversation?

Well today you can be. One of our agents was able to place a listening device in their vicinity (we can't reveal where, secret tradecraft)  so you can hear Bradford and Quest talking all about the Red Sparrow Trilogy with special focus on The Kremlin's Candidate, the final book of the Red Sparrow trilogy written by ex CIA man Jason Matthews. This is a no holds barred conversation, no kid gloves with this one as you would expect with two Spybrary heavyweights such as Quest and Bradford.

-----WARNING----- Our transcribers tell us that whilst the product is gold., there is a spoiler alert towards the last segment. Don't worry the chaps give fair and clear warning,  so if you are like me and you have not read The Kremlin's Candidate yet you can still tune in to this transmission.-------WARNING----

The audio is not studio quality, our engineers have worked on the file and it is intelligible just not crystal clear, occasional background and interference as our targets move from place to place in LA in an effort to evade our tail.  Please send any audio complaints to Q branch and not to us.

Seriously though, a big thanks to Jeff Quest and Matthew Bradford for taking the trouble to record this chat for us. I think you will all enjoy it! Fans talking spy books in a bar over a pint? This is quintessential Spybrary!

David Craggs joins Mike Ripley at the Harper Collins offices in London to find out more about the paperback version of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and why those of us who have the hardback should buy it.

On this episode we talk to 2 Tom Clancy fans about the Jack Ryan Amazon TV series!

'Jack Ryan Is a Patriotic Nightmare'

Watching this show feels like falling down a Fox News rabbit hole.

Vanity Fair's Jack Ryan Review

Review: 'Meet the New Jack Ryan, Same as the Old Jack Ryan'

New York Times Jack Ryan Review

'Gloriously macho:

For too long the leftie-dominated entertainment industry has been ignoring the truth about our world'

The Spectators' Jack Ryan Review

These are 3 polarising headlines written about the Jack Ryan Amazon TV series. Taken from Vanity Fair, The New York Times and Spectator Magazine.

We tackle these reviews and more on the Spybrary Podcast Episode 57

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with William Maz, author of the Bill Hefflin Spy Thriller Series, which is set in Bucharest, Romania. In our conversation, we explore the plotlines of Maz's books and the historical backdrop of Romania during and after the communist regime.

Join us as we unravel the secrets of this fascinating setting.

Read it? Want to read it? Share more in our online community for spy book fans.

Matthew Kresal sends us in his Brush Pass Review of Parting Shot by James Kunetka

Today’s guest is writer Adam Brookes. Adam spent over a decade working for the BBC, appearing on television and radio while crisscrossing the globe and spending extended amount of time in both China and the US. He’s also written for publications such Foreign Policy and The Economist. His first espionage novel, Night Heron, was released in 2014 and was followed by Spy Games and The Spy’s Daughter. 

His most recent book is Fragile Cargo: China's Wartime Race to Save the Treasures of the Forbidden City currently out in the UK and releasing February 14th in the US.

We discuss his past as a foreign correspondent, the ethics of a reporter spy, how to understand the government in China and his spy novels. Plus the forgotten history of China in WW2, his new book Fragile Cargo and what he thinks about le Carré’s The Honourable Schoolboy. All that and much much more in this episode.

Discussed in the episode:

Adam’s Website - https://www.adambrookes.com/ 

Adam’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/AdamBrookesWord 

Adam’s spy trilogy - Night Heron, Spy Games, The Spy’s Daughter - https://www.adambrookes.com/philip-mangan-series 

Fragile Cargo: China’s Wartime Race to Save the Treasures of the Forbidden City - 

US - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fragile-Cargo/Adam-Brookes/9781982149291 

UK - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/441577/fragile-cargo-by-brookes-adam/9781784743796 

The le Carré Cast - https://lecarrecast.com/ 

Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/ 

Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite 

In this captivating episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, join host Shane Whaley as he sits down briefly with the legendary actor Gary Oldman, who portrays the enigmatic Jackson Lamb in the hit TV adaptation of Mick Heron's "Slow Horses." Gary Oldman reveals how Jackson Lamb first appeared on his radar and the differences working with spy authors Mick Herron and John le Carré on Slow Horses and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

A big thank you to Catherine Spillane and Gary 'The Fixer' Dexter for arranging this short but sweet chat with Gary Oldman.

Join 4000 other spy fans talking spy books, spy movies, spy history and spy tv shows in our free online community

Sunday Times Chief Political Commentator and spy book fan Tim Shipman talks with Ben Macintyre about his latest work based on Colditz, Prisoners of the Castle.

The “entertaining yet objective and often-moving account” (The Wall Street Journal) of one of history’s most notorious prisons—and the remarkable cast of POWs who tried relentlessly to escape their captors, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spy and the Traitor

In this gripping narrative, Ben Macintyre tackles one of the most famous prison stories in history and makes it utterly his own. During World War II, the German army used the towering Colditz Castle to hold the most defiant Allied prisoners. For four years, these prisoners of the castle tested its walls and its guards with ingenious escape attempts that would become legend.

But as Macintyre shows, the story of Colditz was about much more than escape. Its population represented a society in miniature, full of heroes and traitors, class conflicts and secret alliances, and the full range of human joy and despair. In Macintyre’s telling, Colditz’s most famous names—like the indomitable Pat Reid—share glory with lesser known but equally remarkable characters like Indian doctor Birendranath Mazumdar whose ill treatment, hunger strike, and eventual escape read like fiction; Florimond Duke, America’s oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent; and Christopher Clayton Hutton, the brilliant inventor employed by British intelligence to manufacture covert escape aids for POWs.

Prisoners of the Castle traces the war’s arc from within Colditz’s stone walls, where the stakes rose as Hitler’s war machine faltered and the men feared that liberation would not come soon enough to spare them a grisly fate at the hands of the Nazis. Bringing together the wartime intrigue of his acclaimed Operation Mincemeat and keen psychological portraits of his bestselling true-life spy stories, Macintyre has breathed new life into one of the greatest war stories ever told.

Books And Resources mentioned in this episode of Spies and Books - Spybrary with Ben MacIntyre

• Ben Macintyre Official Website
• Prisoners of the Castle - Colditz
• Escape from Colditz Board Game
• Tim Shipman Official Website
• Tim Shipman's top 125 spy writers - ranked
• The Spybrary Community for spy fans

Follow in the steps of Bernard Samson - Len Deighton Meetup - Berlin

Listen to a special message that Len Deighton has sent us on Episode 50 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast!

Rob Mallows from the Deighton Dossier returns to the show to talk with Spybrary Spy Podcast host Shane Whaley. We talk through our schedule for the day walking in the footsteps of Bernard Samson from the classic spy novels written by Len Deighton.

Join us in Berlin on August 4th.

In this episode of the Spybrary spy book podcast we talk about our best spy books, host Shane Whaley invites guest Martin Paul to embark on a clandestine mission behind the Iron Curtain. As part of the Dead Drop 5 series, Martin shares his top five best spy books that he would take with him to East Berlin. From classic spy thrillers to lesser-known gems, Martin's picks promise to keep any spy thriller enthusiast on the edge of their seat.

On Episode 94 of the Spybrary Podcast, host Shane Whaley interviews Ian Dickerson, the author of The Saint I Ain't - a biography of Leslie Charteris.

In this episode, we cover aspects of Leslie Charteris's life as well as a fan's discussion about Simon Templar, aka The Saint.

We chat about The Saint Books, The Saint Movies including the latest reboot Saint movie which was co-produced by Ian Dickerson and starred Adam Rayner. We run the rule over the various actors who have played Simon Templar since the 1930s.

Not many podcasts reach Episode 100, let alone a spy podcast. So on this our 100th episode, Spywrite's Jeff Quest turns the tables on Spybrary Spy Podcast Host Shane Whaley.

Jeff artfully employs his Sarratt training to put Whaley through a gentle but thorough debrief.

Listen to Episode 100 of Spybrary to learn more about the origins of Spybrary, how the podcast is put together, Shane's journey of reading and spy literature and of course there is the quickfire round!

Today, we bring you a spy author interview. Spybrary hosts Shane Whaley and Peter Newman find out more about Charlotte Philby's latest novel, Edith and Kim.

Charlotte also shares memories of her grandfather, Kim Philby, and reveals some interesting responses in the world-famous Spybrary Quickfire Round!

Spy Author Paul Vidich returns to the Spybrary Spy Podcast to talk about his latest spy novel The Matchmaker, set in Berlin in 1989.

In the vein of Graham Greene and John le Carré, The Matchmaker delivers a chilling Cold War spy story set in West Berlin, where an American woman targeted by the Stasi must confront the truth behind her German husband's mysterious disappearance.

More about The Matchmaker - A Spy in Berlin by Paul Vidich

Berlin, 1989.  Protests across East Germany threaten the Iron Curtain and Communism is the ill man of Europe.

Anne Simpson, an American who works as a translator at the Joint Operations Refugee Committee, thinks she is in a normal marriage with a charming East German. But then her husband disappears and the CIA and Western German intelligence arrive at her door.

Nothing about her marriage is as it seems. She had been targeted by the Matchmaker—a high level East German counterintelligence officer—who runs a network of Stasi agents. These agents are his "Romeos" who marry vulnerable women in West Berlin to provide them with cover as they report back to the Matchmaker. Anne has been married to a spy, and now he has disappeared, and is presumably dead.

The CIA are desperate to find the Matchmaker because of his close ties to the KGB.  They believe he can establish the truth about a high-ranking Soviet defector. They need Anne because she's the only person who has seen his face - from a photograph that her husband mistakenly left out in his office - and she is the CIA’s best chance to identify him before the Matchmaker escapes to Moscow. Time is running out as the Berlin Wall falls and chaos engulfs East Germany.

But what if Anne's husband is not dead? And what if Anne has her own motives for finding the Matchmaker to deliver a different type of justice?

Forever and a Day review by the Spybrary Podcast. Listen to our round table of Bond fans who give you their review of the latest Anthony Horowitz 007 novel

007 is dead. Long live 007. The heavily anticipated James Bond prequel, “Forever and a Day” by Anthony Horowitz is finally out, and Shane has brought together two Bond super-fans to discuss it. If your copy hasn’t arrived yet, fear not! Sit back, relax, and enjoy a spoiler-free round table chat with David Craggs, who joined Shane for Episode #23's Dead Drop 5, and Tom, who runs literary007.com, and featured in one of Spybrary’s earliest episodes, appropriately, #007.

In exploring this latest edition to the Bond canon, David provides an in-depth comparison of Horowitz's Bond continuation novels to several previous authors of the series. Who captures Fleming’s tone and character the best? Find out why Tom thinks Fleming’s style is so hard to capture.

Does the book follow ‘Bond lore’ accurately?  Shane suggests author Mr Horowitz should hire David to be his Bond expert fact checker as David reveals details that don’t quite match up with established Bond facts! In true Spybrary fashion, David and Tom are not afraid to critique the book's weaknesses at the same time extolling its strengths, which are far more numerous.

With the depth and breadth of knowledge worthy of true Bond aficionados, our panelists take a seriously deep dive into Fleming as an author, intelligence official, and human being. Why are Fleming and le Carre so often compared? How does the character of Bond hold up in today's #metoo era?

In this episode, your host, Shane Whaley, is joined by special guests Charlie Higson and Mark Ashby to discuss the updated and revised paperback edition of On His Majesty's Secret Service.

Charlie Higson, author of the latest James Bond novel On His Majesty's Secret Service shares his unique perspective on modernizing the iconic agent. Higson discusses his journey into writing a James Bond novel for the 60th anniversary of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," offering insights into updating the character for contemporary readers while staying true to Ian Fleming's legacy. From Bond's motivations to his characterization, discover the fascinating evolution of the world's most famous spy with Higson's fresh take.

Joined by fellow Bond aficionado Mark Ashby, the conversation delves into attending Bond premieres and the impact of Higson's young Bond series. Uncover Higson's intricate plans for Bond's backstory, from leaving Eton to entering the Secret Service during World War II, providing a new lens on the beloved character's formative years.

Explore the captivating dynamics of political extremism, historical ties, and societal stability as discussed by our insightful guests. From threats to the British monarchy to the challenges of creating contemporary villains, Higson's narrative intrigues with its deep-rooted exploration of espionage and intrigue.

Join Shane, Charlie, and Mark as they unravel the secrets behind On His Majesty's Secret Service, offering listeners a rare glimpse into the mind of a modern Bond author and the ever-evolving world of espionage literature. Tune in for a thrilling discussion that combines historical context, character evolution, and the enduring allure of the iconic James Bond.

In this New Year’s Eve episode of Spy Rewind Matthew and Jeff welcome a special guest. Oscar winner and Man From U.N.C.L.E. superfan Robert Short join them to take a look at "The Adriatic Express Affair" a New Year’s Eve-themed episode of the classic 60’s spy show.

They discuss how Bob would explore the sets of U.N.C.L.E. as a kid, his family connection to the show, and some of the ways U.N.C.L.E. broke new spy tv ground. Plus we talk about terrible double entendres, questionable spy gadgets and why you should probably avoid starting a cognac-based fire in your jail cell! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

Mentioned on the show - 

The episode via DailyMotion - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x810alr 

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_U.N.C.L.E. 

Morgan Richter’s U.N.C.L.E recaps - https://preppiesoftheapocalypse.blogspot.com/p/uncle.html 

Bob’s U.N.C.L.E. Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/369560823208688/ 

Matthew’s Website - https://doubleosection.blogspot.com/ 

Matthew’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/DoubleOSection 

Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/ 

Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite 

We talk all about the British Cult Classic TV show 'The Prisoner' starting Patrick McGoohan on today's  Spybrary Spy Podcast

You are a number, but it is not Number 6, you are number 22 as this is the number of this weeks Spybrary Podcast episode.

Today we are going to do something a little different. As regular listeners know the reason I cannot put out a weekly show is that I insist on reading the book of a guest before we chat.  I think it makes for a much better conversation, after all this is podcasting not cable news..ouch!

So I have an admission.


I have never watched the iconic tv show ‘The Prisoner.’ I know, a bit embarrassing for someone like me who loves the spy niche and especially 60s/70s spy shows. I think I saw the odd clip of it as a kid and put it in the Dr Who category of weird and disturbing.

(The Prisoner comes up a lot in our listener discussion group on facebook. If you are interested in extra bonus content to the podcast then check out our group on spybrary.com/facebook)

So I asked in our group who wants to come on the show and tell us more about The Prisoner. I have a stack of DVDs to catch up on this winter so my viewing time is at a premium. Matthew Kresal who featured on Episode 12 of our spy podcast has volunteered to get into the hot seat here at Spybrary and tell us more about the Prisoner.

Mission France tells the full story of the thirty-nine female SOE agents who went undercover in France. We interview the author, historian Dr. Kate Vigurs to find out more.

Welcome to another thrilling episode of the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast! Today's episode is helmed by Spybrary contributor, author and music aficionado Andy Onyx, who interviews John Higgs, the author of Love and Let Die - James Bond, The Beatles and The British Psyche.

Join other spy book fans in our online Spybrary commmunity join for free today!

On Episode 41 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast we serve up a recorded Spybrary panel discussion from Spycon 2018.

On the panel, host Shane Whaley was joined by authors Mike Brady (Into the Shadows) and C.G.Faulkner (The Edge of Reality.)

The Michael Brady File

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Brady, USA, (RET), earned his MS in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Washington, DC in 2003. His classified thesis focused on the current and emerging issues confronting China and Taiwan and Taiwan’s ability to retain sovereignty into the future. He has performed a wide variety of tactical and strategic intelligence functions including long-range surveillance, interrogation, intelligence analysis, collection management, emergency operations, and intelligence production. He served as the Director, Presidential Emergency Operations Center in the White House from January 2001 until July 2002 under President George W. Bush.

LTC Brady is a 1990 graduate of The Citadel, Marine Corps Command and General Staff College, Joint Forces Staff College, US Army Airborne School and US Army Ranger School.

His areas of expertise and research include threats to the homeland, intelligence collection systems and programs, intelligence analysis, and intelligence support to national policy making.

The C.G.Faulkner File

C.G. Faulkner has been writing stories since childhood. He has, so far, published a Western Trilogy about Captain Tom Fortner; as well as a Spy Trilogy about Tom’s descendant, C.I.A. Agent Jeff Fortner. He has published a story for younger readers, ‘The Adventures of the Home for Supper Kids’, and now ‘The Unexpected-Tales of Mystery and Suspense’. Other stories are being written for future publication.
Mr. Faulkner lives on a small farm in Georgia with his wife and children. In addition to writing, he enjoys reading, (His favorite authors are Bernard Cornwell, John Jakes, Jeff Shaara, Elmore Leonard and Ian Fleming, among others) studying history and genealogy, watching classic movies and television, doing farmwork, helping his wife homeschool their children, and the great outdoors.

We riff all over the place on this along with audience participation.

Some of the topics we cover included:

• How authors with full time jobs find time to write.
• How Mike and CG research locations for their books.
• Who are their literary heroes
• Which writer inspired Mike Brady to join the Intelligence Services.
• What makes a great fictional spy character
• Shane shares what kind of spy fiction he doesn't enjoy
• What the audience are reading right now
• Does the government/military have to approve Mike Brady's novels before publication

And Much More including CG Faulkner's interrogation in the Quick Fire Round.

We talk to the man behind Spy Guys and Gals, the biggest spy book resource online!

Can he whittle down over 7000 spy books to just 5! Its Dead Drop 5 time!

In this conversation with Spybrary host Shane Whaley, award-winning spy author Dan Fesperman reveals more about the real-life espionage events that inspired his latest novel, set in Berlin 1990, Winter Work.

The Berlin Wall has fallen and in the ensuing power vacuum, a former Stasi officer and a CIA agent must fight for their lives. On a chilly early morning walk on the wooded outskirts of Berlin, Emil Grimm finds the body of his neighbor, a fellow Stasi officer named Lothar, with a gunshot wound to the temple and a pistol in his right hand. Despite appearances, Emil suspects murder. If it were a few months earlier, he would have known just what to do.

But now, as East Germany disintegrates, being a Stasi colonel is more of a liability than an asset. More troubling still is that Emil and Lothar were actively involved in a final clandestine mission. Now Emil must finish the job alone and on uncertain ground where old alliances seem to be shifting by the day.

Meanwhile, CIA agent Claire Saylor is sent to Berlin to contact a ranking Stasi officer, although details of her mission are suspiciously sketchy and her superior seems to have a hidden agenda.

When her first rendezvous goes dangerously awry, she realizes the mission is far more delicate than she has been led to believe. With the rules of the game-changing quickly, and as their two missions intersect, Emil and Claire find themselves on unlikely common ground, fighting for their lives against a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows.

Bill Koenig, Chief of Staff at The Spy Command Agent finds himself embedded deep in Communist-controlled East Berlin, and has asked his handler to leave him 5 of his favorite spy books/tv series at their Dead Drop location in Friedrichshain Park. What will he choose to help him cope with life undercover?

Order! Order! Welcome to Episode 239 of the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast! I'm your host, Shane and today Whaley goes to Westminster. But don't worry; I'm not running for office! I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a tea break with Gordon Henderson MP. I am a politics nerd so it was a delight for me to combine both of my passions, espionage and politics.

Gordon isn't just a sitting member of Parliament for Sittingbourne and Sheppey in Kent—he's also a passionate writer of spy fiction. We'll dive into his experiences and inspirations, including his admiration for Len Deighton and his creation of a very relatable, working-class spy named Steven Statton.

Join us as Gordon Henderson MP shares insights into his writing process, offers advice for aspiring authors, and Shane cheekily asks him about the latest spy scandals in Parliament. Plus, you'll hear his thoughts on his favorite spy novels, films, and music that fuels his creativity. So, grab a cup of tea and settle in for an engaging conversation in the heart of the Palace of Westminster. All this and more, coming up on Spybrary!

Steven Statton - a very working-class spy, is a thrill-a-minute story of intrigue and betrayal at the heart of Britain’s most secretive intelligence agency. Although set mainly in London, the story sees Steven Statton travel the world in an effort to counter an Iranian plot to use the Mafia to destabilise Britain by flooding its streets with heroin. However, Statton’s task is made harder when he is betrayed by somebody working in the British Secret Service. Matters come to a head in a lockup garage in London’s East End, where Statton has a violent confrontation with two Mafia hitmen, and with his own boss.

In this episode of Spy Rewind Matthew and Jeff take a look at the 1985 TV series Mr Palfrey of Westminster, specifically series two episode - Official Secret. 

They discuss the joy of seeing London in all it’s 80’s glory, the alarming decline of walking stick/umbrella shops, and whether there really were Soviet moles hiding under every MI5 couch cushion. Plus, revel in Jeff’s terrible English and Russian accents! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

Today we decode a brush pass transmission sent in by Australian author and Spy Book fan, Aiden L Bailey. He gives us his brush pass spy book review of The Power of the Dog and The Cartel by Don Winslow and tells us why he thinks spy fans will enjoy these two Don Winslow novels.

Aiden also shares his thoughts on the various sub-genres that make up the spy genre and why Don Winslow fits both the cerebral and action spy genres.

In this episode of Spy Rewind, Double O Section's Matthew Bradford and SpyWrite's Jeff Quest take a look at the globetrotting cable spy tv show Covert Affairs.

They discuss whether all spies need to meet at the Berlin listening station, the benefits of location shoots and how to be a “fashion-forward” spy.

Plus, Bowie in Berlin, R.E.M., cliff diving white Jaguars, and Jeff makes another failed attempt at an accent, this time German! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

Tom Colgan is our special guest on episode 44 of the Spybary Spy Podcast with Shane Whaley

Tom is an Editorial Director of Berkley Books which is an imprint of Penguin Random House. Over a thirty year (actually 33 but who's counting?) publishing career he has worked with many authors including Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney and Janet Evanovich. He's edited numerous books that have been bestsellers and won Edgar, and Anthony Awards as well.

Now Shane gets to turn the tables and interview this veteran book editor!

What is Dead Drop 5?

Agent Tom Colgan finds himself embedded deep in Communist-controlled East Berlin, and has asked his handler to leave him 5 of his favorite spy books at their Dead Drop location in Friedrichshain Park. What will he choose to help him cope with life undercover? Having edited thousands of books in a 30+year career which books will Tom pick out? Listen to Episode 44 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast to find out what he picks out and why!

Join Spybrary Spy Book Podcast host Shane Whaley, author Paul Vidich and Spybrarian David Craggs as we unpack Paul Vidich's latest spy thriller 'Beirut Station: Two Lives of a Spy.' Beirut Station is a novel pulsating with emotional depth and geopolitical intrigue.

 

Set amidst the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli conflict in Beirut, Lebanon, the story follows the precarious journey of a Lebanese-American protagonist entangled with the UN, CIA, and Mossad in a mission to eliminate a terrorist threat. Special guest Paul Vidich returns for a third appearance on Spybrary , offering listeners a rare glimpse into his creative process and the inspiration drawn from historical events and legendary spies like Kim Philby. 

This episode brims with lively discussions on Vidich's adept portrayal of Annalise a robust female spy lead character who navigates the moral complexities of her clandestine world.

We discuss the seamless blending of fact and fiction and Paul Vidich's layered approach to character development. Beirut Station reminding us once again that heroes and villains in spy novels, much like in real life, occupy grey areas of morality.

Join us for this enthralling conversation and then connect with your fellow espionage aficionados in our online community to share your thoughts on Paul Vidich's Beirut Station.

So what is Beirut Station By Paul Vidich all about, Shane?

A stunning new espionage novel by a master of the genre, Beirut Station follows a young female CIA officer whose mission to assassinate a high-level, Hezbollah terrorist reveals a dark truth that puts her life at risk.

Lebanon, 2006.

The Israel-Hezbollah war is tearing Beirut apart: bombs are raining down, residents are scrambling to evacuate, and the country is on the brink of chaos.

In the midst of this turmoil, the CIA and Mossad are targeting a reclusive Hezbollah terrorist, Najib Qassem. Najib is believed to be planning the assassination of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is coming to Beirut in ten days to broker a cease-fire. The spy agencies are running out of time to eliminate the threat.

They turn to a young Lebanese-American CIA agent. Analise comes up with the perfect plan: she has befriended Qassem's grandson as his English tutor, and will use this friendship to locate the terrorist and take him out. As the plan is put into action, though, Analise begins to suspect that Mossad has a motive of its own: exploiting the war’s chaos to eliminate a generation of Lebanese political leaders.

She alerts the agency but their response is for her to drop it. Analise is now the target and there is no one she can trust: not the CIA, not Mossad, and not the Lebanese government. And the one person she might have to trust—a reporter for the New York Times—might not be who he says he is…

A tightly-wound international thriller, Beirut Station is Paul Vidich's best novel to date.

Antony Johnston is a bestselling writer and podcaster whose best-known espionage work is The Coldest City, the graphic novel that the movie ATOMIC BLONDE was based on. He has his second book in the Bridgette Sharp spy series, The Tempus Project, coming out at the end of May in the UK and the first book, The Exphoria Code, is currently scheduled to be released in the US in October.

A thrilling tick-tock recounting one of the most harrowing hostage situations and daring rescue attempts of our time—from the true-life espionage master and New York Times bestselling author of Operation Mincemeat and The Spy and the Traitor.

Today on the Spybrary podcast, we're taking you inside the Iranian Embassy siege. Join us for a gripping episode as our host, Shane Whaley, sits down with renowned historian Ben Macintyre and counterterrorism and intelligence expert Rossa McPhillips. Together, they delve into the harrowing events of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London, using Macintyre's latest book, The Siege, as a unique lens to offer an unprecedented look at this tense and historic event.

Buy The Siege
Chat about this episode with other spy history enthusiasts in the free Spybrary online community today!

Our good friend Professor Penny Fielding and her colleague Simon Cooke of the University of Edinburgh bring us 5 spy lit podcast episodes which are recorded by students of their Fiction and Espionage course.

On today's episode Penny and Simon give us the briefing and then over the next 5 weeks, Spybrary will transmit the recordings from the Fiction and Espionage students. How cool is this!

In this episode of the Spybrary spy book podcast we talk about our best spy books. Host Shane Whaley invites guest Dr Mark Pack, author, avid spy novel reader and President of the UK's Liberal Democrats to embark on a clandestine mission behind the Iron Curtain. As part of the Dead Drop 5 series, Mark Pack shares his top five best spy books that he would take with him to East Berlin. From classic spy thrillers to lesser-known gems, Mark's's picks promise to keep any spy thriller enthusiast on the edge of their seat.

Join your fellow spy book enthusiasts at Spybrary Online

Download our ranking of the top 125 spy authors today!

This week we welcome Benjamin Cunningham to the show. Cunningham wrote the recently released book The Liar: How a Double Agent in the CIA Became the Cold War's Last Honest Man a book that the publisher calls “the Cold War meets Mad Men in the form of Karel Koecher, a double agent whose shifting loyalties and over-the-top hedonism reverberated from New York to Moscow.”

It’s a wild story of swapping secrets, wife swapping and spy swaps. 

We talk about the Prague Spring, declassified documents, and interviewing difficult subjects. All that and more in this episode with Spybrary host Jeff Quest.

From acclaimed spy novelist Paul Vidich comes a taut new thriller following the attempted exfiltration of a KGB officer from the ever-changing—and always dangerous—USSR in the mid-1980s. Shane Whaley finds out more in this interview with author Paul Vidich.

In Episode 146 of Spybrary with spy author Paul Vidich we discuss:

• What was Paul Vidich's inspiration for writing The Mercenary.
• What kind of reader The Mercenary appeals to? (Actioneers v Realistic)
• What drew Paul to write an espionage thriller? Moscow features heavily, we find out how Paul Vidich researched Moscow and he reveals how John Beryles the former US Ambassador to the Russian Federation 2008-12 helped him,
• Paul tells us more about the protagonist 'Garin.'
• We talk locations, settings and why the books was set in the Soviet Union of the mid-80s.
• Paul reveals that as part of his research, he read over 30 books including autobiographies of high-ranking KGB officers who successfully defected to the West. No wonder the tradecraft is so good in this!
• We learn more about some of the other characters in The Mercenary including Nataliya, Zyuganov, Petrov, Mueller, Talinov and Posner.
• 'But shed war of its glory and a soldier’s job is to kill. It’s that simple. And so, shed espionage of its popular mythology, the spy’s job is to lie, deceive, and betray trust.'
• Shane asks Is The Mercenary a nod to John le Carre and The Spy Who Came In from the cold?
• The challenges of espionage writing and what are the fun parts!
• And much more including the world-famous Spybrary Quickfire round!
  
  

In this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast Jeff Quest speaks to the former director of CIA’s Technical Service Robert Wallace about his time in the CIA and the various non-fiction books he has co-authored since leaving the agency.

They discuss how the CIA is similar to all other bureaucracies, why spy tech is so important for successful spy operations and how hard it can sometimes be to get past the CIA Publications Review Board.

Plus, we talk about the spy that pulled the “Reverse Beatles” maneuver and some Chicago spies! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

A special message to Spybrary listeners around the world to celebrate episode 150!

Spybrary, the Spy Book Podcast's David Craggs interviews spy thriller author Simon Conway about his life in the military, clearing land mines, and writing spy books.

Simon has had five novels published including A Loyal Spy, winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. His latest novel The Stranger is published on August 13th.

Author and former member of the Intelligence Corps Rossa McPhillips shares more about his first novel - a spy thriller set in Northern Ireland. Rossa also shares more about his real-life experiences working in the shadows and we put him through his paces in the world-famous Spybrary Quick Fire Round.

Spybrary Brush Pass:
The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton

Spybrarian Matthew Kresal shares his brush pass review on The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton by Jefferson Morley which has recently been published.

According to Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes -The History of the CIA 'The Ghost' is..

"The best book ever written about the strangest CIA chief who ever lived." -

Listen to today's episode of Spybrary and hear what reader  and Spybrary contributor Matthew thinks of it and does he recommend spy fans give it a go?

More information on James Jesus Angelton in the resources section below.

About the author: JEFFERSON MORLEY is a journalist and editor who has worked in Washington journalism for over thirty years, fifteen of which were spent as an editor and reporter at The Washington Post. The author of Our Man in Mexico, a biography of the CIA’s Mexico City station chief Winston Scott, Morley has written about intelligence, military, and political subjects for Salon, The Atlantic, and The Intercept, among others. He is the editor of JFK Facts, a blog. He lives in Washington, DC.

What is a Brush Pass review exactly?

These are first impression reviews sent in by Spybrary listeners and give us their first impressions of a spy book, spy movie or spy tv show soon after finishing it. We encourage all our Spybrary listeners to record their own brush reviews and send them in. Remember we are not academics here, Spybrary Spy Podcast is by spy fans for spy fans.

If you want to send in a brush pass review, record it on your smartphone and email to shane@spybrary.com We will do the rest. If your brush pass episode is aired then you will receive a $20 Amazon voucher as a thank you from us all at Spybrary!

Check out our other Brush Pass reviews here

Enjoyed this episode of Spybrary? Come and talk Spy books and movies with other spy fans in our private Spybrary listeners facebook group

James Bond fan and Spybrary's Head of Station SA, Matt Raubenheimer gives us his spoiler-free thoughts on the latest James Bond 007 novel With A Mind To A Kill written by Anthony Horowitz.

It is M's funeral. One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M's murder - James Bond.

Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion's den - but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives?

In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.

Follow Matt on Twitter for more 007 tweets.

Welcome to another riveting episode of the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast. I'm your host, Shane Whaley, and today we dive into the thrilling world of spy fiction with our special guest, Tom Fletcher, the former UK ambassador and advisor to three UK Prime Ministers turned espionage thriller writer.

Tom Fletcher's new book, "The Assassin," is creating waves and it's not just because of its gripping scenes; it's a novel that hits the zeitgeist with its daring exploration of climate change and the moral quandaries it poses for future generations.

In this episode, we'll uncover the inspiration behind "The Assassin," a sequel that can stand alone yet continues the intriguing tale from "The Ambassador." We'll tackle everything from Tom's firsthand experiences in the heart of governmental intelligence to the ethical crossroads his protagonist, Ambassador Ed Barnes, faces.

Tom gives us a glimpse into his writing process and why he's attracted praise from the likes of Frederick Forsyth and Andy McNabb for his authenticity and style.

Get ready to embark on a literary journey that blends authenticity with heart-stopping thrills as we discuss the roles spies and diplomats play in shaping our world, both in fiction and reality, with Tom Fletcher—an author whose work is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

• Buy The Assassin by Tom Fletcher
• Buy The Ambassador by Tom Fletcher
• More Tom Fletcher non fiction books
• Follow Tom Fletcher on X
• Support Spybrary on Patreon
• Canelo Publishers
• How the Americans Took Over Spy Fiction by Tim Shipman for The Sunday Times
• Follow Spybrary on X
• Join the Spybrary Community

Today on the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast we decode an extended brush pass transmission sent in by Spybrary listener Chris Lueloff. Chris recently read 3 Charles McCarry novels and shares with us why he is now one of his favourite spy authors.

On Episode 204 of the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast, we chat with the author of the best spy book I read last year, Big Bear Little Bear, David Brierley. We are also joined by the publisher, thriller critic, and author Mike Ripley as we dig into David's work and, in particular, how he researches locations for his spy novels.

• Join the Spybrary Community

As I shared in the best spy books of 2022 post, Big Bear Little Bear, published in 1981, was the best spy thriller I read last year. It was hard to ignore this recommendation from Mike Ripley, who shared that the man himself, Len Deighton, had stumbled on a copy of Big Bear Little Bear in a second-hand shop in LA and loved it. He urged Mike to republish Brierley's work under his Ostara publishing arm.

David Brierley comes in at #63 on Tim Shipman's best spy writers of all time list:

'Brierley created Cody, one of the very best female leads in spy fiction. She is a CIA trained agent who has gone freelance, who we first meet in Cold War, a 1979 novel set in the midst of a French election, which involves assassination, betrayal, and real tension (It scores 4.14 on GoodReads, which is much higher than a lot of books I love).

Cody is resourceful and Brierley was hailed on publication as “a new name joins the world’s greatest spy fiction writers”. Best of all his books are not long and written with a spare and unflashy style that nonetheless has real novelistic flair.

This is espionage for grown-ups. Blood Group O, Skorpion’s Death and Snowline followed. Between those Cody books, Brierley also became renowned for spy thrillers set in Eastern Europe, such as Czechmate.

His best book, though, is Big Bear Little Bear set in 1948 Berlin, before the airlift, where the sole survivor of a blown network works to expose a traitor in British intelligence. My paper, The Sunday Times, reviewed it thus: “ Has the rancid strength of a distillation of the best of Le Carré and Deighton: an authentic winner.” That this praise is only slightly excessive tells you what you need to know.'

• Big Bear Little Bear by David Brierley
• Kiss Kiss Bang - The Boom in British Thrillers by Mike Ripley
• Dead Man Telling Tales by David Brierley - just released (2023)
• Czechmate by David Brierley
• Jeff Popple (Spybrarian) Review of Czechmate
• Skorpions Death by David Brierley
• The Cloak and Dagger Girl by David Brierley
• Best Spy Books of 2022 (Spybrary)
• Tim Shipman's best spy writers ranked list.
• Adam Hall/Elleston Trevor
• Raymond Chandler
• Join the Spybrary Community

On April 8th, Amazon releases the movie adaptation of Olen Steinhauer's All the Old Knives. In today's episode, two of our most knowledgable spy movie experts and Spybrary agents Matthew Bradford and Jack Lescamela chat with author and screenwriter Olen Steinhauer and the director of All The Old Knives, Janus Metz.

Hello, and welcome to episode 181 of the Spybrary podcast. Today, I'm delighted to serve you an absolute treat a couple of weeks ago, we received an email from the PR folks over at Amazon Prime asking us if we had any interest in a conversation with author and screenwriter, Oen Steinhauer. Many of, you will know Olen from his previous works, the Tourist series of books or maybe you know him from the hit spy tv series Berlin Station?

There's a new movie about to hit Amazon prime, which is an adaptation of Olen Steinhauer's book, All the Old Knives. I know that there are many of you in the Spybrary community who are big fans of that book and are excited for the movie. Not only did the PR team offer us an interview with Olen Steinhauer, but also with the All the Old Knives Director Janus Metz.

I thought to myself, I've got to get the big boys on this. I've got to call the real experienced agents that really know their spy movies and TV. So I called upon Our Men in Hollywood. Many of you know them from our Spybrary community. That's Matthew Bradford and Jack Lescamela. And I called him and said, I've got a job for you.

So today we bring you that conversation that Our Menn in Hollywood had with Olen Steinhauer and Janus Metz. It's a wide-ranging conversation. They touch on a ton of different topics, Jack and Matthew really knock it out of the park for us here.

It's a fascinating conversation that I just know you're gonna enjoy. Just a couple of words of warning, Janus used a couple of F words. So if you're in the car with the kids, or maybe your husband, doesn't like bad language, whatever it may be. He throws me in quite quickly. I couldn't quite edit them out and I didn't want to bleep them, because I just felt that would detract from the conversation. So just a heads up on that. After the conversation, do stick around for, a bit of post-show.

Matthew and Jack have a conversation about their interview about All the Old Knives and more with Olen Steinhauer and Janus Metz

Buck Henry, Get Smart and the 1960s spy craze. Brush Pass (98) With the Spy Command's Bill Koenig,

Former Intelligence Expert and Journalist Michael Smith talks to Spybrary about his debut fiction novel No Man Dies Twice.

English journalist Michael Smith (Killer Elite and Foley the Spy Who Saved 10,000 Jews) has penned his first ever fiction novel. On this our 36th episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, host Shane Whaley talks to Smith about his new book, what jobs he carried out working for British Intelligence, what he did at the BBC Monitoring Service and what spy fiction he enjoys reading today. Plus Much More!

One spy has been sent to assassinate Hitler. One spy has been sent to stop him. A single policeman is all that stands in the way of changing history.

Set in Nazi Germany during World War 2, No Man Dies Twice follows a hard working detective (Ritter) who investigates a murder in the small Bavarian town of Rosenheim. The death is no ordinary killing and Ritter is determined to get to the bottom of it despite the local Gestapo efforts to stop him.

With evidence showing the body belong belonged to a member of the White Rose resistance movement this is no ordinary murder. Ritter is no supporter of the Nazi regime and risks his life to investigate the case.

“Riveting…Smith takes us into an area of wartime Germany we have rarely read about before.”
—Joseph Heywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Berkut and The Domino Conspiracy

So has Spybrary started interviewing crime authors now?

Not at all, No Man Dies Twice is inspired by records Michael Smith unearthed at the National Archives back in the 90s. The files concerned Operation Foxley - a British SOE (special forces) to assassinate the Fuhrer. Detailed preparations were made but the audacious plan was not carried out. But what if the British had sent someone to kill Hitler? Read No Man Dies Twice to find out what Smith thinks might have happened. Not all Brits want to see Hitler dead...Intrigued. You should be.

Smith who once listened in to East German Military Officers and Socialist Party officials, not to mention deliver intelligence to the British SAS as part of his day job has mixed together a heady cocktail of spies, detectives, mystery, crime, Gestapo, British Intelligence. No Man Dies Twice is Spybrary approved and recommended!

On Episode 36 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast Michael Smith reveals:

• How declassified National Archive files gave him the inspiration to write No Man Dies Twice
• More about his main character - hard working detective Peter Ritter
• More about the White Rose Resistance movement
• Why he chose Rosenheim for the main location of his book
• Despite being kicked out of school at 15, he went on to served in the Intelligence Corps learning several languages (is he really Bernard Samson?) and became a journalist for national British newspapers.
• Which spy thriller writer he reckons gets it close to the real thing, surprise, its not John le Carre!
• Advice for new writers. Michael Smith shares with us why he thinks creative writing courses can be good for new writers and should not be dismissed!

And Much Much More!

Are you a fan of the Ian Fleming James Bond novels? If so, you won't want to miss the latest episode of the James Bond Book Club presented by Spybrary. In this episode, host Shane Whaley and guests David Craggs, Andy Onyx and Hildebrand's Ian Douglas dive deep into Ian Fleming's Thunderball as if they are in the year of publication.

They provide fascinating analysis and insight into this iconic book's plot, characters, and writing style. You'll hear their thoughts on how Ian Fleming's Thunderball compares to other James Bond novels and get a glimpse into the success of Ian Fleming's writing. Whether you're a die-hard James Bond fan or love a good book club style discussion, this episode offers a detailed and engaging look at Thunderball and all its elements. Tune in now to join the conversation!

We discuss the artwork, the plot, the villains, the locations, the femme fatales, the allies, and the glamour.

All that and much more on the latest edition of the James Bond Book Club, available on all good podcast apps and at the link in the first comment. Will you join us in 1961?

London Station has fizzed into action, Sunday Times journalist and Spybrary contributor Tim Shipman chats with spy author Matthew Richardson. They discuss Matthew's spy novels, his writing style, his literary influences plus they pay tribute to the new generation of spy writers. 

And much more!!

It is 1954 and we review the latest Ian Fleming James Bond 007 spy novel, Live and Let Die. With David Craggs, Ian Douglas and Shane Whaley

Author Stephen England finds himself embedded deep in Communist-controlled East Berlin, and has asked his handler to leave him 5 of his favorite spy books at the Dead Drop location in Friedrichshain Park.

Join us on the Spy Book Podcast, Spybrary, and discover the thrilling world of spy novels in our exclusive series, 'Dead Drop 5'.

Spy Books and Dead Drops...what is this series exactly?

This riveting series is a crowd favorite, but be warned, your bank balance may take a hit based on these spy book recommendations. In these episodes, our brave podcast uests are dispatched on a clandestine mission behind the Iron Curtain, where danger lurks at every shadowy corner.

But fear not, they won't embark on this perilous journey unequipped.

Our intrepid agents can request five spy novels to be stashed in the East Berlin dead drop.

But that's not all.

Beyond these spy books, our guests are granted a selection of diverse items, each carefully curated to make their stay in East Berlin more manageable, perhaps even a touch more comfortable.

Join host Shane Whaley as he interviews author Stephen England about his upcoming mission to East Berlin and the five books he would like to take. They discuss the importance of well-written prose in spy novels and Stephen's book choices, including "Private Wars" by Greg Rucka and "The Agent Runner" by Simon Conway.

Get ready to dive into 'Dead Drop 5', only on Spybrary, but be warned, this series could seriously damage your bank account!

Stephen England's 5 Spy Books You Need to Read for a Thrilling Adventure

Are you a fan of spy novels that transport you to different times and places? Do you appreciate well-written prose that captures the madness of the spy business? Look no further than these five spy book recommendations from author Stephen England.

First on the list is Private Wars by Greg Rucka, a novel set in Central Asia with skillfully crafted prose. Next is The Agent Runner by Simon Conway, a masterful portrayal of the dirty bomb plot and the madness of the spy business. Stephen also recommends Appointment in Tehran by James Stejskal for its gripping plot and characters.

Pick up Night Heron by Adam Brookes for a gritty look at espionage. This novel is praised for its realistic portrayal of China and its compelling characters. Finally, Security Detail by Matt Cricchio offers a nuanced exploration of the conflict in Afghanistan and the people caught up in it.

Whether you're a fan of modern world terror novels or prefer a cold war spy historical setting, these spy novels are sure to provide a thrilling adventure. So grab a copy and prepare to be transported to the murky world of intelligence, espionage and skullduggery!

Links and Resources Mentioned on this episode with Andy Onyx on the Spybrary Spy Podcast

Stephen England Author Website

The Spybrary Online Community - by spy book fans for spy fans.

Mick Herron returns to the Spybrary Podcast to discusses his latest novel - Slough House. Mick is joined in conversation with our Man in London - David Craggs

In his best and most ambitious novel yet, Mick Herron, “the le Carré of the future” (BBC), offers an unsparing look at the corrupt web of media, global finance, spycraft, and politics that power our modern world.

“This is a darker, scarier Herron. The gags are still there but the satire's more biting. The privatization of a secret service op and the manipulation of news is relevant and horribly credible.”—Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera Stanhope series

'An espionage thriller from the golden age of such outings.'  Today we decode a brush pass transmission sent in by Spybrary listener Andy Onyx. Andy gives us his brush pass spy movie review of The Internecine Project.

'According to the dictionary, internecine means destructive to both sides in a conflict. So let's just hold that thought with the rhythm of its syllables in the three-word title the internecine project, which lets us know what we're in for. An espionage thriller from the golden age of such outings.

Jeremy Duns and Jeff Quest talk through some of the in’s and out’s of research, and especially spy research, in the hopes of encouraging others to do research too.

We talk about the lost Pinkerton manuscript, the time Jeremy nearly got kicked out of an interview before it even started, how Jeff got the title of an author’s book wrong within 30 seconds of starting an interview and why you should turn every page. All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

Author David Holman gives you his thoughts on Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler in a quick and easy Brush Pass review.

Author Andy Onyx shares the 5 spy books, movies and tv shows he would want to be stashed in his dead drop. (our riff on desert island discs with a spy twist!)

Check out our Facebook group for more spy discussions and chat!

In this episode of Spybrary Jeff dives into some of the most serious and silly questions faced by spy fans. He is joined by an all-star panel of guests - Jeremy Duns, Hannah Cooper and Shane Whaley. They tackle a wide range of espionage enigmas.

Some of the questions covered are - 

From now on either every spy novel must be set in Berlin or no spy novels can ever be set in Berlin again. Which do you choose?

Would you use your kid as camouflage while doing spy activity?

Volcano lair vs underwater lair vs moonbase lair?

All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

So settle in by the fire, pour yourself a drink of your favorite beverage and prepare to come to your own conclusions and share them with us as you listen! Tweet @spybrary with your opinion as we tackle these questions or hop on the discussion thread on the Spybrary Discussion group.

Mentioned on the show - 

What is Water Polo? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo 

Blood in the Water match - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_in_the_Water_match 

Hannah’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/MrsSimonTemplar 

Hannah’s Website - https://backintimefortv.co.uk/

Jeremy’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/JeremyDuns 

Jeremy’s Website - https://www.jeremy-duns.com/ 

Shane’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/spybrary 

Shane’s Website - https://spybrary.com/ 

Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/ 

Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite 

Berlin Game -Len Deighton - Spybrary Book Club Edition

Spybrary listeners voted overwhelmingly for Berlin Game to be the first spy book to be discussed in our first ever book club Spybrary edition. Listen to an in-depth conversation on this spy classic with Spybrary host Shane Whaley, Deighton expert Rob Mallows and newcomer to Len Deighton's work but not the spy genre Peter Newman.

WARNING - Please do not listen to the Berlin Game Book Club edition of Spybrary if you have not read the book. Unlike other episodes of the Spybrary Spy Podcast this episode if full of Berlin Game spoilers. It is a book club edition so we cover lots of aspects of the book including many of the twists and turns.

Spybrary Host Shane Whaley claims that this is one of the top 3 spy books ever written, if not the best! 'Not just a multi-layered spy novel but also a love letter from Len Deighton to Berlin' he says.

Rob Mallows says Berlin Game is the book that got him hooked on Len Deighton.

Peter Newman delivers a fresh approach as this was his first time reading Berlin Game.

What did our panel think of the plot, the characters, the writing, the conclusion? Tune in to find out!

'Fleming made spy fiction globally popular, but it took Deighton in the Sixties with novels such as The IPCRESS File to make it hip. His finest work, though, came later, in the Eighties, with this trilogy (completed by Mexico Set and London Match) about the disillusioned SIS agent Bernard Samson. Less exuberant than his early books but more subtle, Berlin Game is a terrific feat of plotting that out-le-Carrés le Carré in its sardonic portrait of Secret Service office politics. Tarantino (who had Max Cherry read a copy in Jackie Brown) should hurry up and film it, like he said he would.'

Jake Kerridge - The Telegraph.

Notable Quotes from Berlin Game by Len Deighton

'How long have we been sitting here?’ I said. I picked up the field glasses and studied the bored young American soldier in his glass-sided box. ‘Nearly a quarter of a century,’ said Werner Volkmann. His arms were resting on the steering wheel and his head was slumped on them. ‘That GI wasn’t even born when we first sat here waiting for the dogs to bark.’

Bernard Samson

-----

'Do you know some quiet restaurant where they have sausage and potatoes and good Berlin beer?’ ‘I know just the place, Bernie. Straight up Friedrichstrasse, under the railway bridge at the S-Bahn station and it’s on the left. On the bank of the Spree: Weinrestaurant Ganymed.’ ‘Very funny,’ I said. Between us and the Ganymed there was a wall, machine guns, barbed wire, and two battalions of gun-toting bureaucrats.'

In this episode of Spy Rewind -  Matthew and Jeff take a look at the groundbreaking 1960 TV series Danger Man, specifically the episode - Time to Kill. They discuss whether John Drake is the JFK of spies, why you should always keep your bullets in loaves of bread, and the proper attire for an assassin.

Plus, rock out to Jeff’s rendition of the song Secret Agent Man! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.

links at www.spybrary.com/156

Spybrary's man in Station L (Northern Sector) author Andy Onyx slipped us this brush pass review of Javier Marias's thriller Your Face Tomorrow: Fever And Spear

He shares why spy book readers will enjoy this modern spy novel.

"Your Face Tomorrow by the Spanish novelist of note, Javier Maras. I say novelist of note because Maras has sold over 6 million copies of his works worldwide to date. In amongst, which is this spy fiction trilogy published between 2009 and 2017.  

Brush Pass is back and so is Matthew Bradford from Double O Section who tells us more about Matt Helm.

Episode 49 sees the return of Matthew Bradford, a man who has watched more spy movies and read more spy novels than I have had hot dinners! He returns to Brush Pass to tell us more about the character of Matt Helm and in particular the novel The Interlopers.

(Check out Matthew's Spy Blog and add it to your bookmarks.)

Some of you may remember the Matt Helm movies from the 60's and Matthew gives you the low down on those too.

Welcome to Spybrary, a podcast for spy book enthusiasts. In episode 215, I had the pleasure of hosting special guest Oliver Webb Carter, a historian and the founder of Aspects of History, a magazine, podcast, and website dedicated to history and historical fiction.

Dead Drop 5 is our espionage version of Desert Island Discs, except in our case, the guest is asked which five favourite spy novels he/she wants stashed in a dead drop during an undercover mission behind the Iron Curtain.

Join fellow Spy Book Enthusiasts in our Spybrary Online Community 

This week, Spybrary Spy Podcast Host Shane Whaley welcomes author and travel writer August Thomas to speak about her debut novel, Liar’s Candle.

Liar’s Candle is set against the backdrop of a terror attack in Ankara, Turkey. In the aftermath, protagonist Penny Kessler embarks upon a pan-European adventure to uncover the perpetrators. Living by her wits, Kessler teams up with Connor Beauregard, a former naval officer with something to prove, as they try to crack the case.

In a delightful, wide-ranging conversation, August and Shane discuss the rarity of women in spy literature, both as authors and substantive characters. They also highlight authors, films, and characters to look out for who buck this trend – not least of which is August herself!

Stay tuned to hear more.

On today’s episode, acclaimed spy authors Joseph Kanon and Paul Vidich sit down for an intriguing discussion that delves deep into the world of writing spy fiction.

As many of you know, I’ve been lucky enough to share drinks, meals, and some unforgettable conversations with some of the best spy authors working today. And every time, I think to myself, "I wish I had brought a bug— or called Roddy Ho for some tech to record this!" Well, today, that wish comes true, well, kind of.

We’re bringing you an intriguing chat with two living legends of spy fiction—Joseph Kanon and Paul Vidich. Now, Joseph needs no introduction. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ve probably read Los Alamos or Defectors, one of my all-time favorites. He’s even ranked number three on Tim Shipman’s list of the best spy authors.

But why stop there? I thought, why not bring another heavyweight into the mix? So I invited Paul Vidich, author of the brilliant Beirut Station, to host this conversation. Paul’s work is always top-notch, and having him on the show alongside Joseph to discuss why they love reading and writing spy fiction is 'premier cru' for us fans of spy novels.

Whether you're an aspiring author or a die-hard fan, you’ll pick up some valuable insights into the craft of writing spy fiction.

Their conversation spans themes of desperation, moral dilemmas, and the unique ways spy novels probe into character development. They highlight the tension of leading double lives and discuss the differences in British and American spy fiction.

Kanon reveals how the setting of a city sparks his storytelling and how he meticulously reconstructs its historical authenticity through detailed research. Both authors underscore the critical role of dialogue in character development.

Check out Joseph Kanon's latest novel Shanghai.

Joseph Kanon also reflects on the dramatic weight of World War Two settings in his novels and the moral imperatives faced by those in desperate circumstances. The spy authors discuss why they enjoy reading and writing spy ficition and compare and contrast the writing of Len Deighton. Graham Greene and John le Carré.

Kanon shares his admiration for Len Deighton's societal observations from an outsider perspective and he reveals some of his own writing habits, which have evolved during the pandemic yet remain rooted at the New York Public Library.


Whether you're a dedicated fan of spy fiction or curious about the intricacies of writing spy fiction, today's episode promises fascinating insights . So, sit back and enjoy as Joseph Kanon and Paul Vidich talk all about writing spy fiction.

Today we decode a brush pass transmission sent in by Spybrary listener Andy Onyx. He gives us his brush pass spy book review of Rage by Simon Conway.

Jonah Said is a man with nowhere left to run. Hunted, haunted, and bearing the horrific scars of a life spent on the frontline of some of the world's bloodiest battlefields, he's not what you'd call a model soldier. That's why the British Army has shipped him to the Zone—a lawless strip of desert between Iraq and Kuwait where everything is for sale and nothing is what it seems. From the moment he lands, Jonah is in over his head.

Drawn into a ruthless world of corruption, he's about to learn that in the Zone, life is cheap…and the truth is deadly..

Spybrary Podcast listener John Nordin has kindly submitted a brush pass review to the Spybrary Podcast. John makes his Spybrary debut, giving us his briefing on The Spy Who Sat and Waited written by R Wright Campbell.

Is the German Spy Museum in Berlin worth your time? In this episode of Brush Pass on Spybrary, we take you inside this fascinating espionage attraction to uncover its best exhibits, hidden gems, and whether it’s a must-visit for spy fans.

Spybrary’s on-the-ground team in Berlin – Station C's Matt Batten, David Morgan, and Father Richard Green – share their German Spy Museum Berlin review. Both Matt and David are return visitors to the German Spy Museum - how was their experience on a second visit? Tune in to find out.

Have you visited the German Spy Museum? What did you think? let us know in the comments or better still come and join us in our free Spybrary Community with 4,000 other espionage fans.

 Into the Shadows – The Fever with Michael Brady

Lt Col Michael Brady was an intelligence officer for over 20 years. Find out more about his first spy novel ‘Into the Shadows‘ on the Spybrary Podcast with Host Shane Whaley.

This is the story of Michael Brennan, a career CIA non-official cover (NOC) intelligence officer and his quest to identify and disrupt a plot crafted by the Islamic State terror group. After Michael travels to Israel and meets with Israeli intelligence, he partners with Elif Turan, a Mossad agent working in Turkey as a false flag along the Syrian border. Together, they must use their skills and tradecraft to stop Islamic State’s scheme of introducing the deadly Ebola virus into New York City.

Now let me tell you a bit about Michael.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Brady, USA, (RET), earned his MS in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Washington, DC in 2003. His classified thesis focused on the current and emerging issues confronting China and Taiwan.

He has performed a wide variety of tactical and strategic intelligence functions including long-range surveillance, interrogation andintelligence analysis, He served as the Director, Presidential Emergency Operations Center in the White House from January 2001 until July 2002 under President George W. Bush.

LTC Brady is a 1990 graduate of The Citadel, Marine Corps Command and General Staff College, Joint Forces Staff College, US Army Airborne School and US Army Ranger School.

His areas of expertise and research include threats to the homeland, intelligence collection systems and programs, intelligence analysis, and intelligence support to national policy making.

The point I am making here is that today’s guest knows his stuff when it comes to spying and now he is following the likes of Graham Greene, John Le Carre, Ted Allbeury and others who journeyed from the secret world to writing espionage fiction.

We talk about how Michael Brady’s background in intelligence contributed to ‘Into the Shadows’ in particular looking at the technology used by the Intelligence services today. It is a far cry from Harry Palmer and George Smiley! Brady also talks about the characters in his novel, the exotic locations and he shares with us what advice he would give to anyone wanting to join the intelligence services. And much much more!

What did you think of today’s chat with Michael Brady? Love it? Hate it? Do you have a burning question about it? We are carrying on the conversation about Into the Shadows and many other spy books over at our private Spybrary discussion group, feel free to join us here

Agent Running In the Field gets the Spybrary deep-dive treatment on Episode 93 of the Spybrary Podcast.

joining our John le Carre, Agent Running In The Field Round table is John le Carre fans and spy bloggers Matthew Bradford and Jeff Quest.

Spybrary Spy Book Podcast host Shane Whaley takes time away from the East German Desk to enjoy a 15 minute tea break with spy authors.

Today Derek Thompson, author of spy thriller novel Standpoint tells us more about his first book in his Thomas Bladen spy thriller series.

Author CP Bennison gives us the lowdown on Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd in this brush pass spy book review.

Did you know every week we curate all the major spy book, tv and movies news into an easy to read, quick emails? Join the Spybrary Intelligence Service at www.spybrary.com

About John Le Carre and the Cold War Toby Manning recently published his work which critically examines John Le Carre and the Cold War. Toby joins Shane Whaley on the Spybrary Spy Podcast to tell us more.

This week on the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast the students discuss Liar's Candle written by August Thomas The students, Agents E, S and I share their views and observations on Liar's Candle and weave into their session thoughts from August Thomas herself.

Tonight we report the sad news that John le Carre has passed away. Jeff Quest of Spywrite recorded this episode in 2019 looking at the life of John le Carre. Spybrary host Shane Whaley announces a special upcoming episode of Spybrary where he will broadcast your tributes to John le Carre.

Record your tributes to John le Carre here.