Spybrary Spy Podcast

Paul Burke joins Spybrary hosts Shane Whaley and Michael Huie to discuss his new book, Spies on Screen , an ambitious guide to more than 900 spy films and television series. From James Bond and John le Carré to Slow Horses , The Bureau , The Americans and forgotten spy thrillers, Paul explores how espionage on screen has evolved from glamorous secret agents to damaged, morally complex intelligence...

What makes a great spy novel? For William Boyd, it is complexity, uncertainty and that irresistible feeling that, as a reader, you are constantly trying to work out who can be trusted. In this SPOILER FREE special Spybrary conversation, Boyd joins Ollie Webb Carter (History Book Club Podcast) to discuss his Gabriel Dax novels and the latest instalment,  Cold Sunset . They explore Boyd's lifelong f...

What if the CIA and MI6 stopped behaving like allies—and started spying on each other? David McCloskey joins Tim Shipman to discuss London Station , his fifth spy novel, and the real intelligence relationship behind its central premise. McCloskey explains why the CIA–SIS "Special Relationship" can sometimes resemble a dysfunctional marriage, what the CIA Chief of Station in London actually does, a...

A propulsive, high-stakes thriller—Robert McCaw delivers a gripping tale of espionage, betrayal, and deception amid the race to expose Russian moles at the highest levels of the US government. Tense, timely, and full of international intrigue,  Traitors  will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended. David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and author of  The Persian Author Robert B McCaw...

In this episode of  Spybrary , host  Matthew Hurst  talks with author  Jinwoo Park  about his debut novel, The Oxford Soju Club. The book centres on North Korean spies and their Korean American adversaries, who are regulars at an Oxford restaurant run by an oblivious South Korean. It's as much about the psychology of their ethnic identities as shoot outs and chases . Jinwoo discusses how the book...

Cold War Spies Series with Shane Whaley For decades, Sweden presented itself as neutral and determined to remain outside the Cold War struggle between East and West. But behind that public image, the Swedish Stay Behind network was preparing for an altogether darker possibility: Soviet occupation. Shane Whaley is joined by Swedish historian and author Johan Wennström to uncover the extraordinary s...

Simon Conway returns to Spybrary to discuss his latest espionage thriller, T he British Agent — a contemporary, globe-spanning story involving missing British-made surface-to-air missiles, Ukraine, American extremist militias, political conspiracy, and an audacious plot targeting.... Support Spybrary here and help us produce more spy author interviews. Spybrary's David Craggs talks with Simon Conw...

The novelist Graham Greene ranks at number 6 on Tim Shipman's infamous Best Spy Writers list — and yet we haven't given him enough airtime on the podcast. Time to put that right. Graham Greene didn't just write about spies — spying was the family business. His uncle founded Naval Intelligence. His sister recruited him into SIS. And Greene himself walked out of the Service the day before D-Day. Why...

In this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, Shane Whaley is joined by fellow Spybrarian and Head of Boston Station, Joe Modzelewski, to welcome bestselling espionage author Charles Cumming back to the show. Support us on Patreon for even more content. Charles joins Spybrary to discuss his new Lachlan Kite thriller, ICARUS 17 , released on 2 July in the UK and 7 July in the United States. Billed a...

Nine years after nervously recording episode one, Shane Whaley celebrates a major Spybrary Spy Podcast milestone: episode 300 . In this reflective and forward-looking episode, Shane shares how Spybrary began, why the community has kept it going, and what comes next for the Spybrary spy podcast. Full shownotes at www.spybrary.com/300

Brad Thor has sold over 25 million thriller books. Tim Shipman welcomes Brad Thor on Spybrary to discuss Choke Point , the 25th Scot Harvath thriller, and the evolution of Scott Harvath from post-9/11 counterterrorism operator. Thor explains how the new novel uses Thailand, China's ambitions, the Strait of Malacca, sabotage, bomb-making, and geopolitical manipulation as the backdrop for a fast-mov...

What happens when Britain fights the Cold War with typewriters, fake pamphlets, covert publishers, and even pretend hippies? On this episode of Spybrary's Cold War Spy Files , Shane Whaley talks with historian Rory Cormac about his book Fakers: A Top Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Line .and the extraordinary true story of the Information Research Department — Britain's...

I'm Shane Whaley — a self-confessed "guile over guns" spy fiction reader who has always preferred le Carré's slow burn spy novels to military firefights. So what happens when a Le Carré fan picks up Jack Carr's Cry Havoc, a 550-page Vietnam War action thriller written by a former Navy SEAL? Welcome to the Spybrary Rodeo — the brand new Spybrary feature where I pick up a book outside my comfort zon...

If you think you already know the Cambridge Five story, think again. In this episode of Spybrary, Shane Whaley is joined by journalist and author Antonia Senior to discuss her powerful new book, Stalin's Apostles: The Cambridge Five and the Making of the Soviet Empire — a major re-examination of Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross. But this is not the familia...

One of crime fiction's most trusted voices reveals her 5 best spy novels. In our latest Spybrary Dead Drop Five series, crime fiction critic  Ayo Onatade  makes a passionate case for each one — and her picks may surprise you. Welcome back to the Dead Drop 5 series! In this episode, Spybrary host Shane Whaley is joined by  Ayo Onatade  — one of the most respected voices in crime and thriller fictio...

Guest host Matthew Hurst sits down with author Michael Dylan to explore his debut spy thriller The New Spy . Dylan shares his unconventional journey from global advertising creative to full-time novelist, revealing how real-world research, including chilling conversations with a mysterious source known only as "Mr. Pickles" shaped the authenticity of his espionage writing. The conversation dives d...

We share the sad news that renowned spy novelist Len Deighton has passed away at 97. We pay tribute to his incredible work, discussing why he was considered the greatest spy novelist and his impact on cold war espionage. His contributions to the spy thriller genre remembered. Len Deighton didn't just write spy novels… he changed the genre.  In this episode, we take a step back and reflect on the l...

What happens when a legendary screenwriter turns decades of espionage ideas into an epic literary spy saga? On this episode of the Spybrary podcast, Michael Frost Beckner joins Bruce Dravis to unpack Kaleidoscope , the Spy Game universe, CIA family legacies, his influences, moral ambiguity, and the hidden machinery of intelligence. A must-listen/watch for serious spy fiction fans. Join the Spybrar...

Tim Shipman sits down with thriller author James Wolff who worked as a British intelligence officer for over ten years. They unpack his latest spy novel Spies and Other Gods . Wolff shares how a single line in a UK parliamentary oversight report (the Intelligence and Security Committee ) sparked the novel's core idea . An anonymous whistleblower sends British Intelligence into a frenzy, threatenin...

Spybrary's James Bond Book Club jumps back to 1966 to discuss Ian Fleming's final book of 007 short stories— Octopussy and The Living Daylights . The episode closes with a forward-looking discussion: spy fiction is exploding , and Fleming's legacy may be less about continuation novels and more about how he opened the floodgates for Len Deighton, John le Carré, Modesty Blaise, Quiller, and the enti...

In this thriller author interview, Spywrite's Jeff Quest sits down with Ace Atkins to dive deep into his nostalgic Cold War spy novel Everybody Wants to Rule the World — a thrilling, 80s-set espionage adventure that blends suburban coming-of-age storytelling with high-stakes KGB intrigue. Support Spybrary on Patreon - help us keep the lights on at the Spybrary Safehouse Atkins shares how discoveri...

Bryan Boling sits down for a spoiler-free chat with novelist Michael Idov , diving into The Cormorant Hunt , the standalone sequel to his acclaimed spy thriller The Collaborators . Idov discusses the challenge of writing a compelling antagonist in Felix Burnham—a fusion of Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate who pushes protagonist Ari Falk to his limits. They explore how real-world extremism, post-COV...

In this gripping episode of the Spybrary Podcast , Adam Brookes sits down with journalist and author Toby Harnden to explore the legacy of his landmark book Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh . They dive into the hidden war fought in the rural heartlands of Northern Ireland during the Troubles, spotlighting the extraordinary reach of IRA intelligence and the massive British surveillance effo...

On this riveting episode of the Spybrary Spy podcast, British political journalist Tim Shipman is once again in conversation with David McCloskey, a former CIA analyst turned novelist, discussing his fourth and most ambitious book yet, The Persian . Departing from his CIA-rooted earlier work, McCloskey dives into the morally murky waters of the Israeli-Iranian shadow war. The novel, a high-stakes...