Spybrary Spy Podcast

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...

Charles Cumming - British Spy Writer talks about his work on the Spybrary Spy Podcast   Welcome to Episode 51 of the Spybrary Spy podcast today we have a stellar interview lined up for you with British spy writer Mr. Charles Cumming David Craggs, our man in the U.K. goes to West London to interview Charles Cumming about his latest book called The Man Between ( The Moroccan Girl in the USA.) We kno...

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...

On this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, Shane Whaley hosts a round table discussion on the life and books of spy writer Frederick Forsyth. Author and spy, yes spy, Frederick Forsyth has been writing for over 50 years. The former Reuters man is best known for his debut novel 'Day of the Jackal' as well as The Odessa File, The Dogs of War and The Fourth Protocol. He has written almost 30 books...

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...

Thrilling, evocative and hugely controversial, Codename: Hero blows apart the myths surrounding one of the Cold War's greatest spy operations and potentially it's greatest spy Oleg Penkovsky In the late 1950s the USSR appeared to be winning the arms race: their 1949 nuclear test  signaled a direct challenge to the West, changing the face of the Cold War overnight. In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the f...

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 bac...

On today's episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, Jeff Quest of Spywrite joins us to reveal the results of our Spybrary Shelf of Fame 2018. Which 7 spy books made it on the shelf? The categories were: Pre Cold War Spy Novels Cold War Spy Books Post Cold War Spy Books. Hit play and listen in as Jeff shares the voting results.   (The books themselves will appear hear soon - we do not want to ruin the...

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 w...

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,...

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 nation...

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,...

What are your favorite Spy Books? Spybrary is holding a vote for the Spybrary Shelf of Fame, choose from over 100 spy books suggested by our listeners Spybrary needs you to  vote  for your favorite Spy novels. What Spy Books would make your shelf of fame? Spybrarian in Chief – Jeff Quest of  SpyWrite  canvassed Spybrary listeners for  their 5 favorite spy books . He has channeled his inner 'Connie...

On Episode 39, Spybrary Spy Podcast host Shane Whaley brings you interviews from the inaugural Spy Con. Shane caught up with former Spybrary Podcast guests Lt Col Michael Brady (author of Into the Shadows) and Matthew Kresal. He also got to chat Ian Fleming books with RC Layton who owns over 400 Ian Fleming related 007 books and James Strickland the owner of several James Bond tribute cars. Shane...

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 high...

  On Episode 31, Professor Penny Fielding of Edinburgh University (and organiser of Edinburgh spy week) told Spybrary listeners that she felt the spy novel with the most convincing female characters is Restless by William Boyd .     Spybrary podcast listener Clarissa Aykroyd has some well documented issues on the portrayal females in spy books.  She loves the work of John le Carre and admits that...

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 Brit...

Its time to party like its 1989 on this edition of the Spybrary Spy Podcast. Spybrarian Gary Dexter recently visited the Wende Museum and has transmitted his brush pass review of the Wende Museum for fellow Spy and Cold War Fans. Gary reveals why the Wende Museum is a must visit for Spybrarians. The Mission of the Wende Museum: Preserve, Inspire, Explore The mission of the Wende Museum is to prese...

  Spybrary Podcast: Episode 34 With Author MICK HERRON!   In this very special episode of the Spybrary Podcast, Shane turns the mic over to special agent David Craggs (from Episode 23 ) who interviews award-winning British author Mick Herron about his Slough House spy series. Often called ' the heir to John le Carré ,' Herron's popularity and critical acclaim has been (rightly) gathering momentum...

Yesterday's Spy by Len Deighton is the subject of our Brush Pass Review. Listen in to this bite size review from Spybrary contributor Agent Palmer.

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.

On Episode 32 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, host Shane Whaley discovers more about Edinburgh Spy Week 2018 with one of the organisers, Professor Penny Fielding. Penny reveals a stellar line up of speakers  who will be starring at the fifth Edinburgh Spy Week.  Can't make Edinburgh? This interview is still worth listening to you as Shane finds out more about Prof Fielding's love for spy literature a...

Billed as ' Spy Con celebrates espionage and Spy Fiction in all media from literature to television and film. Come be a special agent for the weekend !' Spybrary Host Shane Whaley was keen to find out more, so he got chatting with one of the organizers of Spy Con Matt Sherman who was kind enough to come on the podcast to share more with our listeners.   On this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast,...

Thriller Author Tim Stevens, the man behind the John Purkiss books talks to Spybrary Today we are joined by a spy author who Jeremy Duns says ' should be as well known as Lee Child .' Spywrite.com and Spybrary contributor Jeff Quest also gives our guests'  first spy novel ' Ratcatcher ' a big thumbs up. (Hear Jeff talk about his favourite spy novels on Episode 008 of the Spybrary Spy Podcast .) Th...

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...