Spybrary Spy Podcast

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 fascination with espionage fiction, the influence of John le Carré, the real history that feeds into his novels, and why the analogue world of Cold War spying remains such fertile ground for a novelist.
Along the way, William reveals the remarkable real-life MI6 figure who helped inspire Faith Green, shares his thoughts on the JFK assassination, reflects on the old-boy network that once dominated British intelligence, and explains how a television project that never came to fruition ultimately helped give birth to Gabriel Dax.
They also discuss:
• Why the best spy novels force the reader to think
• Betrayal, false identities and the double and triple bluff
• John le Carré and the literary tradition of spy fiction
• How Gabriel Dax is gradually becoming a more accomplished spy
• The real intelligence officer behind Faith Green
• MI6, the CIA and Cold War regime change
• Why modern surveillance makes contemporary espionage harder to write
• The unexpected origins of the Gabriel Dax series
• What could come next for Gabriel
A fascinating conversation with one of Britain's most celebrated novelists about spies, history, writing — and the enduring appeal of espionage fiction.
Featuring William Boyd in conversation with Ollie Webb Carter for Spybrary.

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, and how conversations with former American and British intelligence officers shaped the book. He also introduces the wonderfully British intelligence concept of "deep chat"—those unofficial conversations where trusted allies may share rather more than appears in the official cables.
There's plenty for Artemis Procter fans too. David discusses her move to London, why she is spectacularly ill-suited to the diplomatic side of the job, and the changes the character is going through.
And then comes one of the episode's best stories: McCloskey reveals what happened when he unexpectedly came face-to-face at CIA headquarters with the former colleague he had in mind when he first created Artemis.
Plus: Bobby Jerome, CIA vs MI6 tensions, how McCloskey researched Vauxhall Cross, his direct sequel to Damascus Station, the Artemis TV series, Moscow X on film, and what's coming next.
A must-listen for David McCloskey readers, Artemis Procter devotees, and anyone fascinated by the real world behind modern spy fiction.

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 joins us to discuss Traitors, a geopolitical thriller shaped by his background in law, Washington and international affairs. He reveals how real-world stories involving Russia, Ukraine, Finland, nuclear weapons and ballistic submarines helped inspire the novel—and how his legal experience taught him to think about lies, interrogation and the search for truth.

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McCaw also explains why he believes a thriller writer has to "play fair" with the reader: the clues should be there, the twists should feel earned, and even the most dramatic developments need to feel possible. Along the way, we explore his unusual path to publication—from spending nearly 20 years on his first novel and self-publishing it, to a chance encounter on a Mediterranean cruise that led to a literary agent and, eventually, Traitors being published by W. W. Norton.

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 developed from a simple action thriller to drawing out parallels of how deep cover spies and immigrants share a need to to mould themselves to their surroundings.

The conversation explores Jinwoo's influences, from the Bourne films and Robert Ludlum to John le Carré and The Sympathizer, to conversations with his uncle — a former deputy director in South Korea's National Intelligence Service. It also explains why spies should never be rude to taxi drivers.

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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 story of Sweden's secret Stay Behind resistance network — a clandestine organisation created in 1949 to operate behind enemy lines in the event of a Soviet invasion.


Drawing on previously classified documents, archival research and first-hand testimony from surviving members, Johan reveals how ordinary Swedes — farmers, insurance brokers, businessmen and travelling salesmen — were secretly recruited into cells designed to survive occupation.

They trained in intelligence gathering, clandestine communications, psychological warfare and resistance operations, all while keeping their involvement hidden from colleagues, friends and even their own families.

We also explore Sweden's real relationship with NATO during the Cold War, Soviet submarine incursions, Cold War traitors, the human cost of living a secret life — and why one of Sweden's most important intelligence chiefs bears an uncanny resemblance to George Smiley.

And, naturally, the conversation eventually turns to spy fiction, John le Carré, Len Deighton, Carl Hamilton, Jan Guillou and the surprisingly underdeveloped world of Swedish spy novels.