Spybrary Spy Podcast

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? The answer may involve his boss and drinking companion: Kim Philby.
Guest host Matt Hurst debriefs Professor Kevin Ruane — Greene scholar and Director of the Graham Greene International Festival — on the novelist's secret double life.
In this episode:
The Greene family spy business: an uncle in Naval Intelligence, a sister in SIS, a brother running black ops in Malaya, and another spying for three countries at once (badly)
Why Greene quit SIS on the eve of D-Day — and the Philby theory
"Recreational espionage": how Greene's letters reveal decades of meetings with "the old firm" before trips to Vienna, Cuba, Poland and Vietnam
The Quiet American: the 1955 novel that predicted the Vietnam War, and why journalists like David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan carried it in their knapsacks
Was Greene spying in Vietnam? The "Catholic solution" and the hunt for a third force
The 1958 film Greene called a travesty — and his fan letter to Sean Connery for a remake that never happened
Greene vs le Carré: the endorsement that made le Carré's name, and the letter that said "you're not my friend"
Why Greene would love Slow Horses
This is the first of what we hope will be many episodes exploring the great spy novelists — subscribe to Spybrary so you don't miss what's coming.
The Graham Greene International Festival runs 24-27 September in Berkhamsted, UK — 30 minutes from London Euston. Spy highlights include Ben Brown's play A Splinter of Ice, Robert Verkaik on The Writer and the Traitor, and le Carré biographer Adam Sisman on Greene and le Carré. Tickets at grahamgreenebt.org
 All links at spybrary.com/306

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.

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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 as a nail-biting new entry in the BOX 88 series, ICARUS 17 sees Kite pulled back into fieldwork when Martha Rain, a woman from his past, asks for his help in finding her missing son, Max.


Max and his girlfriend Yasmine have disappeared in Athens, but they are not simply missing. They are on the run, hunted by two rival agencies with orders to kill. The secret they are carrying could destabilise the Middle East for a generation, and if Kite fails to save them, the consequences will be catastrophic.

Alongside the new novel, Shane and Joe talk with Charles about his writing process, his approach to writing modern espionage fiction, and his experiences working in the writers' rooms of some of the spy television shows and films enjoyed by Spybrary listeners.

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-moving thriller.

The conversation also digs into Thor's writing process, his research network of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and diplomatic sources, and how he builds authentic detail even when he has not personally visited a location. Thor reflects on his early career as a travel show host, the honeymoon conversation that pushed him to write his first novel, his friendship with Vince Flynn, the collaborative thriller Cold Zero with Ward Larsen, and the Netflix film adaptation currently in development.



Key Topics and Themes

Brad Thor's 25th Scot Harvath thriller, Choke Point
China's Belt and Road Initiative and global infrastructure influence
Thailand, the Strait of Malacca, and the strategic value of a Thai canal
The evolution of Scot Harvath
Post-9/11 thriller fiction and the rise of the American action-spy hero
Real-world tradecraft, bomb-making research, and responsible thriller detail
Writing geopolitical thrillers that teach readers something without slowing the pace
Bangkok as an underused spy-fiction setting
Collaboration with Ward Larsen on Cold Zero
The Netflix adaptation of Cold Zero
British spy-fiction influences: Fleming, le Carré, Forsyth, MacLean, Deighton
Brad Thor Official Website
Follow Tim Shipman
Buy Choke Point
The Top 125 Spy Authors Ranked and Rated by Tim Shipman
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