Episodes
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Join Oliver Webb-Carter as he talks to William Boyd, the best-selling novelist, about his new book Gabriel's Moon. Gabriel Dax is a young man in sixties London who becomes drawn into the murky world of espionage. William and Oliver talk about why literary writers are drawn to writing spy novels. They talk about James Bond, and Graham Greene and the art of writing.
Buy the book here.
Follow William Boyd here.
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The inaugural Books of the Year from the Spymasters Podcast. Join your host Antonia Senior as she talks to three special guests about their books of the year.
Oliver Webb-Carter is the Editor of Aspects of History, and the host of our sister podcast, the Aspects of History podcast. https://aspectsofhistory.com/
Paul Burke is the host of the brilliant Crimetimefm podcast, and is writing an encyclopedia of spy fiction, due out in 2025. https://www.crimetime.co.uk/crimetime-fm-the-crime-fiction-interview-podcast/
Thomas Waugh is a writer of contemporary spy thrillers, including the Daniel Ambler series https://www.a's mazon.co.uk/stores/Thomas-Waugh/author/B001HPRLFY?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
The books we discuss on this chat include
Ben Macintyre's The Siege
Henry Hemming's Four Shots in the Night
IS Berry's The Peacock and the Sparrow
David McCloskey's Moscow X
Tim Tate's To Catch a Spy
Nigel West's Classified
Henry Porter's The Enigma Girl
Merle Negate's Honour Among Spies
Mick Heron's The Secret Hours
William Boyd's Gabriel's Moon
Jane Thynne's Midnight in Vienna
Alex Gerlis: Every Spy a Traitor
The conversation covers a range of themes, including character-driven narratives, historical contexts, and the evolution of intelligence writing. Each guest presents their selections, providing insights into the authors' styles and the significance of their works in the genre. In this engaging conversation, the panel delvesinto the intricate world of espionage, exploring the ideological divides between American and Communist perspectives, the moral dilemmas faced by spies, and the complexities of British intelligence secrecy. The discussion also highlights the evolution of spy fiction, particularly in relation to real historical events, and examines modern trends in the genre, culminating in a review of notable spy books.
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Missing episodes?
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Michael Smith, intelligence expert, talks to Oliver Webb-Carter, editor of Aspects of History, about Trump, Foreign Policy and Intelligence.
Michael talks about how the re-election of Trump will effect the special relationship between British and American intelligence services. Oliver and Michael discuss the prospects for the Middle East, Ukraine and more, under the new Trump administration.
Michael is is a British author who specializes in spies and espionage. He is also a former member of the board of the Bletchley Park Trust. Michael has written 16 books, and his most recent is The Real Special Relationship, The True Story of How the British and US Secret Services Work.
Buy the book here
Follow Michael here
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Kevin Riehle is the author of The Russian FSB, A Concise History of the Federal Security Service. Dr Riehle spent 30 years working for the US Government in various intelligence roles before switching to academia.
The Russian FSB is the first English history book to trace the rise of Putin's Security Service. We talk about Putin, corruption and succession. What place does the FSB have in Russian society? How does it install fear? What continuity is there with its famed and feared predecessor, the KGB?
Buy the book here.
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Antonia Senior talks to IS Berry about her debut novel The Peacock and the Sparrow. It has garnered rave reviews, and has won the Edgar Award for best first novel. It's set in Bahrain during the Arab Spring, and follows the misadventures of disillusioned CIA officer Shane Collins.
IS Berry was in the CIA for six years, and she writes with thrilling authenticity about life as a spy. we talk about her leap from spy to writer, about her influenced, and the toll that espionage can take on the soul.
Buy the book here
Follow IS Berry: https://isberry.net/
Follow IS Berry on X: @isberryauthor
Follow spymasters on X: @spymasterspod
Follow Antonia: @tonisenior
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In this episode of the Spymasters podcast, Antonia Senior talks to Alec Marsh, author of the Drabble and Harris series of historical thrillers. The talk ranges from Istanbul, to the peculiar atmosphere of the 1930s, espionage and beyond.
Buy the book here: https://amzn.eu/d/eoCm7PZ
Follow Alec Marsh: https://www.alecmarsh.co.uk/ on X: @alecmarsh
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The SpyMasters podcasts interviews all the best writers about spying: fact and fiction, historical and contemporary.
In this episode, Antonia Senior talks to the brilliant journalist, writer and documentary maker Tim Tate about the Spycatcher Affair. We talk about the culture of secrecy at MI5, about Thatcher's involvement, about Peter Wright, the molecatcher turned whistleblower.
Buy the book here.
Follow Tim here
Find Spymasters on X @spymasterspod
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Antonia Senior talks to acclaimed novelist Jane Thynne about her new book Midnight in Vienna. Set in London and Vienna in 1938 it follows a young unemployed English tutor called Stella Fry and a disgraced MI5 watcher called Harry Fox, as they unite to investigate the murder of a celebrated detective novelist.
We talk Nazis, the parallels between the 1930s and the present day, and, of course spies.
Buy the book here.
Follow Jane here.
Follow Spymasters on X at @spymasterspod
Follow Antonia Senior on X @tonisenior
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Antonia Senior interviews Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman about their fascinating new book Spycraft. What did it mean to be a spy in Early Modern England? What tips and tricks of the trade were employed against England's enemies?
And who was the mysterious 'Q' of the Elizabethan spy trade?
We talk secret ink, cyphers, and much more
Buy the book: https://amzn.eu/d/jj62Dzm
Follow the authors on x: @elegantfowl @Misswalsingham
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Spymasters meets Merle Nygate, the author of Honour Among Spies. The second in Merle's books about Eli Amiram, Mossad's top spy runner, it was a Times thriller of the month. Eli is now chief of Mossad's London operation. He needs an audacious coup to cement his position.
Merle and your host, Antonia Senior talk fiction, Mossad and the challenges to writing.
Buy the book: https://amzn.eu/d/iZGaR5b
Follow Merle: @MerleNygate https://merlenygate.com/
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Hugh Wilford joins SpyMasters to talk about his brilliant new book: The CIA, An Imperial History. Hugh is Professor of United States History at California State University, and a leading expert on the history of the CIA.
His new book is a groundbreaking study of the history of the world's most famous intelligence agency. The book places the history of the CIA into a global context, in which the Cold War is a clash of empires.
We talk about the founders of the CIA, the rise of covert action, and the Agency's unique role in American history.
Buy the book: https://amzn.eu/d/0hpxkVpP
Let us know what you think on X: @spymasterspod
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Oliver Webb-Carter, the editor of Aspects of History, picks his top 5 books and his top 3 films about espionage. Some left-field options here from Oliver! Let us know what you think on X @spymasters
We talk about the new SpyMasters anthology of top spy writing.
And Ollie's picks:
RISE and Kill First, Ronan Bergman. Buy.
Operation Chiffon, Peter Taylor. Buy
The Sympathiser, Viet Thanh Nguyen Buy
Goldfinger, Ian Fleming. Buy
One Day in September, Simon Reeve. Buy
Films:
Zero Days
Living Daylights
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
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In this episode, we talk to Roger Moorhouse, the acclaimed historian of Central and Eastern Europe. Roger's new book, The Forgers, is the fascinating story of how a group of Polish diplomats sought to save Jewish victims of the Holocaust by issuing false passports.
Roger's book also covers the subject of espionage and the holocaust, and how the brave agents of Polish intelligence sought to bring news of the horrific genocide to the outside world. This is the fascinating subject of this week's episode.
https://aspectsofhistory.com/spy-masters-podcasts/
Buy the book here: https://amzn.eu/d/01ZnlVLV
Follow Roger on X: @Roger_Moorhouse
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Top Spy novelist Alex gerlis joins Antonia Senior to talk about his new book, Every Spy a Traitor. The first in a new series, it follows the adventures of two British men who end up working for the NVKD in the run up to WW2.
We talk about the 1930s, the mindset of spies, and the perils of intricate, multi-book plots.
Buy the book: https://amzn.eu/d/fJMM8dx
More on Alex: https://alexgerlis.co.uk/
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Top spy novelist Thomas Waugh talks to Antonia Senior about his trilogy featuring the reluctant spy Daniel Ambler. We talk Putin, oligarchs, publishing and more.....
Buy End Game here:
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In the second of an epic two-part series about the espionage wars between East and West, top intelligence historian Calder Walton talks Putin, disinformation and the decline of the Soviet Union. We talk about how Putin, the former KGB officer, turned his former service into a private mafia army. We turn to the threat from China, whose intelligence gathering operation against the West is on a scale never seen before.
Buy Calder's book here.
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The first of two episodes with Dr Calder Walton. This one looks at the development of the intelligence war between the West and the Soviet Union from 1917, follows the story through the fulcrum period of the Second World War and pushes on into the intense espionage games of the Cold War.
Based at Harvard's Kennedy Business School, Calder Walton is one of the world's leading experts on intelligence and national security.
We talk about Marx, the Great Illegals and the Cambridge Five. We talk about a US administration which was riddled with spies. How did intelligence affect the Cold War? How crucial was Oleg Gordievsky?
Next time, we will be talking about espionage, Russia and the West, beyond the Cold War.
The conversation is an insight into Calder's brilliant, bestselling book. Just out in paperback, SPIES: The epic intelligence war between East and West, is a masterful and comprehensive look at the incredible story of Soviet and Western espionage. The West, Calder argues, has a long term Russia problem. Christopher Andrew called it 'a masterpiece'.
Buy Calder's book: https://amzn.eu/d/08N5KXb
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What was it like to meet Anthony Blunt? How did the British Security Service try to stop Nigel West uncovering its secrets? And what qualities do you need to spend your career delving into the murky, shifting waters of intelligence?
Join Antonia Senior as she quizzes Nigel West about a lifetime writing about intelligence, and his brilliant memoir: Classified!: The Adventures of a Molehunter.
Buy the book here.
https://aspectsofhistory.com/spy-masters-podcasts/
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How did August revolutionise Roman intelligence? How connected was Caesar? What intelligence failures dogged the Roman republic?
All these questions answered and more by top novelist, Peter Tonkin.
Buy the the Caesar's Spies' omnibus here.
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