

Spybrary Spy Podcast
Shane Whaley
Spybrary is a podcast for fans of spy books, spy tv and spy movies since 2017. We bring you author interviews and reader discussions on our favorite spy books and novels.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 28, 2020 • 1h 9min
Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming on The James Bond Book Club (126)
It is 1954 and we review the latest Ian Fleming James Bond 007 spy novel, Live and Let Die. With David Craggs, Ian Douglas and Shane Whaley

Oct 16, 2020 • 19min
Spy Author Tea Break - Standpoint with Derek Thompson
Spybrary Spy Book Podcast host Shane Whaley takes time away from the East German Desk to enjoy a 15 minute tea break with spy authors. Today Derek Thompson, author of spy thriller novel Standpoint tells us more about his first book in his Thomas Bladen spy thriller series.

Oct 8, 2020 • 1h 11min
Agent Sonya: Meet Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy with Ben Macintyre and Tim Shipman (124)
Ben Macintyre, author of Agent Sonya makes his debut on the Spybrary Spy Book podcast. Ben sits down with author, journalist, and special agent Tim Shipman to share more about his latest spy non-fiction book. I am embarrassed to say I knew nothing about Soviet spy Ursula Burton. Though there are some very familiar names in this book, notables include Richard Sorge, Klaus Fuchs, Roger Hollis, Alexander Foote and many more. As we have come to expect with Ben Macintyre's writing, Agent Sonya is filled with detail but told in the manner of a gripping spy novel rather than a dry academic tome. Ben discusses how he is enjoying his role as a consultant on the new TV series about Kim Philby and how he is enjoying reading the script based on his book A Spy Among Friends. Ben reveals his next project is a narrative history of Colditz which is due out in 2022

Sep 8, 2020 • 1h 12min
Casino Royale - The James Bond Book Club (122)
What is The James Bond Book Club? Set in the 1950s as the Ian Fleming James Bond books are released, Spybrary Spy Book Podcast hosts David Craggs and Shane Whaley plus a special guest will review the latest Ian Fleming 007 novel. In this episode, spy author, Jeremy Duns joins Shane and David to give you their opinions on Ian Fleming's debut novel Casino Royale.

Sep 6, 2020 • 1h 12min
Dead Doubles: The Extraordinary Worldwide Hunt for One of the Cold War's Most Notorious Spy Rings with Trevor Barnes
If you are fascinated by the Portland Spy Ring you are going to love this. If you know nothing about the Portland Spy Ring you are going to love this. I often say that spy fact is often more intriguing than spy fiction and that is what we get in Trevor Barnes' book Dead Doubles. Author Trevor Barnes joins us on the Spybrary Spy Book Podcast to share more about this fascinating story of spying and counter-intelligence. He is expertly debriefed by guest host Chris Carr, the host and producer of the Secrets and Spies Podcast.

Aug 31, 2020 • 8min
The Human Factor by Graham Greene. Brush Pass Review (120)
Author and Spy Book fan, Andy Onyx gives us his brush pass spy book review of The Human Factor by Graham Greene.

Aug 20, 2020 • 21min
Agent Running in the Field by John le Carre - Review (119)
Today sees the release of John le Carre's most recent work, Agent Running In The Field in paperback. To celebrate its publication, John le Carre fan and Spybrarian Clarissa Aykroyd deliver us a quick brush pass review about Agent Running In The Field. Following Clarissa's review of the novel, you can hear from John le Carre himself as he reads Chapter 1 of Agent Running In The Field for us.

Aug 14, 2020 • 35min
Introducing The James Bond Book Club with David Craggs (118)
What is The James Bond Book Club? Set in the 1950s as the Ian Fleming James Bond books are released, Spybrary Spy Book Podcast hosts David Craggs and Shane Whaley plus a special guest will review the latest Ian Fleming 007 novel. In this episode, Shane and David discuss the themes they hope to explore as they embark on a journey through the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. On the James Bond Book Club, we will dissect each 007 novel in order and by : 1) Discussing the timing of each book. The year in which it was written. The zeitgeist of that time. Key historic and cultural events. 2) Background to the plot and any links to Fleming’s personal experiences. 3) The U.K. first edition cover art. 4) The plot. 5) Locations 6) Bond’s character development. 7) The Villain. 8) La femme fatale. 9) The supporting cast. 10) The branding. 11) Key set pieces and the best chapters. 12) Critical reception We will not be referring to or discussing the 007 movies. We will only be referencing previous books rather than those published in the future - as if we are experiencing the work of Fleming for the first time. More details soon.

Aug 7, 2020 • 51min
Interview with Spy Thriller Author Simon Conway (117)
Spybrary, the Spy Book Podcast's David Craggs interviews spy thriller author Simon Conway about his life in the military, clearing land mines, and writing spy books. Simon has had five novels published including A Loyal Spy, winner of the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. His latest novel The Stranger is published on August 13th.

Jul 17, 2020 • 1h 8min
Espionage Magazine Remembered - with writer Josh Pachter. (116)
On this episode, Spywrite's Jeff Quest talks with Josh Pachter about the mid eighties digest Espionage Magazine. It was dedicated to doing something we hadn't seen before. Printing short spy fiction. Josh has been a published author since he was 16 years old and had numerous pieces published in that magazine and has had pieces published in various magazines over the years. And to that effect, he's the most recent recipient of the Short Fiction Mystery Society's Golden Derringer. Josh's latest project is the misadventures of Nero Wolfe, a collection of parodies and pastiches about one of the great 20th century detectives. If you're interested in that project, you can hear more about it in an interview. I did with Josh, for my podcast, Like the Wolfe, but let's turn to spies first."