Spybrary Spy Podcast

And now for something completely different. We just decoded a brush pass from, author Clarke Mayer who shares his thoughts on a spy video game called Metal Gear Solid.

Welcome to Episode 176 of the Spybrary Spy Book podcast. Spywrite's Jeff Quest speaks to author Alma Katsu, formerly with the NSA and CIA. Katsu’s latest book, Red Widow, follows a CIA mole hunt. It’s been optioned for television and is out in paperback on March 1st.  They discuss switching from NSA to CIA and back again, the explosive growth of social media and its effect on espionage, and the unique challenges women face in government bureaucracies. Plus, we talk a bit about some of the things Hollywood gets wrong about spies. All that and more in this episode of Spybrary. Red Widow is 'An exhilarating spy thriller about two women CIA agents who become intertwined around a threat to the Russia Division–one that’s coming from inside the agency.'

Spy Author Paul Vidich returns to the Spybrary Spy Podcast to talk about his latest spy novel The Matchmaker, set in Berlin in 1989. In the vein of Graham Greene and John le Carré, The Matchmaker delivers a chilling Cold War spy story set in West Berlin, where an American woman targeted by the Stasi must confront the truth behind her German husband's mysterious disappearance. More about The Matchmaker - A Spy in Berlin by Paul Vidich Berlin, 1989.  Protests across East Germany threaten the Iron Curtain and Communism is the ill man of Europe. Anne Simpson, an American who works as a translator at the Joint Operations Refugee Committee, thinks she is in a normal marriage with a charming East German. But then her husband disappears and the CIA and Western German intelligence arrive at her door. Nothing about her marriage is as it seems. She had been targeted by the Matchmaker—a high level East German counterintelligence officer—who runs a network of Stasi agents. These agents are his "Romeos" who marry vulnerable women in West Berlin to provide them with cover as they report back to the Matchmaker. Anne has been married to a spy, and now he has disappeared, and is presumably dead. The CIA are desperate to find the Matchmaker because of his close ties to the KGB.  They believe he can establish the truth about a high-ranking Soviet defector. They need Anne because she's the only person who has seen his face - from a photograph that her husband mistakenly left out in his office - and she is the CIA’s best chance to identify him before the Matchmaker escapes to Moscow. Time is running out as the Berlin Wall falls and chaos engulfs East Germany. But what if Anne's husband is not dead? And what if Anne has her own motives for finding the Matchmaker to deliver a different type of justice?

In this episode of Spy Rewind Matthew and Jeff take a look at the episode "Enemy of the State" of the 60’s tv show The Baron.   They discuss some reasons why The Baron was a misfire upon its release in the US, Steve Forest’s living up to his name with some wooden acting, and marvel at the head scratching decision to switch the character from an actual Baron into an American oil baron. Plus they discuss important considerations to remember before arranging your border spy swap! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.   Mentioned on the show -    Matthew’s review of The Baron - https://doubleosection.blogspot.com/2011/11/dvd-review-baron-complete-series.html    Jeff’s Bad Baron Photo Covers -  https://spywrite.com/2022/02/21/broken-covers-john-creasey-the-baron-edition/    Streaming on Britbox in the US.   Matthew’s Website - https://doubleosection.blogspot.com/    Matthew’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/DoubleOSection    Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/  Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite 

Welcome to Episode 173 of the Spybrary Spy Book podcast. Today, we bring you a spy author interview. Spybrary hosts Shane Whaley and David Craggs find out more about Damascus Station with spy writer, author, and former CIA analyst David McCloskey

In this episode of Spy Rewind Matthew and Jeff take a look at the episode "I Spy Apocalypse" of the early 2000’s tv show called Spooks in the UK and MI5 in the US. They discuss how the show helped revive the tv spy, why VX gas is so nasty and you should avoid being trapped in with your officemates at the end of the world. Plus Jeff reveals what he thinks is a hidden connection between the show and HBO’s Succession! All that and more in this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast. Mentioned on the show -  Spooks/MI5 wiki page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spooks_(TV_series)  Streaming on Britbox in the US or BBC iPlayer in the UK. An oral history on Spooks - https://www.empireonline.com/spooks/part1.html  The two Mr. Darcy’s spy movie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat_(film)  Matthew’s Website - https://doubleosection.blogspot.com/  Matthew’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/DoubleOSection  Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/  Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite 

If like me, you are a big fan of audiobooks then it is highly likely that you have listened to today's guest Scott Brick narrating one of your favorite thriller audiobooks. In this conversation, Shane finds out more about life behind the mic with Scott Brick. We learn how he got started in the business plus some of his tips and tricks for delivering engaging audio and top drawer storytelling. Scott Brick also answers Spybrary listener questions such as: You recorded an excellent new version of THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER to go with you previous Clancy recordings. I was hoping you’d finish off the initial run of Clancy originals with new versions of THE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. Why didn’t they have you do those ones? Any chance you still will? You did an excellent job on so many original Robert Ludlum titles. Are there any more in your future? It would be great to hear you read the MATARESE novels, and they’re overdue for new versions! You took over the Jack Reacher series from Dick Hill, who had a very distinctive delivery style. How conscious were you of following in someone else’s footsteps? Did you do anything differently because of that? Are there any spy series or characters you HAVEN’T recorded that you’d really like a crack at?

Jason King returns to the Spybrary Podcast for his annual appearance to share his best espionage novels of 2021. This is the most requested feature of Spybrary, requested by spouses, friends, and relatives who purchase Birthday and Holiday presents for loved ones based on the Jason King picks. (I kid you not!)

In this New Year’s Eve episode of Spy Rewind Matthew and Jeff welcome a special guest. Oscar winner and Man From U.N.C.L.E. superfan Robert Short join them to take a look at "The Adriatic Express Affair" a New Year’s Eve-themed episode of the classic 60’s spy show. They discuss how Bob would explore the sets of U.N.C.L.E. as a kid, his family connection to the show, and some of the ways U.N.C.L.E. broke new spy tv ground. Plus we talk about terrible double entendres, questionable spy gadgets and why you should probably avoid starting a cognac-based fire in your jail cell! All that and more in this episode of Spybrary. Mentioned on the show -  The episode via DailyMotion - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x810alr  The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_U.N.C.L.E.  Morgan Richter’s U.N.C.L.E recaps - https://preppiesoftheapocalypse.blogspot.com/p/uncle.html  Bob’s U.N.C.L.E. Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/369560823208688/  Matthew’s Website - https://doubleosection.blogspot.com/  Matthew’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/DoubleOSection  Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/  Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite 

In this episode of Spybrary Jeff dives into some of the most serious and silly questions faced by spy fans. He is joined by an all-star panel of guests - Jeremy Duns, Hannah Cooper and Shane Whaley. They tackle a wide range of espionage enigmas.   Some of the questions covered are -    From now on either every spy novel must be set in Berlin or no spy novels can ever be set in Berlin again. Which do you choose? Would you use your kid as camouflage while doing spy activity? Volcano lair vs underwater lair vs moonbase lair?   All that and more in this episode of Spybrary.   So settle in by the fire, pour yourself a drink of your favorite beverage and prepare to come to your own conclusions and share them with us as you listen! Tweet @spybrary with your opinion as we tackle these questions or hop on the discussion thread on the Spybrary Discussion group.   Mentioned on the show -    What is Water Polo? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_polo    Blood in the Water match - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_in_the_Water_match  Hannah’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/MrsSimonTemplar    Hannah’s Website - https://backintimefortv.co.uk/   Jeremy’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/JeremyDuns  Jeremy’s Website - https://www.jeremy-duns.com/    Shane’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/spybrary    Shane’s Website - https://spybrary.com/    Jeff’s Website - https://spywrite.com/  Jeff on Twitter - https://twitter.com/spywrite