Events

On board the Queen Mary 2, somewhere on the Atlantic!
8-15 December 2025

I joined a dozen authors and journalists on board the famed QM2 for this cruise from New York to Southampton. With us will be the Rev Richard Coles, Peter Hanington, Hadley Freeman, Georgina Godwin, Julia Wheeler, Simon Armitage, Amelia Dalton, Andrew O’Hagan, Rebecca Jones, Jasper Fforde, and many more.

Newbury Corn Exchange
27 September 2025

From the very beginning of fiction, writers have plundered the world of spies, but for decades one spy dominated them all... Now though, espionage fiction is changing. Join me, Jack Jewers, Jane Thynne and Greg Mosse about writing spy thrillers in the shadow of James Bond.

Chiswick
11.30am | 14 September 2025

I chatted with the brilliant MJ Rowbotham and Asia Mackay about spies, lies and serial killers… We talked to Katie Tyler about writing "thrilling, killing women" – and if that tagline doesn't hook you in, I don't know what will.

London
4.10pm | 13 June 2025

Espionage for the Modern Reader

I was delighted to appear on a panel with Charles Cumming, Nick Harkaway and the legendary Vaseem Khan at the mother of all crime-writing festivals, Capital Crime.

Stratford-upon-Avon
12pm | 10 May 2025

In conversation with Ava Glass and Stig Abel

I chatted with the brilliant Stig Abel about writing thrillers, our background experience and how we work.

Farnham
7.30pm | 12 March 2025

An evening with Lorraine Kelly

In conversation with TV powerhouse Lorraine Kelly, talking about her new amazing novel.

Shoreham, Sussex
19 October 2024

On stage with some brilliant crime authors at this seaside festival.

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
12 October 2024

I talked spy fiction at this truly glamorous festival, along with remarkable bestselling authors
Ben McIntyre and Charles Cumming.

Guildford, Surrey
20 October 2024

I chatted to author Kate Summerscale about her incredible non-fiction book, The Peepshow.

Petworth, Sussex
29 October 2024

I interviewed the brilliant author and journalist Hadley Freeman.

Chester, Cheshire
8 November 2024

Exploring our collective fascination with spy fiction past and present.

Isle of Bute, Scotland
3 August 2024

I joined other writers to talk about how to decide where to set your novel at the coolest literary festival in the Scottish islands.

Lulworth, Dorset
28 July 2024

Tent-based chat about spies with Jack Jewers, Greg Mosse and Tim Glister at this incredible summer festival.

Harrogate, Yorkshire
20 July 2024

I dived into the world of spies with Mick Herron, Kim Sherwood, Terry Hayes and Charlotte Philby at the best crime fiction festival in the world.

Farnham, Surrey
2 March 2024

Between me and the other three authors on this panel, we’d written spies operating in every kind of setting – from the historical to a future dystopia. We talked about the enduring lure of spy fiction – past, present and future.

Hay-on-Wye, Wales
25 November 2023

Spies, Lies and Illusion

Talking with Kim Sherwood to journalist Oliver Bullough about the enduring appeal of spy fiction and why we still love it so much — but also how we’re bringing it up to date in our novels.

Shoreham, Sussex
14 October 2023

Spies And Other Subterfuges

I chatted to Simon Toyne, Saima Mir, and Matthew Richardson talking about writing about spies. What are the rules? How do we craft the perfect spy? We shared all our tricks.

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
10 October 2023

The Life Of A Spy

What does it take to be a spy? I joined psychologists and authors Adrian Furnham and John Taylor, who wrote a fascinating book called The Psychology of Spies, to explore the minds of secret agents – both real and imagined.

Stirling, Stirlingshire
16 September 2023

The Evolution Of Espionage

I joined two other authors – John Brownlow and Chris Lloyd – to talk about writing spies in the modern age. What is a modern spy? How do our spies compare to the fictional spies of the past? What can we bring to our books that makes this genre feel immediate and new to readers who have read it all?

Chiswick, London
10 September 2023

Writing Suspense: Keep The Pages Turning

How do authors build suspense and keep the pace moving in novels like The Chase and The Traitor?  I chatted to the wonderful Victoria Selman, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Truly Darkly Deeply, about how we try to ratchet up suspense and keep our readers hooked. 

Harrogate, Yorkshire
21 July 2023

Writing Spies In The Shadow Of Bond

I joined three other panellists – Greg Mosse, author of The Coming Darkness, Tim Glister, author of A Game of Deceit, and Jack Jewers, author of The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys – to talk about writing spies in the shadow of the most famous spy of them all. Are we all trying to write a new James Bond?

Lyme Regis, Dorset
16 June 2023

Spies Like Us: From Fact To Fiction

I joined three other panellists – Charlotte Philby, undercover journalist Holly Watt, and historic fiction author and filmmaker Jack Jewers – to talk about writing spies. How do our experiences find their way into our writing? And why are female spies so rare in fiction?

Glasgow
27 May 2023

Spies At Home And Abroad

I chatted to BBC Radio 4 presenter James Naughtie about all things SPY at this fantastic festival in Scotland. There were many secrets and lies.

Chester, Cheshire
23 November 2022

How To Write Your First Novel

I was on a panel with Bea Setton, author of the book Berlin, and Claire Alexander, author of Meredith Alone, discussing how you write that first novel! Everything from Chapter One to The End.

London
1 October 2022

Secrets And The Spies That Keep Them

Talking thrilling espionage with Tim Glister, Mick Herron, Marina Palmer and James Swallow.

Guildford, Surrey
5 October 2022

Whispers, Secrets And Lies

Talking all things thriller with Tom Hindle and Heidi Perks. We shared our secrets on how to keep readers gripped!

London
1 September 2022

London As The Perfect Setting

If you’ve read The Chase, you know London is more than a setting to me – I’ve used it as a character. I discussed this along with authors Amen Alonge, David Fennell, and Erin Kelly.