Features

Interview: Bernard Besson

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When you read a thriller by Bernard Besson, you can be pretty sure he knows what he is talking about. The author is a former chief of staff for the French intelligence services, and now runs a successful consultancy specialising in economic intelligence and business…
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Solo by William Boyd

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Solo is the latest of the James Bond continuation novels, which far outnumber the original books but have never matched Ian Fleming for unflinching brutality, thrilling action sequences and an obsessive accretion of period detail relating to fine dining, men’s tailoring and posh booze. William…
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Features

CIS: William Boyd on James Bond

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Sixty-one years after his creation, James Bond lives on through the films starring Daniel Craig, and the enduringly popular books by Ian Fleming. However, a select band of authors have also been working to carry on the spy’s story, including Kingsley Amis (Colonel Sun, 1968),…
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Reviews

CIS: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

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First published in 1915, it’s hard to believe that The Thirty-Nine Steps is nearly 100 years old. It has formed the basis for a number of film adaptations – usually with the title shortened to The 39 Steps – including the British thriller directed by…
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Dead Lions by Mick Herron

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Every big organisation needs a place to put their screw-ups, and Slough House is where MI5 puts its ‘Slow Horses’. These are the disgraced or incompetent spies the service wants rid of, wearing them down with an endless series of demeaning jobs such as data…
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