Episode description

On this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast we talk to author Merle Nygate all about her first espionage novel The Righteous Spy

In a Goodreads review - Spybrary listener Gary Dexter raves that The Righteous Spy is:

The best espionage book that I have read with a contemporary U.K. setting since Mick Herron's "Slow Horse" series.

Gary has read many a spy novel in his time and does not dish out the praise lightly so we were intrigued to talk to Merle Nygate and find out more.

A twisting international spy thriller, The Righteous Spy is a shocking page turner that portrays a clandestine world in which moral transgressions serve higher causes. A must-read for fans of Homeland, Fauda and The Americans, it will also appeal to readers of Charles Cumming and John le Carré.

Merle Nygate is a screenwriter, script editor, screenwriting lecturer and novelist; she's worked on BAFTA winning TV, New York Festival audio drama and written original sitcoms; previously she worked for BBC Comedy Commissioning as well as writing and script editing across multiple genres. Most recently, Merle completed her first espionage novel which won the Little Brown/UEA Crime Fiction Award. It was described by the judge as 'outstanding'.

In this Spybrary Podcast interview the author of the Righteous Spy reveals that her book was inspired by feedback she received in a class exercise whilst studying for a MA in Crime Fiction.  She shares more about her research for the book and also talks us through her writing process and inspiration.

This is a candid discussion with an author who knows her way around the greats (she lists Len Deighton as her favourite spy author) and shares the story of a pivotal moment when she decided to take writing seriously whilst passing a book store on her way back to her office job one lunch time.