Simon Mayo's Books of the Year

For Jack Reacher's 25th adventure, author Lee Child brings in his younger brother Andrew to help. Here they chat about the process, the Chuckle Brothers and stitching up Ian Rankin... from their homes in Colorado and Wyoming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best selling spy author Ben MacIntyre turns his attention to our Q&A on his favourite books, authors and spy films Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben MacIntyre writes fantastic books about real life spies. Agent Sonya is another one. Ursula Kuczynski Burton was a spymaster, saboteur, bomb-maker and secret agent - who spent a large part of her career in rural Oxfordshire. Codenamed 'Agent Sonya', her story has never been told - until now. From planning an assassination attempt on Hitler in Switzerland, to spying on the Japanese in Manchuria, to preventing nuclear war (or so she believed) by stealing the science of atomic weaponry from Britain to give to Moscow, Ursula conducted some of the most dangerous espionage operations of the twentieth century. Simon Mayo, Matt Williams and all Books of the Year affiliates would like to make it very clear that Ben MacIntyre is not a spy and never has been a spy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author of V2, Fatherland and Munich tells us about about his favourite books and authors...which include Just William, Maigret, Kingsley Amis and and AJP Taylor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon and Matt chat to the best-selling author of Fatherland and Munich. Robert Harris's new novel is a WWII thriller about a German rocket engineer, a former actress turned British spy, and the Nazi rocket program. It's November 1944, Willi Graf, a German rocket engineer, is launching Nazi Germany's V2 rockets at London from Occupied Holland. Kay Connolly, once an actress, now a young English Intelligence officer, ships out for Belgium to locate the launch sites and neutralize the threat. But when rumours of a defector circulate through the German ranks, Graf becomes a suspect. Unknown to each other, Graf and Connolly find themselves on opposite sides of the hunt for the saboteur. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the key figures in British politics for the past 30 years, Alastair Campbell tells us about his favourite books and authors. Alastair is a British journalist, broadcaster and political aide. He worked as Tony Blair's spokesman and campaign director (1994–1997), then as Downing Street Press Secretary (1997–2000) for Blair, who was then Labour Prime Minister. He then became Downing Street Director of Communications and spokesman for the Labour Party (2000–2003). He resigned in August 2003. Since then he has been a prolific writer and speaker - and an advocate for mental health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Last Christmas I almost killed myself. Almost. I've had a lot of almosts. Never gone from almost to deed. Don't think I ever will. But it was a bad almost." Living Better is Alastair Campbell's honest, moving and life affirming account of his lifelong struggle with depression. It is an autobiographical, psychological and psychiatric study, which explores his own childhood, family and other relationships, and examines the impact of his professional and political life on himself and those around him. But it also lays bare his relentless quest to understand depression not just through his own life but through different treatments. Alastair Campbell is a writer, communicator and strategist best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. A former 'Mind Champion of the Year', he is an ambassador for several mental health charities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late? Richard Osman is an author, producer and television presenter. The Thursday Murder Club is his first novel. He is well known for TV shows including Pointless and Richard Osman’s House of Games. As the creative director of Endemol UK, Richard has worked as an executive producer on numerous shows including Deal Or No Deal and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He is also a regular on panel and game shows such as Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You and Taskmaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV producer and presenter - and now author... Richard Osman tells us about some of his favourite books and authors...which include Ben MacIntyre, Marian Keyes and Viz! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the world's most prolific and successful authors takes over presenting duties to interview Simon Mayo (Itch, Mad Blood Stirring, Radio 1 Roadshow). Simon's new thriller is Knife Edge. In a series of coordinated attacks, seven men and women across London have been targeted. For journalist Famie Madden, the horror unfolds as she arrives for the morning shift. The victims have one thing in common: they make up the investigations team at the news agency where Famie works. The question everyone's asking: what were they working on that could prompt such brutal devastation? As Famie starts to receive mysterious messages, she must find out whether she is being warned of the next attack, or being told that she will be the next victim... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.