Tag: jbbc

Old spy, new tricks. This month we’re switching gears to a more current-day M16 and reading… A Spy in the Blood by Paul Warner.  

OVERVIEW

Mark Wolfe used to be a top secret-agent for MI6. Now he spends his days sitting behind desk, recruiting new agents and watching the clock. He has nearly made it to retirement without his family even knowing about his life of espionage… 

But when his daughter, Jodi, joins the service and vanishes on her first major mission, Mark has no choice but to step back into the shadows. This time, he’s not fighting for his country. He’s fighting for his family and the modern world of espionage is darker than the one he remembers. 

WHY WE CHOSE IT

Published in January to widespread critical acclaim – including being named The Times‘ Thriller of the Month – A Spy in the Blood immediately stood out as a novel that would appeal to James Bond readers, while offering a fresh perspective on espionage and a new voice in the genre.

At its heart, the novel asks a deceptively simple question: what makes a great spy? Is exceptional tradecraft something that can be learned through training and experience, or are some people simply born with the instincts needed for the job? Paul Warner explores these ideas through the relationship between veteran MI6 officer Mark Wolfe and his daughter, creating a story that is as much about legacy and family as it is about espionage.

The novel also poses an intriguing thought for Bond fans. Ian Fleming’s Bond exists in a perpetual present, remaining roughly the same age throughout the novels. But what might happen when a legendary field agent reaches retirement? What scars would decades of espionage leave behind, and how would those experiences shape the next generation? While Mark Wolfe is very much his own character, his story offers a fascinating exploration of questions that Fleming’s Bond was never given the opportunity to answer.

Of course, alongside these thoughtful themes, A Spy in the Blood delivers everything readers expect from a modern espionage thriller: a compelling mystery, authentic tradecraft, shifting loyalties, and high-stakes action. It’s an intelligent, character-driven spy novel that feels both contemporary and rooted in the traditions of the genre, one we could not wait to get our hands on.

THEMES TO CONSIDER

– Nature vs. Nurture – Can the qualities that make someone a great spy be passed on or taught?

– Obedience – Which are more important, the vows you make to your family or the ones you make to your country?

– Realism – Is this a more or less realistic take on MI6 than Fleming’s?

REVIEWS

The Times – ‘Warner’s impressive debut wins the reader’s trust with its nuanced depiction of character, brisk handling of the action and sure grasp of the cost to spies of a life of deception and betrayal’

David Goodman – ‘This explosive debut shifts from the shadowy streets of London to the freezing mountains of the Hindu Kush, powered by double-crosses, brutal action and last-resort adrenaline. Warner’s wry humour, fatalism and the dogged persistence of his protagonist Mark Wolfe draw you deep into the plot, spiralling through betrayal, sacrifice and the inexorable corruption of the secret world. An expertly thrown knife of a spy novel that slips the blade between your ribs when you least expect it.’

The Financial Times – ‘This is an impressive launch for what promises to be an exciting new series’

Rory Clements – ‘Terrifying – if you have children you’ll never see them the same way again’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Long obsessed by espionage fiction, A Spy in the Blood is Paul’s debut spy thriller. The second book in his Mark Wolfe espionage series, Funeral for a Spy, will be published by Zaffre Books in 2027.

Paul Warner has taught English and Art at several schools in London, Naples and East Sussex, where he currently lives with his partner and two children. He has previously been a bookseller and a voice-over artist. Writing as Paul Read, he has also written for the Times Educational Supplement and published two novels through Legend Press.

We hope you enjoy this month’s pick. Stay tuned for an author interview and lots more thrills!

For our (00)7th James Bond Book Club selection, we’re spotlighting the novel that sits at the very heart of the genre. It is a book that James Bond himself reads. A book that helped inspire Ian Fleming’s creation of James Bond and has influenced generations of espionage writers. Without further ado, our June Book Club pick is… Eric Ambler’s The Mask of Dimitrios.

OVERVIEW

Set in the uneasy years between the two World Wars, The Mask of Dimitrios begins in Istanbul, where English crime writer Charles Latimer hears of Dimitrios Makropoulos, a notorious criminal whose body has been found in the Bosphorus. Intrigued by the man who seemed to appear at the centre of one shady affair after another, Latimer decides to trace his movements across Europe to learn more.

His search takes him from Turkey through the Balkans and into Western Europe, where each new encounter reveals another piece of Dimitrios’ past. What begins as research for a book becomes something more personal as Latimer finds himself drawn into a criminal world of political intrigue and hidden loyalties.

First published in 1939, The Mask of Dimitrios offers a fascinating glimpse of Europe on the eve of enormous change and it remains widely regarded as one of the greatest espionage thrillers ever written.

WHY WE CHOSE IT

Eric Ambler was one of the writers Ian Fleming acknowledged as an influence. Ambler helped shape the modern thriller before Bond existed, replacing larger-than-life adventurers with a darker, more realistic world of international crime and political uncertainty.

In From Russia with Love, Fleming actually has Bond reading The Mask of Dimitrios while travelling to Istanbul. It’s one of the rare occasions we are told exactly what Bond is reading. Some scholars have even suggested that Ambler’s novel influenced aspects of From Russia with Love itself, making this more than a passing literary reference.

As our (00)7th book, The Mask of Dimitrios offers a chance to explore one of the novels that helped shape the world from which James Bond emerged: a journey into the roots of the spy thriller before Bond, before SPECTRE, and before the Cold War made 007 a global phenomenon.

THEMES TO CONSIDER

– Crime and politics – The novel presents crime and politics as deeply interconnected. How does Ambler blur the lines between them?

– Curiosity and obsession – Latimer begins his investigation out of curiosity, but becomes increasingly consumed by Dimitrios’ story. At what point does interest become obsession?

– Before Bond: Ambler and Fleming – Fleming admired Ambler and later had Bond reading The Mask of Dimitrios in From Russia, with Love. What similarities and differences can you see between Ambler’s thriller and Fleming’s approach to character?

REVIEWS

The Times – ‘Not Le Carré, not Deighton, not Ludlum have surpassed the intelligence, authenticity or engrossing storytelling that established The Mask of Dimitrios as the best of its kind’ 

The Wall Street Journal – ‘A startling, elegant masterpiece of espionage fiction’

The Guardian – ‘A gripping thriller … still fresh as new’

John le Carré – ‘The source we all draw on’

Graham Greene – ‘Unquestionably our best writer’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric Ambler is often said to have invented the modern thriller. Beginning in 1936, he wrote a series of novels that thrust ordinary protagonists into political intrigues they were ill-prepared to deal with. Praised for their realism and sophistication, Ambler’s books transformed the genre and established him as one of the most influential thriller writers of the twentieth century. He paved the way for many thriller writers including John Le Carre, Len Deighton, Robert Ludlum and, of course, Ian Fleming.

Eric Ambler is often credited with helping to invent the modern thriller. Beginning in 1936, he wrote a series of novels featuring ordinary protagonists drawn into political conspiracies and international intrigue far beyond their control. Praised for their realism and sophistication, Ambler’s books transformed the genre and established him as one of the most influential thriller writers of the twentieth century.

Alongside The Mask of Dimitrios, some of Ambler’s best-known novels include Cause for Alarm, Journey into Fear, and The Light of Day.

We can’t wait to dig into this cornerstone of the spy fiction canon and the impact it had on Ian Fleming’s writing. Follow our social channels for discussions, highlights, and more.