William Boyd on the Appeal of Spy Fiction and Creating Gabriel Dax

What makes a great spy novel?

For William Boyd, it is complexity, uncertainty and that irresistible feeling that, as a reader, you are constantly trying to work out who can be trusted.

In this SPOILER FREE special Spybrary conversation, Boyd joins Ollie Webb Carter (History Book Club Podcast) to discuss his Gabriel Dax novels and the latest instalment, Cold Sunset.

They explore Boyd's lifelong fascination with espionage fiction, the influence of John le Carré, the real history that feeds into his novels, and why the analogue world of Cold War spying remains such fertile ground for a novelist.

Along the way, William reveals the remarkable real-life MI6 figure who helped inspire Faith Green, shares his thoughts on the JFK assassination, reflects on the old-boy network that once dominated British intelligence, and explains how a television project that never came to fruition ultimately helped give birth to Gabriel Dax.

They also discuss:

• Why the best spy novels force the reader to think
• Betrayal, false identities and the double and triple bluff
• John le Carré and the literary tradition of spy fiction
• How Gabriel Dax is gradually becoming a more accomplished spy
• The real intelligence officer behind Faith Green
• MI6, the CIA and Cold War regime change
• Why modern surveillance makes contemporary espionage harder to write
• The unexpected origins of the Gabriel Dax series
• What could come next for Gabriel

A fascinating conversation with one of Britain's most celebrated novelists about spies, history, writing — and the enduring appeal of espionage fiction.

Featuring William Boyd in conversation with Ollie Webb Carter for Spybrary.