Essential Cold War Berlin Spy Sites You Must Visit and a few hidden gems!
Release Date: 10/02/2025
Simon Conway Returns with The British Agent and a Brand-New Spy
Spybrary Spy Podcast
returns to Spybrary to discuss his latest espionage thriller, T — a contemporary, globe-spanning story involving missing British-made surface-to-air missiles, Ukraine, American extremist militias, political conspiracy, and an audacious plot targeting.... Support Spybrary and help us produce more spy author interviews. Spybrary's David Craggs talks with Simon Conway about the creation of his new protagonist, Chuff, why he decided to leave behind the recurring characters of his , and how his real-world experience informs the weapons trafficking and intelligence elements of the story. ...
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Graham Greene: The Novelist Who Never Stopped Spying
Spybrary Spy Podcast
The novelist Graham Greene ranks at number 6 on Tim Shipman's infamous Best Spy Writers list — and yet we haven't given him enough airtime on the podcast. Time to put that right. Graham Greene didn't just write about spies — spying was the family business. His uncle founded Naval Intelligence. His sister recruited him into SIS. And Greene himself walked out of the Service the day before D-Day. Why? The answer may involve his boss and drinking companion: Kim Philby. Guest host Matt Hurst debriefs Professor Kevin Ruane — Greene scholar and Director of the Graham Greene International...
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Charles Cumming Talks ICARUS 17, BOX 88 and Writing Modern Espionage
Spybrary Spy Podcast
In this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, Shane Whaley is joined by fellow Spybrarian and Head of Boston Station, Joe Modzelewski, to welcome bestselling espionage author back to the show. Support us on for even more content. Charles joins Spybrary to discuss his new Lachlan Kite thriller, , released on 2 July in the UK and 7 July in the United States. Billed as a nail-biting new entry in the series, ICARUS 17 sees Kite pulled back into fieldwork when Martha Rain, a woman from his past, asks for his help in finding her missing son, Max. Max and his girlfriend Yasmine have disappeared...
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Nine Years, 300 Episodes – The Future of Spybrary Spy Podcast
Spybrary Spy Podcast
Nine years after nervously recording episode one, Shane Whaley celebrates a major Spybrary Spy Podcast milestone: episode 300. In this reflective and forward-looking episode, Shane shares how Spybrary began, why the has kept it going, and what comes next for the Spybrary spy podcast. Full shownotes at www.spybrary.com/300
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Bestselling Author Brad Thor on Choke Point, Netflix's Cold Zero, and Spy Fiction
Spybrary Spy Podcast
Brad Thor has sold over 25 million thriller books. Tim Shipman welcomes Brad Thor on Spybrary to discuss , the 25th Scot Harvath thriller, and the evolution of Scott Harvath from post-9/11 counterterrorism operator. Thor explains how the new novel uses Thailand, China’s ambitions, the Strait of Malacca, sabotage, bomb-making, and geopolitical manipulation as the backdrop for a fast-moving thriller. The conversation also digs into Thor’s writing process, his research network of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and diplomatic sources, and how he builds authentic detail even when he...
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Espionage Historian Reveals 5 Must-Read British Spy History Books
Spybrary Spy Podcast
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Cold War Spy Files - Britain’s Secret Fakers: The Cold War’s Hidden Propaganda War with Rory Cormac
Spybrary Spy Podcast
What happens when Britain fights the Cold War with typewriters, fake pamphlets, covert publishers, and even pretend hippies? On this episode of Spybrary's Cold War Spy Files, Shane Whaley talks with historian Rory Cormac about his book .and the extraordinary true story of the Information Research Department — Britain’s secret propaganda and forgery machine. A fascinating dive into Cold War deception, disinformation, and 'state-sanctioned skullduggery.' The conversation opens the file on Britain’s Cold War covert propaganda machine, especially the little-known — a blandly named...
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Jack Carr's Cry Havoc — Did This Le Carré Fan Finish It?
Spybrary Spy Podcast
I'm Shane Whaley — a self-confessed "guile over guns" spy fiction reader who has always preferred le Carré's slow burn spy novels to military firefights. So what happens when a Le Carré fan picks up Jack Carr's Cry Havoc, a 550-page Vietnam War action thriller written by a former Navy SEAL? Welcome to the Spybrary Rodeo — the brand new Spybrary feature where I pick up a book outside my comfort zone, or by a new-to-me author, give it a fair crack, and tell you exactly how many pages I stayed on for. Sometimes I bail early. Sometimes I go all the way to the final page. Today's book is...
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The Dark Truth About the Cambridge Five | Stalin’s Apostles with Antonia Senior
Spybrary Spy Podcast
If you think you already know the Cambridge Five story, think again. In this episode of Spybrary, Shane Whaley is joined by journalist and author Antonia Senior to discuss her powerful new book, — a major re-examination of Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross. But this is not the familiar story of clubland betrayal, old boys’ networks. ping gins and establishment embarrassment. Instead, Antonia asks a darker and more important question: what did Stalin actually want from his greatest spies and what was the human cost? From Poland, the Baltics,...
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She Judges Crime Fiction’s Biggest Prizes — Here Are Her 5 Favourite Spy Books!
Spybrary Spy Podcast
One of crime fiction's most trusted voices reveals her 5 best spy novels. In our latest Spybrary Dead Drop Five series, crime fiction critic makes a passionate case for each one — and her picks may surprise you. Welcome back to the Dead Drop 5 series! In this episode, Spybrary host Shane Whaley is joined by Ayo Onatade — one of the most respected voices in crime and thriller fiction. Ayo is a critic, commentator, and moderator who has written extensively on crime and thriller fiction, contributed to major reference works on British and American crime writing, and...
info_outlineStep back into the shadows of Cold War Berlin with this week’s episode of Spybrary. My guest is James Stejskal, a former U.S. Special Forces operator who spent 23 years in clandestine service—much of it in divided Berlin. He’s just released his new book, Berlin: A Spy’s Guide to it's Cold War History in Story and Image, and joins me to share his tips on the best Berlin Cold War sites to visit.
You’ll hear about:
- Why Berlin is the city of spies!
- What it was really like serving in Berlin during the Cold War.
- His picks for the three essential Cold War spy sites every fan must visit.
- Three hidden, off-the-beaten-track spots in Berlin that most tourists miss.
- Which spy novelist best captured the city’s tense, shadowy atmosphere.
- My own must-see Berlin recommendations for spy enthusiasts.
If Berlin is on your travel list—or if you’re fascinated by the city’s role in espionage and cold war history—this episode is for yo