Alan Judd – författare

'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject.' The Daily Telegraph 'Alan Judd knows more about the secret world than any other writer living. To have him turn his expert eye on the world of Christopher Marlowe – and on Francis Walsingham, the Elizabethan George Smiley – is a special kind of literary treat.' Mick Herron‘Absolutely spellbinding. I gobbled it up in two days and could not stop' Miranda SeymourDanger and dissent stalk the streets and taverns of Elizabethan England. The Queen’s chief spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and his team of agents must maintain the highest levels of vigilance to ward off Catholic plots and the ever-present threat of invasion. One operative in particular - a young Cambridge undergraduate of humble origins, controversial beliefs and literary genius who goes by the name of Kit Marlowe - is relentless in his pursuit of intelligence for the Crown. When he is killed outside an inn in Deptford, his mysterious death becomes the subject of rumours and suspicion that are never satisfactorily resolved.  Years later, Thomas Phelippes, a former colleague of Marlowe’s and a man once much valued by Walsingham, finds himself imprisoned in the Tower. When he is visited by an emissary of the new king, however, it becomes clear that his long fall from favour may be reversed if he will furnish his monarch with every detail he is able to recall about his murdered friend’s life and death. But just what is it that so fascinates King James about the famously mercurial playwright-spy, and does Phelippes know enough to secure his own redemption?Virtuosic, gripping and meticulously researched, award-winning writer Alan Judd turns is at the peak of his powers in this remarkable novel about a literary genius whose short-life and violent death composed one of the most fascinating unresolved mysteries of all time.

A fascinating and unique history of the launch of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service through the unusual life of its founder, Mansfield Cumming. Sir Mansfield Cumming, the founder of the British Secret Service and the original ‘C’, has until now been a shadowy figure. For this authorised biography, the Secret Intelligence Service has released to Alan Judd, Cumming’s voluminous diaries, which have never been seen outside the Service and will be put back into storage in perpetuity when Judd has used them.The result is likely to be the most sensational biography of the season, and the definitive account of how MI5 and MI6 – the models for all subsequent secret services all over the world – were set up.Cumming signed himself ‘C’, was referred to as such in Whitehall and always used green ink, traditions maintained to this day. His life not only makes riveting reading but casts fascinating light on the development of the Secret Service and its influence on the twentieth century.

Guardian Fiction Prize-winning and extraordinarily highly critically acclaimed, The Devil’s Own Work is a subtle, compulsive hallucinatory tale of possession.A world-renowned writer living in the South of France owes his extraordinary career to a mysterious literary spirit – or is it a demon?– that controls him. The existence of this supernatural muse, and the price it exacts, remain hidden until the famous writer’s death, when the spirit is transferred to a rising but as yet unformed literary hopeful, whose own celebrity begins immediately and inexplicably to grow. The only clues to these two possessions are an ancient, inscrutable manuscript and the continuing presence of an apparently ageless woman who attaches herself in turn to these gifted but soon distracted and eventually desperate men. And as the narrator, a guileless teacher of literature, pieces their stories together, we begin to see what can happen when an artist surrenders to the charm of fame.

A satirical romp through the corridors of the Foreign Office as Patrick Stubbs is posted as third secretary in the British Embassy in Lower Africa. Mayhem awaits him - an absent-minded ambassador, a bullying first secretary with a dipsomaniac wife, and a crush on the police chief's wife! The author won the 1981 Royal Society of Literature Award for "A Breed of Heroes". In 1983 he was chosen as one of the Best of Young British Novelists.

Seabed fluid flow involves the flow of gases and liquids through the seabed. Such fluids have been found to leak through the seabed into the marine environment in seas and oceans around the world - from the coasts to deep ocean trenches. This geological phenomenon has widespread implications for the sub-seabed, seabed, and marine environments. Seabed fluid flow affects seabed morphology, mineralization, and benthic ecology. Natural fluid emissions also have a significant impact on the composition of the oceans and atmosphere; and gas hydrates and hydrothermal minerals are potential future resources. This book describes seabed fluid flow features and processes, and demonstrates their importance to human activities and natural environments. It is targeted at research scientists and professionals with interests in the marine environment. Colour versions of many of the illustrations, and additional material - most notably feature location maps - can be found at www.cambridge.org/9780521819503.

Ford Madox Ford is best known for two fictional masterpieces: The Good Soldier and the Great War tetralogy, Parade's End. Indeed, it was reading the former that first persuaded Alan Judd to write this superb biography. Graham Greene once strikingly pronounced, 'There is no novelist of this century more likely to live than Ford Madox Ford.' Even if that is debatable there is no denying his importance in the literary firmament of the first thirty years of the twentieth-century. He founded the English Review which can claim to have discovered D. H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound and Wyndham Lewis. In the 1920s he founded the Transatlantic Review which published work by James Joyce, Ezra Pound, e.e. cummings, Gertrude Stein and Jean Rhys. Two of Ford Madox Ford's passions were conversation and women. It is often said he only seduced the latter to carry on the former!Alan Judd's biography is a brilliant rehabilitation of a literary figure who has still not been accorded his rightful place. On first publication it received dazzling reviews.'It is a marvellous book, intelligent, sympathetic, comprehensive, worthy of Ford.' Allan Massie, Sunday Telegraph'Mr Judd never bores. He is shrewd about the novel in general and Ford in particular.' Gore Vidal, Times Literary Supplement'Indulgent, energetic, and immensely readable.' Richard Holmes, The Times 'Alan Judd has been drawn into Ford's embattlement and defends him staunchly and imaginatively.' A. S. Byatt, Guardian'What Judd rightly emphasises is that Ford was a giver, believing that the preservation and furtherance of artistic talent was his permanent responsibility.' Frank Kermode, London Review of Books

A Telegraph ‘Best Crime and Thrillers of 2025’ selectionTHE NEW FIRST WORLD WAR SPY THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE GENRE'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries', Financial Times'Emily Grey proves so engaging that I hope she'll keep going into the Cold War', Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel' Literary ReviewIn the glorious summer of 1914, Emily Grey, a young Cambridge undergraduate, is studying German in Heidelberg. While there she meets Hans, a philosopher with grey eyes and long lashes, who wins her heart and asks her to marry him. When the First World War intervenes, however, she is forced to return to England, leaving Hans behind to join the Imperial Navy. A year later, Emily is recruited to serve in a recently established government department. Commander Cumming, head of His Majesty’s newly-formed Secret Service — sometimes also known as MI6 — is keen to make use of Emily’s language skills. Assigned to interview an informer known as ‘The Dane’, she learns of a plot so audacious it has the potential to change the entire course of the war. At Rosyth in Scotland, the home of the British Grand Fleet, Emily must work undercover to locate the mole the heart of the British naval establishment. Who is the traitor known only by the codename ‘Heiffer’? And can she find him in time to prevent a military catastrophe that would spell disaster for the country she serves? Blending unparalleled authenticity with literary flair and historical accuracy, Alan Judd has created a gripping thriller about the early days of MI6 that cements his reputation as a master of the historical spy novel.'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph

THE NEW FIRST WORLD WAR SPY THRILLER FROM THE MASTER OF THE GENRE'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph 'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries.' Financial Times'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel.' Literary Review1915: The First World War rages, tearing families apart and dividing loved ones. Emily Grey, having recently completed her studies at Cambridge, finds herself recruited into the newly-formed Secret Service (also know as MI6) by its first chief, the formidable and eccentric Commander Cumming, known to the outside world simply as ‘C’. Wanting to make use of Emily's language skills, he despatches her to Rotterdam to debrief one of the service's most important agents. Through him, Emily learns of a plot so audacious it has the potential to alter the entire course of the war. Posted to Rosyth, the home of the British Grand Fleet, Emily works undercover to locate the mole at the heart of the naval establishment. Who is the traitor know only by the codename ‘Heiffer’? And can he stopped in time to prevent a military catastrophe? In No. 2 Whitehall Court, Judd blends unparalleled authenticity with literary flair to create a gripping thriller about the early days of MI6 that cements his reputation as a master of the historical spy novel.

The second instalment in the highly praised Emily Grey series‘Emily Grey proves so engaging that I hope she'll keep going into the Cold War', Jake Kerridge, Daily TelegraphAt the height of the First World War, Emily Grey finds herself far away from the action, collating Swiss rubber imports in a hut in the middle of St James’ Park. Summoned to MI6’s Whitehall headquarters, Emily learns that her talent for languages is needed elsewhere and she is despatched to Bern to debrief Fritz the Ritz, an agent reporting on the wartime activities of German industry.However, when she discovers that Fritz the Ritz may not be all he claims to be, she is led to the door of an import-export dealership in Lausanne and the unassuming couple who run it. Could they really be at the heart of a network that threatens the lives of millions of Allied soldiers? And, if they are, can Emily, and her ever-eager partner Nigel Nisbet, stop them before they go too far?With a matchless flair for historical accuracy, psychological acuity and breathtaking adventure, Judd’s latest historical thriller demonstrates once again that he is one of the finest spy novelists writing today and that this series of novels about the origin of MI6 bears comparison with John Le Carre, Patrick O’Brien and Joseph Conrad.Praise for No. 2 Whitehall Court'Judd, a veteran spy novelist and former diplomat, knows his way around Britain's world of shadows. He takes the reader straight back to the start of the first world war and the long, smoke-filled, gloomy corridors of Whitehall ministries.' Financial Times'Veteran spy writer Alan Judd eschews easy drama and obvious cliffhangers in this elegantly written novel.' Literary Review'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject' The Daily Telegraph

In April 1945 Hitler's bunker in Berlin was the last place Edith Mecklenburg wanted to be. But Edith had no choice: as secretary to Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress and -- for a few final, desperate hours -- his wife, Edith had to see it through to the bitter end. Edith was one of the lucky few. She not only got out alive but made a new life for herself in England. Sixty years on, now a widow and grandmother, the Bunker is almost forgotten. But the past has not forgotten her. Hans, a soldier she knew from those dark days, has written asking if he may visit. Obsessed with the war, he has spent the intervening decades tracking down all who were there, and who survived. In her reluctant raking-over of old coals, Edith finds embers that still burn, and in the act of remembrance a very current threat . . .

From a prison cell, in which he has been held on suspicion of breaking the Official Secrets Act, Charles Thoroughgood awaits not only his bail, but also the reappearance of the woman whom all the major roads in his life have led back to. After his years in the army and then with MI6, Charles has begun a new chapter in his life with the Secret Intelligence Agency, shadowing the movements of a suspected double agent. Charles knows that he has nothing to hide, and as he casts his mind over the course of recent events, he begins to suspect a more sinister motivation, both personally and politically, behind his incarceration…

From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, comes a brilliant new novel for fans of le Carre, Graham Greene and Charles Cumming.During a time of political disruption and rising anti-nuclear sentiment, MI5 discovers that an extremist fringe group, Action Against Austerity, appears to have links to an established political party while planning sabotage using something or someone called Deep Blue.  Banned from investigating British political parties, the head of MI5 seeks advice from Charles Thoroughgood, his opposite number in MI6.  Agreeing to help unofficially with the case, Charles must delve deep into his own past, to an unresolved Cold War case linked to his private life.  Using the past as key to the present, he soon finds himself in a race against time to prevent a plot which is politically nuclear …  Authoritative and packed with in-depth knowledge, Deep Blue is a gripping new spy thriller from a master of the genre.‘Judd infuses his writing with insider knowledge’ New Statesman

'Alan Judd's special magic is to mix contemporary events as they break over our heads with the codes and crafts of the secret world on whose special traits he is always uncannily up to date' Peter Hennessy'Plotting in the best le Carré tradition' Mail on SundayFrom the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, and The Kaiser's Last Kiss comes a brilliant new novel for fans of John le Carre and Charles CummingBrexit looms and Charles Thoroughgood, Chief of MI6, is forbidden for political reasons from spying on the EU.  But when an EU official volunteers the EU’s negotiating bottom lines to one of his officers, Charles has to report it.  Whitehall is eager for more but as the case develops Charles realises that it may not be quite what it appears.  At the same time, he finds he has a family connection with a possible terrorist whom MI5 want checked out.  In both cases, Charles is forced to become his own agent, seeking what he really does not want to find.  Authoritative and packed with in-depth knowledge, Accidental Agent is a gripping new spy thriller from a master of the genre.‘Judd infuses his writing with insider knowledge’New Statesman'Wonderful. One of the best spy novels ever' Peter Hennessey on Legacy'Belongs to the classic tradition of spy writing' Guardian'Judd has an infallible grasp of intelligence'Spectator

From the author of Legacy, now a major BBC Film, comes a brilliant new historical crime novella for fans of Antonia Hodgson and CJ Sansom.‘To Mr Thomas Combe my sword.’  These six words in Shakespeare’s will tell us that Shakespeare had a sword. Did he wear it?  Did he use it?  What sort was it?  When and why did he get it?  What happened to it?  Might it – does it – still exist?  These questions plague Simon Gold, an antiques dealer.  He believes he has identified the sword as belonging to a customer, an unworthy owner indifferent to cultural icons and uninterested in history.  Simon is desperate to acquire the sword, but how?  How far is he prepared to go to get it?  In alliance with Charlotte, his customer’s attractive and disaffected wife, Simon finds himself going farther than he had intended - and finds, too, that Charlotte is rather more than she appears.Praise for Alan Judd:'Judd has an infallible grasp of intelligence' Spectator'Wonderful. One of the best spy novels ever' Peter Hennessey on Legacy 'Plotting in the best le Carré tradition' Mail on Sunday'Belongs to the classic tradition of spy writing' Guardian

FROM THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF LEGACY AND ACCIDENTAL AGENTAfter university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commandos and is on a four-month tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast. The thankless task facing him and his men -- to patrol the tension-filled streets through weeks of boredom punctuated by bursts of horror -- takes them through times of tragedy, madness, laughter and terror.Alan Judd tells Thoroughgood's tale with verve, compassion and humour. The result is an exceptionally fine novel which blends bitter human incident with army farce.'Quite simply one of the best novels of army life I've read' JACK HIGGINS'Entertaining and compulsively readable' MELVYN BRAGG'Human, sympathetic and engrossing' DAILY MIRROR

In a dangerous world nothing is straightforward. Not even murder.‘Judd…knows his stuff when it comes to the milieu of espionage.’ The Times‘An elegant and informed British espionage novel.’ Financial Times‘Authentic, clever and wonderfully entertaining.’ Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6 'We can't think of a better Christmas read.' Oxford Alumni Magazine  ‘He saw Cleaner Bob arrive that morning, the morning of his death.’  In the peaceful towns and villages of England, Cleaner Bob is washing windows, and people are dying in sudden and unexpected circumstances. When it becomes clear that the victims have a common history as Russian defectors, foul play is suspected and a hunt begins to locate their assailant, the lethal poison that killed them, and the mole who is leaking their locations.  In a race against time, only one man has the connections and experience to crack the case before more people perish. Charles Thoroughgood, former head of MI6, is enjoying retirement in the Oxfordshire hamlet he calls home when the call comes in. A man of duty, he agrees to take part in a mission that will lead him into the heart of enemy territory and threaten to undermine the very values he holds most dear.  Tense, engrossing and terrifyingly believable, the latest Charles Thoroughgood novel is a timely and brilliant reminder that Alan Judd is a master of the spy thriller and a writer of the very highest quality.

In a dangerous world nothing is straightforward. Not even murder.‘Judd…knows his stuff when it comes to the milieu of espionage.’ The Times‘An elegant and informed British espionage novel.’ Financial Times‘Authentic, clever and wonderfully entertaining.’ Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6 'We can't think of a better Christmas read.' Oxford Alumni Magazine  ‘He saw Cleaner Bob arrive that morning, the morning of his death.’  In the peaceful towns and villages of England, Cleaner Bob is washing windows, and people are dying in sudden and unexpected circumstances. When it becomes clear that the victims have a common history as Russian defectors, foul play is suspected and a hunt begins to locate their assailant, the lethal poison that killed them, and the mole who is leaking their locations.  In a race against time, only one man has the connections and experience to crack the case before more people perish. Charles Thoroughgood, former head of MI6, is enjoying retirement in the Oxfordshire hamlet he calls home when the call comes in. A man of duty, he agrees to take part in a mission that will lead him into the heart of enemy territory and threaten to undermine the very values he holds most dear.  Tense, engrossing and terrifyingly believable, the latest Charles Thoroughgood novel is a timely and brilliant reminder that Alan Judd is a master of the spy thriller and a writer of the very highest quality.

After university and Sandhurst, Charles Thoroughgood has now joined the Assault Commandos and is on a four-month tour of duty in Armagh and Belfast. The thankless task facing him and his men -- to patrol the tension-filled streets through weeks of boredom punctuated by bursts of horror -- takes them through times of tragedy, madness, laughter and terror.Alan Judd tells Thoroughgood's tale with verve, compassion and humour. The result is an exceptionally fine novel which blends bitter human incident with army farce.

Charles Thoroughgood, hero of Alan Judd's classic A Breed of Heroes, has left the army to be trained by MI6 in the arts of the Cold War. Nothing could prepare him, however, for the unexpected inheritance left him by his late father, which leads him back into an old school friendship with Viktor, a Russian diplomat living in London, and beyond that into the murky world of Soviet espionage at the height of the nuclear threat to the West.